The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-05-21

against tU6 stNGIaA fCaNTs as"''"E
lifted the temper of bis troops almost to
the sauguine measure OF his own, he sent
away an army corps to the Peninsula, as
being in excess OF what be needed; and
when, subsequently, the Question Of with.
drawing the two years regiments was
sgitated, he quietly rema rked that "the
Army Of the Potomac " as large enough,
without them, to go VIII ere it pleased.
This sublime confidence was insenslbly
communicated TO the sol diers, and lnspir-
ed them for efforts which went far TO rem.
der them insncible.
The mos. difficult pc rtion OF the task
which Hooker had assn med, in oricr IN
render his strategy do isive, was that
which conprehenfed cavalry raid,
vhich, simultaneously with his own ad-
vance, should make asst circuit round
the enemy's entire rear and so destroy
his communication with Richmond, and
also with every line Of retreat. and to OBJ
Ilige him TO leave his Notifications and
Give MS battle on ourowh chosen ground.
This important task h4 conhded to the
charge OF Stoneman, who IN he had recent
Iy selected for his Chief of Cavalry; but
we speak ndvisedly when we say that the
whole raid, its circuit, d. tail and philoso
ply, was projected and developed oy
Hooker himself. We hl d about l2,ooo
cavalry the force allow ed S,oneman Ion
his exploit Was perhaps more than hall
that number Enough remained for
pleasanto,,. in the tangled and wooded
country which Hooker lad selected for
his operations, TO perior En all the duties
required by the army, W ben It had taken
it's position nay, more II nan could be well
managed there as it wal found when the
position was acquired. lac "hose plau
being at last m stursd and all the preIim-
inary enterprises tried, b = way of feeling
the path previous To the Leap, the season
approached for the experiment. to be
made. FESTIVE for his opportunity, the
Federal commander, sna tching at the FIRST
hours of dry weather, sent ,Stoneman OF
as early As the 18th Of April but unex.
pected and unreasonable raias caught him
on his road and delayed the whole opera
ton fun ten days. Mes nwhile Lee, mis-
led BY reports which Ho oker had had the
art to send him, rate1 O. r whole force at
barely fifty thousand, re garded them as
utterly demoraized, and had even ordered
Stuart TO get up raid " Inch should scare
as in our lines.
/ At length the heave Ems relaxed. and
prompt with the first CLEAN of sunshine
the whole army (a7th April) was set in
motion for its gigantic and complicated
task. The object of Of purse Was to get
across the river without being seen but
as the enemy we're 10 fp rce on the other
side, aud we're guardiog every lord, 1t wa
necessary not only to ma Ike him distribute
his strength, but 10 mis- cad him fIom the
true point where We int ended to fling our
main body. To effect this object. and
} cor the purpose of cont using the enemy
completely. Hooker decIH he'd to make dem
onstratlons al ike Pr ces, tbs xtreme
ones being nearly forty miles apart. To
l kelly's Ford, which was twenty five
miles to the north, he sent SLOVENIAN
cavalry to the far south he sent one
corps under Reynolds just below the
front of the city he man euvered and Their
crossed two others, VI lille toward ii,
| United States Ford he threatened with Z
fourth. Having thus occupied the atten
ton Of the enemy, he took three corps 4
himself and set out rapidly to Kelly
Ford. Arriving there on The 28lh. b,
let Stouemau loose, and then followed il
rapid march himself. While be is thu
briskly and perilousIy pressing forward L
the coveted position in the rebel rear, tn
attention of Lee has been rivetsd by th,
eyolutions in front W bile, TO meet TIL
still more threatening demonstrations a
the far distant lower ID I'd, he dispatcbe,
the formidable Jackssh with forty thou
sand chosen men. The .sdmrable art b.
which this telling m Esdirection of tn
4 Confederate force was d fected may be, t
! some degree appreciated by the following
extracts from the able eiter Of Mr.. Swim
ton, which was published In the Times
Every one was rub bling his eyes, an
asking where is the army No one coul
Tell. Here was colurh n moving up, an
other moving down. and the column tina
was up yesterday, prov ss to 60 down to
day. confess | was b earthly glad Of th
general bewilderment, though il was rath
er puzzling for corresp ondent to observ
movements along inc twenty five o
thirty miles in length In this case.
was the spectators Of The great game c
chess that were biindiold The maste
/ player alone had his ey es open.
| = - = + ! .
, I" Thus far, it is to be noticed that bu
/ one division Of each Of the two a IN
r corps had been sent across the river
the remaining four divisions stayed 0
. the other side. But they were not idle
They were put in motion on the hill -slor
on one side OF the river. and in plai
view Of the enemy, we're marched alon
q the crest Of the ridge and down, as tn,
! 10 the crossing. Bat instead OF crossi d,
{ they were quietly draw nup back throug
: gully, round the rear OF the ridge, al,
: round again on its top
> They made the appearance Of an arm
!. Of at1east hundred thousand men, an
Y must have presented the appearance Of
|. hiasstay on our side. preparatory to
= passage Of the river, under cover OF II
! night The same 'circusing' was pc
q formed by the artillery, the same BY Il
d wagon trains.
d Was this ruse de querre It con
h hardly BE- anything elsc and yet, to al
IA one but q careful ohseyvar evan IN -,