Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-05-27
Correspondence of the Muscatine Journal !
FROM WASHINGTON.

The Richmond Canapaigs-We lVound-
ed" Seeing q Batter at the Notiono
Hotel! --...,
WASHINGTON, May la 1854.
The campaign against Richmond, SC
far us the Army of the Potomac is con
cerned, is just now, as you are aware. al
a sort of dead lock. For two days it sus
been quiet, just beyond the Wilderness.
1t is good time, therefore, calmly ano
dispassionateIy to review the campaign
thus far, 10 consider its results, II t.
speculate as to the probabilities sue
cess in its farther prosecution.
And here let me remark, what indeed
every thoroughly intelligent mind must
have observed, that we newspaper COR
respondents have u prodigious advantag,
over all other people under the sun ;s
regards a complete understanding any
campaign whatsoever, political or mill
tary. Have we not--espe tally youl
obedient servant, the subscriber-beeH
firing hot shot into Banks and Steele foi
a twelvemonth We knew what We
were talking about, and now everybody
knows that, Notwithstanding his prot
cheney in the dance imperial, Banks is a
stupendous military culprit, and thai,
Steele ought to be drummed out of the
service ,,drunk or sober. 1t was so afore-
time with poor Little Mac, Buel, Hal
leck, and other rascally incompetents.
The simple fact is, we get reliable intel
ligence by means of underground rail-
roads and submarine telegraphs utterly
unknown to the public at large, anC
even when the trains are Off the track
and the wires cut, we are the everlast
INCEST best guessers in Christendom.-
Hence our superior wisdom !
In sober earnestness, newspaper men
here have had but one burst ofjubilation
since Grant crossed the Rapidan, ano
that was when Hancock broke into the
rebel ranks and captured division O.
rebel troops. All the rest of the tim.
they have been anxious, but not without
hope. In that terrible and long contin
ued struggle, commencing not far from
Germania ford, and ceasing for time
near Spotsylvania, Grant did indeed
give the rebelarmya most fearful pound.
ing. Our men fought with desperate
valOr ali the time, and all the time were
handled with consummate skill. Oul
victory was not decisive, and was oh
tained at a cost OF blood which it il
heartrending TO contemplate. Our loss
in killed and wounded is not less than
thirty thousand, and fear it is more
There are the prisoners and the dead be-
sides s.a t
/ presume it is true, nevertheless, that
Grant is very nearly as strong as when
he broke up camp at Culpepper. He
has been heavily reinforced. Lee has
been reinforced also, but it is believed,
not SO strongly as Grant. Right here is
where we have the advantage of the
rebels, not only as regards this particu-
lar army, but as regards all our armies.
Our forces are already mucil stronger
than theirs, and stu the capacity OF the
loyal country to raise armies il by no
means exhausted, whist that OF the
country in rebellion is. Their armies
have been got together ana kept together
by means of the most relentless con-
scri, t on and the sternest mil tary d IS
pOtlsm. Wnen they siiali be destroyed,
tne rebellion will be at an end, whereas,
should Lee now whip the Army Of the
Potomac, it would be like lhe victory O
Pyrrhus on the Siris-One more such ami
the victor wouId return home alone
What has astonished the rebels. Of late
more than anything else is the fact that
we can still replenish our armies with
volunteers. 1t is not so with them
Nay, they cannot repienish their armies
AT ali. They might as well go to the
prairies for saw-iogs. When they lose
ifty thousand men, therefore. it is worse
.or them than would be the los; OF Il
hundred thousand TO us.
BY reasoning upon the facts here brief
ly noted, we may fairly conclude that
another struggle like the last would
leave Grant with Il large army and Lee
with nothing but his WORKS. Even
should misfortune attend our arms, we
should still be better prepared foranoth-
er campaign, except only upon the en-
tire desl lruction OF the Army OF. the i'o-
tOmac. But these long struggles, these
drawn battles day after day Tor week
at time,a substantial victories for us.
1t would only take one or two more such
TO practically annihilate the rebel army
under Lee, and then We could march over
and re-possess the rebel territory from
Richmond to the gulf without serious
opposition. Meantime, active opera
tons by this army cannot long be delay.
ed, and we may reasonably hope for &
most important victory.
have said above that our loss in kill
ed ana wounded must be about thirty
five thousand. Ii can be set down very
snortly-35, 900. We can speak it very
quickly, but we are apt not 10 appreciate
men. women and children, Of heokuk
Burlington, Muscatine, and Davenport
were in hospitals we should think it /;
dreadful thing. .As many from the
Army OF the Potomac are i'll the hos
pitfalls, on the way thither, Or suffering
the agonies Of prOtracted death on the
field OF battle. Manyof them, it is true
are but slightly wounded, but thousands
upon thousands suffer the dreadful tor
ments OF almost mortal wounds. The
man who can see these sufferers and re-
main unmoved must have q heart O
steel; he who can contemplate the suf
ferings brought about by this horrible
rebellion without the most indignant
maiedictions upon its authors, must bE
Il monster with no correct ideas of retri
butive justice or OF the penalties with
which the scourges OF q great people
should be visited.
Our wounded suffered much on THEN
way hither, before reaching Fredericks.
burg and ct that city. But now they
are as well cared for rs it is possible they
can be. The Sanitary Commission, the
Christian Commits on, the regular med.
icaI officers of the army, volunteer
nurses and hundreds Of women are min
istering to their wants in all the ways
Suggeated by. noble cnaflty ana auectlon
The sufferers themselves are for themos'
part heroically cheerful, regarding tleii
wounds but nothing in comparison oi
the triumph OF the nation.
You may have noticed, dearlybcloved
reader, thati if on some solemn occasion
any thing at all ludicfous takes place,
you are apt to nearly split your sides in
the effort to suppress laughter. / think
I Ion ,,I 90 m
at a funeral, unless it were on another
equally solemn occasion-p at col
lege. T done trememberthefd fanny thing,
but I know that both times | crammed
two handkerchieis in my capacious
mouth and came near dying outright in
my suppressive efforts. 1t was on the
same theory. | supposo-that OF appo-
sites. which need not stop to explain
that I laughed inoFdinately the other
evening, just after a long ambulance
train had passed by, at this incident