Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1864-07-01
THE SITUATION BEFORE pEsrERs.

furnishes a communication Of very great
length dated Army Of the Potomac near
Petersturg. tuesday June 81" giving re-
sure Of the operations Of the preceding week,
and discussing prospects and probabilities
with much discernment.. The following Is
an extract from this letter
The line Of rebel works, on a command
ing ridge south Of the city, taken by Smith
on Wednesday, are but too miles from Pc
tersburg, and thence one looks right into the
Cocksde City which lies in the valley OF
the Appomat,ox. But our line is now ad-
vanced far beyond those works, and in places
not over half mile from the town, which
lies perfectly under the range OF our bate
ries, and has already received quite number
of accidental shells,
In this state Of facts readily anticipate
the question. Why, then, is the city not
sheled ? To any one who has conception
Of the ground, there is a ready reply to this
question, Petersburg lies in a hollow, and
is commanded both by the nights on the
south, which are in our possession, and by
the nights on the north, which are in the en-
emy's possession. Now, the assault which
carries Petersburg must also be prepared to
push over the river and carry the nights be-
yond dominating it for otherwise it could
soon be made much too hot place to be com
Portable. In any other view the Smelling OF
Petersburg would be useless enterprise
and if we take the bombardment of Fred
ericksburg as measure, would cost us much
more in ammunition than the amount to which
we might damage the town.
lfthis outline of the present situation be
Ineligible, it will have made manifest how
absurd is the notion which has been express
ed in the northern press that Petersburg is
in state Of siege. Such phrase, as mark
ing mere qualification Of ideas, nigh, be al
lowed 60 pass unnoticed but il is calculated
to give altogether erroneous impressions,
both of the present position and Of the future
prospects OF the army. A siege, in any 9TH
or than the loosest use of the term, can only
be applied to an army investing city and
planted on or interrupting its communications
NV, we neither invest Petersburg, nor ore
we planted on nor have we interrupted il,
communications.
Begin with its northern communication
the Petersburg and Richmond railroad. This
was seized by Gen. Butler at Port Waltbal
and the track torn up for some distance.
But Beauregard able to repulse Butler,
and this road, as is conveyed in an official
dispatch from Gen. Lee to MIR. Davis, has
gain been put in running order. Looking
to the southern side, the communications OF
Petersburg by the Petersburg and Suf-
folk and the Petersburg and Danvile roads
Looking to the western side its communica-
tions are by the Petersburg and Lynchburg
railroad.
Beginning with these in order, the Peters
burg and Suffolk road is in our possession
the left wing Of our army rests across it; but
It forms no part Of tho communications pro-
per of Petersburg, because the terminus,
Suffolk, has long been in our possession
There remain, therefore, the Petersburg and
Weldon and the Petersburg and Lynchburg
roads. These are its real communications.
Now, we have touched, and in our present
situation, can touch neither of these. To
tap the Petersburg and Weldon road would
require q development of our line several
miles to the left. To tap the Petersburg and
Lynchbutg road is at present impracticable,
and probably it will be impossible to do more
than make it the object of visitations from
raiding parties, because an extension so far
To the left would seriously endanger our own
communications, and the maxim does not al
low us to expose our own communications in
operating against those of the enemy. In
this condition of things, to speak Of Peters,
burg as being under siege is a mere abuse
of language.
With reference to the question of the re-
pair OF the rebel roads, ! have recently learn
ed fact, the truth of which is undoubted,
and which accounts for the facility and rapid
ity with which the enemy has lately been able
to make good all the damage we have done
on their railroad communications. Gen. Lee
has, in conjunction with several English rail-
road engineers organized corps of railroad
construction, which has this matter in hand
Large supplies of new railroad iron have been
received from abroad and placed at conven-
lent points, and duplicates of all important
bridges are also on hand. With this agency
and these means, the damage which can be
is rendered merely temporary and it is quite
certain that the rebels were able in a marvel
GUS short space to put in perfect running or
der both the Virginia Central and the Lynch
burg roads. 1t can hardly be claimed, there
fore, that the enemy's communications are
to-day in any respect seriously embarrassed.
This exposition, while showing that we
hold no such relations to Petersburg and its
communications as to claim its being under a
siege, yet brings out clearly the commanding
military importance of this point with refer :
ence to any operations against Richmond by
this line. Petersburg is, in fact, the key to
Richmond and the elaborate construction of
lite defences furnishes a standard of the high
value set upon il by the rebel military engin-
GERS. Viewed from military point of view,
it forms powerfully-fortifed tete de pont,
covering the passage OF the river and the
main line of communications from Richmond
southwark.
Its relations with that capital are, in fact,
almost identical with those held by Baltimore
toward Washington and were the rebels in
possession of the former point they would
not menace our capital more than we would
Richmond, were we once in possession of Pc
tersburg. In fact, not as much--for even
were Baltimore in the hands OF the rebels,
Washington would still have its water COM
munications, while Richmond is isolated from
it. The rebel defensive line was drawn a
round the city at distance of about two
miles from it, and formed a set of detached
redoubts after what ia known as the "German
system"
or these works there were seventeen,
mounting from six to to eighteen guns each.
They were beautiful in design and powerful
in construction, equal to the Notifications a.
round Washington, and connected by an in
fantry parapet, the strongest hsve yet seen
in my experience over all parts of the theatre
of war.
That they were left as inadequately defend