The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-10-21

of them absent without leave. Tie mar
who repents and goes back to his com.
mander voluntarily, appeals strongly t.
the executive clemency. But suppose he
stays away until the war is over, and his
cOmrads return home, and when every
mans history will be told, where will
he shields himself. 1t is upon these re
Elections that rely to make men return
to their duty, but after comforting with
, orr Generals at headquarters, if there be
any other remedy it shall be applied. l
love my friends and l forgive my enemies.
l have been asked to send relnforcements
from Virginia to Georgia. In Virginia
the disparity in numbers is just as great
as it is in Georgia. Then | have been
asked why the army sent to the Shenan-
dcah Valley was not sent here. 1t was
because an army of the enemy had pene-
trated that valley to the very gates of
Lynchburg, and Gen. Early was sent to
drive them back. This he not only sue
oessfulIy did, but, crossing the Potomac,
came well nigh capturing Washington it.
sell, and forced Grant to send two corps
Of his army to protect it. This the enemy
denominated raid. If so, Shermaas
march into Georgia is a raid. VIVA
would prevent them now if EARLY was
withdrawn from taking Lynchbu.g,
and putting q complete Gordon of men
around Richmond. l counselled with
that great and brave soldier, General Lee,
upon all these points. My mind roamed
over the whole field. With this we can
succeed. If one-half the men now absent
without leave, will return to duty, we can
defeat the enemy. With that hope am
going to the 'front.' I may not realize
this hope, but know there are men there
who have looked death in the face too
often to despond now. Let no one de-
spond. Let no one distrust, and remem-
Der that If genius is the beau ideal, hope
is the reality.
PRESIDENT DAVIS sPKE0H AT MACON.
From the Charleston Mercury. .....
We make no comments upon this speech;
but We cannot refrain from expressing our
profound regret that such speech should
have been said to have been delivered by
the Chief Magistrate Of tho Confederate
States, for We cannot make up our minds
that he delivered it. We hope speedily to
be able to deny its authenticity.
vuB ATTACK ON RICHMOND.
From the Richmond Examiner. 4th. ....-
Though the late movement of the enc
my on the northern side of the James was
sudden, it had been long mysteriously in
timated by the press Of New York that q
plan was in preparation which would GER
tainly result in the capture of Richmond.
Never did mountain of labor bring forth
such mouse. It did not reach the dignity
Of absolute failure. Instead of Richmond,
the enemy got Battery Harrison. This is
a battery mile beyond Chaffin's Farm,
the outer or third line of the Notifications
around Richmond 1t is in no wise essen.
tial to the strength of any other battery.
1t was fortified chiefly because it was a
strong and inviting position in the neigh
borhood. There is no doubt about its ma
tural strength. Three or four hundred
men with cannon could easily hold it
against several thousand, provided always
that they were Lees veterans-llen who
were accustomed to battle--and not troops
whose whole military education consisted
of the parade ground or the garrison.
Even beyond Battery Harrison we learn
there was line of slight defences held by
two hundred and fifty men, stretching
across the country from Signal Hill to New
market. On Thursday morning the one
my, having brought over some twenty-five
or thirty thousand men, advanced on the
line. 1t was impossible, and indeed it was
not intended that this small number of
men should Withstand such an advance.
They retreated on the neighboring fortif-
cations. The enemy then charged rapidly
up to Battery Harrison. Had the troops
in that battery, even though they were
only three hundred, done the duty which
was expected of them, the battery would
never have been lost, and many gallant
life thrown away in an unavailing attempt
to retake it would have been saved. We
regret that information obtained from a
trustworthy source does not lead to the
belief that the duty was performed. Some
superior officers and thirty or forty men who
had retreated to the battery from the outer
works just mentioned, fought as we'll as
they could when abandoned by the rest,
but were compelled to retire after most of
the officers had been wounded or had their
horses shot. The men whose business it
was to hold the place having disappeared,
the battery and several cannon fell, with
lutte or no blooodshed, into the hands of
the enemy. The assaulting column did
not halt. The next attack was made on
small redan, without name, between Fort
Gilmer and Battery Harrison. This attack
was easily repulsed Perhaps it was not
made with persistent intention. The grand
assault was directed to more important
poiat-to Fort Gilmer-close on Chaffin S
Farm. 1t was delivered with energy, was
met with firmness, and the result was a
bloody repulse of the enemy. The loss on
our side was little or nothing, as our men
were well protected by the works, but the
assaulting column left five hundred dead
bodies on the field, after taking off their
wounded. Twenty-Five were killed in the
moat Or ditch of the fort This repulse
put conclusion to the active operations
OF the enemy, with the exception OF two
attempts to turn our works on the east by
columns of cavalry. Perhaps the Yankees
had been persuaded that the guns OF the
| Qualifications woro on1,, N,,1o. To ,o bc