Delaware State journal and statesman., 1864-06-17
Tho British Press on Grants Campaign,

The London papers bear their usual portion Of
variOusly prcjudiced critioism in relation 10 the
late great battles. All confess that Grnnt'a cam
paign furnishes the seVercst chapter of modern
war; yet none, however, willing to deny ii, pre-
tend TO deny that great adyantl lRe rests with the
national generals, while all the friends OF Ameri'
ca seem confident OF the success Of Grant. The
London Times, OF the 18th ult., contains the best
measured Anglo,Tebel view of the situation, but
really appears to be as ignorant and puzzled as
the rebels themselves. We extract the follow
ing;
The details of the great battles in America ARE
calculated rather to enhance than diminish tho
sensations with which the telegrams we're re-
ceived There has been no exnggeratiOu, no
oTerstraned description Of the conflicts or tho
carnage. IL, indeed, It be recOllected thnt even
the long reports Of furious fighting, which We
yesterday published, still leave two days Of tan
culinary action unaoo0unted for. it must he al-
lowed that war has never come before US in q
shape 80 appalling. Perhaps the Americans may
be proud Of tho pre- eminence, but they have
certainly fought more desperately, for longer
time nnd with more dreadful slaughter than any
nation before them. IL would mol be impossible
to match tho results of any one Days battle with
stories from the wars Of the Old World but
never, VIC should think in the history Of man,
were fVe such battles as these compressed into
six successive days It ia hard 10 conceive how
the strain. We havo been told that alter q sin-
gle days hard fighting this assitude and reaction
IN even victorious army are such that any fresh
| force might snatch it's lAurels from it whereas
here are two armies hotly engaged in the work
OF slaughter from the morning Of Thursday till
the night of Tuesday, with scarcely the inteImis
sion Of OH hour. On every day except Saturday
there was pitched battle, contested with the
utmost fury and even Saturday was devoted to
marching aud fighting on the march. Nor were
these prOdigious operations divided among im-
menso numbers brought into action by relays
Neither army numbered apparently over one
hundred thousand men. and Of these every man
seemed to have boen engaged in every battle
| Indeed, We ore expressly told that the Federal
PRESERVES" were brought up on the very first day
The desperate ferociiy of the fighting may be in
ferred from the fact now reported that the
slaughter was produced without the mid of ar il
lery No rihed guns or nurderous shells did
execution among crowded masses. The gieat
battle Of Friday, which is said to have cost tue
Federals alone upward of ten thousand men, was
hand-to-han3 fight. Tho Conlederntes were
posted in the well known woods in the vicinity
Of Chaucellorsvlc, where Hooker once received
so bloody repulse, and so dense was the thicket
that cannon could not come into play. Regiment
against regiment, and man against man, the
combatants fired and hacked ut each other in this
tangled wilderness till night closed in aud MI
intercepted fepOrt from ten. Lee Actually tells
us that on hi. side tho heaviest loss was 10 men
killed outright and that lie had comparatively
lew wounled. Ii this be correct version OF the
despatch, it gives more impressive idua Of tho
fury Of tue conflict than any other Of the Incl
dents reported. II is clear indeed, TINT what
ever mny be said of the composition of the North
ern armies, Rnd Of their interioity in this respect
to the patriot legions Of the South, they have
Tough in this campaign with a vaor as obstinate
MS that Of their enemies No mere indifferent
or disatlecled mercenAres could have been led
from battle like that At Wilderness to three
more such battles at SpottsylVaaia. Be tho i'm
pulse what it may, the Federals are fighting in
stern reality, and with spirit MS fesolute as that
of their Gdversaries. Il
Grant has stamped new character on tho tao
tics oil the Federals. No other e. neral would
either have advanced upon the Wilderness after
the severe battle of the 9th, or followed up an
an almost victorious though retiring enemy after
the still harder fighting on the 9TH. None but
he, again, would have attacked his adversary so
resolulcly on the 9Th aud on the 9th, or held his
ground 70 tenacously in spite OF failure. Under
his command the Atmy OF the Potomac has
achieved in invading Virginia an amount of sue
cess never achieved before, except 10 repellng
Invasion. The Confederate forces were once ar
rested by Mcclellan, and once by Meade, but
that was when they thought to carry war into
Northern territory. Grant alone has done more
Than this. lie has advanced toward Richmond
and though he has made but little way, md has
lost half his army, he has not been driven back.
whether his position can be retained or his sue
cess improved, is question which tho next mail
will resolve for US.