The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-07-01
THE GREAT CAMPAIGN.
Military Review Of the Situation
T Before Petersburg.

Ms Before Petersburg. &
Special Correspondence of the N. Y. Times
ARMY OF THE PoroMAo NEAR PErERsBURG,l
Tuesday, June 81, 1864.
HOW WE FAILED TO TAKE PETERSBURG.
When, early on Wednesday morning, the
Second Corps had effected the passage of the
James River at Windmill Point, Gen Hancock
was met by dispatch from the Commanding
General, directing him that if provisions had
arrived, he should ration his men before pro-
ceeding toward Petersburg. Just at this time
he received information. seemingly reliable,
and conveyed. / believe, by an engineer officer
who had just come up from the pontoon
bridge, to the effect that the transports had ar
rived with supplies. This fact Gen Hancock
communicated to the Commanding General
stating that he would soon begin issuing "a
tons. and would then move forward as d.
| rected.
The information proved to be mistake-a
| lamentable mistake-the transports had not ar.
rived. Yet this simple error caused delay in
| Hancock's corps of five hours and half His
column Joined Gen. Smiths troops on the
morning of Thursday. But had he been up
earlier by the difference noted of five and a
half hours, he would have reached the front at
| 1880 on the evening of Wednesday, which was
precisely the moment at which General Smith
made his attack -+>-t "a II
Thursday morning revealed new actor on
| the stage-a new element introduced into the
| problem. ......
While our troops were coming up during the
! night. Beauregard also came up, and the re-
| connoissances of Thursday morning also de-
| veloped him in force in a line hastily thrown
up during the night, and a little closer to the
| town, but still strong enough to check our ad-
vance. The militia was acknowledgements g
force, numbering $4,000 men, and reinforced
| by the addition of Bushrod Johnson's com.
mand, took their places. Men of very differ
ent mettle these. from the crude soldiers to
| whom the defence of the works eff Petersburg
had been intrusted! t.r..-
1t is true the assaults of the two succeeding
days drove the enemy from their temporary po-
sition, but it was only to fall back on a line
hugging the town, which Beauregard was pre-
| pairing in the meantime, and which, constantly
| strengthened during the interval that has since
elapsed, stands between us and the desired
| point, as formidable an obstacle as we have yet
encountered.
This line was assaulted along our entire
| front on Saturday last in an engagement, the
details of which shall presently recount. The
attack was similar in character to that made
| instant. 1t resulted. like that, in serious loss
oflife, and its issue was of a similar kind-that
| is, we failed to carry our point.
| A like untoward fortune attended the attack
| of Gen. Butler on that portion of the rebel
| position lying north of the Appomatox. Meet
| ing. like Smith, with but feeble resistance from
| the local troops in the attack on Thursday, he
seized the Petersburg and Richmond Railroad,
| and destroyed it in part; but Longstreet's arri-
val compelled Gen. Butler to withdraw to his
| original line. ID @'s@
PETERSBURG NOT BEsIEGED.
| If this outline of the present situation be in
| telligible, it will make manifest how absurd is
| the notion which has been expressed in the
| northern press, that Petersburg is in state of
siege. Such phrase. as marking mere stul-
| LITIGATION of idea might be allowed to pass IN
noticed; but it is calculated to give altogether
| erroneous impressions, both of the present pO-
sitiOn and of the future prospects OF the army.
SIEGE in any other than the loosest use of
the term, can only be applied to an army in
vesting city and planted on or interrupting
| its communications. Now, we neither invest
| Petersburg nor are we planted on nor have we
| interrupted its communications.
Begin with the Northern communications
the Petersburg and Richmond Railroad This
| was seized by Gen. Butler at Port Walthal, and
| the track torn up for some distance. But Beau
regard was able to repulse Butler, and this
road, as is conveyed in an official dispatch from
Gen. Lee to Mr.. Davis, has again been put in
| running order. Looking to the southern side,
the communications of Petersburg are by the
Petersburg and Suffolk and the Petersburg
and Danville roads. Looking to the western
side, Its communications are by the Petersburg
and Lynchburg Railroad. Beginning with
these in order, the Petersburg and Suffolk road
is in our possession-the left wing of our army
rests across it; but it forms no part of
the communications proper of Peters
brig, because the terminus, Suffolk,
has for long time been in our possession.
There remain. therefore the Petersburg and
Weldon and the Petersburg and Lynchburg
re r6ol 1npipo
| Now, we have touched, and in the 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. 10 tap the Petersburg and Lynchburg
road is at present impracticable ard probably
| it will be impossible to do more than make it
the object of visitatious from raiding parties,
because an extension SO far to the left would
| seriously endanger our own communications,
| and the maxim does not allow Cs to expose
| our own communications in operating against
| those of the enemy. In this condition of
things, to speak of Petersburg as being under
siege is simply an abuse of language.
| I have adverted to the nature of Beaure-
CARDS defence of Petersburg. This has been
| o matter of remark with the ablest heads in
this army, it rivals his defence of Charleston.
| and stamps him as one of the most skillful
| estimate is not weakened, but, on the contrary,
heightened by fact which has astonished
every one here. 1t is this the army of the
| Potomac has not yet met in front of Peters
burg single man belonging to Lees army
proper-not man of the three corps of
Longstreet Ewen or Hill. The force defend
| ing Petersburg consists exclusively of the army
| of Beauregard, with such accession outside of
the army Of Northern Virginia as he may have
| received.
To the natural query as to where Lees army
| is, can speak with no fullness of assurance.
There may be corps in front of Butler. and
| it is well known THAT, five days ago, Ewells
corps was sent after Hunter. The other corps
| is probably preparing another definite line, in
case Petersburg should fall. 80 Isl n5s ,
| - man, - ~ y ISL as %
| a.t 81 III wv FtTt}4 II = NV. 5l-. SIC