Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-11-18
lCorres espondence of the london Timesl


respondence of the London Tines
A PANIC IN RICHMOND.
RICHMOND, Saturday, Oct. 8, 1S6i.-I am
happy TO report far more confident feeling in
Rich mond Than existed at the date OF my last
letter. 1t cannot be denied that when, upon
the 29th OF September, 1t was discovered in
Richmond that Grant was advancing upon the
city with two army corps, (the tenth and the
eighteenth and that Lee had only handful
OF troops 10 resist the Federas, q feeling akin
TO panic possessed this community. II is the
only instance of panic which, IN some expe-
rience in Richmond, can Tecollect. But the
city slowly and sternly recovered itself, and it
is pothing less than justice to ali unpopular
man 10 say that DO one in Richmond displayed
such firmness and presence of mind, and de-
yeloped such resources at the moment of The
greatest menace, as Gen. Bragg.
LEES DIFFICULTIES.
In many Of my previous letters have pointed
out to your readers the true diSad vantages of
Lees position as compared with Grants. As
general illustration 1t may be said that Lee is
on the arc, Grant on the chord, OF a circle: but
as this expression does not exactly define the
position or the Two armies, whose lines extend
ing each of them over & length Of thirty miles,
do not pursue any uniform course of inclina-
ton, will endeayor, at the risk of repeating
what l have described many times before to
make my meaning clearer. Your readers will
nderstand that, ia such an attitude as is occu-
pied by the armies of Lee and Grant, the army
which takes the initiative and acts on the
aggressive has an immense ad vantage. Lee is
like skillfnl one armed prize lighter, who is
IL
taller, more active, and keener- sighted than
himself. The most tempting and prompting
opportunities offer themselves to him every
day. He cannot afford to hazard even Lwerty
lives In tentative operation. The fact Of his
great numerical interiority to his enemy, and
that he Is tethered down, and forced to keep a
large portion of his army before Petersburg,
are dlsad vaItageous equivalent to the loss OF
an arm by prize lighter. Grant, on the other
hand, has, in The eyes of those who rightly
survey the ground, such advantages as make
p,iSh htrnyf n in k,atr
the 18th of June, when he crossed the James
river. and the present time, he should have
made so little use of them.
In his center lies the james river, with it's
dozens Of Yankee gun boats and Monitors, COW
ering the Federal base OF operations, and max
ing it unapproachable by General Lee. 1t is
doubtless with view OF getting still more out
OF these M Monitors, that General Butler is at
tempting to cut canal through Dutch Gap,
into which he hopes o tempt the James river
1t is not thought here, may say par pdren-
theses, that any advantages will result to But
lers comrades from the canal even ii, con-
trary to Federal experience at Ficksburg, it
proves success By means OF pontoon bridges
which connect Bermuda Hundred with Deep
Bottom, Grant can throw any number Of men
by night or day TO the north or south OF the
James. II is almost impossible for Lee to
know if Grants demons tratons, whether they
threaten Richmond on the extreme Federal
right or the South Side Railroad on the ex-
treme Federal left, are feints or realities On
the other hand, from the congfiuration of the
ground, IL is almost impossible for Lee to cut
Grants extended lines in any vital place. The
most tempting place to assail those lines would
be somewhere not Tar from the spot where
Grants mine was sprung.
But the shape Of the ground and the position
of the forces Is such that the lines can only be
attacked at two or three confined spots, and
here naturally Grant has defended himself
with triple tiers of forufcations, and keeps
always strong bodies Of men in position. But
the greatest Of all advantages is the following:
From the ith of May up to the present hour
Lees army has been continuously IN the
trenches, either actually under hre, or at any
rate not knowing at what moment it might be
attacked by a savage and mulntudlnous Zoe.
The Confederates have been lighting or on the
rack without intermission ior more than nye
months. On the other hand, the Federal Cen
eral, who knew from the beginning that Lee
was, through the paucity OF his numbers, re.
strieted to acting the defensive, had it in his
power at any moment t9 give 1our.hftn OF mis-
army an entire rest There was nothing to
prevent Grants saying on the 1st OF August
"I shall want great efforts from You on the
Goth Of this month; rest and recruit yourselves
until that day." On the contrary, for 100 days
Lees troops have known no rest either by
night or by day.
We all remember how the work in the
trenches told upon our officers and privates in
the Crimea: it cannot be wondered that tar
more upinterr q pied pressure for more than five
months should have told fearfully upon the
moor (Ionfederates, exposed TO one or the dercest
Summers ever known In Virginia. scantily fed
upon meat-mostly salt meat-and bread,
without vegetables, with only occasional cof.
tee with no other imulaRt, and threatened
ceaselessly by overwhe Ginning numoers, who
have at their command all that q lavish nro.
fusion Of expenditure and scientific experience
Of the whole civilized world can contribute.
cannot be blind to the fact, as meet officers
and priyates from General Lees army, that
they are half worn out, and that, though the
spirit is the same as ever, they urgently need
rest / am in hopes that during the coming
winter this rest will not be denied to them, as