Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-16

can be no improperly In saying tney nave
done considerable damage to the property
of the citizens. Some two or three hundred
shells. of different calibres and characters,
have been sent whizzlng through many
richly decorated parlor, and tidily kept
chamber. Smashing into smithereens stout
cornices and fragile ornaments, making OF
all furniture mass OF fragments, and strip.
ping the walls to their lattices and joists OF
the polished cement or plain plaster, 10
smother up the wreck and complete tne
destruction. Pantries have been invaded,
and unmerciful crashes sent breaking anu
ringing through piles of crockery and rows
of lars, whose precious contents still swim
or stick In sweet ruin upon the indented
floors and caved in shelves that mark the
scenes of the disaster. Libraries, too, have
shared equal fate with smoke houses, and
while children OF the larger growth grew
hungry from the lack OF intellectual pabu-
lom, the lesser can cry about for the more
substantial meat, which, last seen, was In
the air, or flying into state of savory moth
ingness inside the blazes of a conf1agration.
Owing to these and similar events, the city
is becoming almost deserted. TO as great
nm extent rs possible 1t has been the aim OF
General Lee to move no troops through u;
none are kept in it any time. They are all
in the trenches, where they may be found
by the enemy whenever it behooves the lat
ter to come out and look for them.
AS to the position of the enemy nothing
could be more agreeable. In military
sense, to our Generals. Whether 1t is be-
cause there is no water to the south OF the
city, or whether it Is necessary to keep the
army in petty status the better 10 secure
the protection of Washington, or not, we
cannot confidently tell; but 1t is qulte Ger
Al M Def0rG
Petersburg is from some necessity or otner
extremely short, "Short" is the WORD ior
it, for although the entire Federal lines ex-
tended across to Deep Bottom, that part
which lies i'm front of Petersburg, instead
of being the main body in appearance, as
Il Is in fact, is more like bobtail OF the
bushy kind. The Federal lines commence
on the Appomattox, just about mile be-
low the CITY, upon bluff, which Is the To-
cation of Battery No. l, commanding par
tial view of all the lower part OF the city;
From this point the city is shelled, oi
course, with perfect facility. Nearly
mile to the southeast Of this position, upon
Jordan's farm, is Battery No. D, situated
upon an eminence which affords more ex-
tensive view of the city. From these two
batteries the principal shelling of the city
occurs. Now and then a battery upon
Rives' farm, which lies off to the south Of
Battery No. s, and Is about two miles >. u.
by S. of the city, opens upon the suburbs
and occasionally throws shell still further
i'm, among the women and children VINO
have been unable to leave.
+. The line extending from Battery No. i,
crosses the eastern borders of the New Mar
ket farm, the old race course forming dis
puted ground; stretches off to the south,
crossing Rives's farm, continues south
wardly, gradually bending in to the west,
and eliminates in an outpost at Dr. Cur
ley's house. about three miles from the
Weldon Railroad, and three and half from
the southeastern suburbs of the city. The
entire line from the river to DR.. Gurley's,
will scarcely exceed tour and half miles,
which is probably the shortest our armv
has yet been confronted with. slender
picket line extends still further south, ceas-
ing somewhere in the neighborhood OF
Stony Creek, twenty miles distant from the
city. Out ofthis line the enemy have made
no raids of late, although our cavalry have
made several dashes into it, bringing out
prisoners, horses, desirable information,
and so forth. Stragetically considered, the
enemy's position is a decidedly inferior
one.
The moral effect of the capture Of towns
and villages has had its day. Petersburg.
however, might form an exception, but OF
a temporary character. The enemy would
have found, had they entered the city on
Saturday last, that they had yet the hardest
work to perform before they could hold it.
as our positions would have enabled us to
pour dead-sure fire from five hundred
guns right down into and all over it. IL is
unnecessary, however, to speak on this
point For the present Petersburg remains
a point in the programme Of the enemy, and
it is to be hoped that he will light 1t out
on that line" and be as quick as possible
abou: it.