Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-06-03

drawn bis army under cover or 1afAHes9 la5t
NIGHT 10 the north bank Of the North Anna,
and was moving down the east side OF mat
Tivar in the direction of West FONT. As init
nabad IN A former letter, Gen. Lees lines sx-
tendsd along The range of hills on the south
.;da If the North Anna, except On his TANKS
vhers they took such q direction as 10 pr0tect
his positiou against any attempt that might
b made AGAINST sithsr wing of his army. This
disposition of his forces left Grant room to
throw the greater part Of his own army aeross to
the south bank. The latter had erected fcrmids-
he works in his 'front.', q short distance from the
river. and behind which his troops could rally
in case Of disaster, and at least hold as in cheek
until they could regain the north bank. Ihese
works he has now abandoned, whether becsuse
he found the Confederate position too strong to
ancoarars any hone be might indulge of being
able 70 carry il by storm, or because they had
accomplished the object Of their eonstructlon IN
holding as at HEnoyer junction until no could
| establish his bssa at West Point, and put hls
srmv well ia motion for the lower Pamunkey, 1t
Is impossible ye. 70 say. l only know u is9
csuss Of universal regret in tho army that he did
NOT attack us in our late position which was
stronger and better il every respect than thai at
the wilderness or S~pOttsylvsnia Court House,
Uufortunately for the ConfeaeEasss the late
hsttles have taught Grant g wholesome lesson
For the FIRST tsIdays after crossing me kApt
dan he eVInced a disposition to hghs as WGers-
aver he met ne. Since the I8sh instant, how
sveT. tbe dav on " hich be made his last effort to
bring his dispirised troops Up to the bloody
work, be has shown quits ~ strong q desire 20
sv5id A battle. That be has found it necessary
TO change his whole plan or operations there
csu be but little doubt. II It had been 4 psrt
Of his original design to msAe West Point or
tie lower James his base of operations, then he
has committed q great blander IN marching
across the country from CalpepeT - = cost OF
forty or fifty Thousand men, when by following
WcCIeIIan's route be could have reached the
same destination without the loss Of a single
man. Grant ID q hard headed man, hawevaT,
a. well as = hard fighter, and, Ike most hard
headed men, he has com very neaF having MS
head broken. Il Tsnnsins to tie seen whether ne
viii make 6 demonstration towards crossing me
Pamnnkey at Hanover Court House, or will
move up to the ChickAbominy, or form a jonc-
ton with Batter, and seek TO throw himself on
The south side Of Richmond aEcross tbs hnes OF
communication, as he did at Yicksburg.
Il only remains to be added that Gen. Lee
has made such q disposition of his own toTess
as to completely checkmste tbisisst move OF he
enemy. sALLusF'
ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, May q, "a
Yesterday morning found Grant on the north
side Of tie North Anna river, moving rapidly
| do8n its banks toward The PsmunksY. Scouts
who have last csme in say that GRAM. concluded
70 pull up stakes Oh Thursday. Accordingly
AL that day aad night his troops were il molten.
Sheridan made a junction with Grant on Wed
nesdsy night, snd the next morning early he
started sheSd Of tho main body Of the srmy
with a lasge pontoon train, moving toward Man
Rohick and Da5nsy's ferry; the infantry forces
following rapidly in his wake.
DuTing last night Tie enemy attacked cur
Dickets with 8 line Of battle; but the attack was
fsebly made and easily T~epuised. Yesterday
morning there Wss also some picket firing aRd
skirmishing between the enemy's reEr guard
and our line Of skiTmisheFB. Bat il amounted
to nothing.
The enemy have, 1 think, evacuated all the
country between the junction and the Kappa
hammock river, including Fredericksburg, and
viii doubtless make their base a. the White
House, essaying again McClellsn's road In the
+on to Richmond"
Grant has received SEINE endorsements, but
not to The extent that Yankee journals would
have rs believe. The morale of his men is By
no means what Grant would wish for.
Accounts from the Central and Fredericks-
burg railways represent the former as torn up
and destroyed as far back as Howlett's, WhilSt
the latter hRs been impaired for present use for
some distance above and below Chesterfield
station.
The spirits Of this army are u~nhroken, and
they are 50 buoy&nt and confident as when they
f1ss met Grant in the Wilderness; and though
! eur numbers may be diminished, in nothing else
can it be said that the sTmy Of Northern Virginia
IS behind what it was one month ago.
ARMY NoRTHERN VIRGINIA, Banks of the
| ChickAhoniny, May 29-Y0u have already
been advised Of the movement Of Grants army
down the esSt bEnk of the PAmankey. This
change Of front made il necessary for Gen. Lee
to abandon his very stroHg position behind the
! North Anna, and to march down the south side
Of the Panunkey. GrsnFkad twelve hours the
start of him, however, having taken advantage
Of the darkness of the night Of the 26.h, and
put his whole army in motion. He had the sd.
vantage Of q shorter and more direct road to
Hanover Town and New Castle, the points at
which be has thrown g considerable force across
the river. It is NOT known whether his entire
army has crossed to the south bank, bat the
cavalry report two corps at least, and probably
more, on this side nor is it known how far be
has sjvsaeed cut ron the river. BUtwhatsveT
his position, orphans, or Numbers, it ia believed
that be has bsen completely chseknstsd by
Gen. Lees last move upon the military chess.
board. Il would be obviously improper to be
more particular; but ! may venture to ssy that
4 the srny, including officers and men, was
never more satisfied with the situation, never
more r~esoluts, and nsver more confident Of sue.
cess.
But Will Grant move against Richmond by
the E01te taken by Mcclellan Can be expect,
after bis experience at SpOttsylvanis Court
House, to be able to cross the Chickahominy
sud carry the works by which the capital Is de.
Tended 7 Prisoners say that he has promised
bis men that be viii mo- uquire them % s-task
Confederate brsassWofKs any more, nor viii be
expect them hereafter 90 do any bus the most
necessary work on the Sabbath If this be
tr1s, then lie VIII fad it necessary TO attack
Richmond from some other point than the Chick
sacmiDy. What route viii he tabs2 VIII he
move apon Alice's station, on the Virginia Cen
trsl rsilWsy, IS Ecme imagined or viii be march
over the crimson fields Of INTERCHANGEABLE, Gaines
mill, and Frszsr's farm : or viii be try to reach
the James Tiver, form g Junction with Batter,
and then throw bis whole army ACROSS the Rich
m1na snd Petersburg and the Richmond and
DsRvilla railroads, and thus cut cur commune
cations with che more Southern States This
LAST plan would be IN accordance with the move
ment BY which he enyeloped Ylch sbaTg, and de-
snoyed al hope of sucecr. Butler is slIeady
firmly liked ca the narroE neck Of land az Bar
muda Hundreds bis TANKS and rear protected
by the James and APpomzttox rivers, and his
front by 8 formidable line Of intrenehmenss.
Should Grant once succeed in forming a juno.
toa with him, and especially in transferring his
ermy 10 the south side of the Janes river, be
might take position behind the A~ppomsttox, &C.
cupy Petersburg, and cut tbs erly two railroad
h8ss By which our supplies axe drawn. I say
be might 60 hist should be added, provided
be did not have Lee sn3 BeauregaTd to contend
with. With these masters Of the at of wal
before hin, he wil fad il, let us hope, Al impos-
siole undertaking, But that lie has some such
a scheme il hia daring brain IS lot at al in
probable.
rode along the Lines to-dsy, and found the
men resting after their many marches sad hard
battles. Seme were reading thsir well-thumbed
| Bibles soma were i~ndictiDg letter. to the loved
ones at bome, TO assure them of their safety
soma were sleepiDg-FeTehs1ce dreaming of