The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-05-13


made to Great Britain improved whiskey was
| without important change.
Our Operations In virginia-Absoiute
Victory Certain.
We have abundant reason to believe that it
will not "take all summer" Events in the
great drama in progress south of the Rapidan
follow one another with terrible rapidity, and
the catastrophe is certainly near, General
Lee had at the commencement Of this great
series of battles rather less than one hundred
thousand men. His losses in killed and
wounded, through six days of persistent COM
bat, were equal to ours; his losses by prisoners
and stragglers were much greater; and it is not
likely that he had left more than sixty thou
sand men at the close Of the sixth day
On the seventh day yesterday by bril-
liant exploit Of the Second corps of the Army
of the Potomac, Lee lost . whole division,
numbering three thousand men, taken prison
ers, including major general and two briga-
diers, together with twelve pieces of cannon.
He has been compelled to announce to his
army that his communications with Rich
mond were cut and that there were no rations;
and if there are no rations there are per-
| haps not many cartridges. All that is left,
then, Of the rebel army Of Northern Virginia
is a broken, disheartened, hungry and worn out
| aggomeration Of less than sixty thousand men.
How much longer they can stand the per-
| sistcnt onslaught of our victorious troops the
reader can readily judge when told that troops
who depended alone upon discipline and or
ganization for their ex cellence fail all at once
when they fail at all on these points. Making
due allowance for exaggerated reports it
seems safe to assume that the great ordeal Of
! seven days battle has left Lees army used up.
After that same army had fought seven days on
the Peninsula, it was compelled to retire to
| Richmond, unable to seizs the victory that its
commander believed to be within his grasp.
We believe that the seventh day has even more
completely destroyed its power now than it
did then.
News from General Sheridan In command
OF the cavalry corps, tells US who it Is that has
interrupted Lees communications with his
capital. Our cavalry, under this energetic
leader, had turned the enemys right wing,
gotten in his rear. broken up the railroad,
destroying cars, locomotives and commissary
stores, and spreading CONSERVATION through
the country and in the rebel army. All this
must tend to further the generalization Of
the shattered remnant of the rebel army that
still holds together, and gives cumulative evil
dence that Lees army must go to pieces soon.
No army with such difficulties, and so beset
| front and rear, can fight much longer than
Lees army has now fought.
We give in our Supplement to-day full and
clear map Of the theatre in which the opera
tions of the Army of the Potomac have been
carried on. 1t illustrates admirably the letters
Of our various correspondents descriptive Of
the positions Of the various corps Of the two
armies, as well as the relations to each other Of
the fields OF battle in the Wilderness and at
Spottsylvania Court House.
General Butler makes good progress appa-
| rently in carrying out his part Of the great
plan. He 10 within three miles Of Petersburg,
and inside the first line Of works BY which the
enemy had expected to cover that place
Beauregard occupies Petersburg with twenty
Ave thousand mon, and General Butler. It Is
expected, will not only be able to keep Beaure-
gard from reaching Richmond with this heavy
reinforcement for Lee, but may also be able to
| capture the whole force; for Beauregsrd ID
without supplies TO subsist his men for Any
length oftime, and his lines Of communication
have all been cut by General Kautz.
Both this operation Of General Kautz and
| the similar one OF Sheridan In the rear Of Lees
army are likely to have . great effect upon
the result Of the contest BY these operations
Richmond, Lee and Beauregard have been
separated from one another and prevented
giving mutual support in any way, and been
compelled to stand and fight alone.
Two intercepted lotters--one written bya
member Of the rebel Congress and the other
by the chief clerk Of the rebel War Depart
meot-givcn in another column, present
and show what blow Grants great advance
has been, and how completely IL has broken
up the whole plan Of operations that the enemy