The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-08-12
ASSAULT on PETERSBURG.
EXPLOSION OF THE MIME

Six Weeks Labor and Delay Come
To Naught.
The ASSault--ItS Character and
Results.
New York Times special correspondence.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE PoroMAc,,
July 30, 1864 +
/ am called to the fulfillment of an ungracious
task to night. Instead of success and victory
which the morning fairly promised. / have
to write of disaster and defeat. To-days brief
history affords another striking proof of the un.
certain issues of battle. showing how the
shrewdest and most elaborate stragetic plan.
ming may be completely thwarted by an error
or an accident in tactics To-dayis disaster
finds solution in the old story that ''some one
has blundered in q manner worse than a
crime. " but precisely who the blunderer is |
do not know, and if knew it would not de-
volve upon me at present to tell A military
tribunal must decide that point Happily. how
ever, the blunder IL not irreparable. It fills us
with poignant grief and disappointment. neces-
states long interval of delay before future
operations has lost to US the labor of month 3
preparation, and worse than all this, has sacri.
feed thousands of valuable lives. But the re-
suit does not dishearten the Army OF the Poto
mac, and it should not depress the people. The
soldiers who fought on Saturday have receive
the baptism of blood on other fields, and know
how to bear reverses maniully, as they bear
successes modestly. They bate not jot of
heart or hope, and they only ask as the lessen
to the country from to-day's mishap, that her
nod DO chon hf,
The army Is still unfaltering in its faith, and
will try and try again until the day of decisive
victory
With 30 much by way of exordium, shall
attempt to give, as clearly as I may. on account
of the battle. in summarizing in the first place.
the relative positions of the opposing armies,
the object sought to be gained BY the attack
and the admirable strategic devices of the past
few days.
With the passage of the James was exhaust
ed all possibilities of movement by the left
flank, with Richmond as the objective point.
Nothing, therefore, remained to Gen. Grant
but to assault the rebel lines in front of him at
Petersburg. The past six weeks have been
devoted to preparation for this assault. From
pick, our lines have been insidiously advanced
by zig Gags and covered ways, until the outly-
ing pickets of both armies have scarcely aver
aged 500 yards distance between them. Along
portions of the line, the interval between the
rife pits was scarcely $50 yards. The ground
over which our advances have been made, is q
series of natural Notifications, adding vastly to
the difficulty Of taking possession OF it. Per
haps your readers will form . more perfect
opinion Of its features, if tell them that it
very much resembles Greenwood Cemetery in
it's profile. There are similar hills and emn.
ences, sloping more or less precipitously into
ravines which intersect at every conceivable
angle. and many of the elevations arc thickly
wooded.
Over ground of this impracticable nature
our men have sturdy fought and dug their
way, driving the enemy before them, until on
ly one hill remained for them to take to place
our guns in q position commanding at easy
range the town of Petersburg. 1t is known as
Cemetery Hill. Its crest. frowning with guns
is not more than 800 yards distant from our ad-
vanced works, and its gently sloping sides are
welted with long rows of earthwOrds pitted
with redoubts and redaIs and ridged with ser
ried salients and curtains, and all the skillful
defences known to the most skillful military
The vital importance to us OF this point will
readily be admitted. To gain it by direct as
sault must necessarily cost many lives but to
gain it in the cheapest manner gave occasion
for the display of that high strategy of which
Gen. Grant has long since proved himself the
master. Therefore, it was that on Tuesday
night last the I'd corps. under Gen. Hancock,
and two divisions of cavalry, under General
Kautz, crossed the James River for the pur-
pose OF engaging the enemy, who, misled by
some preliminary operations of Gen. Fosters
command at Deep Bottom, and of a portion
of the 10th corps at Strawberry Plains mile
below-had day or two earlier heavily REIN
forced the troops in the vicinity of Malvern
Hill. The demonstration here had precisely
the effect which Gen Grant desired. Fearing
q serious attack, Lee dispatched q column, es-
timated at from II 900 to $4,000 strong, from
before Petersburg, and the railroad between
Petersburg and Richmond was kept busy on
Friday and Friday night in transporting the
troops. To keep up the rebel Generals delu-
sion, an immense train Of more than 400 empty
covered wagons, mainly the transportation of
of the 9Th corps, crossed the AppOnnttox on
Friday in broad Daylight, in full view of the
rebel signal lookouts at Bermuda Hundred,
as if destiuud for the army at Deep Bottom.
But on Friday night, as the rebels were hur-
riedly taking possession of their new line the
I'd corps and the cavalry were quietly with
drawn with an additional facility for rapid
movement in a third pontoOn bridge laid
across the James in the afternoon. BY day.
light this morning, these troops were nearly
in position to cooperate with the remainder OF
the army in the attack The strategy was,
therefore, perfect, and no share of the reverse
S<AA W w III IElIl Oh lnG
programme.
All these stratagems, too. were conducted
with such secrecy, that information of their
precise bearing was narrowed down to the cir.
Gle OF the corps commanders Until late on
Friday night, few persons in the army were
disposed to believe differently from what Gen.
Lee suspected, viz, that q movement upon
Richmond was intended from the north side OF
the James, and were only undeceived when. al
/ o'clock this morning, the troops were got
into position for the assault.
| The tactics OF the movement were under Gen
Meades direction. His arrangement of troops
and order of battle was as follows:
The 18th corps (Gen. Ord) was withdrawn
on Thursday morning from it's position on the
extreme right, resting on the AppOmatox. tbe.
ing relieved by Motifs division of the 2nd
cOrps) and massed in the real of the 9Th corps
(Burnsides( the center of our line. in front Ol
which the attack was to be initiate. The OK.
treme left held by the 9th c'rps (Warren's)
was to be in readiness to alvance ~ ssM'u ii
Burnside pierced the works in front of him.
COllate ally. but in unison with the advance
of the infantry every piece Of siege artillery
posted along the line was ordered to open sim.
ulu,neOusly upon the enemy at given sigma
made by the explosion Of q mine containing
eight tons Of powder. which war placed direct
~ beneath the rebel battery which Burnside
was u assault. Not only were tile siege pieces
tn al arfills.ev