The weekly union record., 1864-11-19
A California Editor at the Front.

The Editor Of the San Fraucisco Morning
Can, J.. Ayers, is on trip IN The Eastern
States. lie has visited Grants army. aad,
uuder date Of Oct. 18th. writes:
Oar lines extend distance Of about seven.
teen miles in one direction, and over sixty In
another The former are Grants and Builers.
the latter Sheridan's Grants lice kisses Pc
tersburg with a loving embrace. ard fsem the
advance works o. every corps d'armoe The spires
Of the doomed city are within range OF oar
guns.
visited the works. an Of Wbich were o! The
most formidable character; descended iaio iAr
rife pits. where cur sharpshooiers were con.
stsnty picaiug oui their men; followed
youthful sergeant tos an old chimney which.
while il protected yon from the enemy shot.
was - situated thai YOU could get a sFieadic
view of the "JOhuaies" as our boys call the
Rebs. a0d whence. with field glass, you could
look into the very windows Of houses 10 Peters
burg. Immediately opposite. an sbaiis Of
great strength and protection, belonging TO the
Rebels, from which a constant stream 81 bullets
poured. our boys were that day erecting bat.
terry, destined 10 cover new work Just bulk
by the enemy. My sergeant desired me to TO-
to get there. We had to pass abou; three hua.
dged yards over an open plain | thought q
the Valley Of Death before | reached ms desti.
ration. and after l got uGdeF cover. the sweet
music Of British MIME bullets made the air
neryously vocal. 6uished my inspection very
quietly under cover, and retreatcd in rooi
order. losing nothing but my bat. midway or
The open space. This tFiGe | disdaiaed 10 NJ.
turn for, and graeiogsly made il present to
the boys. | Think it was neat present ore
OF Biake's six dollar souchCs; bni il was q frts,
Offering. and | feel convinced il was duly AZ.
preciaied. You have already heard that ca
Wednesday, 2Sth September, this brave corps
(Tenth) made a movement up Deep Bottom,
and fought its way with conspicuous galsutrs
to New Market. Macy Of the poor fellows
had spel, SO many pl asaut hours with sci.
whilst carrying one alter the other OF the for
midable works OF the enemy General kauiz
with his cavalry reached within a mile Of
Richmond. at this time aud had he been sup
ported. which Was impossible under the cir
cumstances. could have taken tie city. On
the left Of lie Teuih Corps. in ibis grscd
movement was the Eighteenth, commanded
BY the gallant General Osd He received q
flesh wound whilst leading bis men ia a1 as
sault, and was carried from the field. The
blacks behaved very well 10 this Affair and
showed themselves fit material TO make good
soldiers. We have gained veFy important i'd
yantages by the movements skeiched above.
aud 1t seems to me to be General Grant policy
to keep every luch of ground be takcs-and
this is the true way to take Richmond
Mr. Ayers had an audience with Mr. Lincoln.
and writes thus Of our worthy President:
| cannot believe that onr country has gone
clean daft, aud will, when the Idcs Of Novem.
Der are come, politically assassinate this great
and noble man. One can see how the cares OF
State are b0wing him to the earth. how The
great labor of his high Office, which he so con
scientiously and patriotically performs, is sap
ping the very vitality Of bis physical system.
When | sat beside him. and hehed the work
he goes through daily, marvelled that Naiufc
did not revolt and leave the tenement empty.
Courteous and kind TO everybody, without die.
tnction of position, | found him, on my entrance
to his chamber. as earnestly listening TO the
petition Of little urchin as be did TO that u n
State maguate a few minutes afterwards /
shall hereafter give you detailed sketch of
my interview with him, and as this letter is
now growing too long, shall merely at present
state my general idea Of what Abraham Lincoln
Is: consider him pracilca. statesman OF great
power Of thought original and direct in qles-
tons of State, reaching the right ard by sys.
tens of reasoning that would shock all red tape
statesmen when once convinced that be IS
right, unbending comprehensive in bis views
of the present troubles. and looking far beyond
the present era for a unanimous verdict in his
lafor. lie IS humorous, but his hgmor has
always moral or a practical point, aud his il
is that makes him the most pleasant Of company.
But if bis powers Of thought are great, his
heart is immense-boundless as the human
race.