Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-08
WHOLE NO. 1882

Necessary 10 renlodel the campaign, and Zen.
Mcclellan details at length the causes which
again and again occurred to produce the same
effect-disorganizing plans once arranged and
necessitating the abandonment of projects
already in process Of accomplishment. A
letter from Gen. keyes to Senator Harris, of
New York, is here given, which fully explains
the operation of the most fatal ofthese causes
in the sudden withdrawal by the President
from the expedition of the 1st Army Corps,
under Gen. Mcdowell, scarcely week after
his Excellency had promised that no such
step should, on any account, be taken.
In the same letter the opinion is emphatic
ally expressed as that of all competent Judges
that the lines ofthe Enemy at Yorktown were
too strong to be carried by assault in the face
of the force which could be there assembled
by Gen. Johnston.
The President, however, April 6, had ad-
vised Gen. Mcclellan to "break the enemy's
line to Warwick River at once"
This advice was followed few days after
ward by letter in which the President urged
''action" upon Gen. Mcclellan as necessary to
his (he Generally popularity, irrespectively
of any military reasons for or against To
this Gen. Mcclellan replied that he could not
possibly be Influenced in regard to his duty
a commander by such considerations.
At this time the whole force under the
orders of Gen. Mcclellan for operations on
the Peninsula amounted to IS, 900 electives,
the command of Gen. Wool being detached
and independent.
BY the report of Gen. Barnard il is shown
that the approaches to Yorktown were "swept
by forty-nine guns nearly all of which were
heavy, but many of them the most formidable
guns known, besides that two-thirds of the
water batteries and all the guns of Gloucester
bore on our right batteries though under dis
advantageous circumstance. 1.-The line of the
enemy's works." added Gen. Barnard, sis
certainly one of the most extensive known TO
modern times If we could take Yorktown,
or drive the enemy out of that place, the en-
emy's line would be no longer tenable. Il
was deemed too hazardous to attempt the re-
duction of the place by assault
The details of the siege of Yorktown are
given in the reports and journals of Brigadier
General Barnard, Baigadier General Barn,
and Brigadier General Fitz John Porter.
Early in the morning of May 4, information
was received that the enemy was abandoning
his works, and General Mcclellan at once
ordered his whole available cavalry force,
with four batteries of horse artillery under
Gen. Stoneman, into pursuit by the Williams
burg road, Gems. Heintzelman, Hooker and
Smith being moved forward TO support Stone
man. These were afterwards followed up BY
the divisions of Kearney, Couch and Casey.
General Summer, second in command of the
army, was then sent to the front to take
charge of the operations.
About two miles east of Williamsburg, Gen.
Stoneman came upon the enemy's works, four
miles in extent, nearly three-fourths of their
front being covered by the tributaries of
Queens Greek and College Greek. The main
works were large fortifcation called Fort
Magruder and twelve other redoubts and
epaulements for field guns. The woods in the
fort were felled, and the open ground dotted
with rifle pits. From this position the enemy
opened fire upon Gen. Stoneman as his ad-
vance guard debouched from the woods. Gen.
Stoneman, having no infantry, was forced to
retire, but held the enemy in check with great
credit to his troops, until the arrival of Gen.
Sumner, with part of General Smiths di-
vision. at half-past p. Nj. The cross move
ment of this division, made necessary by the
impossible character of the road on which it
had been moving, had delayed the movement
of Gen. Hookers column between three and
four hours; but Heintzelman and Keyes
reached Sumner during the afternoon. Early
in the morning of the 5th Hooker came up.
The weather was exceedingly bad during the
day of the 9Th, and the condition of the ground
grew hourly wore.
Gen. Hooker began the attack on the en-
emy's works at y o'clock in the morning Of
the 9Th, and for time silenced Fort Magru-
der But the enemy being heavily reinforced
attacked in his turn. Hooker lost seriously
in men, five of iris guns were taken, and be-
tween and p. NJ, when his ammunition
wagon was giving out and his men with it,
Gen. Kearney came up, after pushing with
immense energy through the deep mud and
dense forest. Kearney drove the enemy back
and saved Hooker. About p NJ. of the 9Th
Gen. Mcclellan, who had remained at York
town to move forward the whole army. re-
ceived information for the first time that a Sc
rious conflict was going on in front OF VIII
liamsburg, and that the situation of affairs
was not wholly favorable. lie at once pushed
forward to the front, about fourteen miles.
through most difficult country, obstructcd
by troops and foragers. He reached the front
about halfpast p. NJ, and took a rapid sur
vey of the field. He learned that there was
no direct communication between the center
and the left under Heintzelman, and, hearing
heavy firing in the direction of Hancocks
command he moved the center forward, az
tempted to open communication with Heintz-
elmar, and sent Smith and Naglee to the sup
port of Hsncock. Before these Generals
reached Hancock, however, the latter Gen.
eral, finding himself confronted by a
superior force, had feigned retreat, await
ed their onset, and then, turning upon them
fercely, had driven back the whole force at
the point of the bayonet, routing them terri
bly, with a total loss TO them of between FIVE
and six hundred men, himself losing but fifty
one. For his course at this time Gen. Han
cock received from Gen. Mcclellan the high
est praise, his engagement having given the
Federal army possession of the decisive point
of the field.
The total loss of the army is set down at
2,228 men.
The troops were so much exhausted by the
marches and conflict which resulted in the
victory of Williamsburg, as to render an Inn
mediate pursuit of the enemy impossible in
the then condition of the country.
On the 9th. also, Gen. Franklin's division.
then landing, Lad most creditable affair with
the enemy under Gen. Whiting.
On the 10th, headquarters were established
nineteen miles from Williamsburg, and COM
munications established between the force
moving by land and the force moving by wa
ter.
On the 18th and 10th, Franklin, Smith,
and Porter reached White House, FIVE miles
beyond, the roads being so bad that one train
occupied thirty-six hours in passing over this
short distance.
About this time, two provisional army corps