The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1864-06-10
GRANTS CHANGE BASE.
Abandonment of the Overland
-. Route.
Vlndication of General Mcclellan.

You will have learned ere this that
! Gen. Grant has made tie movement that
was foreshalowed in 10y letter of May
! 18th. Our whole army is now en- the Pa
munky, at Ianoyer.own, twenty miles
northess, of Richmond. and we have gain
! ed what the movement was chiefly under
taken for, er-base for our supplies
| Without this, no army in the world can
/ take Richmond. 1t was afforded by the
York and Pamunky Rivers, and Gen.
! Grant might have secured it at tho outset
OF the campaign, instead Of waiting till
| now, Nay, be might have had his whole
army where they are now. as early rs the
18th Ins. without the loss Of a man, and
with the men fresh and vigorous. for they
could have been transported b. water all
| the WAY 1t has cost us the loss Of 40
! 600 men TO gel lhe army where il i now,
simply because the administration Insisted
on the overland route
The abandonment Of that route at this
late day, and fer The needless sacrifice of
/ 40 600 Of our bes, soldiers, is tsrdy and
ungraceful arknow edgment of the wisdom
an0 foresight Of Gen Met IeiIan Our ~
~, today i. just where his army was on
the 10 h of Nav, 1862 Yet under wha
dfferenr circumsta'c Gen Gran ha~
advantages that were peysistent!y denied
to Gen. Mcclellan, and which NAV enable
him to accomplish what Gen. Mcclellan
was unable to DO Gen. Grants mmedi-
ate army is twice as large as McCelIau's !;
and Gen Grant, besides, has at bis dispo-
sal oil the troops in the United Sta'ee, and
can draw TO hin as many AS he wishe-
fro any quarter.
The siege If Richmond must now YER
soon commence, unless Gen. Grant is d-
verled therefrom hv orders from Wash
ington Il must be conducted in due
form, and will be work of time 1t will
require the digging of trenches, the con
structon Of parallels. continuous lombard
mem for many successive DAYS, and finally
direct assaults on the works. And, even
before this begins the Union army must
advance 10. and cross the thiCkah0minv
Alter this has been done and h. strange
men's FIR the supplies Of he army per
| fected, and after ihe srny has advanced TO
within four or five miles Of the rebel cap I.
tai. the actual operations OF the siege will
require at least from two to three weeks
uqder the most favorable circumstances
Where will Gen Lees army be during
the three or four weeks that must inter
,ene. therefore. between now and the fall
of Ricl inond. if it does fall This is the
! question that Is uppermost in the minds Of
though ,ful men here just now 1t : oe7-
ain that il will not be cooped up in Rich
mond If there are 10000 or $4,000
troops there under Beauregsrd,- and it is
more than likely that there are that MANY
there, there are qnite as many as can be
fed there during a siege 1t is understood
that The rebels are confident in the ability
of Gen Beauregard 10 defend the city sue
cessfulIy, or a. least to hold cut fer three,
| four, or five weeks The Qualifications
were finished under his supervision, and
hey are no doubt as nearly impregnable
as such works can be made What then,
viii Gen. Lee do in the meantime?
Tae answer to this question depends
upon the force wach Gen Lee has at his
disposal. If he has been reinforced to
the extent that has been stated, he las
somewhat over 100 600 troops And
there is lit,le doubt that that is moder-
ate estimate of his real strength. No well
| Informed man doubts that the rebels have
in all at least 500 000 troops, and it is
| known that all their available forces are
concentrated under Lee, Beauregard, and
| Johnston. If therefore, 100000 are al
lowed to Lee. SO 900 each 20 Beauregard
and Johnston, 20 900 TO The country west
Of the Mississippi. 1900 between Peters
burg and Wilmington, aud 10000 at
! Charleston and Savannah It still! leaves So
! 600 troops unassigned.
If Gen. Lee, therefore, has 100000
troops, there is reason to- fear that, Ieay
ING Grant On the Pamunky, be will move
rapidly towards The Potomac River, bv
way Of Milford, Frederick burg. Centre
vile and Fairfax Coat House On al!
that line" there are no Union troops 70
oppose lis march Fredericksburg, Aqnia
Creek, Belle Plain, Cenuey,Je, Fairfax
Court IIouae have all Teen abandoned -
There Is not a single company Of Union
! soldiers between this city and the I'amun-
| k. except in The forts Immediately around
Washington. Every nlghr, for 'early &
week past, the SIX, has been urid with the
flames and smoke arising from burning
| block houses aud bridges in all directions
south and west from here Mosby is al
his work again. Nor is this all he does
The most important information in regard
to he condition Of affairs neaI this city /!
regularly transmitted TO Gen. Lee by this
daring and ubiquitous guerrilla chief.
II Gen Lee marches % Washington
| therefore. will Gen Gran, be sllowed tc
continue the siege Of Richmond Doubt
fuI-very doubtful. Gen. Lee. with twic,
100 900 men, could not capture Washing
ton. But the administration does no
think 20 II Gen Lee makes any kind o
"A formidable demonstration towards thi
CITY. " fears for the safety Of the capital
viii lead the President to order Gen Gran
per4mptoriiy to bring The army back 70
It's defence, and the order will haye TO b.
obsyed.
or what trade = minister at wed
ding! A Join her.