Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-05-26
THE OPERATIONS SOUTH OF RICHMOND.

. IHE OFEhAIIONS oOUIH OF hlCtMOND
From the Nsw York Epening Post
The operations of the army under Gen. Butler during
last week are rected in summary which we publish be-
iow and which comes to from authentic 1t
would appear that lost by error Of Buffers, several
important advantages which would seem have been of
such that ia more skul hands they might have
gained us decisive results. tt
The army started ON another forward movement in full
force last Thursday morning; Cen Kautz with his cav
airy starting ut about the time, with to
cut the Richmond and Danvlle railroad Belare Friday
evening the army had advanced eight full miles towards
Richmond to strong line Of entertainments running out
west f,om the and extending across the turnpike
and the railroad forming the 0uermost line
of Richmond defences this side and evidently intended
to bar all advance towards the city from this direction.
The east end of this line abuts the river not far from
Fort Darling and the limo may be described extern
sion of the Notifications Of Drugs Bluff
Towards evening, no Friday, Gen. Gilmore, with the
Tenth Army Corps succeeded in turning the right of this
line, got within 1t, and had command of it's western
remty Saturday morning Col Serrell came riding into
the camp of the volunteer engineers saying that Gilmore
within the enemys works, and isolated there,
and Immediately got together party of his officers to go
and help cut him out SO of he went with them; but be-
fore he returned saying Gilmore all right again
1t turned out that had carried three miles of the
before mentioned line OF entertainments, which placed
Gilmore within reach Of fine turnpike, running nearly
parallel to the river and about midway between the river
and the railroad ss
The east end of the line Of entrenchments being sup
ported by the Notifications of Drurys Bluff OF
not carried the enemy made vigorous charge to drive
out of the position had taken, but handsomely
repuaed attempted to carry the remaining position
by assault and also repulsed 1t thus necessary
to construct batteries against it, and the engineers
all ordered to the spot with their tools and the siege train
was moved forward for that purpose
The whole movement was commanded by Gen Butler
in person, Gilmore left holding the enemys works,
and Gen Smith, with the Eighteenth Army Corps holding
the ght front of the eastern portion of those works.
and only faW hundred yards this side OF them Thus you
will observe we had gained good positions, both the
south and the west of the Drury's Bluff Notifications
had turned got where could turn, against the
enemy three miles Of his strong entertainments;
and Thought that if could maintain ourselves
there should be able to dispose of Fort Darling and
thus open the river.
In this state of things Gilmore urged strongly upon Gen.
Butler the Importance of entrenchng positions,
t. make them against sores any movements of
the enemy to GUST from them The matter pressed
very earnestly upon Gen Butter through Col Serre whom
Gilmore had charged with that mission Gen Buffers
answer repeated several times, that the movement
was altogether offensive and that he would not
pause for any defensive operation In brief he positively
refused to let the work of entrenchng posOn be
deraken; though such work would necessarily have
involved any loss of tme-ony it would have kept por
ton OF the troops at work who would otherwise have
chance to rest Gen. Butler to have had an odd
sort of fear lest the offensive character of the enterprise
should be somewhat compromised by STOPPING to the use
OF defensive methods There act Of presumption
And it was followed such acts apt to be- by act
of timidity
you could scarce distinguish Eve yards before YOU
the enemy came down upon US in large force Their first
demonstration against our left under Gilmore. This
did not accomplish any thing, though the rebels al
most literally upon before troops could see them
1t probably intended mainly feint Soon after
wards they were extreme right which held by
Gen. Heckman's brigade of the Eighteenth Corps under
Gen. Smith. Here, o, they not till almost
right n midst; and when it impossible
to distinguish by the eye whether they friends
emies Heckman's brigade was quickly driven back,
large part Of it captured; whole right or
less disordered and doubled upon ITSELF the enemy getting
round it and turning so as even to command the turn
pike in and thus to cut off Gimore's retreat
The New York Volunteer Engineers forthwith put
to work to cut road through the woods round to the
westward, so as to open into the turnpike this side of
where the enemy had got command of it. This work
successfully done, thus securing line of retreat for Gill
more and the Tenth Army Corps.
Still Gilmore with the Tenth Corps held his position
within the enemys works, and showed inclination to
bulge inch. Gen. Butler sent him Order to with
draw and come to the support of the right He replied
that he was succeeding against the enemy and still he
fingered bis position growing better aud better till Gen.
Butler sent him another snd psremptory order COM
mAnding m to retire Immediately
1t was Gilmore's opinion then, believe it still is,
that apart from this order there at that time no ne
cessy for him to withdraw and that il he should continue
to hold his position the rebels would soon BIS obliged to
relnquish the advantage they had gained our right
especially meanwhile the right would have time TO re-
cover from it's disorder and get into good fighting trim
again. Howbeit under such order Gilmore could not
choose but withdraw which done in perfect order
one DIVISION OF DIS corps, ten turner's taking the road
that had just been cut, while the rest took crcu
tuous route, by poor road running the railroad
Gen Gilmore was not long in gaining good position
elevated ground about half mile this side Of the one he
had left Here he kept the enemy bay until srtll
lery and wagon trains, and nearly all wounded were
brought off This being DONE he then retired to another
position which he held towards evening when all our
troops fell back within our entrenchments where they
have renamed ever slDce s f H
The battle ragged with great fury from FIVE o'clock to
about eight after which the enemy gained further ad
vantage For considerable time the rebels made
tremendous cannonadng our right, but all to little
pnrposehe fog being thick aud the c0nendDQ parties
so close together to render artillery of little on
either side, except TO make noise We lost two guns
most Of artillery being early in the day the
rear Our los, in men, be stated,
not far from three thousandmost of it, however being
prisoners, aud from Ueckman's brigade.
saw asquad OF rebel prisoners brought 10 they
pretty we'll clad looked TO have had very good keeping
aud their expression full of ntepse erocty
az the spirit of their bloodhouDds had been
ferred into them. l asked of them where he was
from; he replied, " from South Carolina " We were
assured by Of the prisoners that Lee had been
mandng them in person--Beauregard aso and even JEFF
Davis himself being in the field against u.s. Meanwhile
Richmond paper of the 18th, captured during the fight
informed that the Danvile railroad had been
places the iron bridge the Appomattox being all
blown up This of course, done by Gen Ksutz and
his cavalry that purpose Of forward
well secured namely, that Of occupying the enemy
while Kautz did his work But it too bad thus TO
lose the fine position had gained for advancing on
Richmond That position cannot be regained without
large addition to our present force.
The cutting Of the Dauve road appears have put the
enemy upon desperate effort to the line from
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