, 1864-10-12
importance Of Recent Operations
efrenEth OF the Capture OF 3xabe.
hath Sgu1k1,
tCorrespocc dent n. 7. Tribune
d'bQU' U'As. ANXY or TIE JAHKs,
Ii TIE EIEIn Z M11 ra ruax R1cnMnan I

= ~ AANOxNHs
!. Correspondent n. 7. Tribune
HDou'as. An14 Or 1Hk JAnks,
LII TIE FIELD, NILES T1ox RICHMOND,
Thursday Oct. 8, 1851
The importance Of the recent movement,
70 fortnhattly conceived and successfully
coneummated by General Butler, which
nrD1y establishes the Union furces within
the outer and strongest 1ipes of Rebel de-
fenfes. cannot be overestimated. The Lieu
tenant~Gen-, upon an actual survey Of the
poSltioh, expttssed nut only his sur
prise but qualification ut the result, and
freely aumuted that he had not at drst COM
pretended It's tnll Significance.
This formidable line Of earthwotk5-ex.
tending from Aiken'a Landing up to Cnapin's
Farm, and theuce ncross the DarbeytoWn-
piKe, Is not only miles in extent, but in its
extreme form1dablentss deemed one OF the
highest achievements Of engineering skill,
Its sigzag likes amply provide for enaating
fires a11ng its entire clrcuit, while in advance
of the msln work, as we'll as in rear, are In
Vulnerable picket caves and trenches for the
coucea1ment OF their s1arpsluptura,
That such line could have been carried
with 80 uncomfortable loas to our side can
be accounted for On no other hypothesis
than that the assault was q con.5,tk surprise.
Very huch lAs been said aid written or the
e1t Mt ant. Immensely formidable character
of the defensive works surrounding the
Rebel capital, and when it Ia borae In mind
that none Gre more tmpregnab1e than the
one Just carried, and most others less so,
the magnitude Of tue success just attaiued
BY Gen: Butler a1d the brave troops under
him will in neaanre DO appreciated By the
home. 1t II no little satisfaction to the de-
serving men who bore the brunt Of the as-
saQlt that tho Lieut-General plAces all the
credit OF TINS achievement where 1t rightfal-
" belongs unrestrained by ooy ANNOUNCE
mente, official or otherwise, which first bore
the cheering titipg to the country.
The force BhicG hold these works is esti.
mated by pFls onsrs taken by US at from TO-
Geo to It, 600. They were under tue iuamed.
late command ofGen- Hoke, aud all under
the command OF Gen. Ewel, who, In his
91pplfa a tho has
Lee was also on the ground at the time Of
the assault, but was unable to rally his
etaDpeded men to any determined stand
after once routed by the furious charge made
By our troops. The main body of Lees army
was and ia On the other side Of the james
compel to guard the only lite sustaining
artt1y OF supply now lett them. This force
they dare not weaken, for they we'll know
that wilf and eager army is watching its
opportunity to grasp this vital line.
prleoneTs and 1e6erter5 agree in esttmat-
Ing the Rebel loss at from 500 to 1000 In
Killed, wounded and Captured Many 'regi-
MT uts composing the three divisions, and
many brlgades now 10 our front are reduced
to from 80 to $50 effective men, and there
are rery many companies In these decimated
regiments, which we're full at the opening
Of the campaign, which now number, all
told, from to 0 and 70 men! No wondar
these men, kept by FORGE in the ranks, arc be-
coming greatly dlspirited, and that from
fifty to sixty are daily creeping into our lines
as dteertsrs. 1t Is no matter Of surprise
that these men, oppressed, and cruelty
Wrcnfed as many Of them have been, begin to
manifest the sagacity Of rats in = sinking
ship. We're 1t rot that in consequence Of
these desertious, which are taking place to
such an alarming extent, the utmost caution
and surveillance OF their men are taken, tits
believed that three.quarters Of THAR army
wou1d stampede at once to our side. SO
that Gen. Graut was entirely right In his
Judgment, that be could exhaust Lee By
Just keeping e:nl and receiving his deserting
N1E