The New York herald., 1864-07-24
HUNTERS VIRGINIA CAMPAIGN.

Plans General Gre nt-EMc0t OF uO1-
gnn's Dash into hentacLy, &c.
[from the Richmond Examiner, July II.
Nor vet IL the campaign tully understood which has
occurred in that part OF Virginia west Of the Blu Ridge
extending from the Potomac the Tennessee and Ken
lucky lines How thst country has csc ped utter deao
tion, under the military direction OF the Aulic Coun
ell which until recently issaed orders this CITY.
unfathomable mystery. The Central III
rcctnry totally blinded In regard TO
ths euemy's schemes, both for May aud June tnat
quarter aud nothing but punder and desructn marked
the progress OF camp aign. three Yankee
combined actually laundering at the gates OF Lynch
ourg when our generals IN that auai ter fortunately and
to the JOY OF the began to receive orders from
another voice.
That designs Of the enemy upon the western
try may be fully understood IL IS oper 70 repubish
sketch OF Grants plan OF campaign tor this reg a. as
divuged by OF their military corresp ndents which
before given In these columns and which has
been completely authenticated by the actual move
the writer. several weeks ago, declared ,s follows
10 @ s 9 1ss esD. %G but na Is.
Lees army In that event further active an prompt oper
hsr provided for It. -. n.a, "a, ~
sise s.sbe the Shenandoah va ley towards ssan
n wa ons se Rao sis and a M mse 'a oa
meat he Virginia ana Tennessee aa road a Inch
sme Great rallrosd vi, h dessn & sns'@s 4 2. salem
trong force large supplies Charleston TO ards
Eew6ern Dublin depot, On the am ralraa Ias nm
Big sancy, towards Abingdon on the road.
In one single particular did this writer commit an
Ihe movement from kentucky by way # tho Big
sandy WAS much more important one than 10 be en-
trusted to major II was to have been made by an
army OF seven thousand tToops-niantry, mounted
nfantry, cavalry and artiery-under command OF
major general and The general has since become Known
under the name OF BurDrdge. Ia another par.
iicuar was the plan altered and enlarged, namey-in
movement from Winchester entrusted to SigeI. II
altered by the defeat Which that general received in
Nay at Newmlrket from Bieclinrdgc Il WAS enlarged
by the subsequent augmeu alton OF s forces by several
housand troops drawn from the extreme Northwestern
States and BY the appointment OF Genera! Hunter,
cer OF higher rank to its comm ndthe same Hunter,
by the by, who inauguraed negro ensments aud mis-
ceeenaon in the Department BE tuort south Carolina,
ss early as the hrst winter OF the war.
Tho vison thus panncd forx Wcs ern VIRGINIA com
pretended a heavy aggregate forces First, there
sere the seven thousand OF Burbt ge rom Kentucky,
twelve hundred of whom actually got into Virginia
through Pound Gap; there wee tho SIX thousand
| Crook, which came from Tho lower hanswha. These
| last were oiped by Averi VIII twenty five hundred
eavalry coming from Northwest Virginia anc, Gnaiy,
hero the army OF Sge afterwards commanded and
reinforced by Hunter whose strength was varousy esi
mated. but was not less han tweve thousand The
grad aggregate OF troops prepared this invasion was
cot less than twenty seven tho sand men.
The design was tat thee different corps should
strike ne LynchbGre and Tennessee and the Central
| Railroads slmuHsnc usiy at An ngdon, Wytheyille,
Dublin depot and Staunton pnd should afterwards up,te
centrally, west OF IyD hburg, and marcn against that
town. subsequent orders from General Graut y Hunter
directed him to tako and hod tn town al any loss and
at all hazards, and assurances Of speedy rein
orcements and supplies TO be urnished at hat point
there two movements the drst In Nav, which
miscaried; and the plan afterwards amended and
se for june In pr suance OF the original plan, a. tho
6h OF May 1t was announced that sise in motion
aon staunon Crook upon Dublin depot aud Averil upon
WyhevIle with design. II destroying that town and
the lead mines, 10 unite with Crook dublin for
towards Lynchburg; but NJ news came oi movement
Burbridge upon Abiogdon altve The sequel proved
that were poorly prepared to meet this concerted
assault Breckenridge had been ord red away from Dub
u In hurry with tue troops be could collect a. short
notice. and sent down the valley to confront Sge lcav
lectsd together by McCausland, to oppose Crock at
Dublin.
Il tc ma AM rgut Huf n
to jenkins for brief period, before that officer
ccived mortal wound,, had but fifteen hundred men
With which TO resist Crooks six thsus lie fought
braveiy however and 80 shattered Crooks army as 70
destroy bis design OF towards nchburg and
compel a retreat far Meadow Bluff in Greenbrier,
Tor tho purpose Of recruiting his dsor:anized army aud
repairing damages Crook lett seve al hundred prisoners
hands and all his wounded, but succeeded before
leaving the region OF the battle In destroy ing the mpor
| lant bridge over New river.
IN the extreme southwest than here else on the
ine OF the Lynchburg and tennessee rsroad lhe act
| was fortunate, for II enabled General w. +. Jones,
then commanding there, to spare General Morgan's S
command for services further cast thus 1t happened
| that General Morgan, making iorced march from salt
vile, arrived AZ wytbevile with his mouniei men, in
time TO that town from Averil and to completely
defeat that boased cavalry officer with heavy loss OF
| kled wounded, prisoners horses This defeat
very important, for prevented AverIll from jo ming
crook before tho battle at Dublin and before that general
mad found necessary to fa back Meadow Bluff. Ave.
rll arrived at Dublin two days ter Crook had II
same 't time s' that he marched from sa.vs With his
mounted men against Averi at wytnevlle was able TO
send his dismoaned men by the railroad to Dublin,
Mccausand 10 the fight which sent Crook back to Mead
ow Bluff.
Those took place 10 the early part of May.
simultaneously with Grants operations in Spottsylvana
Morgans fight at wythevlie. McCausand's at Dublin,
aud Breckinridges at New Market, all occurred about
the time with each other, and simultaneously with
great battles OF the Wilderness between Lee aud
Grant.
subsequently TO these events for several weeks
have since found out TO COST Crook and Aver were
rehtting and preparing at Meadow Buh or an advaIce
St1unton Lynchburg, Hunter, superssdOg
organizing at Winchester heavy enen,s Tor
secosd advance upon Lynchourg by way OF staUnton.
and Burbridge Kentucky getting ready TO descend
rpon extreme Southwest Virginia SO as to prevent any
idvauce from that direction upon the OF The
bined armies about " move on LyDchburg
II is frightui 70 recocct now inadequate our
proparatons were to meet these formidable en- erpses
OF the enemy Bre,kinrdge with the only tnat ccsd
be called such, which mad west OF the Blue hidgs,
thousand troops but small brieadcs OF iuie-
cavalry about two regiments OF insantry and small
brigade vaughans Q. dismounted troops acting e. nlan
little force from Dublin was sent 10 the front o staunton,
and General William Jones as ordered to take all the
same position in the lower valley Accordingly General
:no New Sa lis Ss
brigade u cavalry also, and took oil TO staun-
sa qsans IN the soas. n DSg
ana norgan's command TO meet Burbrldee, coming in
from ke1snc.y we all know what bsisl 1.-The the heroic
geneous army, thus hastily thrown together. We all
informed Of the dauntless Of McCausand in bis
upg and lahorous retreat, ngntng every day, from
staunton to Iynchburg, and how the delay produced
the enemy march that town and that invaua
BILE military position. He or the who had
earng TO light at Carnisx ferry Cotton H Fort poneI
sou and twenty other battles.
But the which General Morgan rendered 10 tho
emergency OF Juse s not so fully Understood. General
Jones peg ordered from tho southwest together
with all the troops he could transport Stanton h tho
very time that Southwest Virginia about TO be
invaded by Burbridge General Morgan held brief and
hasty conference with him the OF his Departure in
which u ag eed by both Generals that 10 wsud bs
anto meet purbridee IN 'front.' and that. as the enemy
had much to lose Ia kenuok, than we had IN Vr
gpia the only chance Of saving the Southwest was by
Morgnns dsshng boldly the heart OF kentucky and
IN that way drawing Eurbridge away. The plan
red into effect and completely succeeded Burbrdgc was
ured back his army scattered ard crippled, southwest
virginia Tor the time aud tho discomeu geue al
set 10 reorgauzing his commaDda task which occrpi