Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-19

greatly regretted that General Grant has deter.
mined Ito fight il ont on the line" of the over
land route, IT, indeed. his dispatch TO that effect
has been correctly decphered az the war Office
Costly and difficult a. ha. been his march of hf
teen miles from the Rapdsn to the PO il is as
nothing compared with what lies before him in
sixty-fve miles that lie between Pc and Rich
mond Ii army has succeeded in forcing the
passage OF the Po il is not likely that they will
encounter much very serious opposition at Mat
river. But il will be very different when North
Anna is reached.
TYPOGRAPHICAL FEATURE or THE NEW DEFENSIVE
LINE.
The position which the rebel army is now as
suming, or will soon occupy. on the right bank
OF that stream, Is great deal stronger than auy
which they have held on the north of is. The
stream itself il one of considerable magnitude
both regards depth and width and its banks
are in most places high and precipitous. In or
binary stages of water il may be forded, but il is
subject TO sudden rises, and heavy rain Of a
few hours duration ALWAYS swells considerably
the volume of It's waters And, it will be re
membered. that up to the morning of the 18th.
very heavy rains bad prevailed for thirty six
hours previously. The Typographical features of
the country between this STREAM and the Pc are
such will offer but few obstacles to the advance
oil orr army; and unless Lee makes a stand on
the Mat river. troubles will not begin until
we reach the North Anna itself. There how.
ever. besides Entertainments of the most eIten
sve and Formidable character. commanding all
the lords, we will have to encounter the seriou,
obstacle of rapid and swollen river At some
point this river must be crossed. The lower down
the crossing is attempted the wider and deeper
will the stream he found; while at all points be-
tween Fredericks Hall and the junction of the
South Anna river the rebel General is said to be
prepared to dispute our crossing
REBEL DEFESsks on THE NORTH ANNA
Ii we have been held at bay on the compare
lively insignificant Pc, where the rebels had only
few Insignificant intrenchments, aud those
hastily imprOvised for the OCCASION for four sue.
ceSsye DAYS. what may We not expect in the way
OF resistance when come to the formidable
aud carefully constructed works on the right
bank of the North Anna
THE ForRrERRIBLE BATTLES ON THE RIVER PO.
The particulars which / have received of tina
battles of the 9Th. l0th, llth and 18th inst, at
Spottsylvania on the river Pc, prove them to
have been 6ercely contested and sangunarv be
yond description. On the 9th, to say nothing OF
other losses, we suffered the great calamity of
the death of Gen Sedgwick. who might well be
called Gen. Grant right arm. On the 10TH al
though Gen. Grant had teegraphed to the Sec
retarv of War that he did not intend to renew the
conflict on that day; yet the maneuvers of the
rebel General in the morning were so threaten
ing that Gen. Grant altered his mind before noon,
and at ID o'clock iss ued orders for "a resumption
of hostilites at in the afternoon. In this con
templated attack. however, ne was anticipated by
Gen Lee. who himself assumed the offensive be
fore o'clock in the afternoon. This of course
deranged Gen Grants plans to some extent. and
made some modification IN them necessary. The
whole of the 9th corps as / am informed and the
divisions of Gen. Birney and Gen Gibbons of the
81 corps were ordered To assault the center of
the enemys position. There are no better troops
in the army than these The assault was made
Ii WAS led by the officers in person
The regulars took part in it, and il was beau
tiful To see the stesdBess with which thew moved
to the attack and the GOODNESS with which thew
formed and formed under the Calling fire of
the enemy But the assault was repulsed with
frighttul loss on our Slde and the enemy still
held their position The enemy did more than
that When this assault was ordered. Barlows
division of the Second Corps had been lett alone
in exposed condition the extreme left
across little rivulet that flows into the Pc %
serving this aud knowing their ability TO repulse
the assault of the Fifth Corps. Gen Long street
sent two divisions aud some field pieces to attack
Gen Barlow's division. The latter. although
unsupported aud although it could not expect
support, made "a most gallant resistance and did
indeed hold the position which they had been or
dered 10 maintain for some time But they
we're outnumbered more than two To one. and
were literally pushed back upon the main BODY
OF their corps. Further than that, the reb-
els seeing "A whole Union division i'm full retreat
and having bv this time repulsed the assault of
the Fifth Corps. followed 10 the advantage which
they had gained with such vigor and pressed
back our lines so far, that Gen. Meade's head
quarters were considered in danger. aud were re-
moved without ceremony a considerable distance
to the rear.
General Grants o'clock attack was made
an hour later 1t NAV oe said to have been made
by the whole army, for good portion of all the
corps were engaged in il Ii was renulsed the
same "a the assault of the 5th corps had been re-
pulsed. but with even greater slaughter. and the
enemy. At nightlsll held their position mistaken
On the lIth the terrific conflict ed the
heavy rains began, aud Gen. Grant teegraphed
his determination Ito fight il out all summer on
that line -
On the 18th both armies we're still on the north
side Of the Pc. Drenching rains poured down.
which made the mud knee deep But battle.
in many respects, the hardest fought battle of
the whole campaign took place on this dsy also:
and IN this engagement not only WAS It necessary
10 bring the reserves into acton. but two divi-
sions of the reserved corps were very badly cut
Is GENERAL GRANT CHANGING HIS LINE % oPER
ATIoNsI
Ii is reported here. and believed 10 some e1.
tent that Gen. Grant i reallv making arrange
ments to change his line of operations by move
ment TO the left. toward Bowling Green. aud so
following the track of Gen Sheridans cavalry 10
Sa1ton's Junction This report. of course. Is
based upon the superstition that It Is true that
Gen Sheridan has seized the railroad at that point
in sufficient force 10 hold Il: and also upon the
further supposition that Gen Grant has ordered
Gen Smith and Gen. Gilmore 20 detach them
selves and their troops from Butler. aud to move
TO Hanover on the Pamunkey; and finally. upon
the third supposiiion that after the engagements
OF the 18th. Gen Lee would find himself so much
weakened that he would retire AZ once to his en-
trenchments beyond the North Anna. II IS be
lleyed that the reasons that have caused General
Grant thus 70 change his line OF operations. sire
those set forth in my letter OF May -: and in
addition. the great losses that he has sustained,
amounting TO one third of bis army and the con
viction that persistence in following and fight
ing Lee during the remaining sixty i've miles OF
that line" will entail upon him a loss proper
uonate 10 that which ne has suffered 10 the FIRST
fifteen miles
Those who take this view. well acquainted
wiki Gen. Grant, ana they say that. although he
s 4 man OF unyielding hrmness. We, that obsti
macy forms no part of hrs character The, do