The Portland daily press., 1864-05-16
The Week of Battles.

From Friday, May 9th to Friday, May 18th
inclusive, will be known in history as a week
of the most holly contested, unremittingly
persistent and rapidly recurring battles known
in the annals of warfare. How different the
six days battles on the Peninsula, when
the armies of the Union were daily driven
back from sight OF the spires and hearing Of
the bells of the rebel capital, TO Harrison's
Landing, dispirited, decimated, and COMPARE
lively helpless. During the eight days just
past Gen. Grant has been fighting nearly all
the time, and on two days at least the sever
est contest of the war has been witnessed. So
unremitting has been the conflict that Grant
declined flag of truce for the burial OF the
enemy's dead, giving as a reason that he had
no time to bury bis own dead and then order
ing forward his impatient columns! Every
day has tended to exhaust, cripple, set back,
demoralise and weaken the enemy, while our
strength has been kept unimpaired by rein
forcements and enthusiastic by succession OF
brilliant victories.
Lee has never been in such straits before.
Grant, with Meade, Hancock and other indom-
liable chiefs is before him; Butler with nearly
hundred thousand is south of Richmond,
keeping Beauregard at a distance and at the
same time inenacing the rebel capital, while
Sheridan on his right and Sigel on his left
flank are harrassing the rebel commander in
the most uncomfortable manner. At last ac-
counts all his railroad lines OF communication
cns hat 90. n,
a detachment Of Buffers cavalry was heading
towards that.
Meantime Sherman and Thomas are doing
a noble work in the Southwest, cutting their
way towards Charleston, and threatening to
sever the Confederacy at that point,
The beginning OF the end SCENE approach
ing. The morning lignt is breaking. The
horizon is Illuminated at all points. Rebellion
must yield, and the old flag is likely again
soon TO faunt in the traitor faces OF JEFF. Da-
Wis and his confederates in crime. Grant is
persistent. He is seconded by those who are
ia full sympathy with him. The Government
fully confides in him. He has never known
defeat; he accepts no conditional surrenders
Four times has he arrested the nations heart
sickness, sending the blood through all the
veins with renewed yigor; first at Fort Don
elsoh when the spirits of the people were sink
ing within them, then at Vicksburg In an hour
of terrible darkness, afterwards at Chattano-
ga, and now in Virginia where so many rever-
ses have been experienced
But the cheering prospects of the present
hour have not been produced without great
cost of the nations best blood. The gallant,
the brave, the truly noble have been offered
up in sacrifice. Sedgwick, Stevenson, Wads-
worth, Rice, Webb, Hayes, Owen, and many
other general officers have fallen. Our own
state has severely suffered, for her sons have
been in the thickest of the fight. But is not
the glory OF saving ones country from treason
and redeeming 1t from rebellion and anarchy
worth all the sacrifice Of treasure and of
blood? God is ever with the Right Let us
work for the Right that He may work with us.
We refer the reader to the telegraphc col
umns for details. He is competent to draw
his own differences and TO sum up results
For US to assume TO do so for him would seem
like an insult both to his curiosity and his in
teligenee.