The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-06
ARMY OF TEE JAMS.


wildcred In threading tile modern Labyrinth
known as Bost0n-mora intricate than the Cretan
OF old-than are most civilians who, unused TO
wars alarms" come into the midst of this army
to face 8 hustle and thread ts intricloic5.
An instructors upprcciat % of this tlt. led my
frier d, the Hon. ---. to ask me to 20 with MN
TO the fronts not exactly in the clpa .ity Of
"gudc, philosopher, aud friend, " tr the ohil So
ply Of the d,8,r riri Is rather more his IN
mine. The friendship we divide. The guidln
at first assumed, but soon rclnqushed. His
acquaintance with mAior-g generals showcred upon
hIm all COuriCsics and facilities, until the aIyln.
tage Of my own long apprenticeship shrink into
Tuuts ono consequence
The weather Ue. cryes complimentary pirl-
graph. Out Of Difference to nlr hern ntt u les
and northern prC'u Ices, this eitr bears date
December .. Nevertheless, the ulnluic % the
contrary notwithstanding, the season Is Spring
and the actual date is Msy ,. | never was strong
in chronology, and would not commit myself
without first referring 70 the Book Of Genesis to
more than mild insnuatiOn OF an opinion, thu
Adm and Eve were contemporaries direct
statement 70 that effect would be too hazardous.
But this IS Spring. 1 feel t, therefore [ know
it, The evidences Of ones senses may not be
disputed. PredispOsitions imbibod from books
must vanish In the light OF every day experience
This is Spring. Nor is il so wonderful that it
should be. Didn't the sun sit up all night, that
Joshua might We m & send the Ciualntisl
Sguauers 6hirlng THO Ign some Oriental Win-
chester
Wasn't there some atmospheric phenomenon
cOmpeusatiug for the sun while Moses shol d
make avaaOie that great pr rltotype of the Dutch
Gap Canal, through the Rcd Sea (Which, by the
way, differed from the modern maiuly as u the
relations, one to q other, Of the land and the
waterl. Is l. not, thIn, reasonable, that the
seasons should Cuuspire Tor General Grant, and
that he Will, "betOre the going down thereof"
(fOr antecpdeUt see "sun," four sentences Dick
nnn IA, N vol lv n nil
achieve his purposes
This discussion has involved three things. Firs.,
The premises assumed, Yz:-Ihat the pr sent
season is Spring; Tightfully assumed bee iuse an
apparent therefore n conceded truth. Second,
An inquiry as to why Spring should appear o It of
the usual order, eicing historic parallels in trans
position of natural phenomena. These alwlVs to
subseryC one oftwo belli reI and always crown
ing that one with victory. Third, Inc iuevita llc
deduction, which is, since our side is the party
aided by this ng-in-Autumn, that our side Is
to accomplish what It prop Jses.
If it should snow tomorrow it will not DO the
fault Of the argument! Words aside the cam
pagn del ends on q Continuance of the present
warm ana urv w"pther. Two weeks more Of il
may remove these b adquarters TO the Spots
wood House, VI pc hlp5 the Ballard, in case
General Grant should select the former for his
own. To make the exchange, or to gaiu any de-
cded success, involves heavy lighting,n u With
standing the Rebel force ia Virginia is less than
one-haIf ihP nnnhar fhev had last eDring.
The remaining half is all concentrated about
Richmond. Edry's forces have been recalled
from the valley, and very few are guarding the
Lynchburg and Danyile roads. cayalay cX-
pedtion, under General Gregg down the Weldon
Road Yesterday and dav before, found only a
few hundred in that quarter. Nor have hey des-
patched HuN large iJrCe 20 u Orgia-nOne but
Heth's Division, and that small one, from the
Petersburg front.
Confronting us on the north bank of the James
they have more than at any time since Butter
effected the lodgment here, having been lately
reinforced by Kershaw's Division of Early's
Corps. And they have constructed q magnificent
line of works hard up to cur own, and interior
line after line is plainly visible. These facts to-
gether with the everyday camOr of the RichmOnl
papers for the last inhsbitant to be ready to help
to man the trenches, are proof that the enemy
expects Il terrific assault on this side of the river.
These same papers assert that Butler and Porter
are preparing tremendous naval armament to
attack In conjunction with the first flow of water
through the Dutch Gap Canal.
Well, the truth Is IL behOOYes them 10 be in
readiness TO withstand all these-and more too.
l may say particularly the "more too"
The 18th and 10th Corps, which have hitherto
constituted the Army of the James, have been
abolished, the white troops of both going to form
a new corps, TO be numbered as the 9th, and 70
be commanded by General Ord while the cOlOred
troops OF both, with those Of the Army of the
Potomac, are TO form the 25th Corps, under Gene
raj Wutzel. The change was demanded by
several considerations, Of such weight that ut last
the separation has been decreed.
that due credit may be awarded wherever it may
be earned. In the army the division is the unit,
and let division do well, or let il do i'll, the fact
is soon known in every other division. But before
the country the corps is the unit, and each has
its own fame, while few have suggested 70 them
the record Of division or a brigade by simply
seeing its number. Therefore the colorcd troops
have been given corps OF their own, and Will
have TO make name for It,
And il is no unwarranted stretch Of the imagi-
nation to say that the 2jth will hew for itself a
niche in history alongside Of the already house
hold words the 9th, the 9TH, the 3D. the 18th, and
others not less glorious. The ability and earnest
ness of the new corps commander is Of itself Il
pledge for this.
General Godfrey Weitzel, although young
man, being in his twenty-nnth year, and, with
the exception Of Gen raj Custer, the youngest
Major General in the service, Is an old soldier.
Lieutenant of engineers, he commanded One-halt
OF the company Of regulars, which, with loaded
pieces, capped and at haltcock, guarded the
presidential carriage at the inauguration in 6l.
That same night he lay, with siXty-tour men,
IN a barn adjacent to the building In which was
was held the Inauguration ball, General Scott
having received word that set OF Baltimore
| rOughs were likely 10 make a disturbance.
| Having prior 70 the war served for four years
under one Major Bcauregard in the COnsruc-
| ton OF the deenses of New Orleans, when
| General Butler sailed against that city
| Lieutenant Weitzel accompanied him as engineer
| officer, and assisted in reducing the works he had
helped to construct. Some months staff officer,
| he was at length made a brigadier-geueral and
| given an independent field command in the up
country where he fought several battles and each
| battle victory. His later record is familiar 70
| the country
General Grant lately remarked that "the boys
| must finish up this war" He meant such men as
| Sheridan, Warren, Custer, Merritt and Weitlel-
| all young men, and he meant such strplings as
| were first TO lay hands on the Rebel flags in the
| Shenandoah fights.
Generals Terry, Stannard and Deyins will have
| divisions in the oath Corps. This will no the
| largest corps in the service by some thousands,
since comprises all the original troops ofthe 10th
| and the 18TH II has but TO prol0ng the reputa-
tion Of these last and the same men are there to
do it.