Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-05-14
Nexys fi.om tI,e Seat of War.

4" News from tIie Seat of War.
The telegraph brings us the cheering
news of the first substantial victory which
has yet been gained this Spring by the Fed
eral arms. After six days of bloody bat
ties between GRANT and LEE, General HAN
COCKS corps has achieved brilliant victo-
nv over rebel General NED. JoHNsoN's di-
vision of LEES army-eapturing four
thousand prisoners, from twenty to thirty
guns, and Major General NED. JOHNSON
and Brigadier Generals ROBERT JOHNSON
and GEORGE STUART. SO say the first flashes
Of telegraphic lightning: and in the main
we have no doubt OF their correctness
Further news is awaited with breathless
anxiety, and will no doubt come before this
paper goes to press.
GRANT is slowly but surely moving over
the bloody road to Richmond. BUTLER is
still I'm defensive position on the James
River, engaged in sending bombastic nom
sense to the sensation press North. BEAU
REGARD is said to have been reinforced by
two Divisions from LEES army, and hence
his communications cannot be cut off from
Richmond. LEES communications are un-
interrupted, and he is falling back to a
stronger position on the South Anna river
and nearer to his base of SUPPLIES; while
GRANT is getting further from his base, and
his communications are continually threat
ened by guerrilla raids.
Let us discard these details, and look at
the large features of the campaign. Rich
mond Is attacked by an army marching
down under GRANT, and an army advancing
from the James River under the direction
of Gen. BALDY SMITH. The army directed
by SMITH is over one hundred thousand
strong, and that of GRANT two hundred
thousand, while the garrison about Wash
ington and neighborhood, and the force in
the Shenandoah, absorb the rest of the Ar
my of four hundred thousand.
1t will be seen it is the campaign OF Nc
CLELLAN over again; except that the Union
forces are vastly increased in numbers, and
the Confederates are strengthened by forti-
fications, by increased artillery, and by new
leyies of troops.
In 1861 MCCLELLAN would have advanced
up the James river, but the ironclad ram
Merrimac dominated that channel, and
President LINCOLN feared to let our single
Monitor encounter her. The plan of the
campaign was varied under this ne
cessity, but its main features were those
which we see reproduced in the present
campaign.
On the 26th of May, 1852 nearly two
years ago, MCCLELLAN had advanced his
troops as far as Hanover Court House. The
panic at Washington caused the President
to recall MCD who was pressing on
in that direction, and could have effected a
junction. The outposts of the two armies
were In sight of each other, and the fall of
Richmond was certain.
When at Harrison's Landing, with his
army In excellent discipline, holding de-
bouche on both banks of the river, and sus-
tanned by gunboats, MCCLELLAN was within
twenty-five miles of Richmond, and not
likely to meet the enemy in force, till after
marching fifteen to eighteen miles which
brought him practically to within ten miles
of the Confederate capital. All he asked
was to be reinforced at that point.
This was on the 4th of August, 1852, and
the reply to his demand for forces was that
the main army must be put in front of
Washington to save it from assault! tf
'srhe political effect of the withdrawal"
wrote HALLEcK, 'may at first be unfavora-
BILE, but think the public are beginning to
11r-.