Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-05-16
AE.ir, an ths RauuahannOok

Aualrs on lie nap PaAA4AoSA'
Northern papers a. ase the l2.h instani were re-
caFed in his city yesterday aud to the accounts O. D.
tned in these, OF operations On the KAPpahsl
mock, We surrender large portion Of our space 'l-
morning Gu, readers will be struck, at hrst Sght
With the remarkAblo discrepancy between the roper
given az the North OF the events previous to tse 81
iasL AID the facts as they known here Bus Ihs
discrepancy Is not greater than the entire absence Of
sny manifest connection between the taes as stated by
tie newspaper correspondents, and the extraordinary
;nfsrsness drawn rom them The Herald, of the l0h
fon which our extracts taken, claims series OF
brilliant victories fOr Grant terminating In 'he hn-l
resuse Of Lee, 90 Friday night, and hs p'eoiPtate r.
treas towards Richmond. Stanton likewise te!egTGpi
that Lee was retEeAng and Grant Pursung aud on III,
strength o. these rspOFs gold sent down. at ole Tine
a. low as 1854 But the letters Of the correspondent
Of the Herald tel very different story. They adm'
that Grant suffered series OF Tepules which, by 81
per6eal persons, might be consIraed into defeat
ami they confess shat the res1l. he engsg mens "
70 Friday night was unsalisiao,Ory to many Cfheers
statement made by one of these writers clearly shows
te ialsty Of she claim set up TO victory, AID proves
that Grant knew himself be defeated in the battle Of
Fhs Wilderness TIE writer referred 10 says that be
[
une OF the RAppAhannOcS his base in OF disaster
o. Sturdy Grant eft his entertainments an
moved towards Fredericksburg, his advance passing
through Spo,ayVAnia Court House the same day. TOE
movement compelled counter movement on tie par
Of Lee. who inmedst set ha columns in motion over
the sane road bis advance reaching SqOsylvSnia in
ii ne to come up with Grants under Warren TIL.
m,roeavre il what the Yankees call retreat on Rca-
mond. Bus that Is a new kind Of retreat in nhich the
pus.usr passe first through gwen point and the pu
sued arrives at the same poins afterwards The TACT
loy plainly enough that Grant forced by defeat
ia the Wilderness to throw part Of his forces
back 70 Fredericksburg in order to secure 8
new line Of supply, and retreat across the
R,Ppahannoek in case OF emergency. Havios
accomplished this, he again had Lee in HE front;
that General having fled en- lrom'thc Wilderness lew
miles towards the Southeast in order again to cover
tho approaches 10 Richmond. Grant was therefore
forced 70 make another attack for The purpose Of dis
lodging Lee from this new position The bloody bat
tlss Of Tuesday and Thursday Of last week the
development, but BY no means the eOnsummatiOn Of
this purpose.
During these operations, the losses Of the Yankee
Arny have been enOrmOus-faF exceeding anything
known before even in the history OF this In the
bate of The Wilderness Grants loss was least Is
OOO The Medical Dir, Of his army telegaphs that
the number of wounded alone would reach IL 900 -
This number added to the killed and captured would
bring the total loss up to figure even beyond thai
have mentioned.
Bot Il Was not until day Ia err that the Yankees s.
covered hoH thoroughly they bad been dupsd by th,
hopes and the lying reports Of Stanton. Tdey we're
destined to receive a rude shock which, for Tine de-
moshed their airy castles and placed the truth before
them in light By no means pleasant TO contemplate.
On the llsh, the Herald estimates ants lOsses, up
Monday night at "a 600 not including straggers aud
sick aud very justly iners from this that his ohaucs for
getting 70 Richmond Is becoming very slim indeed
TIE Washington OkrORiels places the Yankee losses
the enormous 6gare OF 50 600; a rate OF depletion
which must very soon exhaust his strength and democrat
il, his army Since that day the bOOdiest BATHS
OF the campaign have been fought and are, Their -
foe justised in assuming thai the ,Oal Yankee Loss
up TO this time cannot have fallen short o! $4,000 man,
Ia the last action, General Lse suffered A
portion Of bis line vas carried By the enemy, aud about
1000 men and ls guns we're cApurd. Bus this did not
throw him back At all Il did not involve a reat.
Lee stin eonfrOnts Grant, with an army which
has suffered but little in comparison with I. at
Of the enemy, slatsd with success, aad cOn6d, Mt
Of is ability to Withstand tie most terrible
assaults that may be made upon ii. Gram 8
struck his hardest blow and failed To fail again wi
be ruin But he must make another attempt abandon
mis- grand enterprise. He viii mako the aitsmp'; be
viii fail and absolute ruin to his army and his oause
viii be the inevitable consequence. We tbiak We may
say that the worst Is over that the grand Yankee es
pagn has eliminated and that II We can maintain cur
selves here Of which entertain not the slightest doub
Richmond is safe, and our independence assured.