Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-06-08
The Campaign OF RIOhmond-arant
Steadily AdvanelnE. Fra
From the PhIlSdeinhIas A r,eric,n

as characterized the attacks made on Nc |
CtellAn's army at Fair Oaks and Gaines
Mills. In the latter case our i'll arranged |
and imperfectly defended lines were easily |
driven 10, aud the rebel army made great
and destructive progress before we could |
concentrate our strengthito bear back the
tide. But GRAFT is peculiarly careful in |
fortiiying every pOsition5he takes up, and
be strengthens his lines 70 such. an extent
that when the enemy make an assault their
loss is very heavy and their repulse dis.
hearteniug to them. .-,f...J, .,-s...s -
Yet this entails a great deal of severe 4
labor on the army, because Grant changes
his positions constantly, our lines never
remaining the same for more than q few
hours. It IS this fact which renders it i'm
possible to describe the movements of the
army. Any one who imagiues that our
forces remain in an established position is
mistaken. The front is shifted every day
to suit the varying plans and devices of
offensive warfare. Every yard Of grouudi
taken is Immediately rendered secure BY
an advance of our line of battle, and the
movements of the two armies to flank or
to meet flank movement are ihcessant.
II is observable, also, that Grant makes
his advances at daybreak inuhe mOrning,;
and continues his battles far into the night,
allowing neither time nor circumstances to
interfere with him. Thus on Friday morn
ing be assaulted the rebel line at half past
four O'clock, driving the enemy within
their intrenchments at all points, but gain
log no decisive advantage. The result,
however, was that Grant pushed his oWn
line so close up to the enemy that in some
places it was within fifty yards OF the rebel
works, where they were remaining This
assault appears to have been urged in no
hope of taking the rebel works, but rather
of gradually pushing our lines closer up to
them and then fortifyiug, which appears to
have been accomplished. w..
How desperate must have been this as.
sRult is shown by the number of our killed
and wounded, which is officially estimated
at three thousand. That of the enemy we
can only guess at, but it appears that we
have taken three hundred prisoners. These
figures indicate two things clearly: frst,
that the assault was q desperate and pro-
tracted one to enable our men to get near /
er the rebel works, In which they were
successful; aud second, that in this assault
they must have enVeloped some portion of
the rebel rife pits or outposts in which the
prisoners were taken. Grant would not
have wasted three thousand men in an OBJ.
jectless assault. He is evidently forcing
his approaches up to the rebel works by
constant fighting aud strategy. It must be
borne in mind that Il is the first line of
the rebel works around Richmond that he
is now attacking. II he passes them he
will still have to accomplish the difficult
task of passing the Chickahominy in the
face of the enemy. -.r
His Sighting, now rs at SpottsylvauIa, is
directed to the ascertaiumeut of the weak
point in the enemy's line. which he can
only do by repeated assaults. Lees centre
is generally the strongest Lnd best guard
ed part of bis line. The southern or left
Hank OF his army is where our policy natu.
rally induces us 10 seek flank movement,
and in that direction Grant has been per.
slstently operating and Lee just as steadi.
y seeking to thwart him. In all these
affairs the objects in view on each side are
go momentous, the fighting so constant
and so heavy, aud the losses SO serious
that Lees's whole army is required, and he
10 tbus prevented fEVuI auy or IuUs1 mUVr-
ments norIhward which so many persons
have feared.
In the very last assault made by Graut
the most OF the prisoners taken belonged
breckenridge corps, showing that that
body is still with him. Il was the dread
full fighting so long continued at the battles
o: the. Wilderness and Spottsylvauia which
rendered Grants flank movements there
practicable, for had we not gained real
solid advantages on the left hank the
march of our army would have been i'm
possible. There are serious difficulties
now in the way of any flank movement,
and hence General Grant pushes ahead di.
rectly against the enemy's works. Lee
aeemsgto look for auotA Or. movement by
the left flank, which would effect a iunc
ton between Grant aud Butler, and d.
rects bis efforts to prevent it,
The rebel 'wOrks inifronb o., the Chicks.
hominy 'areiu such a positiousthatif Grant
csn take them by eight, however bloody,
and can Immediately push on, the retreat
OF Lees army would be most disastrous
one 10 attempting to cross the river In the
face OF our FIRE. In point. of fact the strug
gle over the crossing of this river, which
has now been raging several DAYS, will be
the severest OF the campaign, for that
stream once passed there is no other IN
tervening between our army and Rich
mond. The different lines OF rebel works
about the city within the first one can all
be taken or turned without much difficult.
". although Lee will undoubtedly wear
out his army ia protractiug the struggle
1t would be idle now to attempt to spec.
ulate upon the probable movements of a
campaign which depend altogether upon
events Of daily occurrence, aud upon fea..
lures of the ground which, cannot be uu.
derstood at this distance. All that we do
see and understand is, that, Grant keeps
Lee constantly employed attempting to
counteract his movements $ that the two
armies are never IDLE, and that the struggle
is the closest the keenest, the most mar.
rowlY watched on each side, of this war
What ismost hopeful 10 that from the mo.
ment of commencing this campaign Grant
has not lost single position, and has
steadily kept his meu3 advancing. Every
movement and every battle. briugs him
nearer to the goal. and his army is as pow
ertul now as when-it first crossed the Ran.
idau. So far from dreadiDg any expedition
OF Lees northWard, Grant would regard it
as just the opportunity needed to enable
him to take Richmond by coup de main-