Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-06-02

The situation OF both the opposing ar mies IN
Virginia Is such, at the latest advices' tna'
battle may be considered imminent In view
of this fact brief Typographical description OF
the battle. field may not be undressing. botn
armies are now in Hanover county. with the
North Anna on thenorth and the Ohickahominy
ON the south. Lees army, as Is announced in
off1cial dispatches from General Grant, Is on
the Mechanicsvill road south OF the Tolopo.
tony river, one OF the tributaries of the
Pamunkey, and between that stream and
Hawe's shop, with his right resting on Shady
Grove.
The surface Of Hanover county Is hiiiy. and
the soil sandy, but there are few natural i'm
pediments to the operations of an army. Han
over Court House, the county seat is memoir
able as the scene of Patrick Henry's early
The object OF Lee will be to preserve the rebel
capital from the advance OF General Grant,
and for this reason he has selecteda field which
covers all the highways leading into Richmond.
General Grant seems inclined to give his
enemy no opportunity TO move north ward,
and therefore has ordered the destruction Of
the bridges over Little and the North Anna
rivers. r.
Lees left-assuming that he facess to the
south-is protected by the Chickahominy. The
road from Hanovertown crosses this stream at
Mechanicsville, which Is on q turnpike five
miles north west Of Richmond. There Is au-
other road just in the rear Of this which also
leads to the rebel capital. In moving down
these roads Gen. Grant will encounter the
llucS VI 1Sc q dIuuys duQ Tue SlLuduOu Is So COu.
racted that there is little probability Of another
flank movement being successful.
II the Chickahominy Is Intended by Lee as
the last line of defense, the position has been
we'll chosen. The stream itself is peculiarly
adapted to the defensive warfare. The river
Is small one, and 40 US sluggishly. 1t divides
itself into half dozen streamlets, running into
and out Of each other at random These water
courses occupy space about sc venty yards in
width. Immense trees grow up out Of the
water, and the entire stream is covered by q
thick woods. 1t Is a remarkable instance of q
river running through and watering long
From each side of the woodland fiat sur.
face extends for about half mile. This is
nearly always OVERLOOKED, aud becomes au i'm
passible morass. It Is only when the water In
the river is very low that men can safely walk
upon the ground bordering 1t. On these fiat
surfaces there is not solitary tree. They are
bare, and anything moving upon them can
easily be discerned. From the borders Of these
plains, huge hills, in some cases, two or three
hundred feet high, abruptly rise. They are
covered with thick woods, and are so steep
that wagons cannot be hauled directly up
their face.
The few roads 90 down them diagonally to
the bridges, across the swamp and river. This
CDickahominv valley, one OF the strongest In
America, is the outer defense of Richmond.
From the tops OF the hills on the one side,
across the swampsto the hill-tops on the other
side, the distance varies from a mile to a mile
and half The ordinary twelve pound rified
Napoleon gun can just about throw q she'll
ericksburg railroad crossing down to New
bridge, a distance of eight miles, the Confed
crate works are all along the hills on its southern
border