, 1864-08-04
FROM BEFORE PETERSBURG.
The Operations Of SATURDAY..
TIRE ASSAULT-1TS CHAKACTER
AND RESULTS,

IGA AACIEh
AND RESULTS.
IN. !. Times Special Correspondents
IN YEoST ARMY or PoToMAc.} |
Saturday Evening, July 80, 1864. |
I am called to the fu1t1iment OF an pueta- |
cious task tonight 1netead Of SUCCESS and |
u tory which the morning fairly promised,
! have to write Of disaster and defeat. To-
days brief history affords another striking
proof Ct the uncertafn issues OF battle,
sho wing how the shrewdest ana most elabo-
rate strategic plauning may be completely
th arted BY an error or an accident In tao
tics, To-day's disaster finds solution In
the old story that "some one has blum
but pFeeseT %eRnfT w%oFss t6c t'f1 pnn
dercr IL do not know, and II knew it
would not deyolye upon NE at present to
tell A military tribunal must decide that
point Happily, however. the blunder is not
irreParable- Il 1ills Ms with poignant grief
and disappointment, recessitates a long in
terysl Of delay before future operations, has
lost to Us the labor Of month"; s pre- taration,
and, worse than al this, has sacrificed thou.
sands Of valuable lives. But the result does
not dshearten the Army Of the Potomac, aud
soldiers who fou:ht on Saturday have recets-
ed the baptism Of blood On other fields, and
know bow to bear reverses manth1ly, as they
besr successes modestly. They bate not q
jot Of heart or hope, and they only ask as the
Lesson to the country from to.day's mishap,
reinforced. The army is still unfalterirg in
its faith, and will try and try again until the
day Of decisive victory.
With 60 much BY way Of exordium, shall
attempt to give, as clearly as I may, an &C.
count Of the battle, in Summarizing In the
posing armies, the object sought to be gained
By the attack, and the admirable strategic de-
vices Of the past few days.
With the passage Of the James was ex-
hausted all possibilities Of a movement By
the left flank, With Richmond as the object
Gen. Grant. but to assault the rebel lines In
front Of him at Petersburg. The past six
weeks have been devoted to preparation for
this assault From dag to day, BY the aid of
the shovel and the pick, our lines have been
insidiouely advanced By zlg-zsgs and covered
armies have scarcely averaged 500 yards dis
lance between them Along portions Of the
line, the interval between the rife-pits Was
scarcely $50 yards. The ground over which
our advances have been made, Is series Of
natural foEsifcations, adding vastly to the
Jonr renders will form more perfect opinion
Of its features, If tell them that II very
much resembles Greenwood Cemete-
1n,,, II R,,s ,na its Rrols .,o There are
less precipitously into ravines which inter-
sect 1T every conceivable angle, and many Of
the elevations are thickly wooded Over
ground Of this impracticab1e nature our men
have sturdi1y fought and dug their way, driv-
irg the enemy before them; Until only one
guns IN position commanding at easy range
the town Of Petersburg. Il is known a.
Cemetery Hill. Its crest, ftownlng with
guns, is not more than 500 yards distant from
our advanced works. and It's gently elopins
sides are welted With long rows Of earth
works, pitted with redoubts aud redsus, and
ridged with se1ied salients md curtains aud
| all the ekilltul defenses known to ekitlfol
| mtlit NY engineers
The vital importance to us Of this point
will readily be admitted. 10 ga'n it 6y d
rect assault must necessarily cost many ivea,
out TO gain It tn the cheapest manner gave
occasion for the display Of that high strategy
Of which Gc1- Grant has long since proved
himself tue master. Therefore, It Was thu,
on Tuesday night last the 2d corps, under
Gen. Hancock, and two divisions Of cavalry
under Gen. Sheridan, and another division
under Gen. Kantz, crossed tie James river
for the pnrpotc Of engaging the enemy, who
1 mielcd by EOEe preliminary operations ol
Gen. Fosters command at Deep Bottom, aud
Of portion OF the 18th corps at strawberry
Plains mile below-had day OF two earlier
heavily reinforced the troops in the vicinity
Of Malvern Hill. The demonstration lere
had precisely the effect which Gen. Grant de-
| sired. Fearing serious attack, Lee dis
patched a column, estimated at from II ,00(
to Il, 900 strong, from before Petersburg,
and the railruad between PetersburT
and Riehmo1d was kept busy On Friday
and EEtd2E night in transporting the troops.
] To keep up tue rebel Generals delu=ion, IN
immense train Of more than 400 empty coy-
cred wagons, mainly tue transportation Of
the Sixth Curps, crossed the Appomattox on
Friday in broad daylight, ia full view OF the
Hbel signal lookouts at Bermuda Hundred,
Bnt on Friday night. as the rebels were hur.
riedly taking possession Of their new line,
the Second Corps and the cavalry were quiet.
y ywitbdrawn with an additional tacilify for
rapid movement in third pontoon bridge
laid across tie James in the afternoon By
nearly all In position to co-operate with the
remainder Of the army IN the attack. The
strnteey Tas, therefore, perfect, and no
share Of the reverse can be attributed to fail
ure IN this part Of the programme.
All these stratagems, too, were conducted
With such secrecy, that Information Of theil
precise bearing Was narrowed down to tht
circle Of the corps commanders Until latt
On Friday night, few persons In the arm.
| were disposed to believe differently troH
| what Gen. Lee suspected, viz: that a move
| ment upon Richmond WAS intended from I'll
| rQfI0 ElGG 0l LIE UAlutbs uuu Nt1C Uu43 Ill
deceived when, at O'Clock this morniug,th
troops were got into position for the assault
The tactics Of the movement We're unde
| Gen. Meade's direction. His arrangement 0
troops and order Of battle WAS as follows
The 18th corps (Gen- Ord} VAS Withdrawn o.
Thursday morning from Its position on tn
} extreme right, resting on the Appomasto5
: {betng relieved by Motifs division Of the =
: corps and massed in the rear Of the st
! corps (Bur1 side's), the center OF our lint
in front Of Thich the attack ael Vas was !,
be initiated. TIE extreme lett, r.. helq ,e asa}
iress to advance as soon as Burnside pierce
he works in front OF him. Collaterans, ,or
= in unison with the advance of the 1nfantr!
every piece Of siege artillery posted alon
| tue line was ordered to open simultaneonsl
E upon the enemy at given signal made /
tens Of por der, which WIS placed direct
beneath the rebel battery which Burnsid
We to assault. Not only were The 6tee
uiecest to open a fierce fire, but all the del
= artillcry which could be got into position a
i ter the openi2c Of the battle, was to adVan'
as opportunity offered. ana tsta nr1ng fGef A., o.
heavy guns, 1t was natural that great sire
G should be placsd d, In the expectation that t
e | sheck OF It's epddenuese would have q q
. moralszlng effect, and so make the way OF Il
infantry easier. So far all vas well arrange
SUCCESS was PfoHlelusss sAu M+e0 SoAAt'110
e | was felt in the result. .
/. The time fixed for the assault Was .
). | O'Clock, when. without any moon. an !,
| =, f.st Cfmmerian darkness would etectu i
. STINT out from the enemy the nnavoidah
). STIR and hustle Of the troops as they got IN
n position. But just here the hIeI mlsaortu'
u Of the day occurred. Upoh a.ssnG atch G11d ta;,e
!, md another was tried, I mn told, Win
- similar result. The third fuse was succef
~ 1nl in its mission, but the hours delay na
II broad daylight, and in consequence
Of cnem.'s suspicious were aroused, lat Iea
e. along PORTION Of his 'front.' and We We
n, fo9bea Of tue advantage Of asnrpr1se' nj
~. Ihls vas a very great misfortune: j.
=. army felt It to be such "a they stood IL 81
nc pense and silent impatience il the cold gr
g 81 the morning, crouching on their arms.
y, tne eAecl oi the explosion you have be
st. already apprifed. Tie mine has been talk
ali with bated breath, although whIspe1inCs Ct
By ceIniDg It have been waited over from t
ce rebe1s. Clearly they did not know its o
ma else locality, and few on our side, suspe
,,s were any wiser. It has been tacltly ackno1
~ edged IS an improper subject tor convet'
<p. feel the propriety Of checking themselr
IN The noise Of the explosion was dull, m
the bling thud, preceded, AN told. by
for seconds, ewaying and quaking Of the grou
Ia,- IL TIE immediate vicinity. The earth '
i'd rent along the entire cousse Of the exca
to tion heaving slowly and majesticails to
n.. surface, and folding sideways to e1hibi
,.r. deep .snd yaWnlnE chasm, comparable,
nv as much Us any thing else to Z ri
The VIII ;anea;, ise and ID hfe'sg sxgsrt up
) TO there vas grunder effect than this obser
aer- BIT also. Where the charge in the burr
aels #aa neaVtest, directly uader the rebel no