The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-02-13


stating the abandonmsn. Of project.
ready In procoss Of acconplishSsnt
letter from Gen Ksyes to Senator Harr
7 OF New York, 10 here given, which ful
explained the operation Of ths nost fat
OF these causes in the sudden wi.hdraw n
by the President from the expedition
the Ist Army Corps, under Cen Ne Dewsl
scarcely week after his Excsllsncy hs
promised that no such step should on an
account be taken. ' 7.a.lq
In the same letter the opinion is eu
phstically expressed ~ that Of all cempd
| tent judges that the lines Of the enemy
Yorktown were too strong to be carried b
! assault in the face Of The force which csul
be there assembled BY Cen Johnston.
! The President however, April 6, ha
/ advised cen. Mcclellan to break the en-
emys line to Warwick river at once"
| Thi. advice was followed a few dav
afterward by letter in which the Pre:i
dent urged 'actioA" upon Sen. MeCle
Ian as necessary to his (the Generals
popularity irrespectively Of any nilitar
reasons for or against To this Geners
Mcclellan replied that he could not DOS
sisiy be influenced in regard to his dutJ
as commander by sucn c0EsiGerationa
1T this time the whole force rader thd
orders OF Gen. Mcclellan for operations ot
the Penins al. amounted te 81. 900 ef1ectiye(
the commend OF Gen. Wool being de tach
ed and independent.
BY the report Of Gen Barn ard il il
shown that the approaches 10 yorktown
were swept by forty-nne guns nearly all
OF which were heavy. but many of them
the most formidable guns known, besides
that two thirds of the water batteries and
all the guns OF Glouchester bore on GU.
right batteries though under di.ad vantage.
Gus circumstances. Tho lue of the
enemy works added Gen Barnard, "Is
cegt:iniy one Of the most extensive known
10 modern times. If we could take York
town, or drive the enemy out OF that place
the enemy line would .e no longer terv
abe II was deemed too hazardous to
attempt the reduction Of tho place by as,
sault
The details of the siege OF yorktown
are gwen in the reports and journals ef1
Br!. Cen barnard Brig Gen. Barry and
tris Gen Fitz John Porter
Early in the morning Of May 4th infor.
nation was received that the enemy was
abandoning his works, and Gen. Mcclellan
a. once ordered his whole available cav.
airy force, with four batteries Of horse ar.
tiiery under Gen. Stoneman. into pursuit
by the Williamsburg road Gems Heintzls.
man, Hooker and Smith being moved for.
ward to support Stonenan. These were
afterwards followed up by the divisions Of
kearhey, Couch and Casey Gen. Sum-
ner second in C mnand Of the army, was
then sent TO tho front 10 take charge Of
the operations.
About two miles eas. Of Williamsburg,
Gen. Stonen,an came upon the enenys
works. four niles in extent, nearly three.
foufths Of their front being covered by
the tributaries Of Queens Creek and Coll
lece Creek. The main works were large
fsrtihcaticn, called Fort Masruder and
twelve other redcuts and spa ulen. .nts fe-
held guns. The woods in the fort were
!-lea, and the open ground dotted with
-iie pits. Erom this position the enemy
opened tire upon Gen. Stonemsn as his ad.
vance guard debouched from the woods.
Gen. Stoneman, having no infantry, was
forced to retire. but held the enemy IN
check with greet credit to lis troops, until
the arrival .. Zen. Sumner with Part Of
Gen. Smith 5 division, at hslfpa 5 P N.
The cross movement Of this division, made
necessary by the impossible character OF
the road on which it had been moving,
bad delayed the movement of Gen. Hook
ers column bs.w cen three ana four hours;
but Heintzelman and keyes reached
SIMMER during the afternoon Early in
The weather was excessively bad during
the day of the 5th, .nd the condition Of
:he ground grew hourly worse.
Gen Hooker began the attack en- tho
enemys works.at = oclock:: in the morn
n. of i g. IL u
Font Nagruder. But the enemy being
heavily reinforced attacked in hi. turn
! Hooker.l lost seriously in men, FIVE of his
guns were taken. and between 3 ald F.
NJ when his ammunition was giving Out
and his men with it, Gen. Kearney came
UP, after pushing with ipmence energy
through the deep mud and dense forest.
ksarney drove the enemy back and saved
! Hooker AUou, z. NJ, Of the 1th Gen.
Mcclellan, who had remained at York;
( town 10 move forward the whole army, rs.
ceived information 70. the first time that
serious conflict WAS gong on in front o.
Williamsburg and that the situation Of at,
fairs was no: wholly favorable. lie At
once pushed forward to the front, about
/ fourteen miles through most difficult
country, obstructed by troops and forsgers.
l lie reached the frcnt about half past r.
! NJ, and took rapid survey of the field.
He learned that there was no direct COM
naunication between the centre and the
left under Heintzelnaan, and, hearing
heavy tirins in the direction of Hancocks
command, he moved the centre forward,
attempted to open commun cation with
HeintZelman, and sent Smith and Naglss
to the support Of Hancock. Before these
Generals reached Hancock, however, the
latter General. finding himself confronted
by = superior ferce had feigned retreat,
awaited their onset, and then, turning up.
on them fercely, had driven back the
/ whole force at the point Of the bayonet,
routing them terribly with total loss 70
! them of between five and six hundred
men, himself losing but fftyone. For
his course at this time Gen. Hancock re-
ceved from Gen. Mcclellan the i:hest
/ praise, his engagement having given the
Federal army possession OF the decisive
point of the field.
The total less of tho army IS set down
at 222S men.
The troops were so much exhausted by
the marches ard conflict which resulted in
I the victory of Williamsburg, As to render
an immediate pursuit Of the enemy i'm
possible in the then condition OF the
country.
On the oh, also, Gen Fraphlins divi-
sion. then landing, had most creditabs
affair with the enemy unGss Gsn. Whit
ing.
On the 10th, headquarters were estab>
lishel nineteen Mil-s from Williamsburg
and uric.tions established between
the force moviag by land aad the force
moving by water
On ;h. 18th and 10th. franklin. Smith,
and Porter reached White House, FIVE
beyond, the roads being so bad that one
tram occupied thirty six hours in passing
over the short distance.
About this time two provisional army
corps were organized, the one nnder Fits
John Porter, the other under franklin.
Haadnnartnrs "a chad WLitn Hnnsa an