The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-06-20

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Though the announcement OF the fall OF
Petersburg was premature. the early capture
OF that place il absolutely certain. Our
army has already had . desperate fight in front
OF it, as will be seen by our spec al dispatches
to- day. in which We stormed and carried q line
of intrenohments mouated with artillery. The
hand to hand 6ght on this occasion was
perhaps the most terrible Of the war
General Grants announcement that he had
surprised the enemy's rear at Petersburg" ne
cessarily implies that there was no oonsidera.
BILE force from Lees army there at the time Of
his arrival; and as the snemy's precipitate
abandonment Of his position in front Of Gen.
railroad and plank road running to Richmond,
Petersburg is cut of from Richmond, as both
places are from the general territory Of the
confederaoy. Petersburg is therefore not at
present held BY Lee, but only by the force
under Beauregard, which fights hard in the hope
to hold the place until Lee can reach 1t. This
force cannot hold the place many hours against
Grant The Richmond papers report our
cavalry on the road to Danville.
With Petersburg in his possession General
Grant will be established on q magnificent
water base, at exactly the Same distance from
Richmond that he was ct White House. But
the immense advantages Of this new base are
that it is In the enemy's rear, it is
on the enemy's line Of communication,
and it perfectly isolates Lees poorly
supplied army from the other armies Of the con-
federacy and from oil possibility Of junction
with Johnston's army as last desperate re-
source. General Grant is possessed of kind
of military genius that is the sublimity of CON-
mon sense, and, acting upon its dictates, he
must inevitably destroy Lees army. Lees
destruction may be assumed as certain within
very limited space Of time. He is, by Grants
position, positively counted out Of the strug-
gle; and, with the destruction of Johnston's
army by Sherman, we may announce to- the
world that we have put down the great slave
holders rebellion. So gloomy are the pros
poets for the Davis kingdom just now.
1t will be peculiarly rare intellectual treat
to note what will be said about all this by the
Southern papers and by the secession press in
Europe. Indeed, next to the pleasure Of hear
ing Of q real good Union victory is tho pleasure
of reading the articles about it in the Richmond
and London papers. We are delighted to dis
gust John Bull, Of course; and as for the South
ern papers, we suppose it is only human to take
pleasure in seeing ones enemy writhe.
Grants advance from the Rapidan to the
Chickahominy was broadly declared by the
whole Southern press to be one continuous de-
feat. He was beaten, they said, ON tho Ra
pidan. Then he went some twenty miles
nearer to Richmond, and was beaten again.
He went twenty miles nearer still, and was
beaten for . third time. Next he went 90
near to the rebel capital that every cannon
fred was heard in Its streets, and be was, Of
course. beaten again. Now all his defeats
suddenly culminate in the practical fall Of
the rebel capital and the destruction Of Lees
army. What can the Richmond papers say to
this?
But we might understand this course In the
Southern press. The Southern writer's never
reason with . view to truth. They speak In
the blind fury of passion, OF they speak de-
Iberately to deceive the Southern people,
knowing that there IL no one to contradict the
lies they tell. But it is different with the Brit
ish presa Englishmen can hardly be ex-
pected to give way to their temper az the
Southern writer's do, because they can hardly
have the same blind interest for the Southern
cause; and we might expect that papers like
the London Times, which cannot be entirely
Of intelligent public opinion,
would hesitate to state in their editorial
columns what the news published In another
column Of the same issue'must show to be mani
testify false. Yet the London Times has
done this in the most ridiculous manner, and
many times over.
Last year, just before Grants magnificent
victory at Chattanooga the London Times
showed its readers that Grants almost immedi-
ate annihilation was certain; he must either
stand still and surrender, 1t said, or retreat
and be cut to pieces. Its article on this subject
was republished on this side the Atlantic in
the same papers that contained the account o.
Grants splendid victory II is now operating
on the same line. 1t has just shown how mag
ni6cently Johnston is drawing Sherman from
bis base" This is new and nice idea, that
may safely be commended to delicate writer's
sailed upon to state unpleasant facts. Gene
,als are never driven-they do not run
,way-they do not even retreat; they draw
heir enemy from his base. Napoleon, with the
grand army, did not retreat after the destruc-
ion of Moscow; he drew the Russians from
heir base The Times has also just shown
what imminent danger Grant was In on the
danger that has not yet
brought him to ruin.
But what can the Tines, or the rebel papers
South, possibly say now? All that has hitherto
been said has been under the inspiration Of
some danger TO the South. They denounced
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