The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1864-07-01

Special Correspondence of the N. Y. Times.
ARMY OF THE POToMAC NEAR PErERsBURG,)
Tuesday, June q, 1864. {
HOW WE FAILED TO TAKE PETERSBURG.
When, early on Wednesday morning. the
Second Corps had effected the passage of the
James River at Windmill Point, Gen Hancock
was met by dispatch from the COMMANDING
General, directing him that if provisions had
arrived, he should ration his men before pro-
ceeding toward Petersburg. Just at this time
he received information. seemingly reliable
and conveyed, / believe, by an engineer officer
who had just come up from the pontoon
bridge, to the effect that the transports had ar
rived with supplies. This fact Gen Hancock
| communicated to the Commanding General
stating that he would soon begin issuing ra-
tions, and would then move forward as di-
| rected.
The information proved to be mstake-a
| lamentable mistake-the transports had not ar.
rived. Yet this simple error caused delay in
| Hancock's corps of five hours and a half His
column Joined Gen. Smiths troops on the
morning OF Thursday. But had he been up
earlier by the difference noted of five and
| half hours, he would have reached the front at
| 1880 on the evening of Wednesday, which was
precisely the moment at which General Smith
made his attack
| Thursday morning revealed a new actor on
| the stage-a new element introduced into the
problem.
While our troops were coming up during the
| night Beauregard also came up, and the re-
connoiSsances of Thursday morning also de-
veloped him in force in line hastily thrown
up during the night, and a little closer TO the
town, but still strong enough to check our ad-
vance. The mi'ia was relieved-Beauregard s
! force numbering $4,000 men, and reinforced
| by the addition of BushrOd JOhnsOn's com.
mand, took their places Men of very differ
ent mettle these. from the crude soldiers to
| whom the defence of the works eff Petersburg
had been intrusted!
1t is true the assaults of the two succeeding
days drove the enemy from their temporary po-
siton, but it was only to fall back on a line
hugging the town, which Beauregard was pre-
| pairing in the meantime. and which, constantly
| strengthened during the interval that has since
elapsed stands between us and the desired
| point, as formidable an obstacle as we have yet
| encountered
This line was assaulted along our entire
| front on Saturday last in an engagement, the
details of which | shall presently recount The
attack was similar in character to that made
| on the lines of the Chickahominy on the 3rd
| instant. 1t resulted. like that, in serious loss
oflife, and its issue was of similar kind-that
| Is, we failed to carry our point.
like untOward fortune attended the attack
of Gen. Butler on that portion of the rebel
| position lying north of the AppomatoX. Meet
ing. like Smith, with but feeble resistance from
| the local troops in the attack on Thursday, he
seized the Petersburg and Richmond Railroad,
| and destroyed it in part; but Longstreets arri-
val compelled Gen. Butler to withdraw to his
orig nal line.
PETERSBURG NOT BEsIEGED
If this outline of the present situation be III
| telligible, it will make manifest how absurd is
| the notion which has been expressed in the
| northern press, that Petersburg is in state of
siege. Such phrase. as marking mere atul-
| tificatiOn of idea might be allowed to pass
| noticed; but it is calculated to give altogether
| erroneous impressions, both OF the present po-
| sitiOn and of the future prospects OF the army.
| SIEGE in any other than the loosest use of
| the term, can only be applied 10 an army III
veSting city and planted on or interrupting
| its communications. Now, we neither invest
| Petersburg nor are we planted on nor have we
| interrupted its communications.
Begin with the Northern communication
| the Petersburg and Richmond Railroad This
was seized by Gen. Butler at Port Walthal, and
| the track torn up for some distance But Beau
| regard was able to repulse Butler, and this
road, as is conveyed in an official dispatch from
| Gen. Lee to Mr. Davis, has again been put in
running order. Looking to the southern side,
| the communications of Petersburg are by the
Petersburg and Suffolk and the Petersburg
and Danville roads. Looking to the western
side, Its communications are by the Petersburg
and Lynchburg Railroad. Beginning with
these in order, the Petersburg and Suffolk road
is in our pOssessiOn-the left wing of our army
rests across it; but it forms no part of
| the communications proper Of Peters
blrg, because the terminus, Suffolk,
has for a long time been in our possession.
There remain. therefore the Petersburg and
Weldon and the Petersburg and Lynchburg
roads. These are its real communications.
| Now, we have touched, and in the present
situation can touch neither of these. To tap
| fho ch,,r, o.,1N Nn1I nilJr
| development of our line several miles to the
! left. To tap the Petersburg and Lynchburg
| road is at present impracticablc ard probably
| it will be impossible to do more than make it
| the object OF visitatiOuS from raiding parties,
| because an extension so far to the left would
seriously endanger our own communications,
| and the maxim does not allow Cs to expose
| our own communications in operating against
| those of the enemy. In this condition of
| things, to speak of Petersburg as being under
siege is simply an abuse OF language.
| l have adverted to the nature of Beaurc-
| CARDS defence of Petersburg. This has been
| a matter of remark with the ablest heads in
| this army, it rivals his defence of Charleston.
and stamps him as one of the most skillfill
| soldiers in the rebel army. And certainly this
estimate is not weakened, but, on the contrary.
heightened by fact which has astoniShed
every one here. 1t is this the army of the
| Potomac has not yet met in front OF Peters
| burg single man belonging to Lees army
| prOper-not man of the three corps of
| Longstreet, Ewell or Hill. The force defend
| ing Petersburg consists exclusively of the army
of Beauregard, with such accession outside of
| the army of Northern Virginia as he may have
received.
To the natural query as to where Lees army
| is, can speak with no fullness of assurance
There may be corps in front of Butler, and
it is well known that, five days ago, Ewells
| corps was sent after Hunter The other corps
| is probably preparing another definite line, in
case Petersburg should fall.