Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-04-04
FROM GRANTS VICTORIOUS ARnY
Correspondents Philadelpnia Enc uirsr. ]

swamps, ravines and knolIs, through and over
/ which our lires stretch, some inteiigfble idea
of our operations yesterday begin to b ap-
parent. This State Of Virginia Is worth fght-
lns 1or as embodying poiitecal principles; but
as 80 many acres Of ground, Il 10 not worth one
ness that we had reached the achme OF ali that
was horrible and miserable and perplexing In
the aspect OF nature, but then we mad not seen
gled mass of ravines and hilIocks, Of smail
streamlets running In all possible directions.
of little by-roads shooting OFF to every point Of
the compass, seeming 70 come from no where.
and to be leading nowhere, intersectius each
other at every conceivable angle of dense for
ests OF the meanest and most detestable kind
of scrub oak and pine picture this, and throw
in here and there 3 worn-out open field, with
an old dilapIdated farm house in the center,
and you have faint picture OF the diffic uItes
OF the country in which we are operating.
Ont of this knotted mass the especial" must
pluck the salient points for the Information OF
the public; must ride miles on miles even 70
see the front Of one Corps, and visit its various
headquarters, and tried, at night must write
out what he has seen, what heard, what opines
from both is 1t any wonder that under cir
cumstances like these his accounts are some
times yague, sometimes unsatisfactory Give
him fight like Fort Steadman, where he
Knows the ground, and where the ground -
open, ne does we'll enough. Put him n the
well as he can =" =
Promising that the day has been compare
uvely quiet on the right o. our offensive line,
composed OF the Second and Twen,y-fourth
Corps, II is the intention first 10 give the pub
lie some idea OF -.
A battle, fierce, sanguinary and decisive,
may come of any day on this very ground,
and the people will take a natural interest in n
section that has already become historic, aud
may become sacred in the natlon's calendar
First, it must be promised that our old line
in front of Petersburg, from the Appomattox
F, to the left OF the Weldon road, remains intact
and held precisely they Were before our
present movement was initiated, running, IN
til yesterday, to Hatcher's Run, bu. changed
from Fort Sampson to the left, by the advance
of the 2lth corps, consequent upon the capture
OF the enemy's intrenched picket line.
From Petersburg 10 Hatche's Run, by the
Vaughn road Is seven and half miles, and by
the Boydton road seven miles. The 2th corps
front is prolongation OF our line beyond the
again, the line facing generally northeast the
flank being towards the South Side road, from
the bend of the road 70 the southwest.
Ihus much by way OF necessary preface IL
ment and beginning on the right with the oath
corps, two divisions OF which. those OF Turner
(BirHeys. all under the command OF MAJOR
Generol Gibbons, are operating here. Birney's
division has been held as a reserve thus far
Foster is on the rigat of the 2ith, then Turner,
forming connection with Hayes, holding the
right Of the I'd corps. Along General Gibbons
front the day has been quiet
This morning. just before day break, the reh-
els essayed an attack upon Turner's pickets,
coming in the old yelling style, butthey quickly
came TO grief. Turner's line did not budge an
inch, except to gather in sixty Of the adven-
turous rebels as prisoners and 70 kill and maipf
some few more. The prisoners sent to the rear,
Turner's line quietly composed itself again,
and during the remainder of the day the rebels
behaving themselves we'll, and we not yet
being ready to disturb the apparent peaceful
ness OF the neighborhood, it has been quiet
until about $50 p. m, when a brisk cannon
aiding begun, and yet continues, C10.20 p. ND
What it means it is impossible to. night To cay.
It seems by the sound TO be general, on the Gin
q we'll the 9th. and m
sionai distant rumble from the right indicates
that the 9th corps is also adding to the up
roar .s
Passing still to the left and the I'd corps, the
day has been as peaceful on the right. Oc-
casional picket skrmishing has been going on,
but nothing more serious in the way of fighting.
The men OF the corps have been busy, how
ever, building roads TO the rear, cutting timber
to the front for the artillery to get range, and
tioning roads it is but justice to notice the
Iabors of the chiefs of the pioneers of the sew
erai divisions; Captain G. w. Cook, 6lst New
q York, OF the LIST, Captain n. Y. Russell, Of the
20, and Captain Charles Bowers, sth New Jer-
sey, Of the 3D. whose tasks, although herculean
and apparently impossible, have been success-
fully accomplished. Energy will accomplish
wonders, and the energy of these officers has
already made passabe the impossible country
around Dabney's Mills and beyond, substantial
corduroy roads now cutting the country in
every direction, and rendering access TO the
various parts OF the line easy and sure.
Just beyond night the Second Division line
mp to the rebel fort at Hatcher's Run. Gen.
Smythe covering it with his musketry SO en-
tirely that the rebels cannot use its guns.
Were 1t not for the very extensive slashing In
front OF this line. both before the Second and
Twenty. fourth Corps, We could easily carryit
by assault, but this slashIng so intricate that
men can hardly crawl through ir singIy, and it
would be impossible to maintain a line OF bat
tie through it under anything like respectable
fire. .s..
General Mott still holds his posi.ios on the
left of General Hayes, and presses as close
upon the rebel line as his confrere, ou; his line,
like that of Hayes, has been Quiet. -
General Miles still stretches across the Boyd
ton Road in the position occupied yesterday.
His fight yesterday was brilliant one, snd
begun, being diversion in favor of the Fifth
Corps. His onslaught upon their line near
Burgess Mill induced the rebels to hurry men
to the threatened point, and thus gave Warren
and Sheridan less to contend against.
General Humphries was heard OF to-day,
only on his skirmish line. He ia determined
to know exactly the position of the enemy on
the front of his corps, and 50 he goes where he
can see il.
Proceeding still to the lett with the story of
to-day, take up the 5th corps. The opera
tions Of Gen. Warren yesterday have already
reached you. This morning early the corps
moved off on the Boydton Road. Griffin in ad-
vance, then Ayres next. Crawford nor n about
two miles. and taking road running nearly
west, came in contact with the enemy near
what the rebels call Five Points, which, SO
near as it can be located with the assistance OF
imperfect maps, is from three 70 four miles
northwest Of Dinwiddie Court House.
In the afternoon General Warren got into
line with Griffin on the right, Ayres on the
centre and Crawford on the left. 1t should
be remembered here that this movement cut
Sheridan and Warren off from all connect
with the remainder OF our army, and their
fighting this afternoon has been an entirely in
dependent affair. The distance at which the
corps has been engaged, the difficultief Of COM
munication have been such that it is lmpossi-
BILE to more than outline the affair, if even that
can be DONE Artillery was but little used, but
the musketry was terrific along the whole
line. The battle began at five in the afternoon,
and by dark, when II ceased, the firing had re-
ceded far beyond the point Of beginning, show
ing that our forces had driven the enemy from
the field. The extent of our success, the rela-
tive lesses Of the contending forces, and other
details necessary to a full knowledge of the
history enacted to-day, it is impossible 10 ser;d
The country in that section Of Virginia Cores
ponds to what surrounds pS here, except that
1t is level. There are the same swamps, the
same narrihla nine forests DO trea