New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-12-07

pcpartncnt Of Virginia and North Carolina sio9
Ineiartment Of tho south. 1slto
p,pa, tmcnt Of the Gulf. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Oh 500
polurtmcnt OF Arkansas. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. .S,t6G
De artincnt If III Tcnncs see. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. ALA
I,,partrnout Of the Missouri. 1870
nara. tlncnt Of the Northwest. 90,
Dspartment Of Kansas LIDS
Headquarters military division Of the Mississippi iI6
nenqrlmcri OF the Cumberland. .......... 1l9 9is
Dcparimeni Of the Ohio. 354l6
Northern department OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 300
p-,rtmont of West virginia 3O7sl
repl tmcnt Of the cast. ................. 2s2s
rnn,rtp,eut Of the Sus1uehapna ........,,. 1870
Middle department. .......................... so1.
nppal tmcnt O; New Mexico 3I5I
DEPARTMENT OF The P-iio.......... ...."... 5,l4.
&c. 345
Active military operations west 81 the Mississippi com
aenccd in The month Of March, 1861 The prncpr rebel
beyond the Mississippi concentrated under Gen
cra Kirby Smith, at Shreveport, on the Red river Against
this force expedition was undertaken by MAJOR General
Banks with large army from New Orleans, To be- cooper
atcd with troops from the department Of Arkansas under
General steele. and from the division Of the Mississippi,
under General A. j. smith, and also large naval force IN
der Admiral Porter General Banks with bis forces reached
Alexandria about the 10th Of March, Advancing thence
toward Shreveport series Of disasters commenced, that
ended in she failure OF the expedition with heavy los IL
men and material The cause Of this failure IS still sub
nct of discussion not material 10 the present report
Although by this mshap the enemy was enabled b occupy
the attention Of large force de- gnei ana that might have
been employed IN other fields he was himself kept IN check
aud hinier,d from taking part III the great campaign eat
Of the Mississippi
The campaigns in Virginia opened on the 4th day II May
| BY simultaneous movements the army Of the Potomac
crossed the Ip,dan and City Point the south side Of
the james, seized and occupied by General Butler.
The crossing If the Rapdan effected without RESISTANCE
from the enemy. The movement against City Point took
him by surprise. The army O the Potomac Was drcp ~
lee army while the city of Richmond the objective
point o! the army 81 the James
Minute .IIlS OF the subsequent campaigns given M
the accompanying reports Of the Lcutc and
other distinguished commanders so that nothing more than
cursory view Of the main results il here required
The antagonist armies OF Meade and Lee met IN conflict
Nine Run the 9Th Gay May FOrtythree days n
desperate fighting marching by day and sight forced back
the rebel army from the Rspitan their ntrsDchment T.
aroundR edmond and carried the army Of the Potomac Ia
che south side Of the James river. The srsngth Of the
eu"mys c when tho oamp6gn opened or the extent Of
ne oss rs not known TO this department Any inequality
Ofnumbcrs between lee army and the army oi III foO
mac fully compensated by the advantage Of position.
Resoute purpose and desperate var were exhibited on
both sides In the battles of the Wilderness spottsyiva
mia Court House Jericho Ford Hawes shop and tod Har
Dor many brave oders aud gallant oiicers persisted.
Among them BfgaIier General Wadsworth, Bigader
Ger,r Hays, and Major General Sedgnick. Lieutenant
General Grant in his report observes
.Ihe battles Of the Wilderness spo,''ylvania, North
Anna and Cold Iarbor bloody and terrible as they were
side more damaging 10 The enemy and
60 crippled him ~ 10 make him wary after Of taking
tbs uff usve HIS losses IN were probably not 20
great owing 10 the fact that were In the Wilder
ness almost invariably the attacking parity and when he
did attack, IL was IN the open held"
Although expectations OF destroying lss's army,
and the speedy capture 81 Richmond and Petersburg wore
disappointed, and the enemy had found refuge behind I'M
pr, enable Qualifications the campaign Sill prosecuted
With determined pufp toward the object While
The rebel army was sheltered in ms ntrenchments the
national busy At work outside strengthening
ana advancing their POSITION breaking the communicates
Of h enemy, cutting of aud destroying his supplies mar
rowing his limits barGsDg him by raids and occupy Ing
his attention to prevent deiachnents or reenforeera ns
being sent to operate elsewhere.
Active operations also going on in tho valley Of the
Shenandoah. On the nfst VI May an expedition, under
Generals Crook and Aver was sent out bt Genofnsel,
which reached Wythey lie and accomplished the destruction
o mach rebel property General sgel advanced on the sih
dag II MAY with his force from Win he ter 10 New Mar
ke where met by the enemy under General Brecanrge,
he vas defeated and fe back 10 Cedar creek General
Hunter was then placed in command CT le department
He marched with strong force toward saunon and IN
brilliant engagement at Piedmont defeated hs enemy
with loss. Advancing 10 stanton, he was joined
there by Crook and Ayerl and moved asa II lynch0urg
Re endorsements from the enemy having arrived before %
General Hunter retired by way Of the hana~m Mean
while in order repair the losses Of the Army Of the Po'
omac the chief part Of the force designed 10 guard the
midle department and the department Of Washington was
called forward 10 the front Taxing advantage 81 THIS STATE
Of ars in the absence o General Hunters command, the
enemy made large detachment from their army at Rich.
mopd which under General Early moved down the She
nandolh valley Threatening Baltimore and Washington
Their advance checked q; hohocacy where severe
engagement fought by troops under General Wal
lace rcenfoced By parsd the sixth corps undei 'enea
Ricketts,. -,
Afer this battle tho enemy continued 10 advance until
thev reached the D,rencbmepts around Washington Here
they were by troops from the Army Of the Potomac,
ing Of the sixth cOrps under General Wrght part
Of the eighth corps under General Gilmore and part Of
the nineteenth corps Just arrived nom New Orleans, undo
General Emory y these troops the enemy we're driven
back from Washington and retreated hastily " virginia,
pursued by our forces under General Wright
On the 7h day Of August, 1904, General Sheridan was
placed IN command Of the military division comprising the
department u Washington, the department OF West w.
GINA the department Of the susauehanna ana thc mua
deuasn In two great battles at the sing OF tbc
Opeq nan on the 10th 81 September, and at ffhers I'M on
tho 2d Of September the rebel army under Erly wa1
routed and driven from the valley with Immense os %
prisoners artillery, and stores. desperate enpit was
by the enemy their position. Early was
strongly reerorccd, and on the morning a Tho lsh os
October in the absenc Of General sheridan, MS lines were
~rprised position turned and his forces driven back 10
CONFUSION Al the moment when great drastcr was I'M
pending Sheridan appeared pom the field, the battle was
restored, and brilliant v'ctory achieved The routed
forces Of the enemy pursued u Mount Jackson, who're
he arrived without organized regiment IN bs army Al
his artillery and thousands Of prisoners fell into shridas
hands These closed military operations IN the
Shenandoah valley, and rebel force appeared ucrc no
more during the war
Major General William T. Sherman began the brilliant Sc
res Of his campaigns oariy III May The frs' opIecNe
pont was Atlanta To reach that city hs armies must
moss from the northern limit the centre or the great state
Of Georgia forcing their way through mountain denh Aha
across great rivers, overcoming or tnruing W.
trenched positions defended by strong, wen appointed
veteran army, commanded by an alert, oantious and
skru general The campaign opened on the ON cay Oh
MAY and the I'd day Of september the national forces
entered Atlanta. This achievement 10 thus desciioed III
General shernans Field Order No 6S:
On Tho fret May armies were lying IN garrison
.4cmngy quiet from Knoxville 10 Huntsville and our enc
INV law behind his rocky faced barrier a. Dalton proud
dsfanf emo eyung. He had hsd time since Cnristuas
20 recover from HE discontinue on the MGson Hdse, WIZ
his ranks filled and new ana seooo
~ mono in the conrderacy in reputation for skill sisacy
snd extreme popularity All At once orr armies assumed
be and acton aud appeared before Dalton Ihrea1ehinS
Roy Face we threw ourselves upon Reaca and tne reoe
army only escsped by the rapid its retreat AIDED by
te numerous roads With which he was faniar and wnn
were strange 10 u.s. Again lao took post IN Aaoona on,
VT srs.nnent movement b. Acworh, gained the Ala
toona Pass Then followed the cyentfrl bai,es aboo'