Litchfield enquirer., 1866-01-04

WHOLE NO. 211n4

FAss &9 t1N1gV " k-4sA1 tAN<-kS <4&3%<8lAlta they had boastsa they would d6 assumed that lt6ey only defended their capital and soutssfn tsftitory. Hence, Antetah. Gsttysbutg, aand EalI the other battles that had been fought, were by them set down as failures on our par. and victories for them. Their army believed this. It produced amorale which could only be overs come by desperate and continuous hard Eght- ing. The battles of the Wilderness, Spotisyl. vania, North Anna. and Cold narbor, bloody and terrible IS they were on our side. vereeven more damaging to the enemy, aud so crippled hinsas to make him wary eser after Of taking the 'olIsasiye. His lossss in men were pro6s- fbly notso ereak. owing to the fact, that.ve were. save in the Wilderness, almost invaria. ply the attacking p,rty and when hs dId at- tack it was instle open field rhs details of these battles, which for endurance aud bravery on the part of ihe soldiery have rarely been sur passed, gre given in the report of Major Gen. eral Meade. aud the subordinate reports accon. panying it. s. sDO During tho campaign of forty-tbree days. from the Rapidan Ia the James R ivef, the ar. my had to bs supplied from an ever-shifting base, by wagons, over narrow roads, thronsh . densely wooded country, with lack of wharyss at each new base from which to conveniently discharge vessels. Too much credit cannot, therefore, be awarded to the quartermaster and. commissary departments for the zeal aud eii. ciancy disslayed. by them. Unier the general supersision of the chief qaarternaster. Driga. dier General R. Ingalls,. the trains were made to occupy all the available roads between the army and our water base. and but little difical. ty was experienced in protecting them.
 The movement of the Kanawha and She. nandoah valleys, under General Sigel, com. menced on the lst of May. General Crook who had the immediate command of tue Ka- nawha expedition. divided his forces into two ceilmns, giving ore, composed of cavalry, tc General Averill.s. They crossed the tnountaips by separate routes. Averill struck the Tenuss. see and Virginia railroad near Wythevilles on the loth,and proceeding to New River and Christiansburgs destroyed the road, several inn. portant bridges and depota. including New river bridge, forming junction with Crook at un. ion on the 18th. General Sgel moved op the Shenandoah valley, met the enemy at New Market on the 18th, and. after a severe engage. ment, was defeated with heavy loss, and retired behind Cedar Greek. Not regarding the ope. rations of General Sigel as satisfactory, Tasked his removal from command, and AIsjor GeDer. al Hunter was appointed to supersede him.. His instructions were embraced in the follow. ing despatches to Major General H w Iialleck, Chief of yStaG of Army, .,i. si...a7I e!Ii gl. { Near spottsylvania Court House. Va. May.
 20tb, 1864. Iat N fe teUta
 k" The enemy are evidently relying for sup. plies greatly on such as are brought over the branch broad running through Staunton.a On the whole, therefore. think it would be better for General iIonterto move in that direction reach Staunton and Gordonsville or Charlottes. vile, if he does not meet too much oppositiou. If he can hold at bay force equal to his own, he will be doing good service. .ass s i
 US GR.xr Lieutenant-G General.
 ."Msjor General IT W Halleck' t'niFss
 . Jericho Ford, Va, May 9, 1864.
 ." If Hunter can possibly get to Charlottes. vile and Lynchbury, he should do so, living oh the country. The railroads and canal should be destroyed beyond possibility of repairs for weeks. Completing this. he could find bii way bac to his original base, or from about Gordonsville join this army. s. h''F
 "U 5 GRANT. Lieutenant General.
 Major General II w Halleck." General Hunter immediately took up the of. fensive. and moving up the Sbenand ,ah valley, met the enemy on the 5th of June at Piedmont, and after battle of ten hours, routed and de. feated him. capturing on inc field of battle l,500 men, pieces of artillery, and 300 stand of small arms. On the Sth of the s,nne month he formed junction with Crook and Averill at Staunton. from which place he moved direct on Lynchburg, via Lexington, which place he reached and invested.on the l6ih day of June. Up to this time he was very successful, and but for the difficulty of taking with him sufficient ordnance stores, over so long march, through a hostile country, he would no doubt have cap. tured that, to the energy. important point. The destruction of the enemy's supplies and manu. factories was very great. To meet tbis move. ment under General Hunter, General Lee sent a force, perhaps equal to corps, part of which reached Lynchburg a short time before Hunter. After some skirmishing on the l7th and lstb, General Hunter, owing to want of ammunition to give battle, retired from before the place. Unfortunately this want of ammu. milton left him no choice of route orhis return but by way of Kanawha. This lost to us the nse of his troops for several weeks, from she defence ofahe north .is,i ss ik
 Had General Hunter moved by way of Char. lottesville, instead of Lexington as his instsuc- tions contemplated, he would have been in . position to have covered the Shenandoah val. Icy against the enemy, should the force he met