The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-30

| one OF their number. Nleh ,''a I've Pc
| opportunitv al this time OF tak,ns -
| ts,oburo ~ a coup 10 niaih, lpe h'sG
| dsv Bea,,ragAtd mad arrived Win ~
! Gent troops from the South"ai" =" ''""'
| Il safe from assault. -, a,.oo she swift
4 ON the 10th ali was quiet aionH 'iie ''ith
| t,reek front. but General ltanegl WI WI
| isarton's and Gracie'e bflyaues' ~ tttrb
| hans some other troops it"" ~" 700.
| m0nd garrison, aSsdiled i1tI'' 80, L.
| chester station, with some. Dut ~ o,ia,
| ctsi.,e success 10 IL said mat but,''
4 mad intended 20 cross swift 'Ifeh vi a.
luth and make q determineu 'uat,.ad
| the capture OF PeiefrouIE, w. ..,-'.oi,.d ON
! bv tdinas from " ashington refeiheu , vi
| enc niohf of The OH. that Lee was III q. 81.
1 retreat before Grant he uetei'n,i.n - -
! turn porh and assist IN me tait tD.,,.
| Richmond Instead. however oi LII
! ing at once upon the latter pa't &c &c
! it's msagrc garrison, on inc -
| the leth he Withdrew aSde mo M
! trenchments at Bermuda huhuIe.' - ~.
ing the road open for th' -, - ~
| rho shortest route Of the buIk VI ~
| troons now al Petersburg INTO the hou,h
| ern defenccs OF the Confederate '"pl''l
/ a, Drcyry's Bluff. and did not move UPON
| inc latter place until two days mter'
| ,toaursoard himself remaining at Peters
hurry for the further oigdnIapoh OF ~
| assembling force. promptly aVallea pm,
| self OF the opportunity ana sent IorWdIu
along the open PIKE coiu , H'' ,,'g,n'ry
| eral Hoke. Of siX brigades oil lnIahily'
! with eight batteries OF artillery, IN me
| afternoon Of the nth. which arrived ana
| TOOK position at Drewry's niuf on INC
| me yning of the 18th. Soon after ms
| force was In position al DrewTys ON the
| l2th the enemH appeared, skllInlShlhS
| commenced, and was MAINTAINED WIN
more or less vieor during That Day and
the next. Towards eyen.ng, OF ne ~, lolh
| some advantage was obtained 10y the red
| erals on our right. and Hoke Withdrew
before day on the 18th 10 our second, or
interior iinc Of defence.
DREwR1'S EIUgF AN INTRENCHrD CAMP
The lines Of Drewrys Bluff were in the
nature of an eHtTenChcd camp. starting
at the blutf. they ran first south dnd men
wrgtwardly crossing the pike ana reach
irg the Petersburg ana Richmond kdll-
road then bending back they returned 10
the river James about nile ana nan
| north Of tka blun From Fort stephens
a Fashioned work on the lines east Of
| the pike-another line OF Sllghter prone
/ branChed on in curve sun more 10 me
| southwest. forming an advanced me- WIN
its left running into Fort stephens, ana
| lis right resting I'm air near the railroad.
II was this last line thGt HOke abandoned
on the night OF May l3th ana I'm. a.,
At 3 o'clock In the morning OF the l4th
| General Peaureeard arrived az DreWrN 5
| nv n cIrcuitous route from Petersburg
| bringing with him two regiments aDout
| $40 men--of ColQuitts brigade. ana Ia
| ker'S regiment Of cavalry. helOIt rs
! suming command or seeing GencIaI hohe,
| who. expecting another attack from But
| Ter. was then engaged along his lines. ne
| met and held . conference win CoiohtlS
| Harris and stephens. or me thE'h,Ci
! Thcv acou1iuted with the exact state 81
| affairs In our front. and also gave MN
| n succinct account # the last ENGAGE
| ments up TO the 18th between bIaHl ana
| Lee. with the then position OF nose ar
| mics instantly dcViSng ScneHc LOT
| the cooperative action OF MS own ana
| General Lees army. Eeaure2afd 1lspatch-
| ed Colonel stephens 10 Richmond Tor the
! purpOes or submitting ~ 70 MI 'dNi
| and asking his permission TO carry II
| out AIr. Davis could not be seen. Dut
| General Bragg, then occupying the posi-
| ton Of chief of Stall came lmInehlateiy
| To DreWTy's for conference upon the sun,
| tect and gave the scheme his unleseIVed
| approval while stating that he could NOT
! command its execution without Hrst con-
| sulting the President.
| DAVIS DIsAPPTOvEs BTAURFGABD's SCHEME.
| Mr. Davis arrived in person at Dre"ry ;
| between and O'Clock that morning, ana
| giving grave attention to the proposition,
| disapproved il. Observing that General
| Lee, now at Guinea station, above ttch-
| mond and himself, at DreWry below, Oc-
| Cupied the interior line, EeaureS&Td pan
was that General Lee should fall back
upon the defence Ot the capital; that
10000 Of his mon should Ia the meantime
| be swiftly transferred 10 DreWly.s, To-
gethcr with the 300 now at Etchmoni
under Ransom, thdt upun the ARRIVAL OF
| tins reinforcement. raising his command
| to 5000 electives, BcaureEdrd should at
daybrcak on the 18th. attack Butler on
his right nank, 50 as TO cut him on from
his base at bermuda Hundred, While Gen
| eral Whiting with some 4.WD men moving
| simultaneously from Mdlthdl Junction,
| should strike Buffers right rear ana
! pressing him back upon the James, force
| a surrender. Beauregard should then by
| a concerted movement, throw MS Nlclori"
| GUS force across the river. and strike
! Grant upon his left flank while General
hi
! feasibility Of these movements seemed 10
| have been conceded. The moral cnoct
| upon the people of an apparent retreat
| by Lee, and the impairment Of the pres
| tige of his heroic troops, were colsiderd-
| tons urged against the manoeu,re. Bcou-
| regard claimed that IT was better for the
| army TO take a voluntary temporary step
| rearWard. in order to ioI the design OF It's
| adversary, as proposed, than 10 pa5siFrly
| maintain the strategic defensive and fol-
| low the movements of the enemy IS m
out making any possible headway against
| him.
| II is generally useless to speculate upon
| the might have BEEN but this sugges-
| ton OF Beauregard's is noteworthy. II
! brings forward In strong relief the bent
| of his military geniuS-a cOnsumlnale mas
| ter Of the engineers defensive art, in
strategy mis- views were comprehensive
| and essentially aggressive
WHAT MIGHT Rave BIN.
Again. II was campaign similarly de-
| vised that had sgnalIy defeated NgClcI
| an before Richmond two years before.
| The Confederate had fallen back tl she
| immediate GefenCcS OF tine Ctty, over q
| greater distance without an effort at de-
| CisiVe resistance and then assumed q de-
| termined offensive, aided 10y Jackson,
| wide-sWlngmg flank movement. Jackson
| to diScngaGe himself from the enemy in
! his front. rad harder lighting % do than
/ I}eauTosard with the leiniorCcWcQtS ask
| ed for would have needed TO dispose ~
| Butler; and then mad 10 encounter more
| of the contingencies which IN military
| affairs attend time and distance, before ne
| could place himself in position for the
| supreme cooperative effort. Nth Grant
| along the ChickahOminy, hut a few hours
| Drcwrys 10 be in actual conflict upon mis-
nank. More tuau twenty years after
| wards DISTINGUISHED U.iiUry c"it-e
| General WOlselcy, Of the British army
| in a study OF the Virginia campaign Of
| 1864, said Of BedWeSafd proposal. "As
| far as one can Judge. IL was then The
| scheme most likely 70 give "a brilliant re-
| suit. If vigorously carried out
| there does not seem any reason to DOUBT
| that II would have been big with great
! results FOR tho ContcdeIScN But the
! President commander IN chief Of all the
| armies, on the spot and i'm person. haa
| decided. II was the prcroEatiVc and re-
! srOnsibility OF his high office.
Boaurecard promptly addressed himself
10 the work before him with the means
| assigned. Ransom division from Rich
| mond reached him on the evening OF the
18th and al daylight o., The 18th the bat
! tie was delivered.
BATTLE OF DEEwRl's BLUFF
1he trend OF the river from the fort at
| the bluff where the left of our F~os
| rested, was for half a mile or more nearly
! due eastward and then southeast. KING