The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-06-02

Results from insignificant Cause.-The Army
Goes into Winter Quarters for Much-Needed
Rest-Gen. Grant Appointed Ii, u .enant-Gen-
ersl In Command Of All the Armies.
Judging from the experience of such
military operations as had been attempted
during previous years at the season now
reached, it might have been inferred that
the army could do nothing better than go
into Winter quarters and await the COM
ing Spring before entering upon a new
campaign. But Gen. Meade felt that the
condition of the public mind would hardly
brook delay; and being himself very eager
for action, he anXiously watched favor
able opportunity to deliver battle. Such an
opportunity he thought he saw towards
the end of November; and he then planned
an operation known as the Mine Run
mOve'-an operate which deserved bet
ter success than it met.
LEES IDLE ARMY WIDELY SCATTERED.
1t was ascertained that Lee, while rest
ing the right of his army on the Rapidan
near Morton's Ford, had left the lower
fords of the river at Ely's, Culpeper Mine,
Germanna and Jacobs's Mills uncovered.
and depended for the defense of that flank
upon a line of intrenchments which he had
constructed perpendicular to the river and
extending along the left bank of small
tributary of the Rapidan named Mine
Run, which flows almost at right angles
with the former stream. and empties into
it at MortOn's Ford. Relying for the secu-
rity of his right upon that line, Lee had
placed his force in cantonments covering
q wide extent of country; SO that while
Ewell's Corps held position from Morton's
Ford to Orange Courthouse, Hills Corps
was distributed from south of that point
along the railroad to near Charlottesville,
with an interval of several miles between
the two corps.
MEADE's BOLD PLAN TO SPLIT LEES ARMY
This wide separation of his opponents
forces gave Meade the hope that, by cross
ing the Rapidan at the lower fOrds, turn
ing the Confederate right, and advancing
quickly towards Orange Court House by
the plank and turnpike roads that connect
that place with Fredericksburg, he might
be able to interpose between the two hos
tile bodies under Ewell and Hill, and de-
stroy them in detail.
This plan, different from the kind Of op-
erations ordinarily attempted in Virginia,
was well suited to the circumstances. 1t
was based upon a precise mathematical
calculation Of the elements of time and
space, of the kind for which Napoleon
was so famous, and depended absolutely
for its success on vigorous execution of
all the foreordained movements in the
foreordained time and way. Thus plan
ming, Meade attempted the bold coup d'es-
saye of cutting entirely loose from his base
of supplies, and, providing his troops with
10 days rations, he left his trains on the
north side of the Rapidan, relying on the
; meditated success to open up new lines of
communicati ton.
The movement was begun at dawn on
the 26th of November, and the order of
march was as follows: The Fifth Corps,
followed by the First Corps. was to cross
the Rapidan at Culpeper Mine Ford and
fn ba anly
road to Orange Court House. The Second
Corps was to cross at Germanna Ford,
and proceed ont on the turnpike (which
runs parallel with the plankroad) to Rob
ertson's Tavern. To this point also the
Third Corps, crossing at Jacobs's Mill
Ford, and followed by the Sixth Corps,
was to march by other routes. and there
make junction with tie Second Corps
With the left thus at Parker's Store and
the right at Robertson's Tavern, the army
would be in close communication on par
allel roads. and by advancing westward
towards Orange Court House would turn
the line of the Mine Run defenses, which
it was known did not extend as far south
as TO cross the turnpike and plankroads.
As the distance of the several corps from
their encampments to the assigned points
OF concentration was under 20 miles, Gen
Meade reasonably assumed that marching
early on the 26th, each corps commander
"a hours, or, at most, by noon of the 9th
1t remains to relate how this well-devised
and meritorious plan was baked by cir
cumstances that, though seemingly trivial
to those uninstructed i'm war. are yet the
very elements that in large degree assure
success or entail failure.
FRUSTRATING DELAYS AND ERRORS.
The first of these delays was occasioned
by the tardiness of movement of the Third
Corps, under Gen. French, which having a
greater distance to march than the other
corps, yet did not reach its assigned point
for the crossing of the Rapidan until three
hours after the other corps had arrived
This caused a delay to the whole army Of
the time named; for, not knowing what he
should encounter on the other side, Gen.
Meade was unwilling to allow the other
corps to cross until the Third was up A
second obstacle was the result of an I'M
pardonable blunder on the part of the engi-
neers in Understanding the width of the
Rapidan, SO that the pontoOn-bridge il
was designed to throw across that stream
were too short, and trestle-work and tenn
porary means had to be provided to in
crease their length. In addition. another
cause of delay resulted from the very pre-
cipitous banks of the Rapidan, which rem
dered the passage of the artillery and
trains tedious and difficult. The effect OF
these several circumstances was that the
army, instead OF making the passage of
the river early in the day. was not across
until the following morning. Twenty -four
hours had passed, and only half the dis
tance was made.
FRENCH FOLLOWED WRONG ROAD.
Early on the morning of the 9th, the
corps were again in motion, and, under
imperative orders from Gen. Meade, the,
pushed forward with greater rapidity Th.
Second Corps, under Gen. Warren, reached
Its designated point at Robertsons Tav
ern, about l o'clock. and meeting force
Of the enemy. Immediately began to de
yelop its strength and position by a brisk
skirmish fire. 1t will be remembered that
according to the plan, this corps was here
to have been Joined by the Third Corps
and it was not allowed to make a serious
attack until Gen. French should arrive
But that officer had fallen into q series oi
luckless mishaps, by which it happene,
that soon after crossing the Rapidan al
Jacobs's Mill. he took the wrong road t.
reach Robertson's Tavern, falling upon d
fopte too much to the right, which br0ugh,
ksaSainst Johnson's Division Of Ewell's