The National tribune., 1904-02-11


takes-Forcing the Line Of the warwick
River.
To take up an army of over 1OO,OOOmen,
transport it and all its immense material
f,y water, and plant it down on a new thea
ter of action nearly 200 miles distant, is
an enterprise the details of which must be
studied ere its colossal magnitude can be
adequately apprehended. ID 1t was an un
dertaking eminently characteristic of the
American genius, and of a people distin-
guished above all others for the ease with
which it executes great material enter
prlses7a people rich in resources and in
the faculty of creating resources. Yet,
when one reflects that at the time the or
der was given to provide transportation
for the army to the Peninsula-the 9th of
February, 1S62-this had first of all to
be created; and when one learns that in
little over a month from that date there
had been chartered and assembled no few
er than 400 steamers and sailing craft,
and that upon them had been transported
from Alexandria and Washington to Fort
ress Monroe an army of 121, 1,5OO men,
1852 animals, A batteries, and the wag-
Ons and ambulances, pontoon-trains, tele-
graph Materials and enormous. equipage
required for an army of such magnitude,
and that all this was done with the loss of
but eight mules and nine barges tthe car
goes of which were sayed), an intelligent
verdict must certainly Second the asser-
tion of the Assistant Secretary of War
Mr.. Tucker, whose administrative talent
in concert with Gen. Mcclellan, directed
: this vast undertaking, that for economy
and celebrity of movement, this expedition
is without parallel on record. An Euro
pean critic calls it "the stride of giant
and it well deserves that characterization.
]. The van of the grand army was led by
Hamilton -afterward Kearny
of the Third Corps (Hentzefman's which
embarked for Fortress Monroe on the 18th
of March. 1t was followed by Porter's
Division on the 22d. and the other diyi-
sions took their departure as rapidly as
transports could be supplied. Gen. Nc
Ciellan reached Fortress Monroe on the I'd
of April, and by that time there had ar
rived five divisions of infantry, three regi-
ments of cavalry, the artillery division,
men and 100 guns. This force was at once
put in motion in the direction of York
town, in front of which the remainder of
the army joined as it arrived.
TIE PENINSULA.
The region known as ''the Peninsula"
on which the army thus found itself plant
ed, is an isthmus formed by the York and
heart OF Virginia, and running in a south
casterly direction, empty into Chesapeake
Bay. 1t is from seven to 10 miles wide
and 30 miles long. The country is low
and hat, in some places marshy, and gen.
orally wooded The York River is formed
by the confluence of the Mattapony and
Pamunkey, which unite at West Point
Richmond, the objective of the operations
of the Army of the Potomac, is on the left
bank OF the James, at the head of naviga-
ton, and by land is distant 10 miles from
Fortress Monroe.
ADVANCE IN TWO COLUMNS.
From Fortress Monroe the advance was
in ftEn <attrr.s AZ.
the Fourth Corps divisions of Couch and
SMITH formed the left: and Gen. Heintzel-
man with the Third Corps fdivisions of
fitz-John Porter and Hamilton, with
Ayerells cavalry and Sedgwick's Division
OF the Second Corps, the right. At the
impracticable,. the season being unusually
wet. No resistance of moment was met
on the march; but on the afternoon of the
9th OF April the advance of each column
was brought to a halt--the right in front of
Yorktown and the left by the enemys
works at Lees Mill. These distractions
formed part of the general defensive line
of the Warwick River, which Gen. Ma
gruder had taken up, and which stretched
Across the isthmus from the York to the
James, an extent of 13 IL miles. The
Confederate left was formed by the fort
at Yorktown, the water batteries of which.
with the guns at Gloucester Point. on the
opposite bank Of the York, barred the pas
sage OF that river; the Ight, by the works
on Mulberry Island, whiA were prolonged
to the James. Warwick River, running
nearly across the Peninsula from river to
river, and emptying into the James. heads
within mile of Yorktown. Its sources
were commanded by the guns of that fort,
and its fords had been DESTROYED by dams
defended by detached redoubts, the an.
proaehes to which were through dense for
ests and swamps. Very imperfect or mac
curate information existed regarding the
topography of the country at the time of
the arrival of the army, and the true char
aeter Of the position had to be deyeloped
by reconnoissances made under fire.
The Confederate defense of the penin-
suia approach to Richmond had. almost
since the beginning of the war. been COM
the Peninsula. under Gen. Magruder. When
the Army of the Potomac landed at Fort
resS Monroe, this force numbered about
1l,OO0 men. At Norfolk was an indepen.
dent body of about 5000 men under Gen.
Huger. The iron-plated Merrimac. mis-.
tress of Hampton Roads, barred the mouth
OF the James. the direct water-line to Rich
mond.
REBELS READY TO RUN.
So soon as his antagonists movcmen,
had become fully developed, Gen. John
ston put his army in motion from the Rap
ldan toward Richmond, where for n tims
he kept it in hand. The Confederate lead
er did not expect to hold the Peninsula
for both he and Gen. Lee, who then hel,
the position of chief of staff to Mr.. Davis
pronounced il untenable. Soon after the ad
vent of the Union army. Gen. Johnston
j. Perhaps the best light in which sucl
On operation may be read is furnished il
Napole0ns elaborate Notes ON his intentle,
Invasion of Great Britain i'm 1906, when n,
proposed 10 transport an army of 1jO OOl
men in 1000 vessels from Boulogne to th,
English coast. As a military operation
there Is, of conrse, no comparison to b
made, because the Army of the potoma,
had at Fortress Monroe an assured base /,
advance. 1t is simply rs mafcYiaI enter
prise that there Is n similarity. Thcs
ngtcs are given in the collection of Me
npirs dictated TO Montholon and Gour
gena uIistoricai Miscclanies, VOL ii, vi,