The National tribune., 1904-06-23

fallen off on the Lynchburg or Danville
line. But even had Lee attempted, by
throwing himself upon Butler, to recover
Petersburg, the James River column was
sufficiently powerful to have maintained
alone the defense of the line of the Apo
mattox against any force the Confederates
could spare to bring against it. 1t will
now be seen how speedy was the punish
| ment that befell dispositions originally
faulty.
CUTTING RICHMOND & PETERSBURG r. r.
The debarkation of the force was com
pleted by the 9th. AS the instructions of
Gen. Grant We're first of all to intrench, the
construction of defensive front across the
narrow neck Of Bermuda Hundred was i'm
which it struck near Walthal Junction. A
mediately begun. This line was drawn
within three miles of the Richmond 4
Petersburg Railroad, the destruction of
which engaged Buffers first attention. The
same day brigade moved out to this road,
| small force of the enemy was encountered,
and after a brisk skrmish the brigade re-
turned.
Thus far there had been no indication
of any considerable body OF the enemy in
the vicinity. but that night the van of Beau
regards army. drawn from Charleston,
Savannah, and Florida, reached Petersburg.
When therefore, on the morning of the 9TH,
column OF five brigades moved out to de-
stroy the Petersburg Il Richmond Rail-
road. the enemy was found in a position
covering that road, from Walthal Junction
north to Chester Station. Brooks attacked
and drove this force from its vantage
ground; but rallying. it pushed back his
right, and finally both parties withdrew.
On the morning of the 9th another ad-
vance was made TO the railroad. Here
force was left facing in the direction of
Richmond, while the remainder turned
southwark. toward Petersburg. The enemy
was soon met and driven. skirmishing, to
Swift Creek tthree miles from petersburg), J,
on the right bank of which he occupied
strong line of earthworks. Having mean
while efectually destroyed the railroad,
Butler designed next day crossing Swift
Creek and crowding the enemy into Peters
burg but that night he received from
Washington such accounts of Lees being
"in full retreat to Richmond" that he re,
solved to turn northward, in order to aid
| in the investment of the Confederate Cap
| ital.
BUFFERS FORCE INSUFFICIENT FOR ASSAULT
| Two days afterward a general advance
was made in the direction of Richmond.
| Whatever force of the enemy was encOun-
tered was pressed back until dark, when
the COnfederates took position on the left
bank of Proctor's Greek. Next morning
(13th) the enemy withdrew from the creek
to an intrenched line in the rear. This
line. if adequate held would have been
difficult to carry by assault but Gen. Gill
more succeeded in turning it, and held its
extreme right. The possession of this line,
| however, only revealed the enemy holding
an interior line of works, with a bastion
salient on an eminence completely com
manding the position gained. The fanks
| fell back on the Confederates' left to the
James River and Drewry's Bluff and on
their right extended in a northwesterly
direction beyond any point visible. The
1 Or a rVtl nf snt,
more had turned ran into this second line
at the bastion salient before mentioned
| buffers force was much strung out, and
an assault ordered for the next morning
had to be abandoned for the want of avail
| able troops TO form column. 1t was then
determined to attack on the morning of the
! 10th.
BEACREGARDS ATTACK UNDER A CLOUD OF
EGYPTIAN FOG.
| The night of the 18th every thing mas
STILL A thin film of clouds slightly OBJ
scured the sky, but it was not SO heavy as
to interfere seriously with the moonligh
and the heavens gave no token of what was
presently to be seen. Before dawn a dense
log, arising from the margin of the James
overspread the whole face of the country
with so Opaque pail that horseman was
not visible at distance of 10 yards. In
the thick of this. and before dawn, the
sleeping camp was suddenly aroused by a
Sd'ase outuuTst VI Husketry and artillery
fire along the whole line. Beauregard had
taken advantage of the fog. and had begun
the execution OF q plan of offensive action
which, under the circumstances, threatened
fatal results to the Union force Buffers
force was disposed along a front excessive
ly extended. and though Gen. Smith en-
deavored to reach as far as possible by
drawing out his corps in one thin line.
there. was still a. full mile and a half Of
open. undulating country between his right
flank and The James. This great stretch
was observed by nothing more than $50
colored cavalry. Beauregard's dispositions
to attack were well suited to the circum-