The National tribune., 1904-06-23

|
might rapidly throw forces in his rear. He
thought it better, therefore, to retire by
the line of the Kanawha.
RAW TROOPS SCARED BY GUERRILLAs.
His supplies had nearly given out; but
would be found at Meadow Bridge, five or
six marches from Lynchburg, where half
| million rations had been left a. few days
before by Crook and Averell under guard
OF two Ohio regiments of 100 days men.
These troops, however, We're stampeded by
after burning about half the stores, car
rled Off the remainder. The return OF
Hunters column by way of the Alpine and
almost impracticable region of West Vir-
ginia was attended with great privations
but he succeeded in bringing it through.
The eccentric line of retreat taken up put
him for several weeks out of all relation
with military operations, and entirely un-
covered the frontier of the loyal States.
Aside from great material damage inflicted
on the enemy by the destruction Of found
ries, factories and mills, Hunters opera
| tions had no sensible influence on the cam
paign in.s Virginia. =
| Both cooperative columns being thus dis
posed of, it is now time to return to the
Army of the Potomac.
FROM sPoTsYLvANIA TO THE cHIcKAHoMINY
lie experience or Lhe IL Gays DeIOTe
| Spotsylvania brought the conviction to
every man in the army that the position,
as defended. was, in truth, impregnable. OF
this even Gen. Grant, anxious as he was to
give Lee crushing blow, was at length
convinced. Then, as in the Wilderness, he
| began movement to turn the position by
a flank march. This is an opei alton usual
ly accounted very hazardous in the presence
of visilant enemy. Nevertheless, it was
| conducted with great precision and skill
| and complete success. First of all Han
cocks Corps, taken from the right of the
army, moved on the night of the Goth May,
behind the cover of the remaining corps,
heading southwark and preceded by Tor
belts Cavalry Division, Hancock, on the
following day, pushed his advance to Mil
ford Station. on the Fredericksburg & Rich
mond Railroad. II miles south of his point
of starting. The cavalry in advance, with
much address, dislodged a hostile force
holding the bridge across the Mattapony
near this point. (30) and Hancock threw
his left over that stream at Bowling Green.
In this position it bivouaeked on the night
OF the 21st, and here also the Second Corps
remained till the morning Of the 23d. while
other movements about to be described were
under way.
| This turning movement, jealously guard
ed as it was, did not pass unobserved by
the. enemy. Now, it is Rell known that
flank march IN presence Of the hostile
army affords unusual opportunity of strik-
not willingly let slip such an occasion of
taking the offensive, either by falling upon
| that portion already on the march, or by
attacking the portion that remains behind.
WHEN GRANT WITHDREW LEE FELL BACK.
1t can hardly be supposed that it was
anything but Lees weakness that prevent
ed his adopting this course; for, although
made aware Of Grants initiative, he, in
stead of acting on the aggressive. adopted
the course of falling back on parallel roads
| nearer to Richmond, with the intention.
however. of again interposing his army
across Grants line Of march. Accordingly,
at midnight on the 10th, the same night
| on which Hancock set OUT LOngstreet' s
Corps was headed southwark. and another
grand race between the two armies, SINH
lar to that from the Wilderness to SpotsyI-
Spotsylvania gave him command Of the best
and direct route leading southwark (name-
ly, the telegraph road, with the roads con-
verglng on and radiating therefrom), and
as it was necessary for the Army of the
Potomac, on its delicate flank march, to
| take crcuitous routes we'll eastward, it
was. from the start, probable that Lee
would gain on his adversary.
Hancock had begun the movement on the
night of the 10Th. On the morning of the
2lst Warren's Corps followed Lee met
this by sending Ewell's Corps after Long
streets. There then remained within the
lines OF Spotsylvania. Burnside's and
Wright,s Corps on the Union side. and
Hills Corps on the Confederate side Burn
side left that afternoon. Wright, with the
Sixth Corps, prepared to follow. Hill then
fancying it to be good opportunity to
assume the offensive. made sally on
Wright's front, and opened an attack,
oil 4
During the night the Sixth Corps with
drew; Hill did the same, and the works of
Spotsylyania, ceasing to be the objects
either OF attack or defense, remained as
| parts of the series of parallels that along
the whole route of the contending armies,
from the Rapidan to the James, stand
monuments of the most desperate campaign
| III history.
BOTH ARMIES TO THE NORTH ANNA.
The two armies once fairly on the march,
their operations belong to the domain of
strategy. which deals with the movements
OF armies out of sight of each other. Neith-
er. INDEED, seems to have sought to deal
the other blow while on the march, and
both headed, as for common goal, toward
the North Anna. Two marches brought
the rival forces once more close to each
other.
The region between Spotsylvania and the
North Anna, through which the advance
conducted, Is fair and fertile-the face of
the country. beautifully undulating. is no.
where bold, and the .river-bottonls have
many large and fine plantations. which
were at this time under cultivation. 1t
was indeed virgin ground oyer which the
army advanced, showing none of those DESC
lating traces of war that marked all Vir-
ginia north of the Rapidan. Here were
fields with sprouting wheat and growing
corn and luxuriant clover: lowing herds
and the perfume of blossoms. and the song
of Summer birds; homesteads of the Vir-
ginia planter Everything ON large and
generous scale), and greati ancestral elms,
dating back to the time before our fore
fathers learned to be rebels, Coming as
the army so lately did from where the
tread of hostile feet for three years had
made the country bare and barren as a
threshing-fioor: the region through which
Islest.
30. 1t happened that Confederate bri-
gade, under Kemper, on sway from Rich