The National tribune., 1907-10-03

ltidhspoftS pTouBnt away daily lOaOS
boys, TT nj fnh to remove them from
the malaria of those fetid swamps
Most frequently the change came to-
5 late. the irreparable damage had bee
4 done. aid thssra apidly populating grave
t yards aHound Washington received tn
wrecks 'madeeon the Chickahominy. Il
few weeks the full regiments wer
: depleted worse than they were by tn
hardests campaign in which the arm,
afterward engaged.
Extensive FOriifcations.
Gen. oJ. G.,gBernard. Chief Enginee
or the TsArmy of the Potomac. report
that byV June 10 they had 10 gooc
bridges across the Chickahominy, mos
of which Were available for infantr,
and artillery. Besides this they hat
1constructeda great line of fortifcations
with redoubts, forts. abatis, etc, som,
of which were SO considerable as tC
afford emplacement for nine guns. The
entire left wing of the army was GOV.
cred with line of this kind four miles
long. while the right wing had SINH.
lar chain of works with some oi
the redoubts armed with four anC
a halT-inch guns and eight-inct
siege mortars. A series of cordu-
roy roads led in every direction
so that one part of the army could be
IL.
intended to defend the Chickahominy
River these works We're admirable, but
| inasmuch as from the first he had ex-
pected to make his battle elsewhere
| the object of wearing out his men in
| these elaborate constructions is not
| apparent. 1t was certainly destructive
of his army to keep it so long in that
| friSntfully unwholesome location.
The Battle of Oak Grove.
Gen. Mcclellan says that by June
% he nad gotten ready to make a for
ward movement from the position
which he had So elaborately fortified.
and as a preliminary decided on an
| approach on the Williamsburg road
| Immediately in front of the most ad-
.anced redoubt was q large open field.
jeyond which was a Swampy belt of
-imber some 500 yards wide, which
-:ad been in dispute for some days by
he pickets Of the opposing armies.
Beyond this was an open field and the
railroad, and beyond the field were tn I:
enemy's redoubts and rifle pits COM
.nanding the open field. Mcclellan de-
cided to push thru the woods in order
TO get better view of the works be-
yond the open field and to place Gems
Heintzelman and Sumner in a position
to support the attack which he, Nc
Clellan, had planned to be made
oii tiiS oiu Tavern June 20 or - DN
Gen. Franklin. Gen. Heintzelman re-
ceived orders on the evening of the
24th to put his whole Corps under armS
and advance the next morning ut 8
O'Clock in connection with demon
stration on Summers front. Gen
Hooker's Division was in front and
opened the engagement. His Second
Brigade, under Gen. Sicl;Ies. was drawn
up across the Williamsburg road, and
the First Brigade, under Gen. Grover,
on its left. with the Third Brigade
under Col. Carr remaining in the lines
to hold them and furnish supports for
The rest of the divisions. Growers
and Siellless skirmishers pushed for
ward and engaged the enemy. and the
two brisadesi game up into line of bat
tie, whaEe they encountered the enemy
in heasg forqe. and at once Carr be-
gan sending up regiment after reg-
NEXT to reinforce the front fror II
while Hooker struggled with a largely
outnulisberingi force. and reinforce
ments we're sept up, while Kearny's and
Richarison's,rD Divisions pushed forward
- relieve the pressure upon Hooker.
The advance was halted for a whilr
but MeTlel.an himself came. up am
ordereGs il To be renewed, other troop;
going TT the assistance of those already
there. -CouGh's Division was ordered
in and, The feBemy was pushed out uf
the WoAGs aA9 across the open field to
MS works heyond- There they rallied
and attacked the Union troops in
urn on Keagiy's front. but were driven
back, and by 3 O'Clock at night the BE-
ton was over. with a gain OF the
ground desired
This battle, which is variously calico
Oak Grove, or Kings School House.
cost us 81 killed, 4O1 wounded and ca
missing; total, Sic. The Confederate
loss is not given, but it must have been
equal to our own. as the fighting was
il the woods and largely man for man
Hrig.-Gen. A. r. Wright, c.. S.. A,..wh0
was in command of the enemy, claims
that he had only 5000 men, and that
he was not driven back. but occupied
the same lines he had in the morning
which is decidedly at variance with
the statement of the men engaged in
the Union army, who had a distinct
memory of pushing the enemy back for
more than a mile and securing ground
in their front which was beyond mus
ltet range OF their former most ad
yanced position.
The new line was only four niles
from Richmond.
Gen. Lees Plans.
Wholly nf =,