The National tribune., 1908-03-12

Hill then turned to the town of Lit
tie Washington, on the Tar River, where
there was a large depot of supplieS for
| the fleet and the army, surrounded by
| a belt of redoubts and half bastiOns.
| There was small garrison in these
works supported by two gunboats. Fos-
| ter saw the point at which Hill was
| aiming, and hurried two skeletons Of
| brigades over there on transports, tax
| ing supply of ammunition. Hill put
| his men into some old works outside
the town, and sent heavy artillery
| force down on the other side of the
| river. where they put guns in position.
and removed the buoys which indicated
| the channel, cutting off the garrison
! from the hope of succor. The garrison
at Little Washington held out braveIy,
| but reinforcements and supplies could
not reach them owing to the Confeder-
ate artillery. Only one vessel, the Ceres.
under the command of~volunteer Lieut..
| J. Macdearmid, succeeded in forcing the
| blockade, carrying in detachment of
| infantry and fresh supply of ammuni-
| ton. The gunbOats stationed at Little
Washington kept up SO vigorous fire
| that Hills superior force could not get
near enough to the works to develop an
| assault, and April 16 Hill gave up the
effort and withdrew.
| LOngstreet Put In Command.
The Confederate War Department
created the Department of Virginia for
Lieut.-Gen. Longstreet, who established
| his headquarters at Petersburg, taking
with him the divisions of Hood and
| Pickett. With these and the troops he
called in under Hill and Pettigrew he
had an available force of approximate
| ly 10000 men. He posted l. 900 on the
Blackwater and a similar force between
| Petersburg and the river on the line
Of the railroad. The COnfederates in
dulged in the brightest hopes as to what
| Longstreet would achieve, expecting
that he would recover Norfolk. with its
| great concentration of supplies, and
once more extend the Confederate con-
troll of the James River as far as Fort
ress Monroe, and possibly menace com
munications with Washington. The
I Petersburg Express voiced these hopes
| in saying:
"Our people are buoyant and hopeful,
as they ought to be. We have in that
direction as gallant an army as was
ever mustered under any sun, and COM
manded by an officer who has won lau-
rels in every engagement, from the first
Manassas to that of Fredericksburg.
Such an army, commanded by such an
officer as Longstreet, may be defeated.
! but such an event is scarcely within the
range of possibility"
| Gen. PecL's Position.
Cen. Halleck was so ill-informed that
| he believed tina: Longstreet was going
| to Charleston, and he directed Gen
Peck to send brigade tG the help of
Foster. Longstreet was informed of
| this by his spies, and prepared to make
| a decisive blow as soon as Peck had
| weakened himself. He was too prema-
ture, however, for while the troops that
Peck was sending away were getting
on the cars Gen. Viele, in command at
Norfolk, sent him dispatch to the
effect that Longstreet's whole army was
on the march to attack him. A letter
had been found on a Confederate spy
which gave full details of Longstreets
plans, told of the arrival of a bridge
equipage and of the concentration on
the Blackwater to attack SEffolk. Peck
thereupon recalled his troops, and was
further reinforced by Getty's Division
OF the Ninth Corps, which was diverted