The National tribune., 1908-12-10
Failure On the Peninsula.


Another modification to the Admin
| under Cen John A. Dix to accomplish
any important results against Rich
mond. 1t was known that Richmond
had been stripped of its garrison both
in the city and its outlying points, to
swell Lees army. 1t was hoped that
the troops in the Department of Vir-
ginia, who had been doing nothing for
many months but garrisoning Fortress
Monroe, Norfolk, and maintaining a
line across the Peninsula. would be able
to accomplish something worth while
by bold push toward the Confederate
Capital. Unfortunately. Fortress Mon
roe and Norfolk had been made honor
able shelves for high officers who had
failed to meet requirements in the early
part of the war. That sturdy old pa
triot, John A. Dix. was in command of
the department. but with all his unde-
nfable merits as citizen and a Secre-
tary of the Treasury, and in spite of his
famous order. "1f any man attempts to
haul down the American Flag shoot
him on the spot" Gen. Dix was not a
great soldier, nor a man who could get
energetic, effective service out of the
subordinates given him. The next in
rank to him was e. D. Keyes, a Major
General, who had been made COM
against McClellan's wish, as well as
that of many other leading officers, and
who had been sent into retirement at
Fortress Monroe very early in the his
tory of the Peninsula, and his corps
broken up.
Dix's Orders.
June II Halleck sent to Gen. Dix the
following order by telegraph:
Lees army is in motion toward the
shenandoah Valley. All your available
force should be concentrated to threat
en- Richmond by seizing and destroying
their railroad bridges over the South
and North Anna Rivers, and do them
all the damage possible. If you can
not accomplish this, you can at least
occupy large force of the enemy.
There can be no serious danger of an
attack on Norfolk now''
Gen. Dix's report as to how he obeyed
this order is full of the old familiar ex-
cuses employed when an incompetent
commander attempts to get results ont
of incompetent and unwilling subordi-
mates. There Is lot about no trans
ports and no means of transportation
to account for the slowness of the
movement, and it was not until 10 days
later that Dix was able to send Col.
Spear, of the 18th Pa. cav, and about
200 men of different regiments to
Whitehouse Landing, where a wharf
had to be constructed before anything
else could be done By the 2Sth. or
two weeks later, Dix had collected at
Whitehouse Landing the divisions COM
manded by Gems. Getty and Key,s
amounting to 1870 men, a force fully
strong enough to have swept forward
into Richmond in spite of all opposi-
tion, If it had been handled by some
commander of ordinary aggressive
ness. Col. Spear, however, seems to
have had all the vim in the command.
for he made rush toward the South
Anna, where he destroyed the railroad
bridge, the Quartermaster's depot at
Hanover Court House, and brought
away 700 animals, 35 wagons, $4,000
IN Confederate bonds and captured
Brig.-Gen. w. II. F. Lee, son of Gen.
Robert E. Lee. This capture was of
much Importance afterward in saving
the lives of some Union officers con-
demned to be shot in reprisaI.
Next, Gen. Getty was ordered to
move out and destroy branch of the
Fredericksburg &c Richmond Railroad