Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-10
FIFTY YEARS Ago
IN THE STAR

The week beginning May . 1864. saw
the lonS-expected forward movement by
the Federal armies under
S0uths Grant in Virginia, which. it
| u was expected in the north,
| would bring the war TO a close
That this campaign was regarded in
| the south as marking the crisis OF the
great struggle is evidenced by the fol-
lowing paragraph printed in The Star OF
May I. as follows:
The Richmond Examiner OF thu Gotta
| ultimo says: If We hold our own in
Virginia till this summer is ended the
| north's power for mischief everywhere
will be gone. II We lose the south $
capacity for resistance will be broken
The Confederacy has ample power to keep
its place in Virginia. if employed with
energy and consistency. and this is the
| last year of the war. whoever wins.
The Richmond Inquirer of the goth
| says company has been organized with
a capital of SlOOOO.o00. of which S1..An.00O
| is paid in. 1t declines disclosing the
condition of the enterprise but says that
the company aspires to grand results. a
| fleet at least. and 1t has now every pros
pect OF achieving all its purposes. Mr..
| Longs speech in Congress is published
| in the Raleigh Conservative and spoken
of as a bold and manly speech and in
several respects most remarkable
speech that has been delivered in Yankee
DOM" This was the speech by the Ohio
representative which resulted in the ad-
ministration of a severe cenSure by the
House of Representatives.
+
nf iS 10
| lowing copy of an order issued by Gen.
Meade to the Army of the
Warning to Potomac under date of
c1,. May .. which was regard
9oAuies. ed as plainly indicative Of
the early resumption of aggressive tactics
| by the Union forces in Virginia:
The commanding general having
learned that Notwithstanding precaution
contained in general orders No. 20. OF
April %. 1864. from these headquarters,
there are men in this army who refuse
| to do duty on the ground that their term
| of service has expired, it will be made
known to such men that their conduct,
being open mutiny. will be punished with
death without trial. unless they promptly
| return to duty; and. hereafter, any soldier
who refuses to do duty on a similar plea
will instantly be shot without any form of
| trial whatever The honor of the service
| and the necessities of the hour admit OF
no other disposition of such cases. Inc
commanding general again expresses the
hope that the soldiers of this army will
respectfully ask for and cheerfully abide
| by the decision Of the War Department
| with respect to their term of service, out
| he has no further word of warning
| for those who. at a time like the present,
choose to defy lawful authority. Corps
and other independent commanders are
charged with the execution of this
order.
| May 5, 1854, the following order was
issued by Gen. Meade, his last word to
| his command on the eve OF
| Meade's the opening of actual hostili-
0~A' Soldiers: Again YOU are
| called upon to advance on the enemies of
| your country. The time and the occa-
sion are deemed opportune by your COM
handing general to address you few
words of confidence and caution. You
have been reorganized, strengthened and
| fully equipped in every respect. You
form part of the several armies of your
| country. the whole under the direction
| Of an able and distinguished general
| who enjoys the confidence of the govern
ment. the people and the army. Your
| movement being in cooperation with
| others, ii is of the utmost importance
| that no effort should be left unspared
| to make 1t successful.
| Soldiers. the eyes of the whole coun-
| try are looking with anxious hope to
| the blow you are about to strike in the
| most sacred cause that ever called mer
| to arms. Remember your homes, youl
| wives and children and bear in mind tina,
tbn 11i me-
the sooner you will be returned to enjoy
| the benefits and blessings of peace. Beai
| with patience the hardships and Sacri
| fees you will be called upon to endure
| Have confidence in your officers and ir
| each other. Keep your ranks on the
| march and on the battlefield and lie,
each man earnestly mplore Gods bless
| ing and endeavor by his thoughts and
actions to render himself worthy of the
| favor he seeks. With clear consciences
| and strong arms. actuated by higi
| sense of duty. fighting to preserve the
| government and the institutions handed
| down to us by our forefathers, if true
| ing. must and will attend our Efforts
| In The Star of May =, 1864. is the fol-
lowing summary of the military situa-
| ton: \ considerable por-
Military ton Of our Army of the
/ c:44 Potomac, on the night be-
| fore last and yesterday,
Il changed its position in the front SO ma
| terially that the public may possibly at
any moment hear of the occurrence of
perhaps the most extensive and impor-
tant battle of the war. This change of
position was made without any demon
| stration whatever indicating that it was
going on. not an additional tap of drum
or blast OF bugle being permitted. and
| there We're no stragglers whatever bring
| ing up in the rear, as in former times.
| All who have witnessed ii that we have
| seen speak in most enthusiastic terms of
the discipline. condition and elan then
| and there manifested by our troops
good signs indeed. For prudential rea-
| sons we do not speak of the direction
taken by our columns. though we have
no doubt the rebels have by this time
had occasion to be impressed with a
| knowledge of the fact. The belief is
| expressed by parties from the front that
| Lee has suddenly evacuated his position,
| and there is a report coming through
| rebel sources that he is marching rapidly
| to meet a federal force believed in Rich
| mond to be moving up the peninsula
| under Gen Smith; he fLee) proposing
| to throw the weight of his army first
on Smith, hoping to crush him before
| Grant can reach within cooperative
| distance of Smith. Good military judges
about u.s. however. believed that Lee
means to confront Grant directly
and that any change OF posi-
ton he may have made is with this
| -. ,,;a,. w. NAV he certa IN