| Show MOVEMENTS OF THE tiie ARMY OF THE rumors were in circulation soon roon aft after eithe elthe the bitt battie battle leot leof of cedar mountain that gen me nic dellan was preparing to evacuate ilarra aomia landing and to move backwards down the peninsula As often as reiterated the truth of these reports were denied by govern eui eti but nevertheless the army of athi potomac did evacuate awe the r position taken up by gen mcclellan at harrl harrisons Harri sons landing on james river after abandoning the chickahominy and the army marched down the peninsula cid via williams hur nur burgh lh and yorktown to hampton and newport news in much less time than was occupied in lu marching matching up towards richmond which by hy some unforeseen opposition that army had bad failed in conquering and had ad to resort to strategy to retreat from before f jre ire in order to get away without being at tacked and perhaps annihilated athe the final evacuation of that hitherto I 1 important apor post took place from drom all the account accounts a that have been abolished published P ablis hed on the morning of the of august i some of the troops cm em barked on ou board a steamers te amers but bu t the largest portion of or the army went by land marching arching in direct to williamsburg the movements ants were we le i doil dori conducted ducted with much caution and great security in order to deceive the enemy it seems however ho wever that gen le bad full knowledge of the evacuation boon soon after aate r its itai commence men et but instead of falling upon the federal army when they were brei brel breaking haing kling up camp he be marched the confederate troops in and about L 1 richmond climond Ri or a large portion of them northward ard ara toward the rappahannock Rappa hannock as elpe 1 I piously as possible making 0 use of every ev ery means at command to basten Aasten forward bis his di visors with their supplies bof of tb th thearty earmy of the potomac ac the tho first division d blo bio put in mott moti motion on towards fortress monroe was that commanded by general mccall vrho who was taken prisoner by the confederates in one of the engagements which transpired transpire ia w while hile lile the army was moving from the them ch chicka h ic a hominy to james river the division em embarked bark edon on steamers and sailed down ther the river on etheln khi of the lelh gon mccall me caff was Y 1 not no t fiere flere there to dire direct et the m ve dementis mentis of 0 his corps and to accompany it in its retiring as he hi did not arrive at the landing from richmond after bavin havin having been exchanged till pie phe ish when en he be came down iown with some four hundred other officers and eold solders ers era who had been ds de tainie there as prisoners of var war for iorg iong langr r or shorter periods most molt if not all of them h P waver had haj 64 ben en captured in the battles before richmond 01 oli the ten days ration rations were served out oui to thebo theno dierland dier sand band and orders issued for every corps to 0 o ba be ready to move on short notice that evening gen porters corps struck their tints tents and moved leading t the van lan ov overland erlind towards williamsburg Williama burg the siege guns guna and stores were placed on board transports during the night which left before daylight on fj I 1 day d a y morning mor n ing lug and soon after af ter the evacuation of ie the place towards which so many eyes had been turned for many weeks and from which a a a ia advance ail vance sance and an anat atack ack on richmond at an early earls clay day was confidently confidently y expected rendered complete and nothing was left to fall into the hands of the confederates every tos Yos possible sible precaution was taken by general Kc mcclellan Clellan to prevent pre vent the enemy from fallin falling upon his bis rear successfully should an attempt be made but the confederate general lee lse did not lot think proper to pursue anh ani the army of the potomac executed the move ident ent without interruption that portion of the army which went by land crossed the chickahominy by means of pontoon bridges some two thousand feet in in length the fleet including steamers and ciul klou liili or erv erx troops stores artiller artillery the sick and wounded 1 and hosts of contrabands contra bands arrived at fortress monroe in safety most bloat of the boats and vessels arrived there within two days after leavi leaving ng the landing gen porters corps corpse by a forced march arrived at 11 hampton ampton on the rrth irth and the other divisions in quick succession afterwards that of gen sumner who brought up the rear arriving on the 20 b and from thence they proceeded to Newport News embarked on transports and went up thi the the potomac to acquia acquiat creek where at latest dates mcclellan had established his head bead quarters operations oper aliona of hat bat mighty army cannot well be divined and why it left such an advantageous tinb ak for operations against richmond as the one occupied on the banks of james river was represented to ber bep be is oni one of the mysteries not yet et solved some have conj ehurd that that the obstructions occurring in and along the bank a ol 01 james river between I 1 harrisons landin landing and ard richmond including fort darlin darling y rendering the ascending of the river by bv the F federal e deral gun gyn boats extremely hazardous if it not impossible had some bome agency in the matter of changing the position 0 of f the army to a more eligible point from which a movement towards the confederate capital could be made wih wih mih a better prospect of success than an advance from any of the tic points on the peninsula under existing circumstances offered but what point is isi or has been selected for a base of operations and by what route the next advance will be made if it in truth the reduction of richmond has not I 1 for the present been considered im practicable which aceb not a few a are re said to be inclined to believe belleve e none even those who profess f ess to be f foreseeing can indicate it that it has been letl intimated bitted by a few probably not the br bravest airest in in the i landa land that the he govern government m ent after mature consideration had bad come to the conclusion that the federal city would be more safe with I 1 tiie ilie be army armi army oe of the potomac stationed OB on the banks of the river flom lion which it derived its name som bom somewhere ebere ebare not far distant from the ibe capital than it would with the principal army of the nation situated in the most favorable pos post ion for ol movements that could be sel bel selected eted en cn the banks of the james in the event that thai the army ct of NIr virgina giwa glea a under gen pope should be captured c or repulsed by y the confederates eates unde under r gen jackson and that tha t the probabilities ere were eie that the columns of McClel lans ians army would a soon 0 resume I 1 thein their position n between t the potomac and lad lan hannock nock i f f |
