The late Yankee advance on the Rappahannock.
From papers found on the field of the late conflict it would seem that the recent advance of the enemy on the line of the
Rappahannock was designed as something more than a more reconnaissance.
These papers disclose the fact, if we are correctly informed, that the expedition was, first, for the destruction of the
Central Road at
Gordonsville by tearing up as much of the track of that road, either way from the above point, as might be found convenient in the time allowed them.
From thence they were to proceed to the
James River and Kanawha Canal, which they were expected to strike at or near
Columbia, In
Fluvanna.
Thence, crossing the
James river, their course was laid out through
Cumberland county to
Farmville, or the
High Bridge over the
Appomattox, near that place.
The destruction of this bridge was one of the pet objects of the expedition.
After the accomplishment of this feat the expedition was to work itself out of difficulty by passing round between
Petersburg and the
North Carolina line, so as to strike be Yankee lines in the neighborhood of
Suffolk.
Impossible of accomplishment as this feat would seem to be the distance to travel and the risks to run are no greater than those incurred by the dating
Morgan in some of his raids in
Kentucky and
Tennessee.
But the
Yankees not only lacked a Morgan to execute this bold scheme, but met with such men as
Stuart and
Lee, whose vigilance is a sure guarantee that no Yankee laid into our lines can ever be successfully undertaken.
