42 THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. theinselvcs, as of their commanders. The General-in-Chief .tad bestowed special pains on its organization during the winter, and earnestly demanded its restoration. It was sent back to him without a word of exj^nation, precisely as it had been detached from him. This line division, 11,000 strong, arrived, and for a moment the General thought of intrusting to it alone the Gloucester expedition. But this ...tention was renounced. Then came the reflection, that somewhere in these seven miles of confederate intrenchinents, there must be a weak spot. Could this spot be found and forced, the usual result in such cases would probably come to pass. The enemy at either extremity would suppose themselves to have been turned, and would become demoralized. If we then continued to pour a constantly increasing force of our troops through the opening thus made, we would probably intlict upon the army thus ent in two one of those disasters which settle the fate of a campaign. 'This weak point, it was supposed, had been found near the centre of the lines of Warwick Creek, at a place called Leo’s Mill. The bottom here was firm, the water waist deep. In front of the hostile work's was a kind of open plateau, upon which a strong artillery force might be brought np to shatter them. On the 16th of April, an attempt was made at this point. Eighteen field-pieces opened tire at 500 yards on the confederate batteries, and silenced them, and the creek was then passed by some Vermont companies. They advanced gallantly, carried a rifle-pit, but their ammunition had been wetted in passing the stream; they were not support 'd, and retired after losing many of their number. The project thus begun was, no doubt, found to present un- TM'seen dilliculties, and it was at once abandoned. 1 iis operation, like that against Gloucester, not being feasL blc, w< were forced to undertake the siege of the uninvested fortifications of Yorktown.
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