Grant designed that General Banks, with troops and flotilla, should
suddenly fall upon Mobile, front and rear. If the works were carried by
assault, then gunboats and transports could appear at Montgomery,
flanking Johnston. It would be the thrusting of a probe deep into the
tenderest and sorest parts of the Confederate body-politic. It would
sever Alabama and Mississippi from the other Rebel States. Or, if
failing in the assault, it would at least compel Johnston to send back
the troops withdrawn, thus making it easy work for Sherman.

The failure of any part in a concerted movement affects all other parts.
General Banks not appearing at Mobile has retarded Sherman. The failure
of Butler to close the Southern portal, and the defeat of Sigel, who,
instead of knocking loudly at the back-door of the Rebel capital, was
himself knocked back, have enabled Lee to concentrate all his troops
against the Army of the Potomac. Finnegan's troops from Florida,
Beauregard's from Charleston, Pickett's from North Carolina, Buckner's
from Western Virginia, and Breckenridge's from the Shenandoah, at the
close of the month, are fighting against General Grant at Coal Harbor.

These are the general features of the campaign as a whole; but, separate
and distinct from the movements of all other armies and bodies of men,
are the operations of the Army of the Potomac, which has a campaign of
its own,--forever memorable!

LEFT-FLANK MOVEMENTS.

There have been four movements by the left flank:--

From Culpepper to Wilderness.

From Wilderness to Spottsylvania.

From Spottsylvania to the North Anna.

From the North Anna to the Chickahominy.

It has been a month of marching and fighting,--fighting and
marching,--day and night,--night and day,--winning no great, decisive
victory, nor suffering defeat, yet getting nearer the while to Richmond,
and compelling the enemy to choose new positions or be cut off from his
capital.

The accompanying diagram will convey to the eye the relative movements
of the two armies,--General Grant moving on the arcs of the circles, as
represented by the dotted lines, and Lee upon the chords of the arcs, as
indicated by the continuous lines.

[ILLUSTRATION:

C. Culpepper.
O. Orange Court-House.
W. Wilderness.
S. Spottsylvania.
N. A. North Anna.
C. H. Coal Harbor.
E. Richmond.]

FROM CULPEPPER TO WILDERNESS.

On Tuesday afternoon, May 3d, the cavalry broke camp on th