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CH. IX.]

1864.

BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS.

the contest being of the most determined character. The losses were large in Warren's corps, which, from its position, bore the brunt of the engagements. In Hancock's corps the divisions of Birney, Barlow and Gibbon were successively engaged. The fighting continued till late in the evening, without material advantage to either party. Both rested that night with the clear understanding that a terrible battle was to be fought on the

morrow.

At daylight, on the morning of May 6th, by order of the commanding-general, the fierce struggle was resumed, and had the ground been such as to admit of manœuvring the large and well-appointed armies now arrayed one against the other, a decisive action might have been fought. As it was, the battle extended along the whole line, a distance of seven miles from Sedgwick's right to Hancock's left. Hancock, prompt in the assault, at five o'clock in the morning, advanced his forces, increased by several divisions from the other corps, and drove the enemy for two miles till they were reinforced by Longstreet's command, which had lately re-joined Lee's army, and now came up by a rapid march. A number of prisoners were taken by Hancock in this movement. A furious attack was made in the afternoon by the joint forces of Longstreet and Hill upon the left and centre; but reinforcements from Burnside having been brought up, the enemy's advance was effectually checked. About noon, Gen. J. S. Wadsworth, commanding the 4th division of the 5th corps, was shot in

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the forehead and mortally wounded, while leading his troops into action. After dark, the rebels made an attempt to turn our right flank, and succeeded in capturing portions of Seymour's and Shaler's brigades, with their command. ers. Great confusion was produced, and the right of the army was imperilled; but, by Sedgwick's energy and skill, our line was soon re-formed and order restored. Sheridan's cavalry, as before, held firmly the advance on the left. The fighting was closed with both armies holding substantially the same positions which they occupied the evening before.

Our loss on the right wing was estimated at 6,000, of which 4,000 occurred during the enemy's assault. The total loss in the two days' bloody struggle was probably not short of 15,000. The rebel loss was somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000. Longstreet was severely wounded, accidentally, by his own men, and was of no further use to the rebel cause till the close of the year.

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Secretary Stanton, under date of May 8th, stated :--"We have no official reports from the front, but the medical director has notified the surgeongeneral that our wounded were being sent to Washington, and will number from 6,000 to 8,000. The chief quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac has made requisition for seven days' grain, and for railroad construction trains, and states, the enemy is reported to be retiring. This indi cates General Grant's advance, and affords an inference of material success on our part."*

* This was the first of a series of dispatches, sent by

On the morning of the 7th of May, the bleeding combatants had little desire for renewal of the terrible struggle on the battle field. Reconnaissances, on our side, showed that the rebels had fallen behind their entrenched lines, with pickets to the front covering a part of the field. "From this," according to Grant's statement, "it was evident to my mind that the two days' fighting had satisfied the enemy of his inability to further maintain the contest in the open field, notwithstanding his advantage of position, and that he would wait an attack behind his works. I determined therefore to push on, and put my whole force between him and Richmond; and orders were at once issued for a movement by his right flank." The immense army trains were sent during the day to Chancellorsville, there to park for the night, and preparations were made for a forward movement to Spottsylvania Court House, some fifteen miles south-east. The cavalry, already in advance at Todd's Tavern, had a sharp engagement with Stuart's troopers during the afternoon, and succeeded in driving them for a considerable distance.*

the secretary of war to Gen. Dix, in command at New

York. They were intended to satisfy the anxious desire, on every hand, for speedy information from the

seat of war. The reader will of course notice that they are more or less unreliable and imperfect.

* Mr. Swinton, speaking of this opening of Grant's overland campaign, characterizes the battle of the Wil

derness as "terrible and indescribable in those gloomy

woods. There is something horrible, yet fascinating, in the mystery shrouding this strangest of battles ever fought a battle which no man could see, and whose progress only could be followed by the ear, as the sharp and crackling volleys of musketry, and the alter

nate Union cheer and Confederate yell, told how the fight surged and swelled."-" Army of the Potomac" p. 439.

Leaving the narrative of the further movements of Grant and Meade for a brief space, it will be interesting to take note here of what Butler had been about in the meanwhile. Grant had carefully impressed upon Butler, before the opening of the campaign, that it was his intention to fight Lee between Culpepper and Richmond, if he would stand. Should Lee, however, fall back to Richmond, Grant purposed following him up and effecting a junction with Butler's forces on the James River, and he urged upon Butler to secure foothold as far up the south side of the river as he could, and, if he could not carry Richmond, at least to detain as large a force of the enemy as possible.

Butler, at this time, with the corps under Smith and Gillmore (p.424), had a division of horse, commanded by Gen. Kautz, making his force 30,000 in all. They were assembled at Yorktown and Gloucester Point, on the opposite side of the York River, and were in a position to move by land up the Peninsula toward Richmond, or take up the line of the James River, and threaten the rebel capital from the south side. The last was the purpose really had in view, although feints were made of attacking in other directions. To distract the attention of the enemy, a brigade of troops, at the last moment, was sent up very the York River to the White House Landing, where, at the time Butler's army was in motion, they were employ ed in constructing a wharf. The decep tion was complete. When all was ready, on Wednesday, May 4th, the transport steamers were sent from Fortress Monroe to the mouth of York

1864.

BERMUDA HUNDRED OCCUPIED.

CH. IX.] River to take on board the troops, and that night they were quietly brought down to Hampton Roads. The ascent of the James River was to commence at daybreak, the fleet consisting of the transports, preceded by a number of gun boats and monitors. Some detention occurred, but at eight o'clock, all preliminaries were arranged, and the expedition began the ascent of the river. The object in view was the occupation of the neck of land at City Point, on the right bank, where the Appomattox empties into the James, a position about twenty miles from Rich. mond and ten from Petersburg, consequently threatening both places, and within easy striking distance of the important line of railroad communication between the two places.*

On the way up the river, there were only two points at which opposition might be expected, viz., at Wilson's Landing, at a bend of the stream on the left bank, about thirty-five miles below Richmond, and at Fort Powhatan, at the next turn on the right. At neither of these places, nor at City Point, was any opposition offered by the rebels. The surprise was complete. The troops were landed without difficulty, and, before the next morning, had secured the

* Gen. Grant's language, in regard to the expected co-operation of Butler, is worth quoting: 'My first object being to break the military power of the rebel lion and capture the enemy's important strongholds,

made me desirous that Gen. Butler should succeed in

his movement against Richmond, as that would tend more than any thing else, unless it were the capture of Lee's army, to accomplish this desired result in the East. It was well understood, both by Gens. Butler and Meade, before starting on the campaign, that it was my intention to put both their armies south of the James River, in case of failure to destroy Lee without it."-rant's "Report," p. 10.

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station at City Point, and a most desirable foothold in the triangular district of Bermuda Hundred, a neck of land formed by the sinuous course of the James and Appomattox Rivers. An entrenchment was effected readily on the west, which, with the gun boats on the flanks, completed the defences of the position thus acquired.

On the 7th of May, Butler made a reconnaissance against the Petersburg and Richmond Railroad, and, after a severe contest with a body of the rebels in position covering that road from Walthal Junction north to Chester Station, he succeded in destroying a portion of it. On the 9th, Butler sent a dispatch to Washington, summing up his operations thus far, and, as we shall see, by and by, giving too sanguine a view of his success over Beauregard.*

As previously stated, the Army of the Potomac pressed on in pursuit of Lee toward Spottsylvania Court House, on the night of May 7th, and the next day, Sunday the 8th, found that the rebels had anticipated them and were already in position. Longstreet's column by a forced march had gained the advantage, and barred further progress. A severe contest ensued on Sunday morning, May 8th, on the Brock Road, from Todd's Tavern, at a clearing near Alsop's farm, in which the enemy, force, were encountered by the brigades of Bartlett and Robinson, with heavy loss to their commands, Robinson being severely wounded. At

in

1864.

* In a number of pages devoted to this point, Mr. Swinton sharply criticises Gen. Grant's plan and purpose, so far as he can understand what the commander in chief expected Butler to do.-" Army of the Petomac," pp. 462-464.

this juncture, Warren was compelled to rally his troops in person; the other portions of his corps were brought up under Gens. Crawford and Cutler, who had succeeded Wadsworth, and the fighting was continued until evening without being able to drive the rebels entirely from their entrenched position. The operations of the day left them in possession of Spottsylvania Court House. Lee, in fact, had succeeded in placing his army across Grant's line of march; and having made Spottsylvania Ridge a bulwark of defence, he was able, for twelve days, to hold our army in check and compel a further bloody delay in the advance upon Richmond.

On Monday, May 9th, the Army of the Potomac confronted the enemy, Longstreet and Ewell occupying the formidable ridge before Spottsylvania Court House. There was some can nonading as well as some skirmishing during the forenoon, but no general battle. The rebel sharpshooters were very active, and one distinguished vic tim fell a prey to their deadly aim. This was Gen. Sedgwick, who was not only one of the most gallant officers in the service, but was also beloved by the whole army. He was in the front of the extreme right of his corps, superintending the posting of some guns, when a ball pierced his face just below the left eye, and he fell dead instantly. Gen. H. G. Wright succeeded to the command of the 6th corps. Towards evening, Grant ordered another advance on the enemy, and on the same day dispatched Sheridan on a raid against the rebel line of communication with Richmond. Hancock held the right of our

line, Warren the centre, and Wright the left. Birney's and Gibbon's divisions of Hancock's corps, followed by Car roll's brigade, crossed the Po and met the enemy, when some severe fighting occurred, attended by heavy losses. An attack was also made on a portion of Burnside's corps on the left, but it was repulsed with great spirit.

The next day, May 10th, the army of Grant occupied substantially the same position as on the previous day. His line stretched about six miles on the northerly bank of the Po, and took the general form of a crescent, the wings being thrown forward. The conflict began, early in the morning, with heavy discharges of artillery, which were kept up all the forenoon. A vigorous attack was made upon Lee's centre, and our troops fought most gallantly, but not with the success which was expected. The rebels checked our advance, and turning the right across the Po, compelled the withdrawal of Barlow's division of Hancock's corps, at that point, to the east bank. The coolness and steadiness of our men on this occasion saved them from a great disaster. Toward the close of the day, an energetic assault was made by the troops of the 2d and 5th corps, upon a hill held by the enemy in front of Warren's line; but it met with a very bloody repulse. On the left of Warren, an assault, made just at evening, by Upton's brigade of the 6th corps, met with better success. The enemy's works were scaled, the first line of rifle-pits captured, and more 1864, than 1,000 prisoners taken, with several guns. This advance, however, was not sustained, and the night, as

CH. IX.J

THE FOURTEEN HOURS' BATTLE.

always before, closed on a hard-fought but indecisive field. Our loss had been not less than 10,000 men; but the rebels, it was thought, had suffered quite as severely as the Army of the Potomac. Gen. Rice, of the 5th corps, and Gen. Stevenson, of the 9th corps, both brave and valuable officers, were among the killed.

It was evident, from the tenacity and skill with which Lee offered resistance to Grant's advance, that he was not prepared to stake his fortunes upon a single great battle. Continuous fighting, within lines of defence, was his policy, and he meant, in this way, to contest every inch of ground between Grant and Richmond. The commander in chief of our armies was not, however, one to be readily turned aside from any work he had undertaken. Although the loss of life and limb had been fear ful, even terrible, to contemplate, still Grant faltered not; and firmly bent on the object of his campaign, he was fully determined, at whatever cost, to continue the struggle. This resolution was expressed in terse and pointed terms at the close of a dispatch, sent to the secretary of war, on Wednesday morning, May 11th-"We have now ended," he wrote, "the sixth day of very heavy fighting. The result, to this time, is much in our favor. Our losses have been heavy, as well as those of

1861.

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skirmishing and in reconnoitring with reference to movements the next day. During the night, Hancock's corps was shifted from his position on the right to the left, occupying the ground between Gens. Wright and Burnside. On Thurs day, May 12th, at dawn of day, amid a dense mist and fog, the 2d corps moved upon the enemy's lines. Barlow's division in front, followed by those of Birney, Gibbon and Mott, gallantly dashed over the intervening ground, and took the rebels completely by surprise. With loud cheers, our men leaped over the hostile entrenchments, and in a few moments captured the whole of Johnson's division and part of Early's, some 3,000 in number, together with two rebel generals, E. Johnson and G. H. Stuart, and between thirty and forty cannon. The second line of rifle-pits was immediately stormed, and, after a stubborn resistance, wrested from the enemy. The action now became general, and the heavy cannonading, all along the line, was answered with spirit by Lee's army. Burnside's and Wright's troops joined in the conflict, while Warren occupied the enemy in front. Roused to the danger, the enemy made repeated attempts to re-occupy the lost works, but were repulsed with heavy slaughter by our batteries and the musketry of the infantry; an advantage which the foe, in turn, maintained in front, where they were strong. ly posted. The contest for the works captured in the morning was continued through the day. Burnside, on the extreme left, was engaged in the afternoon, in a stubborn and bloody en

1864.

the enemy. I think the enemy's must be greater. We have taken over 5,000 prisoners in battle, while he has taken from us but few except stragglers. I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer." Wednesday passed in some slight counter with the enemy, in which he

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