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and east of Richmond that would
Such were Grant's ideas, purposes
tect the Fredericksburg Railroad-a and expectations; the narrative of fur-
long, vulnerable line, which would ex- ther operations in this important field
haust much of our strength to guard, will show in how far he was favored
and that would have to be protected with success, or had to bear up under
to supply the army, and would leave disappointment. In order to gain time
open to the enemy all his lines of com- for the contemplated movement to the
munication on the south side of the south side of the James River, and give
James. My idea, from the start, had the rebels no inkling of his real pur
been to beat Lee's army north of Rich- pose, Grant vigorously maintained the
mond, if possible. Then, after destroy- advanced lines of the army; new en-
ing his lines of communication north trenchments were thrown up at night,
of the James River, to transfer the and frequent skirmishing took place
army to the south side and besiege Lee along the front. Sharpshooting was
in Richmond, or follow him south, if practised with great success on both
he should retreat. After the battle of sides, and for several nights (the rebels
the Wilderness, it was evident that had a penchant for night battles) as
the enemy deemed it of the first impor- saults were made, but uniformly re-
tance to run no risks with the army he pulsed by our men. Hancock's lines
then had. He acted purely on the de- were pushed to within forty yards of
fensive, behind breastworks, or feebly the rebel works. Fighting thus day
on the offensive, immediately in front after day, there were numbers of the
of them, and where, in case of repulse, dead and wounded lying between the
he could easily retire behind them. two armies; by an agreement between
Without a greater sacrifice of life than Grant and Lee to this effect, there was
I was willing to make, all could not an armistice of two hours, during which
be accomplished that I had designed the dead were buried and the wounded
north of Richmond; I therefore deter- removed from the field. All this while,
mined to continue to hold substantially for more than a week, Grant was re-
the ground we then (June 4th) occu-ceiving reinforcements, having supplies
pied, taking advantage of any favor-forwarded, and perfecting his arrange
able circumstances that might present
themselves, until the cavalry could be
sent to Charlottesville and Gordons- The commanding-general, attaching
ville, to effectually break up the rail- the highest importance to the posses
road connection between Richmond and sion of Petersburg, endeavored to have
the Shenandoah Valley and Lynch- it secured, before the enemy, becoming
burg; and, when the cavalry got well aware of his intention, could reinforce
off, to move the army to the south side the place.
to the south side the place. Butler, on the 10th of
of the James River, by the enemy's June, sent a force of infantry, under
right flank, where I felt I could cut off all Gillmore, and cavalry, under Kautz, to
his sources of supply except by canal." gain possession, if possible, of Peters-

ments for the important movement to
the south side of the James River.

t

CH. X.]

1864.

HUNTER'S ACTIVE OPERATIONS.

441

14th and 15th of June, the crossing of
the army over the James River was ac
complished, with slight molestation from
the enemy and trifling loss. The move-
ment was entirely successful, taking the
enemy quite by surprise, and was con-
ducted with great skill and celerity.
To use Grant's words in a dispatch :-
"Our forces drew out from within fifty
yards of the enemy's entrenchments at
Cold Harbor, made a flank movement
of about fifty-five miles' march, cross-
ing the Chickahominy and James Riv-
ers, the latter 2,000 feet wide and
eighty-four feet deep at the point of
crossing, without the loss of a wagon or
piece of artillery.”

burg, and destroy the railroad and common bridges across the Appomattox. Having crossed the river on a pontoon bridge laid near the Point of Rocks, Gillmore, with about 3,500 men, advanced by the direct road to the vicinity of Petersburg, drove back an outer skirmish line, and reconnoitred the fortifications. Kautz, meanwhile, with his cavalry, charged the works on the southerly side, carried them, and penetrated into the town; but, lacking the expected co-operation of the infantry, was compelled to withdraw. Both commands now returned to Bermuda Hundred with trifling loss. Grant, still hoping to secure the end he had in view, sent Hunter, who had taken the place of back to Bermuda Hundred and City Sigel in command of the forces in Point Smith's command, by water, via Western Virginia, following Grant's diWhite House, to reach Petersburg in rections, immediately entered upon the advance of the Army of the Potomac. offensive. On the 26th of May, he So anxious was he in regard to the passed through Mount Jackson, admatter, that he went by steamer to Ber-vanced to Harrisburg, and ascertained muda Hundred, and gave Butler ver- the presence of the enemy a few miles bal instructions to send Smith that in front at Mount Crawford, where they night, June 14th, with all the troops were guarding the approach to Staunthat could be spared without endan- ton. Making a feint upon their line at gering Butler's position, to make an as- the latter place, he turned off his main sault upon Petersburg. On Grant's force to Port Republic. Resting but a part, he promised to hurry forward night at this place, he moved the main bulk of the army, and to re- on, early the following morninforce Smith more rapidly than the ing, Sunday, June 5th, upon the enemy could concentrate at Peters- Staunton road, and met the enemy a burg. few miles out, in the vicinity of PiedGrant's movement from Cold Harbor mont. The cavalry, under Gen. Stahl, was begun on the night of Sunday, became at once engaged, and drove the June 12th; one division of cavalry and enemy some distance, when Gen. Sullithe 5th corps crossed the Chickahominy van brought up the infantry to the enat Long Bridge, and moved out to counter. After a battle of ten hours' White Oak Swamp, to cover the cross- duration, 1,500 men, three pieces of ings of the other corps. During the artillery, 300 stand of small arms,

VOL. IV. 56.

1864

and a vast quantity of stores were route by way of Kanawha, it deprived captured.

Grant of the use of his troops, for sev eral weeks, in defending the north. "Had Gen. Hunter," is Grant's comment in his report, "moved by way of Charlottesville, instead of Lexington, as his instructions contemplated, he would have been in a position to have covered the Shenandoah Valley against the enemy, should the force he met have seemed to endanger it. If it did not, he would have been within easy distance of the James River Canal, on the main line of communication between Lynchburg and the force sent for its defence."

Early in June, Sheridan was sent with a cavalry force of two divisions, against the Virginia Central Railroad, with instructions to Hunter, whom

The day following, Hunter marched into Staunton, where, on the 8th of June, he was joined by the forces of Crook and Averill, who had crossed the mountains to meet him. A vast quantity of property was destroyed at Staunton, including army clothing and stores, and railroad buildings and factories. The railroad was also destroyed in the vicinity, on both sides of the town. From Staunton the joint forces advanced to Lexington, which they reached on the 11th, burning the Virginia Military Institution at that place, destroying boats laden with stores, etc. Hunter, taking the route by Buchanan, struck the Tennessee Railroad at Liberty, west of Lynchburg, the vicinity of which place he reached on the 16th of June, having | Grant hoped he would meet near Charbeen joined by Averill's cavalry, which had made a circuitous route, destroying portions of the Lynchburg and Charlottesville Railroad by the way. Reinforcements were sent by Lee from Richmond to Lynchburg, which arrived in time to strengthen the defences of the place, and arrest the further progress of Hunter in this quarter. After some skirmishing on the 17th and 18th of June, Hunter, owing to a want of ammunition to give battle, retired from before the place.* As this lack of ammunition compelled him to take the

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lottesville, to join his forces to Sheri dan's, and, after performing their work thoroughly, to return to the Army of the Potomac by the route marked out in the instructions. Sheridan, with his usual activity and zeal, entered upon the expedition with which he was charged, for the details of which we must refer to his official report. He crossed the Pamunkey, June 7th, and encamped on Herring Creek. He re sumed his march the next day, and on the 10th, crossing both branches of the North Anna, encamped near Trevilian

of Western Viginia. The attempt of the Yankees to whitewash the infamous and cowardly denoument was more than usually refreshing. Hunter officially announced that his expedition had been 'extremely successful;' that he had left Lynchburg because his ammunition was run short;' and that, as to the singular line he had taken up, he was now ready for a move in any direction.'"—" Third Year of the War,"

* Pollard, in terms more forcible than elegant, contradicts the narrative above given: “On the 18th of June, Hunter made an attack upon Lynchburg from the south side, which was repulsed by troops that had arrived from Gen. Lee's lines. The next day, more reinforcements having come up, preparations were made to attack the enemy, when he retreated in confusion. We took thirteen of his guns, pursued him to Salem, and forced him to a line of retreat into the mountains | p. 275.

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CH. X.]

1864.

GENERAL GRANT'S VIEWS AND OPINIONS.

443

1864.

Station. He intended to cut the rail-ness than was displayed in the North, road, but found the enemy's cavalry in force. A severe contest ensued, which resulted in driving the rebels in confusion. On the 12th of June, Sheridan destroyed the railroad from Trevilian to Lorraine Court House, and sent his advance to attack the enemy near Gordonsville. An engagement took place, which Sheridan pronounced "by far the most brilliant one of the present campaign;" but Sheridan, not feeling himself strong enough, was compelled to retire, and crossed the North Anna the next day. His loss, in killed and wounded, was nearly 600, of whom about 500 were wounded. He captured 370 of the rebels, but lost by capture about 160. On his return march, Sheridan reached White House, June 19th, just as the enemy's cavalry had begun an attack, and compelled it to retire. After breaking up the depot at that place, he moved to the James River, which he reached in safety, with his large army train, after very heavy fighting. He commenced crossing, on the 25th of June, near Fort Powhatan, without further molestation, and rejoined the Army of the Potomac.

In concluding the present chapter, some remarks of Gen. Grant, in his official report (p. 18), are worth quoting: "During three long years the Armies of the Potomac and Northern Virginia had been confronting each other. In that time they had fought more desperate battles than it probably ever before fell to the lot of two armies to fight, without materially changing the vantage ground of either. The southern press and people, with more shrewd

finding that they had failed to capture
Washington and march on to
New York, as they had boasted
they would do, assumed that they only
defended their capital and southern ter-
ritory. Hence, Antietam, Gettysburg,
and all the other battles that had been
fought, were by them set down as fail-
ures on our part, and victories for them.
Their army believed this. It produced
a morale which could only be overcome
by desperate and continuous hard fight-
ing. The battles of the Wilderness,
Spottsylvania, North Anna, and Cold
Harbor, bloody and terrible as they
were on our side, were even more dam-
aging to the enemy, and so crippled
him as to make him wary ever after of
taking the offensive. His losses in men
were probably not so great, owing to
the fact that we were, save in the Wil
derness, almost invariably the attacking
party; and when he did attack it was
in the open field. The details of these
battles, which for endurance and brave-
ry on the part of the soldiery have
rarely been surpassed, are given in the
report of Major-General Meade, and the
subordinate reports accompanying it.”*

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CHAPTER XI.

1864.

FURTHER OPERATIONS IN VIRGINIA DURING THE SUMMER.

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Gen. Smith's movement against Petersburg-Unfortunate delay-Results - Assault ordered-Only parti ally successful - Butler's movement against the railroad — Wanting in promptitude - Repulse of our Direct assault on Petersburg ordered by Grant - Unsuccessful - Demonstration against the Weldon Railroad Repulsed-Cavalry expedition againt Danville Railroad-Wilson's and Kautz's exploits - Results - Rebel movement under Early in the Shenandoah Valley-Efforts made to resist his advance - Grant sends troops to Washington - Battle of the Monocacy - Rebel depredations and advance towards Washington - Retreat, and pursuit by our troops - Raid into Pennsylvania - Burning of ChambersburgAverill pursues the raiders-Investment and siege of Petersburg - Construction of a mine under the enemy's works - Movement to Deep Bottom - Lee's action - Assault on Petersburg ordered — The mine blown up - Terrible scene - Failure of the assaulting column to move rapidly and secure the crowning crest-Swinton's account and criticism - Woodbury's defence of Burnside-Grant's statement — Movement threatening Richmond on north side of the James-Severe fighting and general result-Warren's advance on the Weldon Railroad --- Fierce attack of the rebels to drive him off— Warren's important suc- Battle at Ream's Station - Hancock's report, and the result.

cess

GEN. GRANT's eager desire to obtain | sumed in arranging for an attack in possession of Petersburg, as an essential force, a circumstance much to be regretelement in his plan, and the steps which he took for this purpose, we have already spoken of (p. 440); and while Lee was probably thinking of an attack upon Richmond by way of Malvern Hills, and the north side of the James River, Grant's special efforts 1864. were bestowed upon the im

ted, inasmuch as every hour of time
was of the greatest value towards se-
curing the end had in view; and, as
Gen. Grant pithily says, "for some rea
son that I have never been able satis-
factorily to understand, Smith did not
get ready to assault the enemy's main
lines until near sundown."

mediate seizure of Petersburg, before it About seven P.M., Smith began the could be reinforced and its works man- attack, with a part of his command only, ned by the rebels. Gen. Smith, as di- and succeeded in carrying the lines rected, moved promptly upon the north-north-east of Petersburg, from the Ap east defences of Petersburg, on the 15th pomattox River, for a distance of more of June, and confronted the enemy's than two miles and a half, capturing pickets before daylight the next morn- fifteen pieces of artillery and over 300 ing. Skirmishing soon after occurred, prisoners. Unfortunately, Smith did and the negro troops, under Hincks, not push forward at once, as he ought behaved with spirit, and captured a to have done; for there were no works line of rifle pits and two 12-pounders. | between him and the city, the enemy The major part of the day was con- had not yet been able to bring even a

aft

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