CH. XI.] ASSAULT ON PETERSBURG. 445 brigade into it from any source, and it of the opening at once, and promptly was a bright moonlight night, affording moved a force on the railroad between every opportunity for further opera- Petersburg and Richmond, to destroy, tions. And, what made it still more and if possible hold it. Grant also orvexatious, Hancock having come up dered two divisions of the 6th corps, with two divisions of the 2d corps, just which were at the time embarking at after nightfall, and waiving his right Wilcox's Landing for City Point, to to assume the command, Smith did not march directly to the support of Buttake these troops and march into Pe- ler, at the same time urging upon him. tersburg, but used them simply to re- the importance of holding a position in lieve some of his own men in the cap- advance of his present line. Some two tured works, and suspended hostilities or three miles of the railroad track were until morning. The auspicious mo- torn up, in the vicinity of Walthal ment for capturing the place was thus Junction, and an advance was begun on lost, and the rebels, well aware of its the Richmond turnpike. The two divalue to them, began to pour in troops visions, just spoken of, joined Butler rapidly for its occupation and defence. on the forenoon of the 17th, and while On Grant's arrival the next morning, he was holding with a strong picket June 16th, the rebels were found to be line the enemy's works. But instead in force, ready to oppose a formidable of putting these troops into the works resistance to our further approach. to hold them, he unwisely allowed them During the earlier part of the day, Warren and Wright were hastening forward with their corps to the scene of action, and Burnside, about noon, reached Petersburg with the 9th corps. All the arrangements having been made, an assault was ordered by Meade. It was begun at six o'clock in the afternoon, and the fighting continued, with but little intermission, until six o'clock the next morning, June 17th; the result, however, was of no particular advantage, except that Burnside, at daylight, assaulted the enemy's line to the left of Hancock's corps, and captured three redoubts, five guns, and about 450 prisoners. to halt and rest some distance in the rear of his own line. The consequence was, that the rebels under Longstreet made a vigorous attack upon Butler, and in the course of the afternoon drove in his pickets, and re-occupied and strengthened their lines at that point. Grant, determined, if possible, to take Petersburg, now resolved upon a general direct assault. During the day, June 17th, our line was strongly posted, and being carefully adjusted, was gradually moved up towards the enemy. At four o'clock, on the morning of the 18th of June, the skirmishers found that the rebels had abandoned their second line, and retired to a strongly Butler, having discovered that the intrenched interior line, a mile nearer rebels, anxious about Petersburg, had the city. Within this, they resisted withdrawn, June 16th, a large body of successfully all our assaults. Never troops from his front, took advantage men fought more gallantly than those engaged in the present attempt;* but victory was not within their grasp. Advantages in position were gained by our men, and though the 2d, 5th, and 9th corps met with severe losses, and were not able to expel the enemy from Petersburg, yet our army proceeded to envelop the city toward the Southside Railroad, as far as possible without attacking fortifications.† The losses in the Army of the Potomac, during these last few days' operarations, were very heavy, amounting, in killed, wounded, and missing, to nearly 10,000. The capture of Petersburg, by direct assault, having been found impracticable, early efforts were made to cut off its supplies in the rear, by operations upon the railroads south of Richmond. A demonstration against the Weldon Railroad was made by way of the Jerusalem road, on the 21st and 22d of June. The advance, on the first day, was resisted by the rebels, who, fully warned of the movement, came down in force on the following day, under A. P. Hill, and, by a flank attack, inflicted a heavy blow, capturing a large number of prisoners and four guns. The disaster of the day was checked by subsequent movements on the field, in which * Gen. Grant, in a dispatch on the 17th of June, spoke in the highest terms of the bravery and endur ance of the soldiers:-"Too much praise cannot be given to the troops and their commanders, for the energy and fortitude displayed the last five days. Day and night has been all the same, no delays being al lowed on any account." Coppée, in his rather flowery way, says: "Grant had laid upon the devoted city of Richmond the first coil-ever tightening-of that anaconda grasp, never to be released until the monster should be strangled and lie lifeless in the embrace."-" Grant and his Campaigns," p. 353. Meade brought up the oth corps, and the shattered 2d recovered a portion of its lost ground. Another attempt was made upon the railroad the next day, by a part of Wright's corps; but it met with repulse, the enemy taking a number of prisoners, and our loss, in killed and wounded, being quite heavy. On the 22d of June, Wilson's divi sion of cavalry, with Kautz's brigade, was dispatched for the purpose of breaking the line of the Danville Railroad. The force, numbering about 6,000 men, with three batteries of four guns each, moved on the morning of the day just named, struck the Weldon Road at Ream's Station, and crossed the country to the Lynchburg Railroad at Ford's Station, where, as at the former place, the track was broken up and the buildings and other property of the road destroyed. The next day, the 23d of June, Kautz, taking the lead, reached the junction with the 1864, Danville Road at Burkesville, where he broke up and burnt several miles of the track. Wilson, following on the Lynchburg Road, encountered the enemy at Nottoway Court House, and a sharp skirmish ensued. On the 24th, Wilson continued his advance, destroying the Danville Railroad to Roanoke Bridge, a distance of more than twenty-five miles. Here he found the enemy too strongly posted to be dislodged. Crossing the country to the Nottoway River, he reached the Weldon Railroad at the vicinity of Jarrett's Station. A push was made for Ream's Station, on the supposition that it was in our possession. At this place he was met by the rebel cavalry, support CH. XI.] HAGERSTOWN PILLAGED BY THE REBELS. ed by infantry, and forced to retire, with the loss of his artillery and trains.* Wilson's force having become divided, the portion under Kautz reached the camp, by hard riding, in advance of Wilson, who, taking a more southerly route, crossed the Nottoway River and came in safely a few days later. The whole force which escaped was thoroughly exhausted with hardships and fatigue, and the entire loss was estimated at less than 1,000 men. The damage, however, to the rebels, in this expedition, more than compensated, in Grant's opinion, for the losses sustained. It severed all connection by railroad with Richmond for several weeks. 447 compel the reduction of Grant's force before Richmond. The movement was made with secrecy and skill, and as the force of the enemy numbered some 15,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry, under one of the most active of the rebel leaders, Jubal Early, there was certainly a fair prospect of success. 1864. Sigel was, at this time, in command of the defences of the Potomac in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry, with his headquarters at Martinsburg. On the enemy's approach, Sunday morning, July 3d, Sigel retreated across the Potomac at Shepardstown; and Gen. Weber, at Harper's Ferry, crossed the river and occupied Maryland Heights. The lower counties of the Valley were now at the mercy of the enemy, and they freely helped themselves to such supplies as they could lay hands on, while their force was brought up preparatory to making heavier demands upon the farmers and storekeepers of Maryland and Pennsylvania. On the 4th of July, a party of Mosby's guerrillas crossed the Potomac to Point of Rocks, and plundered the stores of that place. The next day a squad of the rebel cavalry made their appearance before Hagerstown, and on the 6th, Ransom, with McCausland's brigade, entered the place, and demanded $20,000 from the councilmen, which were paid to save the town from being burnt. Two days afterwards, the town was again The again pillaged by a party of raiders under Imboden. A suspension of active operations in the army of the James River, after the ineffectual movements upon Petersburg, and the fact that Hunter's retreat by way of the Kanawha (p. 442), had laid open the Shenandoah Valley for raids into Maryland and Pennsylvania, induced the rebels to make a vigorous effort in that direction. The large amount of stores at Martinsburg furnished an incentive to the enemy's movement, though, doubtless, the prime objects of the expedition were, to gather in the ripening crops in the Valley, and, by threatening Washington, to * Pollard's view of matters at this date is worth quoting:-"It was evident that the spirit of the North had commenced to stagger under this accumulation of disaster. Gold had already nearly touched 300. The uneasy whispers in Washington of another draft gave new suggestions to popular discontent...... The finances at Washington were becoming desperate. Mr. Chase, the secretary of the treasury, had peremptorily resigned. His last words of official counsel were, that nothing could save the finances but series of military successes of undoubted magnitude "-"Third Year of the War,” p. 276. Compare also note from Swinton, on p. 443. Grant, anxious to check, as speedily as possible, this movement of the enemy, sent the 6th corps, and the 19th corps, which had just arrived from the Gulf 1864. department, to give efficient aid in the active operations at Washington and its vicinity, for the defence of the capi tal and the expulsion of the rebels. The president called for 12,000 militia from Pennsylvania, 12,000 from New York, and 5,000 from Massachusetts; and Gen. Couch, at Chambersburg, and Gen. L. Wallace at Baltimore, were busily occupied in organizing and fitting troops for the field. The stores and supplies at Frederick, against which the enemy moved on the 6th of July, were brought away by the railroad to Baltimore, and the city was evacuated by our troops, who fell back to a position a few miles distant, south of the Monocacy River, at the junction of the roads to Washington and Baltimore. Wallace, with Rickett's division, and his own command, the latter mostly new and undisciplined troops, pushed out promptly from Baltimore, and met the enemy in force on the Monocacy, near the crossing of the railroad bridge. This was on Saturday, the 9th of July, and the battle which resulted lasted from nine o'clock, A.M., to five, P.M. Our troops stood their ground well, and fought bravely during a long summer day; but the superior numbers of the enemy, and the heavy losses in killed and wounded, led to an entire defeat of Wallace's force, the remnant of which reached Ellicott's Mills the next morning. One advantage resulted in our favor, viz., the detaining of the enemy, and thereby enabling Wright to reach Washington with two divisions of the 6th corps, and the advance of the 19th corps, before him The rebels were now, for the present, free to continue their depredations through the central portion of Mary. land, an advantage which they availed themselves of to the utmost, exacting large contributions in the small towns and driving off liberal supplies of live stock from the farmers. The country from the Potomac as far north as Westminster, and east to the line of the Central Railroad, was freely pillaged; and the drift of the rebel movement being eastwardly, Couch, on the 9th of July, took possession of Hagerstown on their flank. From the Monocacy the rebels mov. ed directly towards Washington. They marched by the direct route through Rockville, and onward to the vicinity of the capital, a considerable body making its appearance, on the 11th of July, in front of Fort Stevens, one of the series of works protecting Washington on the northern side. A brigade was sent to dislodge the advance of the enemy; a severe skirmish ensued, with considerable loss, and the rebels were put to rout near Silver Springs. That same night, July 12th, alarmed at the prospect of affairs, they began their retreat, and, loaded with booty, prepared to re-cross the Potomac in the vicinity of Poolesville. "Learning the exact condition of affairs at Washington," says Grant, in his report, "I requested by telegraph, at 11.45 P.M., on the 12th, the assignment of Wright to the command of all the troops that could be made available to operate in the field against the enemy, and directed that he should get outside of the trenches with all the force CH. XI.] CHAMBERSBURG, PENN., BURNT. he could, and push Early to the last moment. Gen. Wright commenced the pursuit on the 13th of July; 1864. on the 18th, the enemy was overtaken at Snicker's Ferry, on the Shenandoah, when a sharp skirmish occurred; and on the 20th, Gen. Averill encountered and defeated a portion of the rebel army at Winchester, capturing four pieces of artillery and several hundred prisoners." Hunter was directed to remain in the Shenandoah Valley, and keep his troops between any force of the enemy and Washington, acting on the defensive as much as possible. About the 25th of July, the rebels were again advancing upon Maryland and Virginia. Scattered parties began to cross the upper fords of the Potoraac, and to renew their depredations. One of the most destructive of these incursions was that made upon Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, on the morning of July 30th. A body of raiders, under McCausland, some 500 in number, made a dash upon the town, and demanded immediately $500,000. If the money was not furnished at once, they declared they would set fire to and burn up everything. As it was of course impossible to furnish such a sum on the instant, they proceeded, without a moment's delay, to inflict the threatened vengeance. No time was given to remove private property, and barely enough for the citizens to save their families. The town was fired in different quarters, and over 250 of its houses consumed, including all the public buildings, stores, and hotels. About two-thirds of the place was thus con VOL. IV.-57. 149 sumed. The pecuniary loss was estimated at over $1,000,000, a heavy disaster to a town of 6,000 inhabitants. The occupation of Chambersburg and the conflagration were the work of but a few hours. Averill, with his cavalry, entered the place at noon, just as the enemy withdrew, and pursued them on the westerly road 1864. through McConnellsburg. The next day he followed them to the Potomac, at Hancock, where his jaded command prevented further pursuit. The destruction of Chambersburg, and other incursions across the Potomac, aroused greater activity. Kelly and Averill rendered important services in meeting and defeating the enemy at several points, and driving them, with diminished numbers, into the mountains of West Virginia. Seeing that Petersburg was not to be taken by direct assault on our part the army was busily occupied in strengthening its lines, pushing forward entrenchments, and planting powerful batteries at convenient points, which kept up, at intervals, a destructive bombardment of the city. Our forces having been drawn in from the left for purposes of concentration, the enemy were free to repair the injuries to the Weldon Road, which was again put in working order. There were occasional reconnaissances, with skir mishing, during the greater part of the month of July, while a portion of both armies was withdrawn to the Potomac. The heat of the month, of unusual con tinuance without a respite, was intoler able, and was aggravated by the unin termitted drought The work in the |