country one of its purest patriots. The command of the Sixth Corps devolved upon General Horatio G. Wright.

[Four small streams, called (south to north) Mat, Ta, Po, and Ny, unite to form the Mattapony River, which flows into the Pamunkey. Spottsylvania Court House is between the Po and the Ny.

In the evening of May 9th Hancock made a reconnoissance in force, with a view to turning the Confederate left. One brigade crossed the Po and was fiercely assailed. It met with considerable loss, but inflicted more; but it was discovered that the Confederate left rested on the stream at a point above, and therefore the brigade re-crossed and took up their bridge.

Because of the woods and underbrush, much searching was required, to learn the outline and complete location of the Confederate intrenchments. Ravines were to be scrambled through, and bypaths followed out. At last the weak point was discovered in a sharp salient at the northern side of the works, and preparations for attacking there were made at once.

Colonel Emory Upton commanded the storming party, which consisted of twelve regiments from Wright's corps, who were to be supported by Mott's division of Hancock's corps; and the remainder of Wright's and the whole of Warren's were to advance and use any opportunity that might present itself.

Upton's men formed within the woods, near the enemy's line, while a heavy battery fired rapidly into the salient, enfilading one of its sides. The instant this firing ceased, at six o'clock in the evening, Upton's men burst out with a cheer and swept over the works. There was a short hand-to-hand fight, and they captured a few guns and more than a thousand prisoners.

Upton's men broke through another line of works; but the hour was late, the ground was difficult, and it was not practicable to take advantage of the apparent opportunity to thrust in a whole corps through the gap, and then they withdrew, leaving the guns, but carrying along the prisoners and the captured battleflags. Mott had not moved promptly and he therefore suffered some loss and effected nothing. Warren made two assaults and captured a section of the breastworks, but could not hold them after strong reënforcements had been thrown in against him.

At the same time that these operations were in progress, Burnside made a movement that gave him a position overlapping the Confederate right, which he might then have turned; but the advantage was not seen, and his troops were drawn back to close a gap between them and Wright's.

For this brilliant action Colonel Upton was made a brigadier-general on the field.

Heavy rain on the 11th prevented any movement except reconnoissances and preparations for further fighting on the morrow.

In the night Hancock's corps was moved by a woodroad to a point opposite the apex of the salient. At half-past four in the morning of the 12th it was light enough, and Hancock's men advanced through thickets of dead pines, till they reached the open ground directly in front of the salient. Halfway across this they broke out in wild cheering and rushed at the works. Though the half-surprised Confederates made a brave resistance, fighting desperately with clubbed muskets, Hancock's men were over the works in a few minutes, where they swept all before them, killing many of the defenders with the bayonet. They captured General

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Edward Johnson and his entire division of nearly 4000 men, and also General Steuart. Hancock, recognizing an old army friend, extended his hand and said: "How are you, Steuart?" "I am General Steuart, of the Confederate army," was the sullen answer, "and under the circumstances I decline to take your hand." "Under any other circumstances," said Hancock, "I should not have offered it." Thirty battle-flags, many small arms, and twenty guns with their horses and caissons were captured. The guns were turned upon the enemy, who was then followed through the woods till the pursuers came upon another line of works, which had been constructed in the night across the base of the salient. When Hancock went in at the apex of the salient, Burnside and Warren assailed it at the sides; but though they reached the breastworks they got no farther.

Lee poured his men into the salient, with a determination to retake it; and when the pressure became too great Hancock's men slowly retired to the outer intrenchments, crossed them, and then used them as their own. Before, the Confederates had been at disadvantage from defending a salient angle; now they were at equal disadvantage from attacking a reëntrant angle. Five times they charged in heavy masses against the works, and five times they were repelled with serious loss. Hancock had established batteries on high ground where they could fire over the heads of his men and strike the enemy within the salient. Here and along the western face the fighting was continued all day. Field guns were run up close to the works and fired into the masses of Confederate troops, producing a sickening havoc; but in turn the gunners and the horses were certain to be shot down. There was per