ing the many desperate combats of this bloody year, the Army of the Potomac lost only 25 and gained but 32 guns. Its losses of guns were mainly incurred at Reams's station; its gains were chiefly made at Spottsylvania. Grant's conduct of this campaign was not satisfactory to the Confederate critics, who gave a decided preference to the strategy of McClellan. They hold that the former aimed only to overpower and crush by brute force-by the employment of overwhelming numbers-and by a lavish expenditure of blood. Doubtless, a great military genius, such as appears once in two or three centuries, might have achieved them at a smaller cost; as a timid, hesitating, purposeless commander would have failed to achieve them at all. The merit which may be fairly claimed for Grant is that of resolutely undertaking a very difficult and formidable task, and executing it to the best of his ability-at all events, doing it. That, when south of the James, he was just where the Rebels wished him not to be, they showed by desperate and hazardous efforts to draw him thence; and the proof was duplicated in the final collapse of the Rebellion. Other campaigns were more brilliant; but none contributed more positively and eminently to break the power of the Confederates than that which began on the Rapidan and ended in front of Petersburg and across the Weldon road. XXVI. WEST VIRGINIA AND NORTH OF THE RAPIDAN IN 1864. at Jonesville, in the extreme west of old Virginia, near Cumberland gap, held by Maj. Beers with 300 Illinoisans and 3 guns, who were surrounded, surprised, and captured by Sam. Jones, after a smart contest, in which our loss was 60. The excuse for holding an outpost thus exposed was the necessity of collecting forage for our larger force at Cumberland gap. THE 'ANACONDA' is a clumsy, slug- | northern Virginia. The first occurred1 gish beast; effecting his ends by an enormous, even lavish expenditure of force; but Grant's anaconda differed from that of Scott and McClellan in being thoroughly alive. The simultaneous National advance in 1864 from all points, against the armies and remaining strongholds of the Rebellion, was not merely ordered; it was actually attempted-with many reverses at the outset, and no decidedly encouraging results for some months, but with ultimately overwhelming success. Before Gen. Grant had been placed in chief command, there had been several collisions in western and 1 Jan. 3, 1864. A nearly simultaneous raid by FitzHugh Lee's cavalry, on the line of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad west of Cumberland, came to nothing; but a later expedition, sent under Rosser over into West Virginia from the Valley by Early, surprised' a train BRECKINRIDGE DEFEATS SIGEL AT NEWMARKET. 599 moving from New creek to Peters- | Gen. Crook, aiming at the Rebel reburg, Hardy county; and, after a sources in the vicinity of Staunton brief struggle, captured 270 prison- and Lynchburg. Sigel, with some ers, 93 six-mule wagons, heavily la- 10,000 men, moved' up the Valley den, and brought away 1,200 cattle accordingly, and was met, near NEWand 500 sheep, in addition. Of many MARKET, by a Rebel army of at least raids from 'Dixie' into West Virginia, equal force under Breckinridge; to hardly another was so cheaply suc- strengthen whom, the region west of cessful as this. him had very properly been stripped and left nearly defenseless. After some manoeuvering and skirmishing, Breckinridge, at 3 P. M., ordered a determined charge, by which Sigel's badly handled army was routed, and driven back to Cedar creek, near Strasburg, with a loss of 700 men, 6 guns, 1,000 small arms, his hospitals, and part of his train. Breckinridge seems not to have followed up his victory, because his forces were needed to repel the advance of Crook from the west. Rosser next surprised' the Baltimore and Ohio railroad station at Patterson creek bridge, 8 miles west of Cumberland, capturing a company which held it; but was struck, on his return, at Springfield, near Romney, by Gen. Averill, with a far superior Union force, and chased out of the new State; losing his Patterson creek prisoners and a considerable portion of his own men and horses. Col. Gallup, commanding on the border of eastern Kentucky, surprised Col. Ferguson, a Rebel guerrilla, at the Rock House, Wayne co., West Virginia, killing 15 and taking 50 prisoners, including Ferguson. Gen. Scammon, commanding at Charlestown, had been surprised and captured, with the steamboat Levi, on the Kanawha, by Lt. Verdigan, one of Ferguson's subordinates, a few days before. Verdigan, with but 10 men, captured a General, 4 other of ficers, and 25 privates, beside the steamboat and her crew; throwing overboard the captured arms so fast as he could seize them, so as to preclude the danger of a rescue. Scammon and his two aids were sent prisoners to Richmond; the residue paroled. Crook had moved from Charlestown simultaneously with Sigel's advance from Winchester; and—as if to preclude the last chance of ultimate success-had divided his command; sending Averill, with 2,000 cavalry, to destroy the lead-mines near Wytheville, while he advanced farther to the left. But when Averill reached' Wytheville, he found there John Morgan, with a formidable cavalry force dispatched by Gen. W. E. Jones from Saltville; and a stubborn fight came off, wherein Averill was clearly worsted. He tries in his 'General Order' to make the result a drawn fight against "overwhelming numbers;" but, as he does not claim to have destroyed the leadworks, nor taken the town, nor achieved anything in particular, save that "the purposes of the enemy were foiled by the engagement," there is ' May 10. May 1. May 15. 7 no room for doubt that he was virtu- ing Gen. Hunter to succeed him. ally beaten. The old, fatally vicious system of Gen. Crook, with 11 tegiments, numbering some 6,000 men, had made directly for the Virginia and Tennessee railroad at Dublin station; 4 miles from which he was met by a far inferior Rebel force under McCausland, which fought bravely, but was beaten off, with a loss on our part of 126 killed and 585 wounded. The railroad here, and for a short distance eastward, was destroyed. And now the appearance of a considerable Rebel rëenforcement, dispatched from Wytheville by Morgan before he fought Averill, impelled Crook to retreat to Meadow bridge; so that, when Averill reached Dub-merous'-and a spirited and welllin, Crook was gone, which left him fought action resulted in the defeat no choice but to follow. Thus the con- of Jones, who was shot through the centric movement upon Lee's flank head, and fell dead on the field. and rear resulted, as usual with such Among the fruits of this victory combinations, in general failure, if were 1,500 prisoners, 3 guns, and not positive disaster. A force that, 3,000 small arms. It was. in fact, a if concentrated, could have beaten all rout; leaving the Rebel army incathe Rebels in Virginia west of the pable of further resistance. Blue ridge, had been so dispersed and frittered away as to achieve less than nothing. Grant at once relieved Sigel, send-Jones to oppose them-joined" him; * June 5. Hunter advanced to Staunton, where Crook and Averill-no considerable force having been left by beating back repeated charges of our infantry and Col. C. G. Halpine, chief of staff to Hunter, cavalry, under Gens. Sullivan and Stahl-for says of this conflict: The forces actually engaged were about equal: Gen. Hunter having some 9,000 men actually in action, while the enemy had about the same-strongly posted, however, on a range of hills, horse-shoe shaped and heavily timbered, and further protected by rifle-pits and rail-fence barricades, hastily thrown up the night before. The Rebel morning report of the day previous, found on the dead body of Gen. Jones that after noon, showed that he had then under him 6,800 regular Confederate soldiers; while we knew that he was joined on the morning of the engagement by Vaughan's brigade from East Tennessee, and also by about 1,500 militia-old men and young boys, not worth the powder required to kill them-hurried forward from Staunton and Lynchburg on news of our advance. "The fight, though not large in numbers, was singularly obstinate and fluctuating: the enemy neither the divisions of Crook nor Averill had bagging' that army-so popular with Congres sional orators and enthusiastic editors-might whipped or more utterly demoralized crowd of have been easily accomplished; for a worse beaten men never fled from any field." 10 June 8. HUNTER MISCARRIES AT LYNCHBURG. 601 and moved thence directly to Lex- | have been misjudged; but Hunter, ington; disappointing Grant, who had expected him at Gordonsville, and had sent his cavalry under Sheridan to meet him there. His failure to do so subjected Sheridan to like failure in his approach to Gordonsville, as we have seen. Hunter's force was now increased to about 20,000 men; and he hastened, via Lexington, to Lynchburg -the chief city of western (old) Virginia-intent on its speedy reduction. But Lynchburg, the focus of a rich, populous region, and of extensive manufactures, lies on the James river and canal, in unbroken railroad communication with Richmond and Petersburg on the one side, and with the farther south on the other. Lee who might as well have lost Richmond-dispatched a very considerable force to its relief; part of which arrived the day before Hunter at tacked" the city from the south, and still more during the following night, wherein several trains arrived from the east filled with men. Hunter found his ammunition running low, a strong city before him, and the whole Confederacy virtually rallying to overwhelm him. He had no choice but to retreat, sharply pursued; following the railroad westward to Salem-where the pursuit ended—and thence striking, via Newcastle," for Meadow bluff," in West Virginia; his provisions long since exhausted, and very little to be gleaned in midsummer from that poor, thinly-peopled, war-exhausted region. No rations were obtained till the 27th; and the sufferings of men and loss of horses were deplorable. The direction of his retreat may lacking many things, never lacked courage; and he believed that an attempt to regain the Shenandoah directly from Lynchburg would have seriously imperiled his army. But his withdrawal into West Virginia rendered him no longer formidable to the enemy, and involved a circuitous, harassing movement by the Kanawha, the Ohio, Parkersburg, and Grafton, before he could again be of any service. The Rebels, aware of this, promptly resolved to make the most of their opportunity. Early, who had headed the corps sent from Richmond to the relief of Lynchburg, collecting all the forces he could muster, moved rapidly northward, and very soon appeared" on the Potomac: Sigel, commanding at Martinsburg, retreating precipitately by Harper's Ferry, with a heavy loss of stores, and taking post on Maryland Heights, where the enemy did not see fit to assail him, but once more destroyed the Baltimore and Ohio railroad for a considerable distance, levied a contribution of $20,000 on Hagerstown, burned some buildings at Williamsport, and, raiding up into the border of Pennsylvania, scoured the country far and wide for horses, cattle, provisions, and money. The movement was so well masked by cavalry that the strength of the invading force-probably never so much as 20,000-was enormously exaggerated, spreading general panic, and causing the Government to call urgently on Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts, for militia to meet the emergency. Gen. Couch was commanding in Pennsylvania; Gen. Lew. Wallace "July 2-3. 13 June 25. Early in the morning," Wallace's dispositions for battle were completed. His right, under Gen. Tyler, cover in Maryland: the demonstrations | Finding the enemy in his front rapidly against the former were only intend-growing formidable, and threatening ed to distract attention from a blow to turn his left, Wallace now withaimed at the latter. Wallace, soon drew by night " from Frederick across satisfied of this, drew out his scanty the Monocacy, and took up the posiforces-for the East had, ere this, been tion on its left bank, already held swept nearly bare of troops to fill the by Gen. Ricketts, which he resolved chasms made by constant fighting in to hold so long as he could-since, if the armies operating against Rich- the Rebels were in strong force, and mond-and resolved to confront the intent on a dash at Washington, it invaders on the MONOCACY, which af- was important at least to check them, forded a tolerable defensive position. by compelling them to concentrate Yet, when his forces were concen- and fight; thus gaining time for the trated at Frederick," they numbered arrival of help from Grant. barely 3,000; and these mainly Home Guards and 100-day volunteers, who had never been in action. Col. Clendenin, with his cavalry-ed the Baltimore pike; his left, unsome 400 in all-was sent out to der Gen. Ricketts, held the high Middletown to find the enemy; but road to Washington. Each had three was soon driven back" by Gen. guns. The bridges were held; skirBradley T. Johnson, with 1,000 Rebel mishers being thrown out beyond horsemen. Clendenin retreated on them. Col. Clendenin's cavalry Frederick, and was there supported watched the lower fords. Only part by Lt. Col. Griffin's infantry, raising of Ricketts's division was on hand; his force to 1,000; and a brief artil- but the residue was expected by raillery duel ensued, which resulted in road at 1 P. M. At 8 A. M., the enemy Johnson's falling back. advanced in force from Frederick, Wallace now reached Frederick-throwing out skirmishers and planthis forces having hitherto been im- ing behind them his guns, which soon mediately directed by Gen. Tyler-opened the battle. Having not less but could gain no reliable account of the enemy's strength or purposes -the wildest and most conflicting reports being in circulation. He soon learned by telegram from Sigel, on Maryland Heights, that the enemy lately beleaguering him had left, marching northward, as if making for Pennsylvania; while he had assurances from Washington that a corps of veterans were hurrying to his assistance. General Ricketts, with a brigade of good soldiers, belonging to the 19th corps, actually came up. 15 July 6. 10 July 7. than 16 Napoleons to our 6 smaller pieces, the superiority of his fire was very decided. The skirmishing grew gradually warmer and more general, and soon there was serious fighting at the stone bridge on the Baltimore pike. A considerable body of Rebel infantry, moving by their right just out of range of our guns, flanked our left, forcing a passage of the Monocacy at a ford nearly two miles below the wooden bridge on the Washington road. And now, at 10 A. M., the enemy advanced in battle array July 9. 27 17 July 8. |