Page images
PDF
EPUB

Grant's plan was to begin a forward movement of all these armies, with a view to pounding the confederate armies until they surrendered or the confederacy went to pieces. After the first battle across the Rapidan, Lee remarked, "The army of the Potomac at last has a general who will not retreat.'

In

563. Battle of the Wilderness-May 5 and 6.-Grant had no sooner crossed the Rapidan and moved down toward the region where Hooker had met with such a severe repulse at Chancellorsville, than Lee fell furiously upon the army of the Potomac, determined to drive it back across the river. the two days' bloody battle which followed (May 5 and 6), Grant himself says no greater fighting was ever witnessed on the continent. The battle took place in what is known as "The Wilderness"-a wild lonely region, where the country for miles around is covered with a dense growth of cedar and scrub oak so closely compacted as to prevent the free and easy movement of troops. At the end of the two days' struggle, Lee retired to his intrenchments, and Grant, content to leave him there, began his famous series of movements "by the left flank" with a view to forcing his army in between Lee and his communication at Richmond. Lee, detecting his movement, hastily forsook his intrenchments, and being perfectly familiar with the geography of The Wilderness, soon planted himself squarely in front of Grant's line at Spottsylvania Courthouse.

564. The Battle of Spottsylvania Courthouse-May 9-12. Here for three days a furious battle raged in a country as wild as that in which the army had fought so desperately on the 5th and 6th of May. The battle ended at nightfall on the 12th of May, Lee falling back to a new position on the following morning. For eight days-from May 5 to 12the two armies had been constantly under fire, and all the while Grant steadily pressing nearer Richmond. "The men toiled all day at the work of slaughter, lay down to sleep at night, and rose to resume the bloody labor in the morning,

as men do in the ordinary peaceful business of life." The dead and wounded on both sides numbered into the thousands, and the ambulance train carrying the dying and wounded loyal soldiers of the north, made one long continuous line from Spottsylvania to Washington.

Cedar

• Winchester

Washington

Cedar Mt.

Potomac

565. North Anna-May 23-25: Cold Harbor-June 3.-At Spottsylvania, Grant rested a week on account of the rains. On the 19th of May, he moved toward the North Anna River, and in crossing it divided his army into two divisions. Lee at once saw his advantage and forced the confederate army between the now divided union forces. Several encounters (May 23-25) between the contending forces convinced Grant that it would be the part of wisdom to withdraw north of the stream. This he at once did, but he was no sooner across than he marched southeasterly along the

Rapidan

WIL

N. An,

SERNESS

Fredericksburg

Spottsylvania G.H.

Hanover

Pamunkey

Cold Harbor.

R.

Richmond White House
City Pomt?

Petersburg

James

FORT MONROE

A

The Wilderness District.

course of the North Anna to its junction with the Pamunkey River. He successfully crossed the latter stream in the vicinity of Hanover, and at once pushed forward in a southeasterly direction to Cold Harbor, ten miles from Richmond. Here he again found Lee strongly intrenched. On the morning of June 3, Grant gave battle, but he met with a bloody repulse, his loss in killed and wounded amounting to more than 5,000 men.

566. Change of Base from the York to the James River. Grant now gave up all hope of immediately taking Richmond, and resolved to change his base from White House on

the Pamunkey River to City Point on the James—a similar movement to the one accomplished by McClellan in 1862. While this movement was in progress under the direction of a part of his army and the navy, Grant lay in front of the intrenchments at Cold Harbor for ten days, hoping that Lee would come out and fight him in the open. Lee, however, remained within his intrenchments and Grant resumed his southward march, reaching the James River on the 14th of June. 567. The Race for Petersburg.-Now began a race between the two armies for the possession of Petersburg, a point twenty miles south of Richmond, and an important railroad center connecting with the confederate capital. Before the union soldiers attacked, Petersburg was strongly reinforced by Lee, who now took personal command of the defence of that city. An attempt was made by Meade on the 18th of June to carry the confederate works by assault, but Meade was repulsed with great loss of life. Grant, anxious to save the lives of his men, finally resolved on taking Petersburg by siege, thereby repeating the scenes so familiar to him at the siege of Vicksburg.

IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY WITH SHERIDAN

568. Early's Raids. In the latter part of June, Lee, hoping to draw off some of Grant's troops from the vicinity of Richmond, sent General Jubal A. Early northward to threaten Washington. On the 11th of July, Early arrived before that city, but delayed his attack until the following day. That night reinforcements came from Grant and the city was saved. Early retired, but in the latter part of July he again marched north-this time into the Shenandoah valley. He drove the union forces from that valley and swept across the Potomac into Maryland,-a portion of his force advancing as far north as Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The Shenandoah valley was a rich field for foraging, and since 1862 had been the scene of constant raids on the part of the confederates. Grant, weary of annoyance from

that quarter, sent Sheridan with an army in quest of Early. Sheridan soon appeared upon the scene and during the month of September, destroyed or captured one half of Early's army. Sheridan, acting under orders from Grant, now proceeded to lay waste this splendid agricultural valley from its source northward to the Potomac River, in order that it could be no more used by confederate raiders as a base of operations against Washington. So effectually was Sheridan's work done that it was said at the time that even a crow could not subsist in the Shenandoah valley without carrying his rations with him. Unaware of this complete devastation, Early once more made a raid northward into the valley for the purpose of securing needed forage for Lee's army at Richmond.

569. The Battle of Winchester-October 19.—On his arrival in the valley, Early learned that the union army was encamped at Cedar Creek in the northern end of the valley. On the night of the 18th of October, he succeeded in creeping around the union army, and, at early dawn of the morning of the 19th, fell upon Sheridan's troops, taking them completely by surprise. General Wright, the commanding officer on the ground, unable to stop the panic which ensued, ordered a retreat to Winchester-twelve miles away. Sheridan, at the time the battle began, was at Winchester. Having learned of Early's return to the valley, he fully suspected what was the cause of the cannonading in the direction of Cedar Creek. Hastily calling for his horse, he mounted and was off at full speed on that famous ride told so thrillingly in verse by Thomas Buchanan Read in his poem, "Sheridan's Ride." A little before the hour of noon Sheridan arrived upon the scene, his steed white with foam. As he faced his straggling troops he rose in his stirrups with the greeting-"Turn, boys, turn; we're going back!" His presence acted like magic upon his troops-the lines were instantly re-formed, and awaited Early's attack. Under the personal leadership of Sheridan, his troops were

invincible. Early was repulsed with such spirit that nearly the whole of his army was destroyed. Never again did the confederates attempt to renew the war in the Shenandoah valley.

THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR

570. The Situation at the close of the year 1864 showed that the confederacy was fast going to pieces. Grant still kept up his siege at Petersburg, drawing the line tighter and tighter. Sheridan had destroyed Early's army and laid waste the valley of the Shenandoah. Thomas had broken Hood's army at Nashville. Sherman was encamped at Savannah after having cut the confederacy in twain a second time. The Alabama, the last of the formidable confederate cruisers, had ended her career of destruction and American commerce could once more feel free on the high seas. The great and powerful north was still as vigorous as ever, and its armies were now being led by some of the greatest generals the world had ever known. The confederacy, now twice severed, with all communication with the outside world cut off, was practically starving to death. The end of the great rebellion was near at hand.

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »