1864.]

TERRIBLE MUSKETRY FIRE.

441

men were forced back to the works which they had captured. The Confederates, heavily reinforced, tried many times to recapture the intrenchments. Regardless of the rain, which fell all the afternoon, they attacked again and again, struggling hand to hand with the energy of despair, and not ceasing their efforts until near midnight. Meanwhile, in order to keep the Confederates from sending troops against Hancock, Grant had ordered an attack along the whole line. Many charges were made, with great slaughter on both sides, but with little gain on either side. Hancock still held what he had won, but the Confederates had another stronger line behind it.

During this battle, which was one of the bloodiest of the war, about ten thousand men having fallen on each side, occurred one of the heaviest musketry fires ever known. The space in front of Hancock, where the hardest fighting took place, was covered with large trees, which were so cut and scarred by bullets that at least half of them were killed. In many cases large trunks were cut entirely in two by musket balls. In the War Department, Washington, is shown part of an oak tree nearly two feet thick which was thus cut down.

During these battles the troops were changed many times. from place to place along the lines. The first position held is shown in the upper part of the map, and Hancock's position in the battle of the 12th near the middle. After that battle nearly a week was spent in skirmishing, cutting roads in the woods, and in searching for a weak place in the Confederate line. The corps were gradually moved round toward the left until they came into the second position shown in the map. But wherever an attack was made the enemy were found in force, and at last Grant, finding that Lee's position could not be taken, determined to march round him again. During this time Grant received large reinforcements from Washington, fully making up all his losses. On the night of May 21st Grant left the position before Spottsylvania, and after a two days' march. reached the North Anna River; but Lee had suspected his design, and put his army in motion to head him off again, and when the Union troops reached the North Anna their old enemy was still in front of them on the opposite bank. Part of the army succeeded in crossing, but Lee was found too strongly posted to be attacked with success, and Grant withdrew his troops and continued his march southward.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

GRANT AND LEE.

BUTLER AT BERMUDA HUNDRED.-BEAUREGARD ATTACKS HIM.-BOTTLED UP.-CROOK'S RAIDMORGAN DEFEATS AVERILL.-BRECKINRIDGE DEFEATS SIGEL-BATTLE OF PIEDMONT.HUNTER IN WEST VIRGINIA. SHERIDAN AND STUART.-BATTLE AT YELLOW TAVERN.-DEATH OF STUART.-LEE AT COLD HARBOR.-CAVALRY FIGHT.-BATTLE OF COLD HARBOR-GRANT'S CHANGE OF BASE.-TERRIBLE SLAUGHTER.-THE ARMY CROSSES THE JAMES.-PETERSBURG ATTACKED. EARLY CROSSES THE POTOMAC.-BATTLE OF THE MONOCACY.-BALTIMORE EXCITED. CAPTURE OF GENERAL FRANKLIN.-HIS ESCAPE.-EARLY ATTACKS WASHINGTON,HE IS DRIVEN BACK TO VIRGINIA.-DEFEAT OF CROOK.-CONFEDERATE CAVALRY IN PENNSYLVANIA.-CHAMBERSBURG BURNED.-SHERIDAN IN COMMAND.-BATTLE OF OPEQUAN CREEK, -FISHER'S HILL.-CEDAR CREEK.-SHERIDAN'S RIDE.-THE PETERSBURG MINE.-HANCOCK'S FIGHT. THE WELDON RAILROAD.-DUTCH GAP CANAL.

WE

HILE Grant is moving toward the old battle-grounds on the Chickahominy, let us leave him a short time to see what has taken place elsewhere in Virginia. It will be remembered that General Butler had advanced from Fortress Monroe toward Richmond on the same day that the Army of the Potomac crossed the Rapidan (page 435). His army, thirty thousand strong, went up the James River in transports and landed at City Point and Bermuda Hundred, about twenty miles south of Richmond. From there he moved against the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, and after some fighting destroyed part of it. He might have captured Petersburg, but misled by false reports that Lee had been defeated and was retreating toward Richmond, he made up his mind to move northward to aid Grant in taking that place. He drove back the Confederates and took part of the outer defences of Fort Darling at Drury's Bluff on the James River.

As soon as Butler's movement toward Richmond was known, General Beauregard had been called from Charleston with all the troops he could bring. On the morning of the 16th, during a dense fog, Beauregard attacked Butler, and after a hard fight, in which he lost three thousand and Butler four thousand men, the latter was forced back to Bermuda Hundred. Beauregard threw up a line of earthworks in front of Butler, who thus found himself "bottled up," as he himself said, he being unable to move either way. This enabled Beauregard to send most of his troops to the aid of Lee.

1864.]

BATTLE OF PIEDMONT.

443

Besides Butler's movement, Grant's plan of campaign had included two other movements: one under General Crook from Charleston, in West Virginia, up the valley of the Kanawha River, and another, under General Sigel, from Winchester up the Shenandoah Valley. Crook divided his force, sending General Averill with two thousand cavalry to destroy the works at the lead mines near Wytheville, and going himself with six thousand infantry to destroy the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. Averill was defeated by John Morgan, and Crook, finding the Confederates too strong for him, had to retreat. Sigel moved up the Shenandoah with about ten thousand men to Newmarket, where he was met by General Breckinridge and defeated (May 15), with the

loss of seven hundred men and six guns. Sigel's command was then given to General Hunter, who was ordered to move toward Staunton and destroy the railroad. Breckinridge having been called toward Richmond to aid Lee, had weakened the Confederates, so that when Hunter met them at Piedmont (June 5) he defeated them badly, taking fifteen hundred prisoners

and three guns. He was joined at Staunton by Crook and Averill, and with twenty thousand men marched toward Lynchburg. But Lee sent troops there, and Hunter, finding the place too strong to take, had to retreat. Fearful of being cut off by the Confederates, he concluded to return through West Virginia. He was almost out of provisions, and having to pass through a country which had been nearly stripped of food, his men suffered greatly, but he saved his army. This retreat was an unfortunate one, for it left the Shenandoah Valley open to the Confederates. How they improved their opportunity to cross the Potomac again will be shown hereafter.

When the Army of the Potomac arrived before Spottsylvania, Grant sent Sheridan with a large force of cavalry to cut

Sheridan moved

the railroads between Lee and Richmond. first toward Fredericksburg to deceive the enemy, but soon turned around to the right of the Confederate army. The roads were dry, and the long clouds of dust soon told Stuart what was going on, and he sent some cavalry after the invaders. But Sheridan kept him off, and moving rapidly destroyed many miles of railway, with locomotives and trains of cars. He also recaptured four hundred Union prisoners on their way to Richmond from the battle-field of the Wilderness. He then rode quickly on toward Richmond, arriving on the 11th of May at a place called Yellow Tavern, a few miles north of that city. There he was met by Stuart, who by hard riding had got between him and Richmond. Sheridan attacked at once, and after a hard fight defeated the Confederates and drove them from the field. Stuart fought with his usual reckless bravery, and in a desperate charge at the head of his men was mortally wounded. He was taken to Richmond, where, though he received the tenderest care, he died the next day. Among his last words were: "I am resigned, if it be God's will, but I would like to see my wife. But God's will be done." Several times, as death was drawing near, he roused up and asked if she had come. Unfortunately, she was away in the country at the time, and did not arrive until it was too late. And so the brave man passed away, as many another soldier before him had done, cheered by the presence of neither wife nor child. His loss was a sore one to the Confederates, second only to that of Stonewall Jackson, and the memory of the rollicking Jeb Stuart, ever ready for fight or frolic, is still green in many a Virginia household.

Sheridan, emboldened by his success, made a dash on the defences of Richmond. He passed the first line and took a hundred prisoners, but was repulsed at the second, and crossing the Chickahominy after some fighting, rejoined Grant (May 25).

We left Grant moving southward from the North Anna River, where he had found Lee too strongly posted to be attacked. The Confederates marched at the same time to head him off again from Richmond, and when Grant reached the Chickahominy River near where the battle of Gaines's Mills had been fought by McClellan in 1862 (page 266), Lee was there before him. Grant felt that it would be useless to attack Lee

1864.]

BATTLE OF COLD HARBOR.

445

in front, where he was strongly fortified, and made up his mind. to march round Lee's right toward Cold Harbor* and cross the Chickahominy. Cold Harbor was taken by Sheridan, after a sharp cavalry fight (May 31). The next morning the Confederates tried to win it back, but Sheridan's men held it until the Sixth Corps came to their aid. General W. F. Smith, with sixteen thousand men whom Grant had withdrawn from Butler's army at Bermuda Hundred, formed on the right of the Sixth Corps. At four o'clock in the afternoon of June 1st the Union troops attacked, but Lee had also sent reinforcements, and they were met by a heavy fire. At least two thousand men were lost in the struggle,

but the first line of the Confederate works was won with six hundred prisoners. The second line was attacked but the Confederates repulsed the Union troops, who fell back and held the first line. There was little rest that night, for the Confederates kept up an almost continual fire, from which some of the Union men sheltered themselves by building bullet

proofs in the woods; but the result was that the Union men held Cold Harbor and thus secured the way to the Chickahominy.

The next day was spent in getting the troops into position to force their way across the river. The corps were placed as shown in the map, Hancock being on the left nearest to the Chickahominy. Orders were given for an attack at half-past four o'clock in the morning (June 3). At dawn every man was up, and in a few minutes after the appointed time the assault was made along the whole six miles of front, But the Confederates were on the alert, and the storming columns were received

*This is sometimes called Cool Arbor, and it is so spelled in the accompanying map, but most of the books give it as in the text. It is said to be a common name for places along roads in England where shelter withovt fire is given.