HISTORY OF THE GREAT REBELLION.

Bridge destroyed and the Fredericksburg Railroad bridge, which crosses the Chickahominy near this place, commanded by defensive works. To add to Sheridan's embarrassment, another rebel force now came up in his rear, cutting off his retreat and seriously jeopardizing the command.

Hemmed in between two fires, with a difficult river to cross, and a vigilant and confident enemy surrounding his tired troopers, Sheridan acted with consummate coolness and judgment. The railroad bridge being under the circumstances impracticable, he immediately commenced to reconstruct Meadow Bridge, though exposed the while to a severe fire, to which his own artillery effectually replied, and obliged his to repel the enemy in his rear by frequent counter-attacks. At length, the bridge was completed, and preparations were made to pass But as this operation, under the hot fire ammunition train across. of the enemy, would be attended with no little risk, he gathered his men up for a final charge, and, putting himself at their head, sabre in hand, drove the rebels in confusion to the shelter of the neighboring woods, their flight being accelerated by several well-aimed shots from the Union artillery. The trains were now quickly passed across the river, and the rebel force on the farther bank was driven through Mechanicsville to Cold Harbor, with the loss of many prisoners. Sheridan encamped that night at Gaines's Mill, the old battle-ground of June 27th, 1862, and on the 14th reached General Butler's headquarters, near City Point, on the James River. He then opened communications with Yorktown, and thence with Washington.

CHAPTER LI.

Retrograde Movement of the Enemy.-Bad Condition of the Roads.-Union Movement to the Left.-Relative Position of Armies.-Re-enforcements.-Irruption on the Rear Repulsed.-Grant Crossing the North Anna.-Impregnable Position of the Enemy. -North Anna Recrossed, and Movement to the Left continued.

FRIDAY, the 13th, continued stormy, but the skirmishers were early pushed out, only to discover that the enemy had fallen back to a new position, made necessary by the loss of the angle occupied by Hancock. The roads were in such a condition that rapidity of movement was out of the question, and the day was occupied mostly in burying the dead. General Meade issued a congratulatory order to the troops. Towards night, new dispositions were determined on. The enemy's right being deemed the only practicable point of attack, our lines were to be once more shifted down to the left, in the endeavor to flank. The Fifth and Sixth Corps were selected this time, for an attempt resembling that of the Second and Ninth. The position of Thursday, the 12th, as already indicated, ran thus, from right to left: Warren, Wright, Hancock, Burnside. About nine o'clock, on Friday night, the two right corps were put in motion, and marched all night to their new position. The difficulties of the march through the ankle-deep and knee-deep mud, and amid the furious storm, made the movement

slow and arduous, and only endurable by contrast with the severer experience of constant battle.

On the morning of Saturday, the 14th, the enemy was found to have fallen back a little, and to have brought his line more to the east, still holding the Court-House and the forked roads. In this neighborhood, the Ny and the Po Rivers, branches of the Mattapony, approach each other to form their junction. The Federal army was in the fork formed by these streams, and at right angles with the road from Fredericksburg to Spottsylvania. The several corps were posted as follows: Hancock's Second Corps on the right, Burnside's Ninth on the right centre, Wright's Sixth on the left centre, Warren's Fifth on the left. On Saturday, Wright had not been able to get immediately into position, and was farther to the left and a little thrown back, as if in reserve. The position was a good one, on the crests of rolling ridges running nearly northwest and southeast, and covering the southerly bank of the Ny River. There was also space for the sweep of the artillery. Unfortunately, the almost indescribably bad condition of the roads had prevented the successful completion of the movement in season to authorize an attack. There was no hope of surprise, and before our artillery trains and infantry masses were in position the enemy was alert and hostile.

The head-quarters of Grant and Meade were at Gail's House, eight miles from Fredericksburg and two miles from the Court-House. The extremities of the two wings were about equidistant from the house, and the skirmishing line a mile in front. The enemy's position was a semicircular line of earthworks, with rifle-pits here and there, well established on commanding heights, and the whole flanked right and left by dense woods. Artillery was already in position, and new intrenchments building. A part of the works appeared to be sodded, showing an old construction, and the utmost activity was manifest in strengthening the position. Our forces soon commenced to throw up field-works, and the great armies, so lately contending with bayonet and bullet, were now quietly and sedulously emulating each other with the spade.

Sunday, the 15th, was the twelfth day since the army had left Culpepper, and was the first of comparative rest that the men had enjoyed. There was but little skirmishing on either side. On Monday, the 16th, Grant sent word to Washington that operations would be suspended until the roads should be passable. Monday and Tuesday passed in welcome rest for the army. The wounded were sent back in long trains of ambulances to Fredericksburg, and the roads were lined with crippled soldiers painfully making their way in the same direction. Mosby's guerrillas scoured the country on both sides of the Rapidan, picking up squads of stragglers. Re-enforcements had been received to the extent of thirty-five thousand, according to the announcement of the Secretary of War, to fill up the terrible gaps made by the previous ten days' service. The time was similarly employed by the enemy.

By Tuesday afternoon, the 17th, the ground had become somewhat improved, so as to admit of reconnoissances. Hitherto the constant

effort of Grant had been to turn the enemy's right. It was now determined to reverse the operation, and, if possible, to throw the enemy off his guard; the more so that the ground was more favorable for manoeuvring on our right than on our left. In accordance with this determination a new disposition of troops was made during Tuesday night, and the line was formed Wednesday morning, the 18th, from right to left, as follows: Wright, Hancock, Burnside, Warren. The right and right centre, Wright and Hancock, were to attack. It was hoped by this means to surprise the enemy, as our movements of the past week-refusing our right constantly, and massing on the leftseemed to indicate a fixed purpose on the part of Meade of turning the rebel right. The enemy, however, divined the intention, and were already perfectly prepared." When Hancock advanced he found them in an impregnable position. Hancock pushed through two outer lines of rifle-pits, which had been abandoned in apparent haste to draw him on, but presently struck an extremely strong line of breast works, with abatis in front, and very heavily armed with artillery. The position could only have been carried by an immense loss of life, if it could have been carried at all. The order for assault was, accordingly, at ten o'clock A. M. countermanded. A nearer view of the position it was intended to assail convinced the commanding general that it could not be carried. If it could be gained by hard fighting, he was not the man to flinch on that account; but success seemed hopeless.

General Grant, finding it impossible to force the enemy's front, once more determined to move by his left. On Wednesday night a cavalry force under General Torbert entered Guinney's Station, a point on the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroads, about ten miles in a direct line southeasterly from Spottsylvania, across the Po, and consequently on the right and rear of the enemy's position. The cavalry destroyed the buildings and supplies, the telegraph apparatus, &c. This was only the precursor of a general movement in that direction. On Thursday a portion of the right began to move towards the left, and dispositions were in progress to carry out the whole movement, when an unexpected interruption took place. Ewell,* noticing the movement of our troops from the right, moved a part of his corps to thwart it. The division of Rhodes having the advance, crossed the Ny River, and reached the Fredericksburg wagon-road in the rear of our right flank, where he captured ambulances and a subsistence train within three-quarters of a mile of the head-quarters of Generals Meade and Grant. The only troops we had on the ground at the time were Tyler's Division of heavy artillery, which had lately been brought from Washington. Three divisions, one each of the

Richard Stoddard Ewell was born in the District of Columbia about 1820, and graduated at West Point in 1840. He was brevetted captain for gallantry in the Mexican war, subsequently saw considerable service in the West, and at the outbreak of the civil war resigned his commission and entered the rebel army, of which he was appointed a brigadier-general. He was subsequently promoted to be a major-general, and took command of a corps in the Army of Virginia. He lost a leg at the second battle of Bull

Run, and did not resume his command until after the battle of Gettysburg. He participated in the Invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania in 1863, distinguished himself at Gettysburg, and during the campaign of 1864-'65 commanded one of the three corps of Lee's army. On April 6th, 1865, his corps was disastrously routed by Sheridan, west of Burkesville, and he himself captured. He was subsequently confined in Fort Warren, but after some months released,

Second, Fifth, and Sixth Corps, were sent to his support. Tyler met the attack near the woods, where the enemy had formed in a single line; with skirmishers in front. He felt some apprehension at the result of the encounter, as his troops were raw and had never been employed in open field-fighting. But when once fairly under fire they showed a degree of courage and audacity which surprised the rebels not less than their commander. No sooner did they see the enemy, than, regardless of the devices which older troops would have taken to screen themselves in a close encounter in the woods, they fired a volley and followed it up by an impetuous charge, which sent the rebels quickly towards their camp. The honors of the repulse of the enemy, whose boldly-conceived movement might, under different circumstances, have produced disastrous results, rested with Tyler's heavy artillery division, and partly also with Birney's Division of the Second Corps, and Crawford's of the Fifth, which formed line, enabling Tyler to withdraw, after driving the enemy for several miles and clearing the valley of the Ny.

The grand movement, which had been delayed by this attack, recommenced on the night of Friday, the 20th, when Torbert's Cavalry left Guinney's Station, on the Fredericksburg and Richmond Railroad, and pushed on to Bowling Green, fifteen miles southeast of Spottsylvania, and thence to Milford Station, hoping to capture Lee's stores; but they had been already removed. At midnight of Friday, the Second Corps followed the cavalry, striking Massaponax Church about four o'clock, Guinney's Station on Saturday morning, and finally Bowling Green-reaching the latter point, after a march of about twenty miles, by nightfall of Saturday. The weather was fine but warm, and the roads good. Proceeding from Bowling Green, the Second Corps next struck the Mattapony at Milford's Bridge, five miles south, crossed the river, and formed line in a commanding position about a mile from the bridge. Here, a few hundred rebel cavalry dashed against Barlow's Division while forming, but discovering in season they were about to capture a Tartar, wheeled and escaped with safety. The enemy's infantry was in strong force in front. During the day of Sunday, the 22d, the corps marched forward and held the ground for a mile or two from the Mattapony. Milford Station is about forty miles from Richmond.

At ten o'clock on Saturday morning, Warren's Fifth Corps broke camp and followed the Second, encountering cavalry, like its predecessor, near Guinney's. The Sixth and Ninth followed the Fifth, bringing up the rear, and, on Saturday, the whole army had left Spottsylvania. Our advance found everywhere that the movement had been anticipated; stores had been removed, and Lee's main army taken from our path. All the corps had more or less skirmishing that in the rear being at one time quite lively, but no damage or delay was caused. The advance was conducted in a bold and confident style, the corps striking out, with, occasionally, long gaps intervening, causing no little trepidation in some quarters, lest a part of our force should be cut off by an attack of the enemy, while it marched by the flank.

By Sunday the column began to consolidate, and a sort of line was formed, facing westerly, the Second Corps holding the left at Milford Station, and the Fifth the right at Guinney's, with the centre in the direction of Bowling Green. It was already clear to Grant that the enemy was preceding him in the direction of Hanover Court-House, and the whole army on Monday pushed forward at a rapid rate, and reached the North Anna River in the neighborhood of Jericho Mills. The Second and Fifth Corps were in the advance, the latter at the right of the Second. Hancock rushed at the enemy's strong position, after briefly reconnoitring its strength, his troops gallantly charging the enemy, while our batteries played into their works. The battle was very severe; but, with a loss of about three hundred men, Hancock succeeded in forcing the position. Meanwhile, Warren's Fifth Corps had already crossed higher up, without much difficulty, but were soon attacked with fury and vehemence. Secretary Stanton's dispatch from General Grant says that Warren "was attacked with great vehemence. I have never heard more rapid or massive firing, either of artillery or musketry. The attack resulted in a destructive repulse of the enemy. At the position attacked by Hancock the rebels were intrenched, and in considerable force, between the creek he had crossed and the river, and made a pertinacious resistance to his onset; but before dark he had forced them from their works and driven them across the stream." By night, the Second and Fifth Corps were both across the river, and the Ninth and Sixth held the thither side. On Tuesday the whole army was across.

Lee had even on Friday night suspected Grant's movement. He knew the impregnability of his own position. He knew that the Federal advance on his works had been abandoned without serious attack, and when Ewell's attack on the Federal lines discovered the absence of Hancock, Grant's plan was demonstrated. At midnight of the 20th two corps of the rebel army were already on the way to head off Grant, while the third remained on the ground and attacked the Federal Sixth on Saturday morning. The route of Lee was much shorter and more direct to the same point than that of Grant. He accordingly sent a flying body to harass the troops of Grant, while Ewell and Longstreet passed over the Telegraph road, and A. P. Hill farther to the west, over the Negro Foot road, and when our troops reached the North Anna River, Longstreet and Ewell had been in position twenty-four hours.

Tuesday, the 24th, was passed in getting the army into position on the south of the North Anna. Port Royal, on the Rappahannock, became the new base of supplies, and head-quarters were at Jericho Mills.

On Wednesday noon, the 25th, the line rested as follows, from right to left: Wright's Sixth Corps, Warren's Fifth, Burnside's Ninth, Hancock's Second. Wright's Corps was held rather in the rear, covering Jericho Ford. Hancock's extreme left touched on the railroad, and was but very little advanced from the river. Between our right and left the enemy was found in strong force opposite our centre, with his left a little thrown back. Our own line extended about four miles. The