"General Bragg has issued a congratulatory order on the defeat of the enemy's grand armada before Wilmington, paying a merited compliment to Generals Whiting and Kirkland, Colonel Lamb, and the officers and men engaged. The enemy's attack on the first day lasted five hours; on the second day, seven hours-firing, altogether, over twenty thousand shots from fifty kinds of vessels. The Confederates responded with six hundred and sixty-two shots on the first day, and six hundred on the second. Our loss is three killed and fifty-five wounded. The ground in front and rear of the fort is covered with shells, and is torn in deep pits. Two guns in the fort burst, two were dismounted by ourselves, and two by the enemy's fire, yet the fort is unhurt."

While the expedition was operating_against Wilmington, General Palmer made a co-operative move from Plymouth, North Carolina. He sent, on the 9th, an expedition, under command of Colonel Frankle, which proceeded to Gardner's Bridge, beyond Jamestown, on the Roanoke River. The Ninth New Jersey charged the bridge in column of platoons, and soon swept away the small force which held it. At Spring Green Church, the Ninth New Jersey and Twenty-seventh Massachusetts again fell upon the enemy, inflicting considerable loss, and capturing five officers and thirty men. On the 19th, our forces proceeded to Rainbow Bluff, on the Roanoke, and found the enemy in force. Unfortunately, the gunboats, which were to have co-operated, could not do so on account of the torpedoes in the river. Colonel Frankle's expedition, therefore, returned to Plymouth.

CHAPTER LXXII.

Affairs at Petersburg.-Renewed Attempt to Flank the Rebel Right.-Battle at Hatcher's Run.-Fighting on the North Side of the James.-Review of the Year.Importance of Sherman's Operations.-Calls for Troops.-Relative Strength of Armies. Second Attack on Fort Fisher.-Capture of Fort and Garrison.

THE Army of the Potomac, under General Grant, remained before Petersburg, occasionally operating in the front, while Sherman was pursuing his way across Georgia, and Sheridan was penetrating up the Shenandoah Valley. It was very evident that Lee was determined not to leave Richmond, and also that he could not be driven out of it by a direct attack on his front. The lieutenant-general was therefore compelled to wait until the operations of Sheridan and Sherman should bring those generals within striking distance of Lee's rear and thus compel the evacuation of Richmond. As it was certain that Lee would not commit the mistake of Hood at Atlanta, but would follow the system of defence by which Johnston had so long delayed the advance of Sherman, it remained for Grant to hold his enemy within his fortifications, and to make occasional attempts to penetrate the extended line of works which Lee opposed to him, in the hope of being able sooner or later to reach the available point. Accordingly, soon after the victory of Cedar Creek by Sheridan, and when Sherman was following Hood into Northern Alabama, Grant determined on a renewal of the grand movement by his left. Several days were consumed in preparation, and, with profound secrecy, all the sick, baggage, and encumbrances,

commissary stores, &c., were sent to City Point under protection of the gunboats. Three days' rations and forage were issued to the cavalry, and four days' rations to the infantry. The long line of intrenchments was divested of men, except a sufficient rear-guard.

The troops north of the James were to make an attack, while those south of the river were to form a combined movement upon Hatcher's Run. In accordance with this design, the Tenth and Eighteenth Corps, on Thursday, the 27th of October, began operations on the right. The Tenth Corps early occupied the ground between the Darbytown and Charles City roads, the First Division, under Ames (late Terry), holding the right, the Second, Porter (late Turner), the centre, and the Third, Hawley (late Birney), the left. The centre having been pushed on to Darbytown, four and a half miles from Richmond, a sharp encounter with the enemy's skirmishers soon took place, the latter falling back upon a line of intrenchments, from which a galling fire caused the Union troops to recoil with severe loss. Towards evening the attack was renewed, with the same results. Meanwhile the Eighteenth Corps, General Weitzel commanding, took up a position on the Darbytown road, in the rear of the Tenth Corps, and then continued its route northerly to the Williamsburg road, in the neighborhood of the old Seven Pines or Fair Oaks battle-ground. At four o'clock Weitzel was across the Williamsburg road, which the enemy's works commanded. Still's Pennsylvania Battery moved up the road and engaged the enemy's batteries, while a brigade of Marston's Division, on the right of the road, and one of Heckman's, on the left, advanced, supported by the remainder of the divisions. The enemy made but feeble resistance until the troops reached the focus of his fire, when a terrible discharge decimated thein and broke the organization. To retire was as fatal as to advance, and the enemy completed the disaster by sallying out and capturing portions of the two advanced brigades, and driving back Still's battery. Dusk approaching, the remainder of the troops drew back out of range. Holman's colored division meanwhile had gallantly carried a two-gun redoubt, but the approach of night compelled him to abandon it. The whole force then returned to camp under orders from General Grant. The Federal loss was from twelve hundred to fifteen hundred men, and that of the enemy, according to his own account, about two hundred men. Thus ended the feint on the right.

The attack on the left was undertaken by the Second Corps, aided by Gregg's Cavalry, which was to march round the enemy's right flank, turn it, and seize his line of defences on Hatcher's Run, at the same moment that the Fifth and Ninth Corps by direct approach should attack these works in front. Accordingly, the Second Corps, on Wednesday evening, the 26th, marched across to the Church road, and at three and a half o'clock Thursday morning reached the Vaughan road, along which they proceeded, reaching Hatcher's Run at half-past seven A. M. The crossing was disputed by a small body of men, who were soon dispersed. The corps then proceeded on the west side of the run to the Boydton plankroad, which they reached at a quarter past eleven A. M. Here Gregg's Cavalry connected on the left, about the

same time that Generals Grant and Meade arrived on the ground. Egan's Division was deployed on the right of the Boydton plank road, facing up towards the bridge over Hatcher's Run, and Mott's was deployed on the left of the road. De Trobriand's Brigade connected with Gregg, who held the extreme left. One brigade was left to take care of the enemy in our rear. In Egan's advance was Rugg's Bri gade, and his skirmishers, at the command, rushed forward to Hatcher's Run, seized the bridge, and crossed the creek.

The next movement was to carry the enemy's works beyond Hatcher's Run. Egan's Division was accordingly disposed with Rugg's Brigade on the left, Price in the centre, and Smyth on the right, Beck's Battery co-operating as before. McAllister's Brigade of Mott's Division was in support of Egan. The Fifth Corps was now heard firing rapidly on the right, and it was expected that they would sweep about and effect a junction with the Second. But, owing to the exceedingly perplexing character of the country, and the uncertainty as to the roads, they were unable to do so. Of course the enemy was prompt to seize this advantage; and about four o'clock, while we were preparing to advance, Mahone's Division, of Hill's Corps, broke in on the right flank of Hancock, and instantly swept off Metcalf's section of Beck's Battery, which was there posted. Continuing his attack, he got across the Boydton road and bore down upon Egan's Division. With commendable energy and promptitude, Egan changed front with his own brigades and McAllister's, and, with the aid of the three batteries, Beck's and Roder's Fifth and Fourth regular, and Sleeper's Tenth Massachusetts (under Granger), succeeded in repulsing the enemy, after a hard and prolonged fight. In the fury of his first onset against Smyth's Brigade, it was driven back, several hundred prisoners captured, and our line so disordered as to allow the enemy to get upon the plankroad. A part of these prisoners were recaptured by being conducted by mistake into the Fifth Corps' lines. Hancock's prompt dispositions, and the firmness of Egan's troops, soon arrested the disaster likely to follow. In his turn falling upon the enemy's flank, Egan drove him back, Smith's and McAllister's Brigades behaving handsomely, while Mott promptly co-operated with De Trobriand's Brigade. The enemy abandoned Metcalf's guns and began to retreat. But he left three flags and five or six hundred prisoners-hose who had come over on the plank road-in our possession.

The Federal loss in this affair was nine hundred killed and wounded and four hundred prisoners. This repulse placed the column in a precarious position, as the ammunition and rations were growing scarce, notwithstanding that sufficient for four days had been served out. The rain fell in torrents, and the troops retraced their weary steps to camp, leaving some of the wounded on the field.

Meantime, the Fifth and Ninth Corps left camp at daylight on the 27th, and during the forenoon got into position with the Ninth on the right and the Fifth on the left, confronting the enemy's works at Hatcher's Run. Here they made demonstrations and skirmished sharply during the day, returning to camp at night. The losses of the two corps were about four hundred. Thus the whole movement,

which was to have had important results, terminated in a return to camp, with the loss on both sides of the James of about three thousand men. The main attack was Hancock's, and in case of success the Fifth and Ninth were to join him in a general advance of the whole line. It appeared that the enemy were accurately informed of the whole enterprise, and no surprise was effected.

Skirmishing and small encounters were frequent after this along the lines. On the night of the 30th, the Sixty-ninth and Hundred-andfourth New York were picketed before Fort Davis, being mostly raw troops. The enemy, in some force, passed into the rear, and the word having been given to the Federal troops to "fall in," as if they were to be relieved, the entire line was captured. Enterprises of this nature interfered with attacks of greater or lesser magnitude-continued up to the first week in November, at which time Sherman started on his grand march. On the night of November 5th, a rebel brigade which occupied a portion of the enemy's line on the plankroad, and running northeasterly therefrom, secretly advanced, and threw itself upon the picket line of McAllister s brigade, Mott's Division, Second Corps, which held our intrenchments opposite the same point. The plan was so well devised and vigorously executed as to secure our entire intrenched picket line for half a mile, with the capture of thirty prisoners. The enemy immediately began to reverse our works, and to intrench himself with tools brought for that purpose. At the same time, the Holcomb Legion of Wallace's Brigade carried our picket line opposite the Crater, as the ruins of the fort exploded by the mine are called. The men soon rallied in force and recaptured the line of works.

Early in December, most of Sheridan's force from the valley joined the Army of the Potomac-the six corps arriving between the 2d and 5th of December. Early's troops also joined Lee in great numbers, and affairs in the valley were once more quiet, Sheridan remaining at Winchester. The negro troops were now consolidated in one corps, the Twenty-fifth, under the command of General Weitzel, and sent north of the James.

The year 1864 had now reached its close, and, after a series of brilliant campaigns, the prospect for the future was full of hope, notwithstanding a temporary lull in military operations. The only active movement then in progress was Sherman's campaign, on the results of which the success of the other operations seemed to depend. In the course of the year, the Army of the Potomac had, under Grant, fought its way to the banks of the James, where it held the main rebel army as if in a vice. The Union troops had, under Sheridan, driven the enemy far up the Shenandoah, and Hood had been forced out of Tennessee by Thomas with the miserable wreck of an army. The enemy had abandoned Missouri and most of Arkansas, and only held good his grasp upon Western Louisiana and Texas. We had also captured the defences of Mobile Bay. The enemy confronted us in force chiefly in Virginia, and the only problem yet remaining to be solved was how long he would be able to maintain the defence. This was decided by the march of Sherman through Georgia to Savannah, which demonstrated that the people were unable or unwilling to resist, and that the

rebel government had exhausted its powers. There was no force to oppose the free movement of Sherman on the rear of Lee, and the Army of the Potomac, which had done most of the fighting, and to the public eye achieved the least success, continued to occupy Lee, thus giving to others the opportunity to win the laurels of the year.

Meantime, the President made a new call for three hundred thou sand men. The whole number of troops hitherto called for, whether for temporary purposes merely, or for the war, amounted in round numbers to two millions and a half; though how large a number of these rendered actual service it is not now and may never be possible to determine. It is very certain, however, that the men called for were all needed, and had they been obtained to as great an extent as the above figures would seem to indicate, there can be little doubt that the rebellion would have terminated much sooner than it actually did. The casualties of war, diseases inherent to a military life, and the necessity of garrisoning almost countless outposts and forts, as well as of guarding long lines of communications, drew largely upon each suc cessive levy, so that the large armies, intended for active operations in the field, were barely kept up to their necessary strength, and often fell below it. The following is the President's call of December, 1864:—

"WASHINGTON, December 20.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

A PROCLAMATION.

“Whereas, by the act approved July 4th, 1864, entitled 'An act further to regulate and provide for the enrolling and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes,' it is provided that the President of the United States may, at his discretion, at any time hereafter, call for any number of men as volunteers for the respective terms of one, two, or three years for military service, and that in case the quota, or any part thereof, of any town, township, ward of a city, precinct, or election district, or of a county not so subdivided, shall not be filled within the space of fifty days after such call, then the President shall immediately order a draft for one year to fill such quota, or any part thereof, which may be unfilled; and whereas, by the credits allowed in aecordance with the act of Congress on the call for five hundred thousand men, made July 18th, 1864, the number of men to be obtained under that call was reduced to two hundred and eighty thousand; and whereas, the operations of the enemy in certain States have rendered it impracticable to procure from them their full quotas of troops under the said calls; and whereas, from the foregoing causes two hundred and fifty thousand men have been put into the army, navy, and marine corps, under the said call of July 18th, 1864, leaving a deficiency on that call of two hundred and sixty thou sand. Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, in order to supply the aforesaid deficiency, and to provide for casualties in the military and naval service of the United States, do issue this my call for three hundred thou sand volunteers, to serve for one, two, or three years. The quotas of the States, districts, and sub-districts under this call, will be assigned by the War Department, through the Bureau of the Provost-Marshal-General of the United States, and in case the quota, or any part thereof, of any town, township, ward of a city, precinct, or election district, or of a county not so subdivided, shall not be filled before the 15th day of February, 1865, then a draft shall be made to fill such quota, or any part thereof, under the call which may be unfilled on said 15th day of February, 1865.

'In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this 19th day of December, in the year of our [L. S.] Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, and of the independence the United States of America the eighty-ninth.

"By the President:

"WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State."

"ABRAHAM LINCOLN.