CHAPTER XLV.

CAPTURE OF PETERSBURG AND RICHMOND.

(From November, 1864, to April, 1865.)

DESTRUCTION OF THE ALBEMARLE. REËLECTION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.-CAPTURE OF THE FLORIDA.-PARTIAL DESTRUCTION OF THE WELDON RAILROAD.-DUTCH GAP CANAL.-NAVAL ATTACK BY THE REBELS. BATTLE AT HATCHER'S RUN.-CAPTURE AND RECAPTURE OF FORT STEEDMAN.-SOUTHSIDE RAILROAD.-DISASTROUS ATTACK ON WHITE OAK ROAD.-ANOTHER REPULSE. HEROIC ACTION AND SUCCESS.-BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS.-BOMBARDMENT AND ASSAULT ON PETERSRURG.-CAPTURE OF SOUTHSIDE RAILROAD AND FORT MAHONE.-TERRIFIC FIGHTING.-VICTORY.-EVACUATION OF RICHMOND AND PETERSBURG.-FLIGHT AND PURSUIT OF THE ENEMY.-SCENES AT THE REBEL CAPITAL-SURRENDER OF GENERAL LEE.— REJOICINGS OF THE ARMY AND NATION.

THERE was now a week of comparative quiet along the Petersburg lines, though the mortars were frequently belching forth their thunders, and monster shells were shrieking through the air. This interchange of shells, scarcely intermitted by day or by night, the soldiers facetiously styled the "science of conchology." At this time there was performed by Lieutenant Cushing, at Plymouth, North Carolina, on the Roanoke River, one of the most daring exploits of which ancient or modern days can boast. The rebels had a celebrated iron-clad, the Albemarle, at Plymouth, which threatened the destruction of our wooden fleet in those waters. We had no light-draught iron-clads to meet her,, and our monitors sat too deep to navigate the shallow waters of Albemarle Sound. The " Albemarle " was one of the most formidable vessels the rebels had constructed. It had captured Plymouth, had waged successful war against three double-enders united, and had escaped unharmed.

Lieutenant W. B. Cushing formed a plan for her destruction. He submitted it to the Navy Department. It was approved. A small, swift steam-tug was prepared, provided with a bowsprit, or prow, which could be elevated or depressed upon a hinge.. At the end of this bowsprit there was attached a very powerful torpedo, which, as the little steamer approached the iron-clad, was to be thrust under her and exploded.

Thursday night, November 27th, was dark and stormy. In the darkness and storm, Lieutenant Cushing, with thirteen men, very cautiously steamed up Roanoke River eight miles towards Plymouth. The narrow stream was lined with forts and pickets, but he passed unobserved. The Albemarle was discovered lying fast to the wharf, protected by a raft of logs extending about twenty feet from her sides. As the little steamer approached she was hailed. The answer sent back was: "Look out, Johnnies, we are coming." Cushing ran his boat bows on, crushing in

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the raft, till he reached within about ten feet of the doomed steamer. Then lowering the torpedo boom, by a vigorous thrust it was pushed under the iron-clad and exploded. Simultaneously the pickets on shore opened fire upon the boat, and the men in the iron-clad threw open one of the portholes to bring a gun to bear upon the assailants, springing also to the outside of the armament with their muskets. They were met by volleys of grape from the howitzer in the bows of Cushing's boat.

All this occurred in less time than it has taken to write it. It was so

dark that nothing could be distinctly seen. At the instant that Cushing exploded the torpedo, a musket-ball struck him on the wrist, and a shell went crashing through the launch. The terrific explosion of the torpedo threw such an immense mass of water into the launch as entirely to disable her. The enemy were still firing at fifteen feet range. Lieutenant Cushing ordered every man to take care of himself. Throwing off overcoat and shoes, he plunged into the river, and struck out for the opposite shore. The cries of one of his men, who was drowning, attracted the fire of the enemy, and the bullets fell thickly around him.

Changing his course, he turned down the stream. After swimming and floating for an hour in the cold water, he went ashore. But he was unable to stand. He fell exhausted upon the sand. While lying there in the darkness and the rain, near a sentry, he heard two of them talking of the explosion. Fearful of being discovered, he shoved himself along, on his back, by pushing with his heels against the ground, until he reached a place of concealment. Then he worked his way through a swamp, lacerating his feet and hands with briers. In the morning he came across an old negro. He knew that he had found a friend; for a black face never be trayed a Union soldier. The negro was frightened by the wild appearance of Cushing, and asked who he was.

"I am a Yankee," Cushing replied. "I am one of the men who blew up the Albemarle."

"My golly, massa!" exclaimed the kind negro, " dey kill you if dey catch you. You be dead gone sure."

Cushing knew not as yet the effect of the explosion upon the Albemarle, or the fate of his men. He sent his trusty friend into the town, to bring him back the news; and then climbed into a tree to await his return. After a time the negro came back and told Cushing, to his great joy, that the Albemarle was destroyed. Our heroic adventurer then cautiously worked his way down the river till he saw a boat on the opposite shore. Plunging into the chilly water, he swam across, and, detaching the boat, drew it out into the stream and let it drift by his side. He was afraid to get into it, lest he should attract observation. At last, half dead with fatigue, excitement, hunger, and cold, he climbed into the boat and paddled for eight hours, until he reached the Union squadron at the mouth of the river. One other man escaped across the country through the swamps. Two men were drowned. The rest were captured.

This heroic achievement secured for us the recapture of Plymouth, the entire command of the North Carolina sounds, and the release of a fleet of sixteen vessels which had been for some time watching the Albemarle.

On the 8th of November came the vote on the Presidential election. Abraham Lincoln's term would expire on the 4th of the ensuing March. For thirty-two years the nation had not conferred upon any one of its Presidents the honor of reëlection. By an overwhelming majority of the electoral college, Abraham Lincoln was invited to retain his post at the helm of state. Thus the world was informed of the unswerving devotion of the people to the National integrity and honor. The "Army and Navy Journal" says, truthfully and eloquently :

"The defeated candidate for the Presidency had in his person very much that was capable of drawing popular support. The senior majorgeneral of the regular army, the idol of his old troops, winning in manners and address, with intelligence, patriotism, integrity, and a soldier's share of high-toned honor and principle, all these availed him nothing, because he was regarded as the representative of a party who had whispered the fatal word 'peace.' From the hour when the Chicago Platform was framed, it was clear that whoever should stand thereon would be overwhelmingly defeated at the election polls. General McClellan escaped a thousand bullets on Virginia battle-fields, to fall by the paper missile of a political party. Had a Cæsar or a Cincinnatus stood there he would have met the same inevitable fate."

About this time the welcome news arrived of the destruction of the rebel privateer Florida, in the Brazilian port of Bahia. This pirate steamer had outrivalled even the Alabama in its destruction of American commerce. On the 5th of October she arrived at Bahia, and anchored under the guns of the fort. The American war-steamer Wachusett was lying outside of the harbor. There were three channels of exit, by which the privateer could escape, to prey upon our unarmed merchantmen. Captain Collins, of the Wachusett, called a council of his officers, and in a careful debate, in which the fact was carefully weighed that the Florida had repeatedly burned American ships within three miles of the Brazilian coast, it was determined to destroy her in the neutral port in which she had taken refuge.

At three o'clock in the morning of the 7th of October, the Wachusett steamed into the harbor, intending to strike the Florida amidships, and send her to the bottom. As this could have been regarded as an accident, the international question might thus have been evaded. As the collision did not immediately sink the Florida, Captain Collins demanded her surrender, and, tying her to his ship, towed her out to sea. Mr. Seward, our sagacious Secretary of State, much to the chagrin of England, made such amends to the Brazilian Government as to retain its friendship.

Days and weeks passed in Virginia of incessant warfare, without any decisive results, or any incidents of sufficient moment to call for record in a general history. Our gunboats, with their shells, destroyed upon the James many houses, which had been used as signal stations for the enemy. The rebels had for a long time kept a dépôt of supplies at Stony Creek Station, on the Weldon Railroad, about twenty miles south of Petersburg. As we held the road near the city, the rebels, to avoid transporting their supplies by wagons, were constructing a railroad across to the Southside

Railroad. At half-past three o'clock in the morning of the 1st of October Gregg's Division of Cavalry broke camp, and started to destroy these works. At daylight they encountered the rebel pickets, and drove them back to their lines. At Rowanty Creek a company of cavalry disputed their advance, but were soon dispersed. Two miles farther on, they reached Stony Creek Station. Here two hundred of Hampton's cavalry were found in a well-built fort, on a commanding position, surrounded by a ditch, and armed with two guns.

A charging column resistlessly swept into the fort, took many of the garrison prisoners, spiked the guns, and threw them into a ditch, with the loss of but twenty-six men. The affair lasted but half an hour. Most of the rebel public property at Stony Creek was consigned to the flames. While employed in the work of destruction, the rebels appeared in force, and our troops were compelled to retire. The enemy endeavored to annoy them for a short distance on their return, but were easily repulsed. At eleven o'clock all the command had returned back to the camp. They had marched forty miles, captured and spiked two guns, taken one hundred and seventy-five prisoners, six wagons, twenty-three mules, burnt three thousand sacks of corn, five hundred bales of hay, a train of cars, a long railroad bridge, a large amount of food and clothing, some ammunition, and several hundred Enfield rifles. Still, the expedition could hardly be deemed a successful one. The branch road was found graded and ready for the rails, but the enemy came upon the troops in such force, that they were compelled to retire before they had time to destroy the rails and the cross-ties. About one hundred contrabands followed our troops back into their lines.

On Tuesday another force moved forward to destroy the Weldon road below Stony Creek, that the rebels might lose the benefit of their branch road to the Southside Railroad. The command consisted of Gregg's Division of Cavalry, the Fifth Corps, and Mott's Division of the Second Corps-in all about twenty-two thousand men, with twenty pieces of artillery, under command of General Warren.

Before day of the 7th, in a cold, drenching rain, which extinguished the camp-fires, the troops were on the march. All the day they pressed south by roads east of the railroad, and running parallel with it, encountering no serious opposition. They crossed the Nottaway River about twenty miles below Petersburg. The cavalry forded the stream, while the infantry crossed on pontoon bridges. The crossing was effected and the pontoons taken up before the morning of the 8th. At three o'clock in the morning the cavalry advance struck for Jarrett's Station, thirty-two miles below Petersburg, and about ten miles below Stony Creek Station. The infantry followed, while a detachment of cavalry protected their rear and covered their flanks. They soon reached a point where the railroad crosses the Nottaway, where they burned an important bridge two hundred feet long. At Jarrett's Station the whole party commenced vigorously the work of destruction, by burning the sleepers and bending the rails. Our troops had become, by practice, very skilful in this work, building immense fires of fences and brush. Before night

they had destroyed five miles of road and all the buildings at Jarrett's Station.

The next day, Friday, the 9th, they continued the work of destruction twelve miles farther to Bellfield. Just before reaching Bellfield, the rebels appeared in force to dispute the passage of one of the branches of the Nottaway. They were speedily routed. Hicksford was a small town on the southern banks of the Meherrin River. It was protected by intrenchments on both sides of the stream. These works were well manned with regulars and militia. As soon as our column came within range it was greeted with a hot artillery fire. The First Massachusetts made a gallant mounted charge, but were compelled to fall back, their leader, Major Sargent, having been mortally wounded by the fragment of a shell. One or two other unsuccessful charges were made, when General Warren drew his troops off, and they bivouacked for the night.

It was a wintry night. A drenching rain-storm had thus far incommoded them, and added greatly to their fatigue and suffering. The storm now changed to hail and snow. The discomfort of the night cannot be described. It is surprising that mortal frames can endure such hardships. As the possession of Hicksford was a matter of but little importance, and its capture would cause much bloodshed, Saturday morning the troops marched back towards Petersburg. They destroyed much public property by the way, including Sussex court-house, jail, tavern, and several dwelling-houses, which were burned by our troops in retaliation for the shooting of three of our stragglers. All day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the troops continued their march through intense cold, reaching their old camping-ground Monday night. They had travelled fifty miles, burned three railroad bridges, and destroyed fifteen miles of track. We lost about one hundred men. A large number of contrabands were brought in.

By the first of January, the Dutch Gap Canal was nearly completed. Its bulk-head, on that day, was mined and blown up. But the earth, which was thrown in an immense mass high into the air, fell directly back into the canal, blocking it up as firmly as before. It became, therefore, necessary to resort to the tedious work of dredging. To prevent the rebels from making a sudden descent with their iron-clads upon our transportation fleet at City Point, Admiral Lee had sunk vessels across a narrow bend of the river just above Bermuda Hundred. This made our base secure, but also prevented our iron-clads from ascending to Richmond. We soon found these obstructions more advantageous to the enemy than to us. One of General Butler's objects in digging the Dutch Gap Canal was to open a passage for our iron-clads, by which these obstructions, which were guarded by powerful rebel batteries, could be avoided. The labor upon the canal ended with this grand explosion. Other and momentous events soon engrossed the energies of the whole army.

The first expedition for the capture of Fort Fisher and Wilmington, which we have already described, which had sailed from the mouth of the James on the 13th and 14th of December, returned the latter part of the month, chagrined with defeat. General Butler, it will be remembered, was in charge of the land force. In consequence of this failure, he was