CONGRATULATIONS ON THE SURRENDER, ETC.

an hour, from the time General Grant and staff broke up their headquarters at City Point for the spring campaign, they return with the spring campaign not only complete, but the entire opposing army destroyed, and the war substantially closed. The complete character of the destruction of Lee's army thus accomplished, forcibly appears from these facts, viz. : That when the operations began two weeks ago, his army numbered not less than 65,000 men; that we have captured from him 25,000 prisoners; that his killed and wounded are not less than 14,000; and that the balance of the army deserted on the retreat, or fell into our hands at the surrender. The congratulations at headquarters were very hearty, as the various gentlemen of the staff appeared at their old homes, and as commemorative of their triumphant return, Brady, the eminent photographer of New York, preserved the group, generals and all, for the admiration of all their friends in this and future generations.'

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Department, about half an hour later : "Lieutenant-General Grant - Thanks be to Almighty God for the great victory with which He has this day crowned you and the gallant armies under your command! The thanks of this Department and of the Government, and of the people of the United States--their reverence and honor have been deserved-will be rendered to you and the brave and gallant officers and soldiers of your army for all time." In commemoration of the event the Secretary of War ordered a salute of 200 guns to be fired at the headquarters of every Army and Department, and at every post and arsenal in the United States, and at the Military Academy at West Point, on the day of the receipt of this order.

While General Sherman was entering North Carolina from the south, General Stoneman, under orders from General Thomas in Tennessee, co-operating in the grand movement, was penetrating the State from the west. Leaving Knoxville at the head of an important cavalry column on the 16th of March, he sent forward detachments of his force on the line of the East Tennessee Railroad, which accomplished their work of cutting off the communications of the enemy, destroying bridges and approaching to the immediate vicinity of Lynchburg in Virginia. With the main body of his forces meanwhile, General Stoneman struck for Greensboro' on the North Carolina Railroad. "Arrived near Salem, North Carolina," says he, in his subsequent report to General Thomas, dated Camp at Statersville, N. C., April 13, "I detailed Palmer's brigade to destroy the bridges between Danville and Greensboro' and between Greensboro' and Yadkin River, and the large depots of supplies along the road. This duty was performed with considerable fighting, the capture of 400 prisoners, and to my entire satisfaction. With the other two To General Grant the Secretary sent brigades (Brown's and Miller's) and the following message from the War the artillery, under the command of

Sunday, the 9th of April (Palm Sunday), was the memorable day on which this surrender of Lee's army was effected --a surrender which, with the fall of the rebel capital, virtually ended the existence of the confederacy as a military and civil power. The number of men paroled of Lee's army was 26,115; 15,918 small arms were surrendered; 159 cannon; 71 colors, wagons and caissons, estimated at about 1,100, and horses and mules at 4,000. The announcement of Lee's surrender was made to the country by Secretary Stanton, in a telegram, dated 9 o'clock, on the evening of the 9th, in the following simple terms: "This Department has received the official report of the surrender, this day, of General Lee and his army to Lieutenant-General Grant, on the terms proposed by General Grant.'

army blankets, 20,000 pounds of harness leather, 10,000 pounds of saltpetre; also a very large amount of sugar, salt, rice and other stores, and medical supplies valued by the rebel medical directors at $100,000 in gold. In addition to the arsenals at Salisbury, a military shop was being fitted up, and was filled with machinery sent from Raleigh and Richmond, all of which was destroyed. The depots along the route traversed by our various parties have furnished us with abundance. The number of horses and mules captured and taken along the road I have no means of estimating. I can say, however, that we are much better mounted than when we left Knoxville. We have a surplus of led animals, and sufficient besides to haul off all our captives, mount a portion of the prisoners and about a thousand contrabands, and this after crossing Stone Mountains once, and the Blue Ridge three times, and a march made by headquarters, since the 29th of last month, of 500 miles and much more by portions of the command. The rapidity of our movements, in almost every instance, caused our advanced guard to herald our approach, and make the surprise complete." The vigor of General Stoneman's operations rendered Grant's success in Virginia the more certain, and in co-operation with the army of General Sherman secured the early surrender of Johnston in North Carolina.

Lieutenant Reagan, we pushed for Salis- gray uniforms and clothing, 250,000 bury, where we found about 3,000 troops, under command of Major-General W. M. Gardiner, and fourteen pieces of artillery, under the command of Colonel (late Lieutenant-General) Pemberton. The whole formed behind Grant's Creek, about ten miles and a half from Salisbury. As soon as a proper disposition could be made, I ordered a general charge upon the entire line, and the result was the capture of the whole 14 pieces of artillery, 1,364 prisoners, including 55 officers. All the artillery, and 1,104 prisoners are now with us. The remainder of the force was chased through and several miles beyond the town, but scattered and escaped into the woods. We remained at Salisbury two days, during which time we destroyed fifteen miles of track and the bridges toward Charlotte, then moved to this point. From here we shall move to the south side of the Catawba River, and be in position to operate toward Charlotte and Columbia, or upon the flank of an army moving south. The following is a partial list of the public property captured north of Salisbury and destroyed by us: 4 large cotton factories and about 7,000 bales of cotton; 4 large magazines. containing 10,000 stand of small arms and accoutrements; 1,000,000 rounds of small arm ammunition, 1,600 rounds of fixed artillery ammunition and 7,000 pounds of powder; 35,000 bushels of corn, 50,000 bushels of wheat, 160,000 pounds of cured bacon; 100,000 suits of

CHAPTER CXIII.

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN ALABAMA. CAPTURE OF MOBILE. WILSON'S CAVALRY EXPEDITION. MARCH, APRIL, 1865.

assault commenced in General Canby's department of the Gulf, in the latter part of March. The corps of General A. J. Smith had, in the previous month, been detached from General Thomas Army of the Tennessee and joined by a division of cavalry under General Knipe, had descended the Mississippi and encamped in the vicinity of New Orleans. There it awaited the preparation of a force of cavalry which General Thomas was organizing to be placed under command of General Wilson to sweep the State of Alabama from the north. General Granger's Thirteenth Corps meanwhile was on hand waiting for reinforcements at Mobile Point at the entrance to the harbor, whither General A. J. Smith's corps was brought in transports to Dauphin Island by the 20th of March. The cavalry marched over

WHILE General Sherman was pursuing his triumphant course northwardly through the Carolinas and General Grant was patiently awaiting the decisive moment of action before Richmond, the last stronghold of the enemy to the east of the Mississippi, the well fortified city of Mobile was being vigorously besieged by a combination of the national forces. After the capture and occupation of Wilmington and Charleston in February, Mobile remained the last of the coast cities in the possession of the enemy. Its importance as a commercial port had of course been destroyed by the capture in the previous summer of the forts at the entrance of the harbor. But the city, protected by the obstructions in the upper shallow waters of the bay, by the natural difficulties of approach, and by a chain of important fortifications on the land side, garrisoned by a band of reso-land from New Orleans. A division, lute defenders under General D. H. Maury, still, after six months had passed, defied assault. Its further resistance, however, was hopeless in the face of the co-operating Union forces, the powerful fleet of Admiral Thatcher and supporting corps of General Granger in front, and the commands of Generals Smith and Steele, the whole under the command of General Canby, approaching it from the east and west, and the column of General Wilson's cavalry sweeping through the State, cutting off its supplies and communication with the North. Mobile was evidently a doomed city, yet its surrender was not secured without a series of determined efforts, of great gallantry on the part of the investing forces. The movement of troops destined for the

under General Steele, with a colored division and two brigades of white troops, about the same time left Pensacola on an overland march to the scene of operations where the decisive conflict was to be fought to the east of Mobile in gaining possession of Spanish Fort and its line of works which guarded the channel and immediate approach to the city by the river. The rendezvous of the several corps was at a station on Fish River, a stream which empties into Bon Secour Bay, a cove on the east side of Mobile Bay. General Granger's corps moved thither by land from Mobile Point, while General Smith's corps crossed the bay from Dauphin Island on transports. A correspondent who was with the latter, describes the passage up the stream.

(: On

striking the mouth of Fish River, we up the Belle Rose road on the left, and looked," says he, "for torpedoes and the Sixteenth Corps moved up the guerrillas; but, on the contrary, eager Blakely road on the right, proceeded multitudes of blacks and whites, of both about eight miles and went into camp. sexes, of all ages and conditions, flocked On the next day, the 26th, both corps to the shores, and rent the very air with again started, and fetched up before their vociferations of joy. In many noon, after a little skirmishing, the Thircases, in all probability, these manifesta- teenth in front of Spanish Fort, and the tions were of a bogus character; but on Sixteenth about four miles from the the whole it is my impression they were works of Blakely. The next morning, sincere. This is one of the most curious Monday, March 27, General Canby, disstreams I have ever been upon. The covering that it would be advisable, if water is deep enough for the largest not absolutely necessary, to reduce boats that float, but it is so very narrow Spanish Fort before turning on Blakely, that boats over 280 feet in length could ordered McArthur's and Carr's divisions not turn around; it is also so very of the Sixteenth Corps to retrograde four crooked that many of the transports were miles, and take up a position in front of obliged to run their bow into shore, and Spanish Fort, on the right, leaving Garthen throw a line to the opposite bank, rard's division to keep up a bold front and then pull around. The people along upon the Blakely road, until Steele the shore actually were wonder-struck; should arrive. Before 10 o'clock Spanand why shouldn't they have been, to ish Fort was completely invested on the see some of the most gorgeous and lux- land side, Carr's division of the Sixurious floating palaces of the Mississippi teenth Corps on the right, resting its exwandering such a stream. The condition treme on Bayou Minnette, and Benton's of the land, upon either side of the river, division of the Thirteenth Corps on the is of a marshy nature, generally. There left, its extreme touching at Belle Rose. were, however, some few pretty farms A few hours' skirmishing developed the under a high state of cultivation. Con- fact that Spanish Fort, and a neighbortrabands in great numbers stood along ing work called Fort Alexis, were hard the shores, many of whom jumped upon nuts to crack. Before dark a terrific our boats as they passed along. One of cannonading was going on on both sides, the great peculiarities of the forests upon which was kept up all night, the enemy's either side is the great number of eagles gunboats and two forts in the bay parand eagles' nests, many of the latter being ticipating. From this time until the larger than a cart wheel." The position fall of Spanish Fort, an incessant cannonof the army at its camping ground on ade and musketry fire was kept up by Fish River was sixteen miles below the both sides. During the two weeks' enSpanish fort, and about thirty from Mo-gagement, new guns of a heavy calibre bile. Twelve miles to the northeast of Mobile on the Tensaw River, was the small town of Blakely, which was defended by extensive works. The movement of the troops from Fish River, with the subsequent military operations, are presented in an interesting narrative by Mr. Benjamin C. Truman, the able correspondent of the New York Times already cited. "On the 25th March", he writes, "the Thirteenth Corps moved

were mounted every day, until at last some 16 mortars, 20 siege guns and 6 batteries of field artillery were bearing upon the enemy's stronghold. Our men were subjected to the hottest fire, for a while, I think, of the war, from the fact that our lines were in no place less than three-fourths of a mile from the rebel works, and night and day, shot and shell of the most ponderous pattern were projected into our camps indiscriminately

INVESTMENT OF SPANISH FORT.