part of the Army of the Potomac ; but so did Lee, with most of the Army of Virginia. Smith held our right, touching the Appomattox ; Hancock, Burnside and Warren reaching farther and farther to the left, which was covered by Kautz's cavalry. Meade, after posting his army, hastened to City Point for a consultation with Grant; and, returning at 2 P. M., gave orders for a general assault, which was delivered at 6 P. M. Hancock's, Burnside's, and part of Warren's corps, went forward in the face of a terrible fire from a sheltered and formidable foe, and a night of combat and carnage resulted in a general advance of our lines, though at a heavy cost. Birney, of Hancock's corps, had stormed and carried the ridge in his front; while Burnside, repelled during the night by the deadly fire he encountered, carried at daylight the outwork defying him, capturing 4 guns and 400 prisoners. Potter's division, which had made this desperate charge, was now relieved by Ledlie's, which pushed our advance still farther, or to within a mile and a half of the city, which was hence reached by our shells. On other points, however, we had either been repulsed, or had made no progress; while the preponderance of losses, and even of prisoners, was heavily against us. And, as the advanced position gained in Burnside's front was projected, as it were, into the enemy's still unshaken lines, a tremendous assault upon it was made the next night, and our men driven out with heavy loss.

The desperate struggle for Petersburg having drawn the Rebel forces

60

order, struck out," under Terry, from his front at Bermuda Hundreds toward Port Walthall junction, with intent to take, and if possible hold, the railroad. Terry, finding the railroad slightly held, seized, and was proceeding to destroy it, when the approach of Pickett's division of Longstreet's corps, marching from Richmond on Petersburg, compelled him to draw back. Grant had foreseen and provided against this contingency, by relieving (with part of the 6th) Smith's (18th) corps, and sending it to the aid of Butler; but, by some mistake, Smith's men were halted too soon; so that Terry was overpowered and hurled back; and, when he again advanced, rëenforced, the enemy had so strengthened their former works that they were deemed impregnable.

Grant, believing that a good part of the Rebel army had not yet arrived, ordered another general assault for the 18th; but, when our skirmishers that morning advanced, the enemy had abandoned their works in our immediate front, withdrawing to a new, stronger, and more symmetrical line nearer Petersburg.

Hours were now spent in making new dispositions to assault this with effect; and, at 3 P. M., an attack was made, first by Martindale, commanding the division left here of Smith's corps; then by Birney, in temporary command of the 2d; and later by the 5th and 9th; but with very heavy loss, and no success, save that Martindale carried the enemy's skirmish-line in his front, and made a few prisoners. The losses of the enemy, sheltered behind their works,

587

ours.

It had now been established, at a cost of fully 10,000 men," that Petersburg could not be carried by direct assault, no matter in what force: and our troops were directed to intrench strongly in its front, while the 2d and 6th corps were moved" to the left, with intent to find and turn the enemy's right; cutting or holding the Weldon railroad.

The 2d moved around to the Jerusalem plank road, where it was met by the enemy in force, and driven back a short distance; the 6th not being at hand. Next morning, the advance was resumed by both corps, but too tardily and disconnectedly the country being, for the most part, thickly wooded and difficult. A. P. Hill was watching the movement, and, at the proper moment, threw a division of his corps in between our two, striking rapidly in flank successively Barlow's, Mott's, and Gibbon's divisions, rolling them up and forcing them back, with a loss of 4 guns and many prisoners. At the same time, another of Hill's divisions struck the flank of the 6th corps likewise, inflicting on it also considerable loss. But Meade now arrived on the field -the Rebel advance having been checked-and, getting both corps well in hand, he ordered, at nightfall, an advance, which was made, and most of the lost ground recoveredHill not being in force to resist him in the open field.

Our advance southward was resumed next morning," and the Wel

"Between June 10 and 20, Meade's losses were killed, 1,198; wounded, 6,853; missing, 1,614: total, 9,665. And this does not probably

operations upon it begun, when Hill again struck the flank of our three regiments in advance, and routed them, taking many prisoners, and driving the fugitives back on the main body; when he again desisted, carrying off his captives. Our losses in this baffled effort were scarcely less than 4,000 men, mainly prisoners; with no resulting advantage, save a moderate extension of our left toward the Weldon railroad.

The mishap of this first attempt to clutch the Weldon railroad involved or drew after it another. Gen. Wilson, with his own and Kautz's divisions of cavalry, together 8,000 strong, had on that day been impelled still farther to our left, on a raid against the enemy's railroads. Moving southward for some distance, he turned abruptly to his right, and struck the Weldon road at Reams's station, where he burned the dépôt and tore up a long stretch of track. Passing thence rapidly westward, he struck the Lynchburg road at a point 15 miles from Petersburg, and followed it westward to Nottoway station, destroying the track for 22 miles; here encountering and defeating a Rebel cavalry force under W. F. Lee. Hence, he dispatched Kautz to Burkesville, the junction of this with the Danville road, where both roads were torn up, as was the Danville so far S. W. as Meherrin station; where Kautz was rejoined" by Wilson, and the work prosecuted so far as Roanoke bridge (over the Staunton); where they were con

include the losses of Sheridan's cavalry, who were fighting north of the James. June 21. CS June 23. 04 June 24.

fronted by a stronger force than they could dislodge, and commenced their return to our camps.

But, by this time, the enemy were all around them, and intent on their destruction. Striking the Weldon road at Stony creek," they were again confronted by more Rebels than they could drive; and, after a hard fight, were obliged to give up the attempt, and make for Reams's station, which Wilson undoubtedly supposed to be now held by Hancock or Warren. He was badly mistaken, however; for here was a far stronger Rebel force (including Mahone's and Finnegan's infantry brigades, beside Hampton's cavalry) than that which had baffled him at Stony creek; and his attempt to force a passage resulted in his signal defeat, involving the loss of his guns, his train, with many prisoners and their horses. About 1,000 negroes, who had fallen into the wake of our cavalry-many of them mounted on horses borrowed for the occasion-here fell into the hands of the Rebels, and were returned to a servitude which their effort to escape was not calculated to lighten. Wilson and Kautz fled separately across the Nottoway, and, by a long circuit southward, made their way back to our lines before Petersburg-men and horses coming in pretty nearly used up. Grant, in his report, says, indeed, with his habitual optimism, that

"the damage to the enemy in this expedition more than compensated for the losses

we sustained. It severed all connection by railroad with Richmond for several weeks;" but such was not the general opinion; and Grant sent no more cavalry to the Rebel rear for months. Lee claims to have taken from Wilson

June 28.

and Kautz on this raid 1,000 prisoners (beside the wounded), 13 guns, and 30 wagons.

On our right, Gen. Butler had been directed to throw a pontoon-bridge over the James to Deep Bottom, north of his stronghold at Bermuda Hundreds; which he did skillfully and without loss; Brig.-Gen. Foster, with a brigade of the 10th corps, taking post at Deep Bottom, only 10 miles from Richmond, and very near its southward defenses at Howlett's.

Gen. Sheridan, who, with his cavalry, had rested some days at White House, after their return from their harassing raid toward Gordonsville, now moved across the Peninsula to the James, being resolutely attacked" by the way; but he beat off his assailants, with a loss of some 500 on either side, and made his way safely to our right, bringing in his guns and train.

The residue of the 18th corps was now returned to Butler; and thus, in spite of reverses, our lines were extended on both flanks, so as to threaten Richmond above the James, while we attempted to flank and carry Petersburg on the south. Why it was not then, or thereafter, found advisable to mass suddenly against the center of the enemy's long, thin line, and burst through it, wherever, between Richmond and Petersburg, it should seem weakest, Gen. Grant in his report does not inform us. Possibly, the sore experience of Cold Harbor had made him chary of infantry assaults on lines fortified and held by marksmen of such nerve as now composed the bulk of Lee's de cimated but still formidable army. There were several collisions along