University of Virginia Library

TIDEWATER VIRGINIA MADE THE BATTLE-GROUND.

In all historical struggles of the past between nations, it is exhibited
that the final contest has been limited to a few localities, in which the
resources of the combatants were concentrated and the operations more
colossal than any preceding them. This was exemplified in the late
civil war, the crisis being reached in 1862, and the period was signalized
by contests more sanguinary than had ever before been witnessed on
the American continent. The first of these encounters between the
opposing armies before Richmond was the

BATTLE OF SEVEN PINES,

On the 31st of May, in which the Federal loss was 6,000 greater than
the Confederate, with arms, stores, etc. A demonstration by McClellan
on the next day which was repulsed by General Pickett, magnified
in the Federal reports as the battle of Fair Oaks, was an action of no
consequence. Our limits forbid a minute detail of the events of the
momentous three years succeeding, and confine us to a general view of
the war in Virginia. On the first of June the armies confronting each
other on her soil aggregated quite 200,000 men. The struggle around
the beleaguered capital of the Confederacy commenced with the

SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES

In the region of the Chickahominy, which were inaugurated on the
26th of June, by the

BATTLE OF MECHANICSVILLE.

General Johnston had been severely wounded at Seven Pines, and
General R. E. Lee was now in chief command of the Confederate forces
around Richmond. General McClellan had recently assumed the command
of the army of the Potomac, then concentrated on the banks of the
Chickahominy.

In order that the reader may better understand the movements now
to be noticed he should study carefully the geography of the Tidewater
district of Virginia. By an inspection of the map it will be seen that

the Chickahominy river has its source in the north-western portion of
Henrico county, whence it flows in a south-western direction—its course
in the neighborhood of Richmond closely resembling the arc of a circle—
until it reaches the south-eastern portion of Charles City county, where
it suddenly turns to the south and flows into the James, about seventy-five
miles below Richmond. Mechanicsville is situated on the northeast
bank of this river, distant five miles from Richmond, and marks the
point of McClellan's nearest approach to that city.

At the time of the engagement a portion of the Federal army had
crossed the Chickahominy and held a fortified position on the Williamsburg
road, but far the greater portion lay on the north side, the line extending
many miles up and down the stream.

It was at 3 P. M. Thursday, June 26th, that Major-General Jackson—
flushed with recent victories in the Shenandoah Valley—took up his
line of march from Ashland and proceeded south-east through the country
lying between the Chickahominy and Pamunkey rivers. Brigadier-General
Branch, crossing the former, directed his march so as to form a
junction with the corps of General A. P. Hill. Jackson kept well to
the Pamunkey until he reached the village of Raleigh, when he turned
suddenly to the west and attacked the fortified Federal position at
Mechanicsville; at the same time General Hill with a force of fourteen
thousand joined in the attack, and, after a short but desperate contest,
night settled down upon the scene, both armies holding their position,
but under cover of darkness the Federals withdrew and fell back down
the river to Powhite swamp.

Friday morning dawned clear and bright, and the sun arose to shed
his rays upon such a scene as had not yet been witnessed on this continent.
The way had been cleared at Mechanicsville, and General Longstreet's
corps d' armée, composed of his veteran division of the Old Guard
of the Army of the Potomac and General D. H. Hill's command, emerged
from the forest on the south side of the Chickahominy and crossed that
river. A general advance on the part of the Confederates now began;
the command of General A. P. Hill in the centre marching in the direction
of Cold Harbor; Generals Longstreet and D. H. Hill on the right,
proceeding down the Chickahominy, and the veteran Jackson marching
far to the left, but converging toward the river.

The position of the Federal army was now a peculiar one: that portion
lying south of the river was confronted by the command of General
Magruder, while that on the north side had fallen back to a new line
of defenses, and here McClellan had decided to make a decisive battle.

Jackson's arrival at Cold Harbor was announced by the roar of his
guns, which was the signal of battle, and in compliance with that signal
the forces of Generals Lee, Longstreet, A. P. Hill and D. H. Hill
were simultaneously engaged. From four o'clock until eight, the battle
raged with terrible fury, and a wonderful display of daring and intrepidity
on the part of the Confederates. At last the Federals gave

way, and night covered the retreat of their broken and shattered lines
to the south bank of the Chickahominy.

A memorable part of the day's fighting was that known as the

BATTLE OF GAINES MILLS,

And the repeated charges made here deserve to rank with the most glorious
deeds of the war. The corps of General A. P. Hill had made the
first charge upon the Federal intrenchments at this place, and a terrible
struggle had continued throughout the day, neither side seeming to
have the advantage—the Federals holding their position, but powerless
to keep at bay the Confederates, whose dauntless successive charges were
ineffectual to carry the works. An eye-witness says that Hill's division
made repeated charges, but were as often driven back by the murderous
sheet of fire from the formidable works. Twenty-six pieces of artillery
were belching forth their thunders, and a perfect leaden hail-storm fell
thick and fast around them. In front stood earth-works stretching for
miles away; and drawn up in line of battle were three full divisions, commanded
by Generals McCall, Porter and Sedgwick. Banners everywhere
filled the air; artillery vomited forth incessant volleys of grape,
canister and shell, and the angel of death hovered over the field amid
the sulphurous atmosphere of battle. But at last as the sun was descending
behind the western hills Pickett's brigade, from Longstreet's division,
came to Hill's support. Then came Whiting's division, consisting of the
"Old Third" and the Texan brigades; they advanced at a double quick,
charged the batteries, and drove the Federals from the intrenchments
which they had defended with such obstinacy throughout the day. Belonging
to the last mentioned brigade was the 4th Texas regiment commanded
by a gallant Virginian, Colonel Bradfute Warwick; this was
his last charge; just as the works were carried his breast was pierced by
a minie-ball, and he fell to rise no more. Thus ended the second of
the terrible Seven Days. Skirmishing was kept up during Saturday,
and on Sunday the 29th was fought the

BATTLE OF SAVAGES STATION.

On the morning of this, the fourth day, a considerable body of the
Federals were discovered occupying a strong natural position at the
place named, on the York River Railroad. The division of General
McLaws, consisting of Kershaw's and Semmes' brigades, supported by
General Griffith's brigade, from Magruder's division, made the attack at
one o'clock, and were received by a furious cannonade from a park of
field pieces. Kemper's battery was ordered to the front, and after a
splendid artillery duel which fairly shook the surrounding country, the

EARLY SEAL OF WILLIAM AND MARY COLLEGE, VIRGINIA

The first established Institution of Learning in America.

Federals were once more forced to retreat. Early in the action General
Griffith, a brave and meritorious officer from Mississippi, was struck by
a fragment of a shell and instantly killed. He was the only general
officer lost by the Confederates during that sanguinary week. The gallant
10th Georgia led the charge, and its depleted ranks told but too
well of the raking fire to which it had been exposed.

THE BATTLE OF FRAYSERS FARM.

Monday was the fifth in the bloody list, and on that day was fought
the battle known as Fraysers Farm. At daybreak the whole Confederate
army was moving in pursuit of McClellan's retreating regiments.
D. H. Hill, Whiting, and Ewell, under the command of Jackson, passed
the Chickahominy at Grapevine Bridge, and marched along the Williamsburg
road; while Longstreet, A. P. Hill, Huger and Magruder followed
by the way of the Charles City road, with the design of intercepting
the retreating columns. This disposition of the troops soon brought
General Longstreet's division in front of the Federals. He was supported
by Hill's division, consisting of six brigades. When he came up
with the Federals, he found that they had taken position about five
miles north-east of Darbytown, on the New Market road, the immediate
vicinity being locally known as Fraysers Farm. The attack was at once
brought on by the division of General Hill, and for three dreadful
hours it is doubtful if on any one of the bloody fields of Virginia more
heroic bravery was ever witnessed than was displayed by both armies.
The roar of artillery and the rattle of musketry resounded far and wide,
the air was filled with the missiles of death, and every spot presented a
sight of ghastly destruction and horror. The dead and wounded were
strewn thickly upon the field. But at last, above the roar and din of
battle, came the orders along the Federal lines to retreat. No order was
ever obeyed with more alacrity upon any field. In three minutes the
shattered ranks were once more in full retreat, and the Confederate
forces occupied the field and rested for the day. The sixth day, Tuesday,
was to become memorable because of the terrible.

BATTLE OF MALVERN HILL.

Early Tuesday morning, the sixth day in the awful series, McClellan's
forces continued their retreat in a south-western direction toward
his gunboats in the James. No sooner was the movement discovered
than the Confederates began the pursuit. General Magruder was ordered
to march by the Quaker road, and take position on the right of
Jackson, but owing to a misunderstanding as to which was this road,
the wrong route was taken, and, by the necessary change, his troops
were formed on the right wing of Huger instead of that of Jackson, as
at first designed.

The Federal commander having learned from the rapid march of the
Confederates that he must fight again before he could reach the naval
force lying in Turkey Island bend of the James, took position on an
eminence known as Malvern Hill, upon the summit and declivities of
which he placed in position his batteries, supported by strong columns
of infantry. General Magruder advanced to the attack, shelling the
woods and swamps as he proceeded, and at 5 o'clock P. M., when he had
reached a point sufficiently near, he gave the order to charge and drive
the Federals from their position. The order was received with a shout,
and instantly the entire command were crossing the plain which lay at
the base of the hill at a full run. But now, had that hill been torn
asunder by some mighty volcanic force, the deep intonations could
scarce have been greater. One hundred pieces of artillery opened a
simultaneous fire and belched forth a murderous storm of grape and
canister which swept the charging columns with the most terrible effect.
Officers and men fell by the hundred; but yet unwavering, that charging
column rushed on until two-thirds of the distance across the field had
been passed. But wholesale carnage now prevailed on every hand. No
body of men could stand before so withering a fire, and the column
gave way and took refuge in the woods near by. Twice again those
charging squadrons presented a living wall to that deadly fire, and twice
again were they forced back. Around that hill was a steady flame,
and at sunset it quivered with the terrific concussion of artillery and
huge explosions. Shells were flying in every direction and bursting
into deadly iron hail. Columns of black smoke shot skyward and darkened
the air. But the day waned, the battle abated, and both armies
rested on their arms and upon the field. That night a sulphurous
smoke hung around the summit of Malvern Hill and settled away in
dense columns over the valley of the historic James. Soon dark,
ominous clouds covered the sky and the rain descended in torrents,
which washed the blood-stained slopes of the little hill, carrying the
sanguinary tide into the copses and woodlands which surrounded the
base below. As twilight began to streak the eastern sky, the Confederate
officers arose ready to renew the attack, but, upon turning
their eyes to the hill from which they had been repulsed, they were
filled with inexpressible astonishment. No enemy was there: the volcano
was still, and McClellan's army was already far away on its

RETREAT TO HARRISONS LANDING.

In less than two hours after the roar of artillery had died away, the
entire Federal army was stealing away from its enemy, and at midnight
it presented all the confusion of a fleeing and routed army; and

although the distance to Harrisons Landing was but seven miles, the
rear of that broken and dispirited army did not reach its destination
until noon of the next day. The mud was in many places more than
ankle-deep. This prevented the Confederates from bringing up their
artillery, and this fact alone, doubtless, saved McClellan's army from
complete destruction.

On the 8th of July the Confederates returned to Richmond, and the
Federals lay at Harrisons Landing until the 4th of August, when, as
we shall see, it became necessary for them to move again. The terrible
seven days were past and the Peninsular Campaign ended; and what
were the results? McClellan reached the banks of the Chickahominy
with 159,500 men, and ten days later, when he reached Harrisons
Landing, he telegraphed to the Secretary of War that he presumed he
had not "over 50,000 men left with his colors;" but on the 7th of July,
when President Lincoln visited the camp, he found 86,000 men on the
field, thus showing a loss of 73,500 men in ten days. General Lee, in
his report to the Confederate Secretary of War, said:

"The siege of Richmond has been raised, and the object of a campaign,
which had been prosecuted after months of preparation at an
enormous expenditure of men and money, is completely frustrated.
More than 10,000 prisoners, including officers of rank, fifty-two pieces
of artillery, and more than 35,000 stand of small arms were captured.
The stores and supplies of every description which fell into our hands
were great in amount and value, but small in comparison with those
destroyed by the enemy. His losses in battle exceeded our own, as
attested by the thousands of dead and wounded left on every field,
while his subsequent inaction shows in what condition the survivors
reached the protection to which they fled."

As before mentioned, on the 4th of August McClellan received orders
from Washington to remove his army to Acquia creek to aid in repelling
the Confederate movement toward the National Capital. The bulk
of his army removed to Fortress Monroe, which place it left on the 23d
of August, and reached Acquia creek the next day.

BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN.

No sooner had the Washington Government learned of the reverses
on the Peninsula, than General Pope was sent to Virginia to occupy the
Shenandoah Valley. His advance consisted of two divisions under
command of General Banks. General Lee, ever vigilant, sent a strong
force to repel this invasion, and on the evening of the 8th of August a
portion of General Jackson's corps, consisting of the 1st, 2d and 3d
brigades, commanded by General Charles S. Winder, forded the Rapidan
river and advanced into Culpeper county. The next morning it
was reported that the Federals were advancing to the attack, and
Ewell's division moved out three miles on the road leading from Orange

Court House to Culpeper Court House, where it took position, with the
left flank resting on South Mountain.

At 12 M. cannonading began; at 3 P. M. General Early's brigade of
Ewell's division made a circuit through the woods and attacked the
Federals on the right, the 13th Virginia regiment marching in the
advance. At 4 P. M. the action became general, and as General Jackson's
division, under command of General Winder, was advancing to
the attack, it was subjected to a galling fire poured forth with great
precision from the mountain side. General Winder had his left arm
shattered, and a few minutes later received a wound in the side, from
which he died in an hour. The battle raged until nightfall and victory
seemed to hang in the balance, but just as the full-orbed moon was
lighting up the mountain tops, the Federals gave way and retreated,
leaving their dead and wounded upon the field.

SECOND BATTLE OF MANASSAS.

After the battle of Cedar Mountain, the Federals returned to the
Potomac river, and Jackson took position on the already historic plains
of Manassas, where, on the 27th of August, 1862, the soil was a
second time bathed in the best blood of the nation. On the morning of
that day, General Taylor's brigade of Major-General Slocum's division
of the Army of the Potomac, composed of the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th New
Jersey regiments, proceeded by rail from Camp Ellsworth, near Alexandria,
and reached Manassas about 11 o'clock A. M. Upon arriving,
General Taylor marched his men to the summit of the hill above the
valley of Bull Run, when he encountered a skirmish line, which fell
back before him. He continued onward until near the Junction, where
his command was met by a heavy enfilading fire of artillery. Unable
to withstand it, he fell back and took shelter behind the crest of a
ridge, but from which he was soon driven, and forced to a precipitate
flight in the direction of Fairfax. The Confederates followed in hot
pursuit, which was kept up until the fugitive army was beyond Centreville.
General Taylor himself, his son, of his staff, and his nephew,
were all severely wounded. Thus ended the second battle of Manassas
—not on such a gigantic scale, but in as complete a rout as the first.

GENERAL LORING IN THE KANAWHA VALLEY.

It was now September, and the Federal army had been driven completely
out of Virginia. General Loring was sent to the Kanawha Valley
to take possession of that great salt-producing region. On the 10th
he reached Fayette Court House, where he found the Federals posted in

considerable force. An attack was at once made, and after an engagement
lasting six hours, the place was captured, the Federals falling
back to Cotton Hill, where they made a stand; but after a few hours'
fighting the next day, they were driven again, and this time continued
their retreat to Charleston, the county-seat of Kanawha. General
Loring followed on down the Kanawha river, and two days later occupied
Charleston, from which the Federals had fled after firing it. At
Point Pleasant they were largely reinforced, and marching back to
Charleston, compelled General Loring, whose forces were greatly inferior,
to evacuate the town and fall back to Staunton, in Augusta county.

GENERAL LEE IN MARYLAND.

The progress of events, now, for the first time during the struggle,
leads us to a new theater of war within the recognized dominion of the
Federal Government.

On the 4th of September General Lee took the offensive, and leaving
on his right Arlington Heights, whither the shattered forces of General
Pope had been driven from the valley, crossed the Potomac river and
entered Maryland. Two objects were in view: the first, the capture of
Harpers Ferry; and the second, to test the spirit of the Marylanders,
and thus learn whether their proffered aid in support of the Confederacy
could be relied upon. Attention was diverted from this expedition by
a demonstration upon Pennsylvania, which so alarmed its governor,
Curtin, that he called out the entire available force of the State, and
made every preparation for defense. During the consequent excitement
which prevailed throughout the Northern States, General Lee was in
reality directing his movements against Virginia, and for the more
effectual accomplishment of his purpose, divided his force into three
corps, commanded respectively by Generals Jackson, Longstreet and
Hill. The first recrossed the Potomac at Williamsport, and having occupied
Martinsburg, passed rapidly to the south of Harpers Ferry, the
object being the capture of the arms and stores there. In the meanwhile
the commands of Hill and Longstreet were stationed to cover the
movements of Jackson, and thus hold at bay the forces of McClellan,
which were marching to the relief of Harpers Ferry, then held by
a force of ten or twelve thousand men under General Miles. General
Lee, foreseeing that the design of the Federal officers was to attack and
defeat the Confederates in detail before their forces could be reunited, to
frustrate this expectation, sent the division of General D. H. Hill to take
a position at the mountain post known as Boonesboro Gap. Here, on
the 14th of September, was fought the

ARMORIAL BOOK-PLATE

Of Colonel William Byrd, of "Westover," James
River, who founded Richmond in 1737.

BATTLE OF SOUTH MCUNTAIN.

At 8 A. M. of that day, General Cox's division, of Reno's corps,
moved up the country road leading toward the summit, which in the
meantime had been occupied by General Hill, and the conflict at once
began. The brigade of General Garland, of Virginia, received the first
fire, and its brave commander fell, fatally pierced by a musket ball, and
very nearly at the same moment General Reno, a distinguished Federal
officer, was mortally wounded, dying upon the field. The battle continued
to rage with unabated fury, and reinforcements to arrive and engage
at once in the deadly fray. That morning the corps of General Longstreet
was lying at Hagerstown, distant fourteen miles from the scene of
action. Hurrying forward with all speed, it reached and joined the
wearied ranks of Hill at 3 P. M., and an hour later the brigades were in
position, and that of General Toombs engaged. Evans occupied the extreme
left, Drayton the right, and Hood, with the "ragged Texans,"
the center. At the same hour the Federals received powerful reinforcements.
Hooker's corps of Burnside's column moved to the right,
Meade's division to the left, and Rickett's to the center. The first was
supported by Patrick, the second by Doubleday, and the third by
Phelps. It was a living human wall against which no force could prevail,
and at dark the Confederates withdrew from the field, but they
had accomplished their object—they had held the entire army of
McClellan, outnumbering them five to one, back, while General Jackson
succeeded in the

CAPTURE OF HARPERS FERRY.

At midnight on the 14th, Jackson massed his batteries on the heights
overlooking Harpers Ferry, and at daylight on the morning of the 15th
opened a fire which fairly shook the surrounding mountains. Just at
sunrise General Miles, the Federal commander, was struck by a shell
and his left leg carried away. At twenty minutes past seven the white
flag was waving over the Federal position, and a few minutes later Miles
surrendered 11,583 men, 73 pieces of artillery, 13,000 small arms, 200
wagons, and an immense quantity of supplies. But Jackson did not
wait to receive the surrender; leaving that to Hill, he hurried across the
Potomac into Maryland to join Lee, and assist him at the

BATTLE OF ANTIETAM, OR SHARPSBURG,

Which was fought two days later, on the 17th. Sharpsburg is ten
miles north of Harpers Ferry, and eight west of Boonesboro, on the
bank of Antietam creek, a sluggish stream emptying into the Potomac
eight miles above Harpers Ferry. Here, on the morning of the 17th,
General Lee lay with a force of 45,000 men. The Federals were commanded

by McClellan in person, and consisted of the entire command of
Burnside, McDowell's corps, now under the command of Hooker; Sumner's
corps, Franklin's corps, Banks' corps, commanded by Williams,
and Sykes' division of Fitz John Porter's corps.

Lee looked anxiously for the arrival of the divisions of McLaws, R.
H. Anderson, A. P. Hill and Walker, but they did not come up until
late in the day. At dawn the work of carnage began, and continued
for twelve hours; 200,000 men struggled for the mastery. Blood flowed
in streams, and the field was strewn far and wide with the dead and
dying; the deathly grapple was yet indecisive, and at sunset when the
worn armies desisted from strife one of the best examples of a drawn
battle which history records was presented. Both armies rested upon
the field that night, and when on the next morning the Confederates
fell back across the Potomac to Shepherdstown, Virginia, McClellan's
army was too much demoralized to follow.

The Federal force actually engaged numbered 87,164, of which 4,320
were cavalry; their loss was 2,010 killed, 9,416 wounded, and 1,043
missing—a total of 12,469. The Confederates had during the day
70,000 men engaged, and left upon the field 3,000 dead, and 2,000 severely
wounded. Of the killed on both sides many rotted in the sun,
and, long after, their bones were bleaching on the mountain sides and in
the valley of the little stream.

FROM THE POTOMAC TO FREDERICKSBURG

For many days after the battle of Antietam the Federal army exhibited
a "masterly inactivity." The ever-vigilant Lee was being reinforced,
and was rapidly remobilizing his army and getting ready for his
adversary, when he should once more invade the soil of Virginia.
McClellan's force on the 1st of October numbered 150,000 men, and on
the 6th Halleck telegraphed him, saying: "The President directs that
you cross the Potomac and give battle to the enemy or drive him South.
Your army must move while the roads are good." But two weeks
passed away, and still no advance was made. Halleck once more telegraphed
him: "The President does not expect impossibilities, but this
good weather must not be wasted in inactivity." November 1st the
entire force once more crossed the Potomac and entered Virginia. It
moved leisurely south along the eastern base of the Blue Ridge, while
Lee kept up a parallel movement on the west side. On the 7th a heavy
snow storm set in. Everything betokened the beginning of winter.
"Patience ceased to be a virtue" with the authorities at Washington,
and that night at 12 o'clock Lincoln ordered McClellan to turn over
the command of the army to General Burnside. The new commander
determined to advance at once to Fredericksburg, masking his intention

by a feint towards Gordonsville. Lee readily interpreted his action,
and while Burnside marched along the north bank of the Rappahannock
to Falmouth, he continued down the south bank and took position
at Fredericksburg. Here he destroyed the bridges, and prevented
the crossing of Burnside until he had time to surround himself with fortifications.

Fredericksburg lay midway between the contending armies, and it was
evident that its destruction was sealed whenever either army should
enter it.

THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.

On the morning of the 10th of December Burnside's pontoon bridges
arrived from Washington, and on the next day an effort was made to
cross the river in front of the town, but the fire from the Confederate
sharpshooters was persistent and directed with such unerring precision
that the place was abandoned; but on the 12th the Federals succeeded
in crossing three miles further down the river. Lee was awaiting the
advance with 80,000 men lying behind the fortifications. "Stonewall"
Jackson commanded on the right, and Longstreet on the left. Of the
Federal force, Franklin was on the left, Hooker in the center, and
Sumner on the right. The battle began at 11 o'clock A. M.: the first
attack was made on the position of General Jackson by Meade with a
brigade belonging to Franklin's grand division. It went into the charge
with 4,500 men, and was instantly hurled back, leaving on the field
1,760 dead and wounded. The battle raged until nightfall, when
Burnside having been repulsed at every point of attack was forced to
recross the river, and on the next morning to abandon his position and
fall back to Falmouth. His loss was 13,711, while that of the Confederates
was only 5,309. The year 1862 closed, and left the two armies
lying as at the close of the battle. Here they went into winter-quarters,
and Burnside having proven himself no more satisfactory to the
Washington Government than his predecessor, was soon after superseded
in the command by Major-General Hooker, who gloried in the
sobriquet of "Fighting Joe."

THE ARMY OF NORTH-WESTERN VIRGINIA AT THE CLOSE OF THE
SECOND YEAR'S WAR.

As the year closed, it was asserted both in the North and South that
General Lee's army was rapidly dwindling away from desertion. This
elicited a reply from the Commander-in-Chief, in which he likened the
sufferings of that army to those of the French in their retreat from Moscow,
and closed with the tribute: "This army cut and fought its way to the
Potomac, crossed that stream, moved on to Frederick and Hagerstown, had
a heavy engagement at Boonesboro, another at Crampton's Gap, fought the

greatest pitched battle of the war at Antietam, and then recrossed the
Potomac into Virginia. During all this time, covering the full space
of a month, the troops rested but four days. And let it be always remembered
to their honor that of the men who performed this wonderful
feat, one-fifth were barefooted, one-half in rags, and the whole half-famished.
* * * * Their difficulties were increased by the fact that
cooking utensils in many cases had been left behind, as well as everything
else that would impede their movements. It was not unusual to
see a company of starving men have a barrel of flour distributed to
them which it was utterly impossible for them to convert into bread
with the means and in the time allowed them.

"Do you wonder, then, that there should have been stragglers from
the army? That brave and true men should have fallen out from sheer
exhaustion, or in their efforts to obtain a mouthful to eat along the roadsides?
Or that many seasoned veterans—the conquerors in the Valley,
at Richmond and at Manassas—should have succumbed to disease, and
been forced back to the hospital? * * * * That there has been unnecessary
straggling is readily admitted, but in a large majority of cases
the men have only to point to their bleeding feet, tattered garments, and
gaunt frames for an answer to the unjust charge. No army on this continent
has ever accomplished as much or suffered as much as the Army
of Northern Virginia within the last three months. At no period during
the first Revolutionary war, not even at Valley Forge, did our forefathers
in arms encounter greater hardships or endure them more uncomplainingly."

HOOKER HALTS ON THE BANKS OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK.

General Hooker took command of the army, but no advance was
made; the condition of the army and the long winter were his excuses,
but spring opened and but one engagement broke the long silence of the
lines along the banks of the Rappahannock.

That was on the 17th of March, when a Federal force of 3,000 crossed
the river at Kelley's Ford and advanced to within six miles of Culpeper
Court House, when they were engaged by the brigade of General Fitzhugh
Lee. The engagement continued some hours, but at last the
Federals were driven from the field after having inflicted a loss of one
hundred upon the Confederates, among which number was the gallant
Pelham, of Alabama, the "boy Major." He was but twenty-two years
of age, and had participated in all the battles of Virginia. His remains
were taken to Richmond, where for awhile they lay in state in the
Capitol, where they were covered with floral tributes.

THE BATTLES OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK, CHANCELLORSVILLE AND FREDERICKSBURG.

It was now the month of April, and Hooker, the successor of Burnside,
busied himself with the reorganization of his powerful army. Its
grand divisions were substituted by seven corps: the 1st (Reynolds),
2d (Couch), 3d (Sickles), 5th (Meade), 6th (Sedgwick), 11th (Howard),
and 12th (Slocum). His forces numbered 120,000 infantry and
artillery, 13,000 cavalry, and 400 pieces of artillery. Confronting him
on the south side of the river lay the Army of Northern Virginia,
62,000 strong. It consisted of Jackson's corps in four divisions, commanded
respectively by A. P. Hill, Rodes, Colston and Early; two
divisions of Longstreet's corps, those of Anderson and McLaws; Longstreet
himself, with the remainder of his command, having been sent to
the south side of James river. Of Lee's force, the cavalry numbered
3,000 men.

The 27th of April at length arrived, and it seemed that the "grand
hesitation" was at an end, for Hooker on that day ordered a general
advance. With a view of concealing his real intention he sent Sedgwick,
30,000 strong, to make a feint of crossing the river at Burnside's
Ford, three miles below Fredericksburg, while he was to move secretly
and rapidly to the right of his column, and, crossing both the Rappahannock
and Rapidan above their confluence, take a position near
Chancellorsville. This town, consisting of a hotel and several private
residences, is situated on the road leading from Orange Court House to
Fredericksburg, and is eleven miles north-west of the latter. Here the
roads leading from German Mills and Ely's, United States and Banks'
Fords, intersect.

The battle-plan of Hooker was not a simple one, but a combined operation
consisting of three parts: first, his own movement and flank
attack of Lee; second, Sedgwick's attack upon Fredericksburg; and
third, Stoneman's cavalry movement to the rear of the Confederate
position.

Lee was not slow to divine the designs of his enemy, and at once set
about disposing of his little army to the best advantage for repelling
the shock of battle which he now knew was at hand. General Barksdale's
brigade and General Early's division were left to face Sedgwick's
advance upon Fredericksburg, and Lee with his entire remaining available
force began the march to Chancellorsville, where by throwing the
bulk of his army in front of Hooker, he expected to check his advance.

On Saturday, May 2d, the town was reached, and Jackson in the
front began the work assigned him in the mighty contest. For two
hours his division passed in review of Sickles' position on the left. The
23d Georgia regiment was guarding the flank of his train, and upon
this regiment was poured the first fire. Sickles ordered General Birney
to open fire and then charge the passing train; the order was executed

FOLEY'S STATUE OF "STONEWALL" JACKSON,

in the Capitol Grounds, Richmond.

The Inscription reads "Presented by English gentlemen as a tribute of admiration for the
soldier and patriot, THOMAS J. JACKSON, and gratefully accepted by Virginia, in the
name of the Southern people. Done A. D. 1875. In the Hundredth Year of the
Commonwealth." ook there is Jackson, standing like a Stone Wall."

and the greater part of the Georgia regiment were made prisoners. But
Jackson's division was already far to the right and in position; at 5 P. M.
the attack was made upon Howard's division, which broke and ran at
the first fire. Sickles was preparing to renew Birney's attack with greater
force, and for that purpose had just ordered up Pleasanton's cavalry,
1,000 strong, when the movement was changed to check the panic-stricken
lines from Howard's right. The action now became general,
and the Confederates charged from all points. The 8th Pennsylvania
attempted to check the advance of Jackson's column and was entirely
overwhelmed. It was the same old story. The Grand Army of the
Potomac, in three hours from the first fire, was falling back before the
charging columns of that army thrice its victors.

In the meantime Sedgwick with a force of two to one had succeeded
in driving Barksdale and Early from their position at Fredericksburg,
and they were now slowly falling back to join the main forces at Chancellorsville.
Sedgwick was in pursuit, and intelligence of his approach
reached Lee just as he was making preparations for a final attack upon
Hooker. Something must be done to stay the unexpected force in his
rear, and he accordingly dispatched four brigades under McLaws and
Anderson to reinforce Barksdale and Early, and check Sedgwick. They
encountered his advance near Salem Church, but it was now night and
darkness put an end to the conflict, both parties retaining their ground.
This movement did not prevent Lee from keeping a furious cannonade
on Hooker's front.

On the next morning, Monday, May 4th, Sedgwick sent a messenger
to Hooker informing him of his beleaguered condition and asking support
from the main army. Hooker replied that no aid could be given.
Thereupon Sedgwick fell back rapidly to Banks' Ford, and under a
heavy fire from his victorious pursuers succeeded in crossing the river,
but leaving 5,000 dead behind him—one-third as many as the commands
of Barksdale and Early numbered.

Lee had not given Hooker a moment's rest, and on Tuesday night,
having placed straw and brush upon the bridge to prevent a noise, the
whole Federal army escaped under cover of the darkness to the other
side, and on Wednesday morning when the Confederates moved forward
to the attack, no enemy was to be seen. Thus ended the battles on the
Rappahannock, in which Hooker lost 17,197 men, of whom 5,000 were
unwounded prisoners. He had also lost thirteen cannon and 20,000
stand of small arms. Lee's loss was 13,000, of whom 1,581 were
killed, 8,700 were wounded, and nearly 3,000 prisoners. Among the
killed was the lamented "Stonewall" Jackson—a sketch of whose
life will be found in Volume I of Virginia and Virginians.

THE INVASION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

For a month after the battle of Chancellorsville, the two armies lay
confronting each other with only the river between them. During the
time, Hooker's force had been somewhat reduced by the discharge of
several regiments whose term of service had expired, while that of Lee
had been augmented by the arrival of several regiments of North Carolina
troops. His army too had been thoroughly re-organized, and the
question of Jackson's successor settled to the satisfaction of the country.
The President, some time in May, commissioned both Major-Generals
R. S. Ewell and A. P. Hill as Lieutenant-Generals in the army of
Northern Virginia. To the command of each three divisions were assigned,
to complete which Anderson's division was taken from Longstreet's
corps, and that of A. P. Hill reduced to two brigades, and the
command given to Major-General W. D. Pender; to these was added the
brigade of Pettigrew and another from North Carolina, forming a corps,
the command of which was given to Major-General Heth.

General Lee had for some time entertained a plan for the invasion of
the Northern States, being determined that if he could not bring on another
engagement in Virginia, by an invasion to induce the withdrawal
of the Federal forces from her soil.

On the 3d of June, the preparations being complete, McLaws' division
of Longstreet's corps began its march from Fredericksburg toward
Culpeper Court House, and the same evening Hood's division, which had
been lying near the mouth of the Rapidan, followed on to the same
place. By the 8th, the entire army was in motion, with the rear resting
at Culpeper. On the 9th, a large force of Federal cavalry and infantry
crossed the Rappahannock at Beverly's and Kelley's fords, and attacked
General Stuart. The engagement continued throughout the afternoon,
and resulted in the retreat of the Federals beyond the river, leaving behind
them four hundred prisoners and three pieces of artillery. This
engagement is known to Northern writers as the battle of Brandy Station.
The principal fighting on the Confederate side was done by the
11th Virginia cavalry, under command of Colonel Lomax.

CAPTURE OF WINCHESTER.

In the meantime, General Jenkins, commanding a brigade of cavalry,
was ordered forward toward Winchester, and at the same time General
Imboden was directed to make a demonstration toward Romney, for the
purpose of covering the movement of General Jenkins against Winchester,
and further to prevent the Federals at that place from being reinforced
by troops lying along the line of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad.

General Milroy, the Federal commander at Winchester, had a force
of 7,000 men. He was either unaware of, or misinformed regarding the
force moving against him, and therefore held his position too long. On

the 13th, General Rodes drove in a force which was lying at Berryville,
and at 5 P. M. on the 14th, General Early was within cannon range of
Milroy's position, which it was his purpose to assault, he at once began
preparations for the attack. Twenty pieces of artillery were placed in
position and opened fire, and at the same time Hays' Louisiana brigade
charged the works, which in a few minutes yielded before the charging
columns, and Milroy was defeated and driven from Winchester, with a
loss, according to his own account, of 4,000 men, 29 guns, 277 wagons,
and 400 horses. Of the fugitives a part escaped to Harpers Ferry,
and the remainder into Pennsylvania. General Rodes, having driven the
Federals from Berryville, marched to Martinsburg, where he arrived
on the 14th, and captured 700 prisoners, 5 pieces of artillery, and a considerable
quantity of stores.

THE MARCH INTO PENNSYLVANIA CONTINUED.

These operations had cleared the valley of the Federal forces, those
at Harpers Ferry having withdrawn to Maryland Heights; and now the
great movement of the war, prefaced by this brilliant introduction, was
fairly begun.

Ewell's corps was the first to cross the Potomac. On the 24th it was
followed by that of General A. P. Hill, which crossed at Shepherdstown.
General Longstreet's corps had previously reached the Maryland shore
by the Williamsport ford. The latter was composed of the divisions of
McLaws, Pickett, and Hood, while the corps of Hill consisted of those
of Pender, Heth, and Anderson, and that of Ewell of the divisions of
Rodes, Early, and Johnson. The several columns re-united at Hagerstown,
from which place the entire army crossed into Pennsylvania,
and on the evening of the 27th encamped near Chambersburg.

Throughout the North this movement produced the wildest excitement.
The public records were removed from Harrisburg, and New
York and Philadelphia prepared to receive the daring invaders.

On the 15th of June, President Lincoln issued a proclamation calling
for 120,000 militia, of which Pennsylvania was to furnish 50,000, Ohio
30,000, Maryland 10,000, West Virginia 10,000, and New York 20,000.
In addition, Governor Andrews tendered the entire military strength
of Massachusetts in the terrible crisis.

But it was not the rapidly forming battalions of raw militia that
claimed the attention of the daring invader, General Lee. He was
watching with the gravest interest the movements of that mighty army,
a third greater than his own, which he had left on the banks of the
Rappahannock, and which along the Potomac had for three years been
drilled in the science of war.

Hooker lingered for a short time on the shore of Virginia, unable
to determine whether Lee's advance was an invasion of the Northern
States or a movement on Washington. Believing it to be the latter, he,
on the 13th of June, put his army in motion northward, so as to coverthe
National Capital, marching along the east side of the Blue Ridge,
while the Confederates moved along the west side. He reached the
Potomac, and crossing at Edwards' Ferry, moved on to Frederick City.
There he yielded to the pressure of public opinion at the North and resigned
the command of the army, which was at once given to General
Meade. That officer made only such changes as were imperatively necessary.
Sykes took the 5th corps, which had been Meade's; Hancock
the 2d, in place of Couch, who had been assigned to the department of
the Susquehanna; Reynolds retained the 1st, Sickles the 3d, Sedgwick
the 6th, Howard the 11th, and Slocum the 12th. The entire cavalry
force was placed under Pleasanton. Thus the two armies were constituted
on the 27th of June; the Confederate at Chambersburg and the
Federal at Frederick — thirty-five miles apart.

BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.

General Lee designed an attack upon Harrisburg, but on the 29th,
learning of the northward movement of Meade, he ordered General
Ewell, then on the road toward the capital, to join the army near Gettysburg,
and at the same time he put the entire army in motion for the
same destination. The march was slow, and it was 10 A. M. on the
morning of the 1st of July when Heth's division in the advance reached
the town destined henceforth to enduring distinction in American history.
Meade had taken advantage of Lee's delay at Chambersburg, and
by rapid marching reached the place in time for the 11th corps to
engage Heth's division on its arrival.

A day pregnant with momentous issue was at hand. The mighty
armies which had ceased to confront each other since leaving the Rappahannock,
found themselves face to face at Gettysburg, on Wednesday,
July 1st.

Buford's cavalry brought on the attack at a point two miles out on the
Chambersburg road, but was soon forced back by the approaching lines
of General Heth. General Reynolds then attempted to stay the advance,
but he fell mortally wounded in the first fire, and his division in confusion
fell back to the town. Another gray line was now moving forward;
it was the corps of Ewell from York and Carlisle. He had heard
the artillery calling him, and had hastened to the point of attack. Unchecked,
they moved into the town, the Federals, under the command of
Doubleday since the fall of Reynolds, retiring to the hill beyond. This
concluded the first day's fighting.

Let us briefly notice the position of the two armies on the morning of
the 2d, which had taken positions during the night of the 1st. Lee's
army was arranged along Seminary Ridge and around to the east of
Gettysburg in the form of a vast crescent five miles in length, its concavity
facing its antagonist. Longstreet was on the right, Hill in the
center, and Ewell on the left. Meade's forces were all up by daylight except
Sedgwick's corps, which did not arrive until 2 P. M. Slocum was posted
on the extreme right; to his left lay the command of Wadsworth; then
to his left was Howard, and following in order were Hancock, Sickles
and Sykes. The corps of Reynolds was held in reserve.

There lay the forces of General Lee—the Army of Northern Virginia—which
had met and defeated the army now before it on many
bloody fields. At Mechanicsville, at Malvern Hill, at South Mountain,
at Antietam, at Manassas, at Fredericksburg and at Chancellorsville, it
had seen the Army of the Potomac routed and fleeing before it. But
now a reverse, the most serious of the war, was to be met, but not from
any want of intrepidity or the absence of heroic achievement, for here on
the field of Gettysburg, though overpowered, it made the grandest stand
in its history.

We have not space to follow all the charges and counter charges, successes
and reverses, on that historic field. Such carnage had not before
been witnessed on this continent. Well may historians class it as one of
the fifteen great battles of the world. Some idea of the terrible struggle
may be formed from its casualties. The Federal loss was 23,210,
of whom 2,834 were killed, 13,733 wounded, and 6,643 missing. That
of the Confederates was 36,000, of whom 5,000 were killed, 23,000
wounded, and 8,000 missing.

On the 4th, Lee began his march to the Potomac, forty miles distant,
which he reached on the 7th, expecting to cross at Williamsport, but
finding the stream so swollen that pontoons were impracticable, he
moved to Falling Waters, where on the 13th he passed into Virginia.
The disabled condition of the Federal army may be inferred from the
fact that although Lee lingered on the shores of Maryland nine days
after the battle, and within forty miles of his enemy, no second attack
was made, nor was any pursuit attempted save that of the cavalry which
followed in his rear.

VIRGINIA TROOPS IN THE SERVICE.

Virginia has ever been ready with her treasure and the lives of her sons
in the cause of liberty, and her patriotism and sacrificing spirit was
nobly indicated in the stern demands of our late civil war. In the autumn
of 1863 it was reported to the General Assembly of the State that
she had already furnished 102,915 soldiers to the Confederate service;

that, in addition, thirty thousand conscripts had just passed through
the camp of instruction, and that up to that time she had furnished
103,840 muskets, 399 pieces of cannon, and other arms in proportion.
The rolls on file in the Adjutant and Inspector-General's office showed
that there were then in active service,—

             

Sixty-four regiments of infantry	52,496
Twenty regiments of cavalry	14,175
Two regiments of artillery	1,779
Twenty-eight battalions of cavalry, infantry and artillery	11,717
Nine battalions of artillery, Army Northern Virginia	4,500
Two hundred and fourteen unattached companies, artillery, infantry, and cavalry	18,248
Total number of men	102,915

ENGAGEMENT AT CHARLESTOWN.

After General Lee crossed the Potomac, he proceeded leisurely up the
valley and through the gaps of the Blue Ridge until he reached the
Rapidan. General Meade, marching from Gettysburg, passed the Potomac
on the 18th, and soon the two armies were again confronting
each other in Virginia.

General Imboden was sent with a cavalry force to guard the mountain
gaps on Lee's left, and in October advanced upon Charlestown, where a
Federal force from Harpers Ferry had taken position. Upon his arrival
he found them occupying the court-house, jail, and other contiguous
buildings, all of which were loop-holed for musketry, and the courthouse
yard defended by a strong wall of oak timber. He at once
demanded the surrender, but Colonel Simpson, the Federal commander,
asked an hour's time for consideration. Imboden offered five minutes,
to which was replied, "Take me if you can." The artillery was at once
opened at a distance of two hundred yards, and in a few minutes the
Federals were driven into the streets, flying towards Harpers Ferry.
They had, however, proceeded but a short distance before they
were met by the 18th Virginia cavalry and Gilmore's battalions,
and forced to surrender. The regiment thus made prisoners was
the 9th Maryland infantry. The colonel and a half dozen others, being
mounted, made their escape to Harpers Ferry. General Imboden now
returned up the Valley and sent his prisoners on to Richmond. This,
with the exception of the engagements at Rappahannock Bridge and
Germania Ford, ended the operations in Virginia for the third year.
Late in the fall the "On to Richmond" cry had been renewed throughout
the North, but active operations were deferred until the spring of
1864.

THE GREATEST CAMPAIGN IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

On the morning of the 9th of March, 1864, General Grant was commissioned
Commander-in-Chief of the Federal army, which on the 1st of
May numbered 662,345 men. This chieftain could boast a phenomenal
career. An ex-officer of the United States who had been cashiered for
drunkenness, at the opening of the war he was an obscure and improvident
tanner at Galena, Illinois. Appointed to the command of a regiment
from that State, his promotion had been rapid, and through the
unstinted praise of the Northern press he had been elevated in the fitful
minds of that people into a hero of the first magnitude. It was, consequently,
their sanguine expectation that the recent disasters to the Federal
arms under McClellan, Burnside and Hooker, would be speedily retrieved,
and that the victorious Stars and Stripes would soon float above
the doomed dome of the Confederate Capitol. They had forgotten that
the ragged Army of Northern Virginia still lay between them and the
last proud consummation.

Before entering upon the history of this, the most momentous campaign
recorded in the annals of the American continent, let us consider
for a moment the two armies which were to play the prominent parts in
the grand drama.

During the winter of 1863-4 they lay confronting each other on the
banks of the Rapidan—the Federals on the North and the Confederates
on the South. In April the new commander of the Army of the Potomac
re-formed that body into three corps, and re-distributed the troops
before composing the 1st and 3d corps. Hancock was placed in command
of the 2d; Warren of the 5th and Sedgwick of the 6th. The
entire force numbered 140,000 men. To oppose this mighty army was
that of the Army of Northern Virginia, which now had been reduced to
60,000 men. It, too, consisted of three corps, under the command of
Ewell, Hill, and Longstreet, respectively; and at the time of the Federal
advance, that of the first named lay upon the banks of the Rapidan, the
second at Orange Court House, and the third at Gordonsville.

The early days of May witnessed the beginning of the memorable campaign.
On the 4th, orders were given for an advance, and the same day
the Federal army moved southward from Culpeper Court House, and
on the 5th passed the Rapidan at Ely's and Germania fords, with
Burnside's division in the lead, and the

BATTLES OF THE WILDERNESS

At once began. An attempt was made to turn the right flank of Lee's
army. The divisions of Heth and Wilcox withstood the assault during

CONFEDERATE STATES SEAL

the entire day, and successfully too, as even the Northern accounts admit.
No shouts of victory echoed through the Wilderness that night.

Late in the evening Hancock's corps moved forward and took a position
on the left of the Federal army. At 5 o'clock the next morning
(the 6th) the second day's fighting was begun by Hill's and Longstreet's
corps attacking both flanks of Hancock's position, which in a short time
were turned and forced back. The fighting now became general and
continued throughout the day, which closed with a charge by one of
Lee's columns and the capture of General Seymour and a large portion
of his brigade. Grant's loss was more than 20,000, of which 5,000 were
prisoners. Lee had lost 10,000. This is an appalling aggregate, considering
that it was a mere incidental engagement, in which the employment
of artillery was precluded and strategic maneuver impracticable.
The Federal General Wadsworth had been killed and General Longstreet
was severely wounded. Such were the first two battles of the
Wilderness, the results of which the facts prove to have been in favor
of the Confederates. At the North, however, it was claimed that the
advantage was with the Federal army.

BATTLES OF SPOTTSYLVANIA COURT HOUSE.

On the 7th, Grant moved slowly toward Spottsylvania Court House,
where his army arrived late that evening, and on the next day, the 8th,
was fought the first in this locally designated series of battles. The
first engagement took place between Longstreet's corps, commanded by
Anderson, and the Federal 5th corps, under Warren, who was supported
by cavalry. The Federals were repulsed with heavy loss.

On the 9th heavy skirmishing was kept up throughout the day, but
there was no general engagement. What may be regarded as the great
battle took place on Thursday, the 12th, and for long weary hours it
continued. It was a furious and dead-lock conflict. The ceaseless roar
of artillery and rattle of musketry continued from early dawn until the
darkness of night put an end to the contest. An intelligent writer, who
was upon the field and an eye-witness of the terribly sublime scene, says:
"It would not be impossible to match the results of any one day's battle
with stories from the wars of the old world; but never, we should
think, in the history of man, were five such battles as these compressed
into six days." The loss on either side was 10,000, and neither gained
any advantage.

On the 14th, Grant moved his lines by his left flank, taking a position
nearer the Richmond & Fredericksburg railroad; and here he once
more assaulted Ewell's line, but was easily repulsed. It was claimed
by the Federals that it was but an effort to turn Lee's left flank and not
intended as an attack. On the 19th and the 20th, the two armies moved

parallel to each other, and on the 21st, Grant's forces took a position at
Milford Station and Bowling Green, with the Army of Northern Virginia
in his front toward Richmond. During the 23d and the 25th, he
made several futile assaults upon Lee's lines. He had now but one alternative,
and that was to move his army around from the North Anna,
and beyond the Pamunkey. This he did, and on the 27th his advance,
under Sheridan, occupied Hanovertown on the Pamunkey, 15 miles
north-east of Richmond, but here again the movement was intercepted
by Lee. Grant, now despairing of reaching Richmond from that point,
turned away to his right, and on the 1st day of June took up his position
near Cold Harbor. This was the nearest point to the Capital City
yet reached.

BATTLE OF THE CHICKAHOMINY, OR COLD HARBOR.

Grant once more determined to try the strength of Lee's lines. On the
morning of the 3d of June, which dawned with a drizzling rain, as
soon as it was light enough to see, the word was given, and the
commands of Barlow and Gibbon, of Hancock's corps, advanced against
the outer Confederate line, which was held by the division of General
Breckinridge. It was at once forced back, but the reverse was only
momentary, for Milligan's brigade and the Maryland battalion immediately
dashed forward and retrieved the lost position, driving the Federals
back with frightful loss. Wright and Smith both charged the lines,
but met with no better fortune than Barlow and Gibbon. Many of the
best officers of these commands were killed. The Federals were repulsed
at every point, and Grant's object—a knowledge of the strength
of Lee's lines—was attained. The battle lasted but forty minutes, but in
that time the Federal loss was 7,000, while that of the Confederate was
only 3,000.

GRANT MOVES TO THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE JAMES.

Cold Harbor was the last pitched battle of the campaign north of the
James. Grant deciding that the "On to Richmond" route was not
from the direction of the Potomac, but from the opposite point, accordingly
put his army in motion, and after a march of fifty-five miles over
the sandy roads of the Chickahominy, on the 15th reached the bank of
the James at City Point, sixty miles below Richmond, and three days
later his rear guards passed beyond that river. Lee made no resistance
to this movement, but leisurely fell back to Richmond.

The Federal army had been from the 5th of May to the 15th of June—
forty-five days—in its marching from the Rapidan to the James; and
during that time had fought the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania

Court House, North Anna, and Cold Harbor. At the time that
Grant reached the James his official reports show that he had lost 54,551
men, of whom 7,289 were killed, 37,406 wounded, and 9,856 missing.
Lee had lost 32,000 men, of whom 8,500 were prisoners. He entered
Richmond with 58,000 troops, while Grant crossed the James with
150,000, including those of Butler's command. Here is presented by
the Virginia Army one among the most remarkable achievements in
the history of wars. For a period of forty-five days that little army
stood face to face with one nearly three times as great as itself, then
necessitating it to a cautious and circuitous progress, as in the arc of a
circle, radiating fifty miles from Richmond, and finally compelling it to
cross the James sixty miles below its objective point.

HUNTER CAPTURES STAUNTON.

We must now turn away from the theater of war around Richmond
and notice for a moment the operations in the Shenandoah Valley. A
part of Grant's plan was a joint movement up the Shenandoah under
Siegel, and up the Kanawha under Crook, their objective points being
Staunton and Lynchburg.

Accordingly, on the 1st of May, Siegel moved up the valley with a
force of 10,000 men, but was met on the 15th, at New Market, by the
Confederate General Breckinridge and signally routed with the loss of
700 men, 6 pieces of artillery and 1,000 small arms.

Crook was moving easterly from Charleston, on the Great Kanawha,
and on the waters of New river he divided his force, sending Averill
with 2,000 cavalry to destroy the coal mines at Wytheville, while he
advanced further to the north. Averill was met on the 10th by a cavalry
force under Morgan and defeated. Crook with a force of 6,000
men moved on toward Dublin Depot, and there repelled an attack, but
with the loss of 700 killed and wounded.

Siegel was now relieved of the command, and was succeeded by Hunter,
who at once took the offensive, Breckinridge having in the meantime
joined Lee. Hunter met the Confederate force at Piedmont on the
5th of June and completely routed it, taking 1,500 prisoners, three guns
and 3,000 small arms. He then advanced on Staunton, where he was
joined by Crook and Averill, augmenting his force to 20,000. He then
moved by way of Lexington toward Lynchburg. Lee foreseeing the
inevitable disasters to result upon a capture of that place, sent a strong
force to its relief, forcing the retreat of Hunter on the 18th of June.
Hotly pursued, Hunter followed the railroad westward to Salem, and
thence through Newcastle toward Meadow Bluff. Thus failed the plans
of Grant from the west as they had done from the east.

THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG.

Petersburg is twenty-two miles south of Richmond and nine miles
south-west of City Point, and was during the war one of the greatest
railroad centers of the South: the Richmond & Petersburg railroad
entered it from the north, and the Weldon or Roanoke road from the
south, while the Lynchburg or Southside Road came in from the west.
Over these lines came the supplies for Richmond, and Grant, without
losing a single moment after crossing the river, attempted the capture of
the place; but, being disappointed in that, his operations necessarily
assumed the features of a siege, knowing, as he did, that upon the capture
of Petersburg, depended the reduction of Richmond. The Confederate
authorities were fully cognizant of the momentous issue, and to
the raw troops and militia now put under arms for the defense of the
"Cockade City," General Wise addressed a memorable and thrilling
order: "Petersburg," said he, "is to be and shall be defended on her
outer walls, on her inner lines, at her corporation bounds, in every
street, and around every temple of God, and altar of man."

But the gallant little city was now to be put to a much more severe
test than any which it had hitherto experienced. It was now to bear
the brunt of the bulk of the mighty besieging army which bore upon it
like an avalanche. Butler was ordered by Grant to send Smith's
division forward, and at the same time informed that the entire Army
of the Potomac would be moved forward as rapidly as possible. Smith,
on the morning of the 14th, landed at Bermuda Hundred, but did not
get ready to make the attack until near sunset; then, with a portion
only of his command, he made the attack, and at 7 P. M. succeeded in
carrying the outer line of works on the north-east of the city, capturing
fifteen guns and 300 prisoners. Night came on and the moon was
shining brightly, when at 9 o'clock Hancock, with two divisions of the
2d corps, reached Smith, and, waiving his precedence in rank, tendered
to him the service of his troops. Smith declined the offer, but
requested Hancock to hold the captured works.

Another terrible assault was now made on the batteries from nine to
twelve inclusive, which were defended by the division of General Hoke,
whose heroic troops, after having repulsed three successive assaults,
charged over their works and compelled a large portion of one of Smith's
brigades to take shelter in a ravine, where they surrendered to the 64th
Georgia regiment.

The engagement continued throughout Friday, the 17th, without decisive
results. On the 18th an attack was made along the entire line,
and during the day three desperate assaults were made—one at four in
the morning, another at noon, and a third at four in the afternoon.
Each was repulsed, and the attack finally abandoned. Grant's loss in
the four days before Petersburg was 9,000 killed and wounded. He,

concluding that it was impossible to carry the works by direct assault,
determined to resort to "mining," a plan which had worked so admirably
at Balaklava and Inkerman Valley during the war of the Crimea.

THE MINE.

The mine, though not devised by Meade, was approved of by him and
a majority of the corps commanders. The work was performed by one
of Burnside's regiments, who had been Pennsylvania miners. It consisted
of a main shaft five feet across and five hundred and twenty
feet long, with lateral continuations extending forty feet in either direction.
The work began on the 25th of June, and was completed on
the 23d of July. The charge placed in it consisted of 8,000 pounds of
giant powder.

The explosion was to take place at half-past 3 o'clock A. M. of the
30th of July, and at the same instant Burnside's division was to rush
through the breach thus created and seize the works on Cemetery Hill;
General Warren was to support him on the right and Ord on the left—
the charging columns to consist of 50,000 men.

At the appointed time the fuse was lighted but the explosion did not
take place. Then Lieutenant Douty and Sergeant Rees entered the
mine and found the fuse separated within fifty feet of the magazine;
the damage was repaired, and they had barely time to escape when the
awful explosion took place. The charging columns rushed forward, and
behind them opened ninety-five pieces of heavy artillery. But the Confederates
were not dismayed, and in a few minutes their own batteries
were replying. On came the rushing columns, furiously assaulting the
second line of works, but behind them were men who had never flinched
from death, which they had faced on many a gory field, and who were
not now to be dismayed by the explosion of mines and the thunder of
artillery. The Federal advance was led by a brigade of negro troops
under the command of General White, who, appalled by the deadly fire,
rushed panic-stricken back through the lines of the white troops to the
rear. Terrible carnage ensued, and it is doubtful whether all the circumstantial
horrors of war were ever before displayed in such awful
intensity on any field. At last came the orders to the Federals to fall
back and re-occupy their former position. That order was obeyed with
alacrity, and thus failed the monstrous device by which it had been
hoped access would have been opened to the now famous "outpost" of
Richmond. The Federal loss was 4,000, of whom 1,900 were prisoners.
That of the Confederates was given in detail thus: Mahone's division,
450; Elliott's South Carolina brigade, which was blown up by the mine,
300; and Ransom's, Clingman's and Wise's commands, 300.

OPERATIONS IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY.

We must now leave Grant engaged in the investment of Petersburg,
and notice briefly the operations in the Shenandoah Valley. During
the summer of 1864, several offensive movements were planned, and
chief among them was Early's invasion of Maryland. After the retreat
of Hunter from Lynchburg, the way was left open, and Early accordingly
moved with his entire force — about 20,000—up the Valley, and
driving Siegel from Martinsburg, occupied that town. A few days later,
Early crossed the Potomac, entered Maryland, and halted at Frederick
City. At Monocacy Bridge, four miles thence, he defeated and put to
rout a considerable Federal force. Instead of pursuing them, he proceeded
by rapid marches toward Washington and Baltimore, collecting
the horses and cattle along his line of march. The Federal Capital was
now in imminent peril, and it is claimed had Early improved the opportunity,
he might have occupied the city. But instead of riding into
Washington, he dispersed his army in detachments, which were sent
about the country to destroy telegraph lines and intercept trains. Thus,
perhaps, passed the great opportunity of 1864. Re-uniting his forces at
Hagerstown, he re-crossed into Virginia, bringing with him 5,000 horses
and 2,000 beef cattle. Martinsburg was re-occupied, and from thence
he sent General John McCausland with a cavalry force into Pennsylvania.
It penetrated as far as Chambersburg in that State. The town
was fired and a considerable portion of it burned.

DESOLATION OF THE VALLEY.

On the 7th of August, Hunter resigned, and the command of the
Federal force in the Valley was given to General Sheridan. He at
once prepared for an aggressive campaign, but before any move was
made he was visited by Grant (September 15th), and between the two
the destruction of the section known as the "Garden of Virginia" was planned.
The Commander-in-Chief then returned to his position at Petersburg.

THE BATTLE OF OPEQUAN CREEK.

On the 19th the two armies met at Opequan creek, and after a hard
fought battle, lasting several hours, the Confederates were forced to retreat.
The Federal loss was 4,990, of whom 653 were killed, 3,719
wounded, and 618 missing. That of the Confederates was 5,000. Early
fell back twelve miles to Fishers Hill, where he was again attacked by
superior numbers and compelled to retreat toward Staunton, and Sheridan
proceeded to carry out Grant's orders respecting the devastation of
the Valley. His cavalry spread over its entire extent, and in its wake
destruction reigned supreme. Nowhere in the New World had such

vandalism been witnessed. At the end of three weeks, Sheridan sent
the following report to Washington:

"The whole country, from the Blue Ridge to the North Mountain, has
been rendered untenable for a rebel army. I have destroyed over 2,000
barns filled with wheat and hay and farming implements, over 70 mills
filled with flour and wheat. I have driven to the front of the army over
4,000 head of stock, have killed and issued to the troops not less than
3,000 sheep. A large number of horses have also been obtained."

BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK.

After the battle of Fishers Hill it became evident that General Early
had not a sufficient force with which to cope with Sheridan, and accordingly
General Lee sent Kershaw's division to reinforce him. Sheridan,
after having laid waste the Valley, rested his army on the south bank
of Cedar Creek, a small stream which forms the boundary line between
Shenandoah and Frederick counties, and repaired to Washington to consult
with the Secretary of War with reference to the transfer of the 6th
corps to that city.

On the night of the 18th of October, General Early determined to attack
the Federal position during the absence of Sheridan, and under
cover of the darkness, he marched his army out from Fishers Hill (to
which place he had returned and taken position after being joined by
Kershaw), and in order to flank the Federal lines, it was necessary to
move the larger column through a narrow gap in the mountains, so narrow,
in fact, that two men could not walk abreast. The marching, for
more than seven miles over a broken country, along mountain sides and
down hills so abrupt that horses could scarcely travel, occupied almost
the entire night, and it was near daybreak before a position in front of
the Federal lines was attained.

But all was upon time; everything had been conducted with the
utmost secrecy, and not even a picket alarm had been given. Orders to
attack were given, and with Payne's division in the lead, a charge across
the creek was made, Sheridan's head-quarters being the objective point.
The infantry followed rapidly on, Gordon's division following Payne,
with that of Pegram in reserve. A terrible fire was opened from all
points. It was a fearful surprise to the sleeping army, the 8th and 19th
corps of which were entirely routed, and retreating left many hundreds
slain in the camps; and 1,500 prisoners, 18 pieces of artillery, 2,000
stand of small arms, and several hundred wagons fell into the hands of
the Confederates. Fully two thirds of Sheridan's army was in rapid retreat,
but the 6th corps and the cavalry commanded by Generals Torbert,
Merrit and Dwight had not yet been engaged. At 9 o'clock A. M. the
field had been won, and had the victorious troops now pressed on and

struck the 6th corps, Sheridan's army would have been involved in utter
ruin. But instead, Early's force, for some unknown cause, halted on the
field and allowed the Federals to form a new line near Middletown. At
10 o'clock A. M. Sheridan had completed his famous "Ride from Winchester,"
and at 3 o'clock P. M. assumed the offensive, and moving forward,
vigorously and successfully assaulted Early. Gordon's division
was the first to break, then followed Kershaw's, and later Ramseur's.
Soon after, Wharton's and Pegram's lines gave way, and the field was
soon covered with flying men. It was a shameful rout. Never before
had the Confederate soldiery so behaved. Their loss was 3,500 killed
and wounded, and 2,500 prisoners, while that of the Federals was 4,990,
of whom 653 were killed, 3,719 wounded, and 618 missing.

AROUND PETERSBURG.

We must now return to the theater of war around Petersburg. On
the 1st of August, Grant had 85,295 men present for duty. On the
same day Lee's force numbered 54,751, reduced from 60,000 by his having
sent Kershaw's brigade to Early in the Valley. On the 12th, Grant,
believing that Lee had sent three divisions instead of one to the Valley,
determined to assail Richmond, and for this purpose, Hancock's corps
embarked on the James and landed at Deep Bottom, whence it advanced
toward Richmond. But it was not long ere it was learned that
three divisions had not gone to the assistance of Early. One important
advantage was gained, however—Hancock's northward movement, which
resulted in the

CAPTURE AND DESTRUCTION OF THE WELDON RAILROAD.

When General Lee became aware of the position of the Federals on
the north bank of the James, he drew the troops heavily from Petersburg
to the defense of Richmond, and on the 18th, the 5th corps under
Warren moved south of Petersburg and struck the Weldon railroad
only four miles south of the city. In doing this a gap was left open on
his right and into it Lee at once thrust Mahone's division, which succeeded
in forcing Wright farther south, and in capturing 2,000 prisoners,
but it was finally obliged to fall back. The next day another serious
engagement took place, but Warren held his position, and in three days
succeeded in destroying seven miles of the road, but it cost him a loss of
4,543 men. From this date until the close of the year, a continued
series of engagements, sorties, raids, advances and retreats took place,
a recountal of which is not necessary to our plan, and would from their
similarity of detail scarcely interest the reader. Therefore we proceed
to the consideration of the momentous events of 1865, which was.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

Winter put an end to all military operations, and both armies lay inactive
awaiting the opening of the spring campaign, which commenced
with the 25th of March, 1865. The first action was that of Fort Stedman
or Hares Hill. At four o'clock on the morning of that day, all
things being in readiness, a body of Confederate sharpshooters, 250 in
number, with empty guns left their own works and stealthily moving
across the intervening space, scaled the outer works of the enemy. It
was to the Federals as great a surprise as would have been a clap of
thunder from a noonday sky. They were driven from their batteries,
and yet not a musket was fired. This movement was followed by that
of several brigades which had been massed for the purpose. The
Federals having recovered from the surprise occasioned by the daring
adventure recited, now opened a murderous enfilading fire upon the
assailants, and soon General Gordon found it judicious to retire. In
the assault, the Confederates captured nine pieces of artillery, but being
unable to remove them, they were disabled and left behind; also,
550 prisoners among whom was one brigadier-general and several field
officers of lower rank.

This action seemed to arouse Grant to the realization that it was time
to open the campaign, and on the 29th he began a heavy movement
against the Southside railroad. Pouring forth 50,000 men, of whom
9,000 were cavalry, he succeeded after several reverses in the accomplishment
of his object. Saturday night, April 1st, was a gloomy one
for General Lee.

The Federal forces had now passed around to the south-west of his
position, thus cutting off not only his source of supplies, but also his line
of march southward, should he be compelled to abandon his works. Not
only this, but three Federal corps lay before him ready to strike the
Petersburg defenses at daylight.

The hour came, and at sunrise on that balmy Sabbath morning the
attack was made from three separate points. The 6th corps went
though first, at a point nearly opposite the western extremity of the city;
a little farther west was the point of attack of the 24th corps; while to the
east was that of the 9th corps, which succeeded in carrying Fort Mahone,
one of the strongest defences of the city. Ord's and Humphrey's
commands having carried the works in front of them, swung around to
the right and joined Gibbon's division before Forts Alexander and Gregg:
these were the strongest fortifications south of Petersburg, and with their
reduction the way to the city would be opened. The assault was at once
made, and Fort Alexander carried, but so determined was the resistance
of Fort Gregg that Gibbon's columns were forced back, leaving the
ground covered with the dead. Three furious charges were signally repulsed,

TOMB OF EX-PRESIDENT MONROE,

Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va.

but at length the gallant garrison, with smoke-blackened faces
from their blazing batteries, was forced to yield, and the works were
carried.

At this moment, Generals Lee, Hill and Mahone were in Petersburg
consulting upon their future movements. The terrible sounds of battle
were coming nearer and nearer. "How is this, General?" said Lee to
A. P. Hill. "Your men are giving way." Hill drew a rough coat over
his uniform and mounting his horse, accompanied by a single orderly,
dashed away to the front. In a ravine he rode into the Federal skirmish
line, the sound of a dozen rifles instantly rang out upon the air, and the
noble Hill, who had been foremost in so many victorious charges, fell to
rise no more. (A sketch of his life will be found in the first volume
of Virginia and Virginians.)

The day waned and with it the fortunes of the Confederate arms;
the works were carried after thousands of men had fallen in their defence.
But how different was the scene in Richmond, twenty-two miles away!
It was a beautiful, balmy spring evening, and the people had gathered
in their respective churches for worship. President Davis was seated in
his pew in St. Paul's Church. A messenger walked briskly up the aisle
and handed him a telegram: it was from General Lee, and in it he said:
"Petersburg is lost to the Confederacy, and Richmond must be evacuated
at once." The President arose immediately and left the church with a
measured but nervous step. No one save himself knew the exact contents
of that message, and yet every one in the assemblage intuitively
felt that something of dread import had taken place at the front. Quivering
lips passed the news from church to church, and the congregations
were speedily dismissed; then the rumor was caught up in the streets
and soon carried to the remote limits of the city.

EVACUATION OF RICHMOND.

Night passed away, and the day brought such a scene as had only been
witnessed in the abandoned cities of the Old World. A government
was preparing to move; wagons were hastily laden with boxes and
trunks at the departments, and driven to the depot of the Richmond &
Danville railroad. Thousands of citizens determined to follow the fortunes
of the fugitive government, and as much as a hundred dollars in
gold was offered for a conveyance. Night came again and brought with
it a reign of terror. No human eyes in Richmond were closed in sleep
that night. The city council convened and resolved to destroy all the
liquor in the city, and at midnight the work of destruction began. Hundreds
of barrels were poured into the gutters, but despite every effort
the straggling soldiers secured a quantity of it, and from that moment
law and order ceased to exist. Many stores were pillaged, the lawless
marauders crashing windows and battering down doors, that they might

grasp the coveted merchandise within. Wild cries of distress mingled
with the yells of the pillagers rent the air and a livid pallor rested upon
every face.

But the worst element of destruction had not yet appeared upon the
scene, although it hovered near. General Ewell, then in charge of the city,
now ordered the four principal tobacco warehouses in the city to be fired.
Mayor Mayo, through a committee of citizens, remonstrated against the
order, the execution of which placed the entire business portion of the
city in jeopardy, but without avail. The torch was applied, and the
rams of the Confederate navy lying in the James were blown up. Daylight
dawned upon the awful scene. The beautiful city was a sea of
fire; tongues of flame shot from block to block, and far in beneath the
dense columns of smoke might be seen the figures of the rioters rushing
amid the glare like demons to and fro, laden with plunder of every
kind. It was a scene indeed that beggared description.

The victors were near. A short distance below the city, and on the
north bank of the James, lay the division of General Godfrey Weitzel,
and to his eye and ear the lurid flames and thundering explosions conveyed
an assuring conviction. He knew that Richmond had been
abandoned by the Confederate authorities. His martial bands filled the
air with inspiring national strains, and as the day dawned orders were
given to advance and occupy the city. As the sun arose long lines of
cavalry—the 4th Massachusetts in advance—entered the city and filed
along Main street. A body of fifty cavalrymen occupied the city square,
and Lieutenant Johnson de Peyster ascended to the top of the Capitol
building and unfurled the National flag. The dread scene deepened in
awful intensity; the hissing of the conflagration, the sullen curses of
the vanquished, the shouts of the victors, the screams of women and
children united to form a very pandemonium. But at last, through the
efforts of the soldiers and citizens, assisted by a favorable change of the
wind, the flames were stayed. Martial law was proclaimed, the discordant
elements stilled, and order once more reigned.

FROM RICHMOND TO APPOMATTOX COURT HOUSE.

It was a dark and moonless night when Lee withdrew the wreck of
his shattered army from Petersburg and Richmond. Orders had been
issued for the forces to unite at Chesterfield Court House, a point nearly
midway between the two cities. From this point it was his intention,
it appears, to reach Danville and form a junction with Johnston, who
was then marching northward; but a terrible disappointment awaited the
army at Amelia Court House. The orders of General Lee for the forwarding
of supplies thither from Danville had been shamefully neglected,
and with this bitter revelation all hope vanished; capitulation

was inevitable to the sorrowful mind of Lee, as it was to his meager and
starving army, the loved cause for which they had so heroically striven
for four long and weary years must be relinquished. No orders were
given relating to straggling, and of the 38,000 who started on the march,
thousands in soulful mortification abandoned the ranks. Especially was
this true of Virginians, who stopped at home rather than go on to participate
in the final bitter surrender.

Grant's forces followed on in rapid pursuit, and at Jetersville, the
cavalry under Sheridan, passed in front of the fugitive army. But now
the soil of the "Old Dominion" so long reddened with the life-blood of
her sons, is to bloom again; her hills and valleys which erst have quaked
with the reverberation of arms are to be re-attuned to nature's peaceful
music; the bugle blast of war is to be stilled; and her patriot sons, unsurpassed
as soldiers, are equally to vindicate themselves as citizens. It
was late on the evening of the 6th that several of the Confederate generals
gathered around the bivouac fire, and then decided in view of the
state of affairs to advise General Lee to surrender, but before their
action was reported a correspondence was opened between Generals
Lee and Grant, which resulted in an interview and arrangement of
the terms of surrender. After the meeting, which occurred at the house
of Wilmer McLean, in the little village of Appomattox Court House,
Grant wrote as follows:

To this General Lee replied:

The futile struggle was ended. General Lee rejoined his ragged and
shrunken army to bid it a sad farewell. In that memorable address he
touchingly said: "Men! we have fought through the war together. I
have done the best I could for you." And grandly indeed had the
simple utterance been attested! It was a magnificent pageant from the
Chickahominy to the final act at Appomattox Court House; sublime in
its realization of valor, endurance, and patriotism. Freedom records no
sacrifices surpassing it in magnitude. And the grand hero, Lee, reillumining
the lustrous diadem of his mother Virginia, is jointly enshrined
in the reverential hearts of her sons with her Washington.

Crushingly overwhelmed, the starving army of Northern Virginia
laid down its arms, but its pitiful fate only invested with mournful incense
its heroism and sacrifices. Its achievements will increasingly command
the admiration of the world during all time.

The blighting effects of the war remained. The prophecy of Howell
Cobb, uttered in the Montgomery Convention, that the Gulf States
need have no fears, for Virginia would be made the theater of war, had
been terribly fulfilled. The iron hand was everywhere visible. Materially
and socially she had been shaken to her center. As a helmless wreck,
she was seemingly helpless amid furious elements. Her industrial system
blasted, her manufactures wrecked, her wealth dissipated, her commerce
destroyed, and her once bounteous fields, her sanctuaries and the
homes of her people alike a spectacle of desolation. A funereal pall of
darkest gloom overspread and all but paralyzed the present, whilst the
dread uncertainty of the fateful future almost held hope even in chained
abeyance. But the oft-tried and as nobly exemplified spirit of the Old
Dominion again asserted itself. Her brave sons, accepting the stern
ultimatum, girded themselves about with newly-born energies and united
in the effort of reparation. Gloriously have they redeemed their misfortunes,
and righteous is the result. With grandly waxing strength,
marvelously developing natural resources and expanding wealth, her
unapproachable geographical advantages are enforcing recognition. Disdaining
the grinding shackles of arrogant and arid New England;
endeared to the great South as the votive shrine upon which was

sacrificed its best blood, Virginia is firmly grasping the scepter of
manufacture, fast withering in the palsied hands of the late arrogant
North.