House via Fortress Monroe. From the moment of the departure of the Eighteenth Corps, Butler was penned up between a watchful enemy and the river, secured, however, from disaster by the gunboats. The movement of Smith's Corps was promptly known to the enemy, who also detached a force to Lee, which reached him before Smith joined Meade. Butler remained within his lines, against which the enemy made occasional demonstrations, without important results on either side.

CHAPTER LIII.

Position of Grant's Army.-Warren's Advance.-Further Development of the Union Left Wing.-Severe Battles around Cold Harbor.-New Flank Movement determined upon.-Crossing of the James and Junction with Butler.-Results of that Campaign.

THE morning of Monday, May 30th, found Grant's line of battle disposed as follows: Wright's Corps on the extreme right, extending in the direction of Hanover Court-House; Hancock's on the right centre, on the Shady Grove road; Warren's on the left centre, on the Mechanicsville road; Burnside's on the left, and a little in rear, and so disposed as to threaten Richmond. Our right and rear were covered by Wilson's Third Cavalry Division, which had previously been ordered to destroy the railroad bridges over the Little River and South Anna, and to break up the roads leading thence to Hawe's Shop. Gregg's and Torbert's Divisions were dispatched out on our left flank. The Old Church Tavern cross-roads were held by Torbert's Division, with a picket force of two squadrons along the road leading from Cold Harbor to Old Church Tavern.

About noon, Torbert's pickets were driven in by an apparent attempt to get in our rear. A brisk skirmish was followed by the retreat of the enemy along the Cold Harbor road. Towards five o'clock, Warren began to move slowly towards Mechanicsville. Crawford's Division, which was in advance, towards Shady Grove, and a little detached, was suddenly assailed by Rhodes's Division of Early's Corps, with great vigor. The flank of Warren's Corps being thus endangered, General Meade ordered an attack all along the line, in order to relieve him. Hancock was the only one who received the order in time to attack before dark, and he immediately dashed upon the enemy's skirmish line, captured their rifle-pits, and held them all night. The engagement was rapid and brilliant, and the losses not large. Warren held his ground, about seven miles distant from Richmond, and near Mechanicsville. The enemy at once moved down troops to prevent any further dangerous concentration on his right. At midnight, an attack was made upon Hancock, inflicting more or less loss, but without material success. On Tuesday, the 31st, a general advance of our lines began, attended by considerable firing, the enemy being little inclined to be pushed farther back from his position. The army now occupied nearly the same ground that it had two years before,

when McClellan was before Richmond. Warren, now in command of the Fifth Corps, was upon the same spot where then he had commanded a brigade of Porter's Corps. The Union army was now re-enforced by the Eighteenth Corps of Smith, while the enemy was joined by Breckinridge and Beauregard. The line of the enemy was disposed so as to cover the Chickahominy, which is the outer line of defence for Richmond, with its right, and the Virginia Central Railroad with its left. Most of the ground between the Chickahominy and the Pamunkey is favorable for manoeuvring, being open and dry. South of the former river are those well-known swamps which were traversed by McClellan. Parallel with the river runs a road from Winston's Bridge, on the north, to Bottom Bridge, on the south, on which are Shady Grove and Mechanicsville; and parallel with this road, and north of it, is another, which runs through Walnut Grove, Cold Harbor, and Gaines's Mill. Lee's line held this road from Atlee's Station, on the Fredericksburg Railroad, to Gaines's Mill. His cavalry reached Hanover on his left, and Bottom Bridge on the south. This line was not straight, but at the northern part faced east, and at its southern position northeast, and was disposed as follows, left to right: A. P. Hill, Anderson, Ewell. The Federal line, consequently, faced westerly and southwesterly, and on Tuesday, May 31st, was disposed as follows, from right to left: Wright, Hancock, Burnside, Warren.

Grant intended on Tuesday to resume his customary movement of massing upon his left. Torbert's Division of cavalry was, therefore, sent to Cold Harbor. This led to some skirmishing, which notified the enemy of what was intended. Meanwhile, Lee, suspecting Grant would attempt to repeat what was known among the Confederates as his "crab movement," began to manœuvre for position. Kershaw's and Hoke's Divisions, of Anderson's Corps (the latter temporarily attached to the corps), were sent to the right, to the old battle-fields of Gaines's Mill and Cold Harbor, with orders to occupy the eminences in that quarter. A sharp fight ensued, which resulted in Torbert's holding his ground.

During the night, the Sixth Corps marched across from the right to Cold Harbor, where it was to be joined by the Eighteenth Corps, which had been detached from Butler, and landed at the White House. The latter corps, after losing its way, arrived on the ground at three o'clock in the afternoon of June 1st, having marched twenty-five miles, and took position, on the right of the Sixth, in four lines, the Sixth being in one. The two corps then stood as follows, from right to left: Martindale's, Brooke's, and Devens's Divisions, comprising the Eighteenth Corps, and Ricketts's, Russell's, and Neill's, of the Sixth. In front was a ploughed field, and beyond a strip of pine forest, where the enemy were intrenched. Our artillery opened on the left, and almost immediately the line moved briskly forward. The two centre divisions, Devens's and Ricketts's, with a cheer, charged across the ploughed field at a run, receiving a biting fire from artillery and musketry; and so vigorous was the onset, that they carried the enemy's first line, with six hundred prisoners. The line thus brilliantly carried, as well as a lodgment secured farther to the right, it was soon found were enfiladed by the

enemy's fire. A portion of the Eighteenth Corps made a vigorous effort to silence the fire, and with some success. The position gained was, however, commanded by a redoubt in the enemy's second line, and it was relinquished. During the night, the enemy made the most persistent efforts to recover their lost line, but without success. Federal loss was over two thousand; that of the enemy considerably less, as he was covered by his works. The result of the day's fighting was the retention of Cold Harbor by the Union forces.

The

The Union line was now eight miles long, extending from Bethesda Church to Cold Harbor, and, by reason of the march of Wright and the accession of Smith, was formed as follows, from right to left: Hancock, Burnside, Warr n, Smith, Wright. Cold Harbor, the left extremity, was simply an old house, the tavern at the junction of roads leading to the White House on the east, Dispatch Station and Bottom Bridge on the south, Richmond via Gaines's Mill on the west, and Hanovertown and Newcastle on the north. The possession of the road thence to White House was indispensable to Grant. Bethesda Church, the right of the line, was also an old structure, on the road from Hanovertown to Shady Grove, not far from the latter. On the right, in the afternoon of the 1st, there was a forward movement of Gibbon and Potter, with a view to cover an intended withdrawal of the Second Corps from right to left, to follow the footsteps of the Sixth, already gone to extend our flank in that direction. The result was a rally of the rebels in force, and a determined attack, towards evening, on our whole line, as soon as the two divisions had fallen back.

Grant now determined to make the attempt to push Lee across the Chickahominy, and secure a place to ford the stream, and it was with this object that the Union left had been prolonged by shifting the Second Corps to that quarter of the field. The new disposition was completed by noon of Thursday, the 2d; but, owing to a heavy rainstorm, the attack was postponed until the following morning. Heavy skirmishing continued during the 2d, without material advantage to either side. Lee, suspecting this movement, had posted his troops to meet the anticipated attack. His right was held by Breckinridge's and Mahone's Divisions of Hill's Corps; his centre by Kershaw's, Field's, and Hoke's Divisions of Anderson's Corps; and his left by Ewell's Corps, all of which were protected by strong intrenchments. The rain having ceased, at four o'clock on the morning of Friday, June 3d, the assault was made. Our line was well massed and compact, moving as follows, from right to left: Burnside, Warren, Smith, Wright, Hancock, reaching from Tolopatomoy Creek to and across the road from Cold Harbor to the Chickahominy. The ground was varied,. along the line, with wood-lands, swamps, and open, our left being on a position a little elevated, and the rebel line lying in a strip of woods and covering the series of roads parallel to the river, of which particular description has before been given. Promptly at the hour appointed, the skirmishers advanced, and very quickly the whole line was wrapped in the fire and smoke of terrific battle. Although the struggle lasted five hours, the first ten minutes decided its fate. In that first rush of advance, ten minutes of time carried our whole front close up against a

line of works, which we were unable to break through, or, breaking through, were unable to hold.

In Hancock's Corps, Gibbon had the right, with Barlow on the left, Birney being in reserve. The two divisions of Gibbon and Barlow dashed gallantly forward, across wood-lands and underbrush, and, again emerging into an open space swept by shot and shell, passed straight up the acclivity on which the enemy had concentrated their men and artillery, as being the stronghold of their line. The impetuosity of the charge, not checked even by the terrible slaughter, carried the men over the breast works of a salient on Breckinridge's left, where they captured three guns. But, General Finnegan, re-enforcing the enemy at this moment, drove Hancock's troops out, recaptured the guns, and took some prisoners from Owen's Brigade, Gibbon's Division. Not until the splendid attack of Hancock's Corps had been made was he aware of the supreme importance of the position thus carried and lost, which had been the key-point of the battle of Gaines's Mills, two years before. This position is a bald hill, named Watts's Hill, dominating the whole battle-ground, and covering the angle of the Dispatch road. Along this ridge the enemy's works formed a salient, and in front of it was a sunken road. Of this road Hancock got possession, and the brigades of Miles and Brooks actually struck and carried the work directly on the salient. Had the Union troops held this point, they would have had a position whence the entire of the enemy's line might have been enfiladed.

The Sixth and Eighteenth Corps at the same time emulated the determined courage of the Second, but with no better results. Charg ing through the underbrush and across the open, they were received by the murderous enfilading fire with which all our most advanced brigades found their daring repaid. The assault of the Sixth Corps was made with the utmost vigor, and succeeded in carrying the first line of rebel rifle-pits along its entire front, and got up within two hundred and fifty yards of the main works. Smith's Corps, connecting on the right with the Sixth, had advanced in conjunction with it; but the left division, that of Martindale, who led the attack in heavy, deep columns, got disarranged, and was repulsed. Smith made three different attacks to relieve Martindale, but his last supports did not get up in time to allow him to hold on. The effect of this repulse on the left of Smith had a disastrous effect on the position of Wright. It uncovered the right flank of the Sixth and exposed Ricketts's Division, which was stoutly holding the advanced position, to a savage fire on the prolongation of its line. For a long time, these latter hung obstinately to their conquests, which, at length, were wrung from them, and they were forced back with great loss. But here, as on the left, our men held and intrenched a position considerably in advance of the starting-point, close up to the enemy's works. The Fifth and Ninth Corps on the extreme right pushed out their skirmish lines and kept up a cannonade. The weight of the battle was, however, driven against the position of Anderson and Breckinridge's left.

In many respects the battle was a repetition of that of the 12th of

May at Spottsylvania Court-House. While he kept up a threatening attitude along the whole line, Grant massed a very heavy force and hurled it again and again with tremenduous violence against a single point. Seven times the persistent valor of the Sixth Corps carried the men with indomitable force against the right centre of the enemy, and seven times the strength of the rebel position defied the efforts of the assaulting columns. Nevertheless, our whole line was advanced close to the enemy-within fifty yards for a great portion of it-and, on the extreme left, one brigade was reported to be but fifteen yards from the enemy. Both armies kept close to their breast works, the exposure of a figure above the intrenchments, at that narrow distance, being fatal. Under such circumstances, when the Federal troops advanced, the concealed Confederate marksmen cut them down in wide swathes stretching far across the field. At Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor the Confederates were more completely behind breastworks than at any previous battle of the war. Hence their small comparative loss. The battle raged with great violence until half-past ten o'clock A. M., just five hours. Among the Confederate killed in this battle were Brigadier-General Doles, of Georgia; Colonel L. M. Keitt, of South Carolina, formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives, and Colonel Edwin Willis, of Georgia, a late graduate of West Point. The Union loss in these terrible assaults was estimated at about seven thousand. The enemy reported theirs at one thousand.

Saturday, the 4th, was spent by the Union troops in intrenching. In exposed positions, this work could only be carried on at night, the enemy's sharpshooters being very busy, and pursuing men and officers with fatal dexterity of fire. Our own marksmen retorted wherever practicable, and desultory skirmishing resounded along the line all through the day. To appreciate the situation of the parties, it must be remembered that the hostile lines were separated, for long extents, only by distances varying from fifty to one hundred and fifty yards. The position of the corps remained substantially as on Friday. During the night of the 5th, Grant retired his right wing about two miles, placing it behind a swamp which protected its front and flank. On the same evening he sent a communication to General Lee, proposing that, when the armies were not actually engaged, either party might, upon notification to the other, succor its wounded and bury its dead. Lee replied that he preferred that the party desiring to remove its wounded and inter its dead should do so through a flag of truce. The care of the wounded and dead was accordingly effected by this

means.

The battle of Friday was one of the most terrible of the war up to that time. The movements of the preceding days had drawn our lines close in front of the Chickahominy, and reduced the military problem to the forcing of the passage of that river-a problem which, if solved in our favor, would decide whether Richmond could be carried by a coup de main, if a decisive victory should attend our arms, or whether operations would settle down to a siege in form. The great struggle did not result in a success. Probably no action so important in its character was ever crowded into so brief a space of time-ten terrible