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ishment, and the 9th corps was ral- | from the banks of the James, where lied to drive the foe out-Hartranft's it had so long menaced Richmond, division making the counter-assault and brought over to the left of our -the Rebels were too few to hold their perilous position; while the ground over which they had reached it was so swept by our guns from either side, that 2,000 preferred to surrender rather than follow their fleeing comrades through that terrible fire. Aside from this, the loss of either army was some 2,500.

lines facing Petersburg; when the 5th (Warren's) and 2d (Humphreys's) corps moved quietly out" southwestward till they had crossed Hatcher's run; when, facing northward, they advanced, feeling for the enemy's right. Sheridan was on our extreme left, at the head of nearly 10,000 cavalry, acting under orders directly from Gen. Grant. The 9th (Parke's) and one of Ord's divisions were left to hold our extended lines under the command of Gen. Parke: all dismounted troopers being order

guarded our immense accumulation of supplies at City Point. ·

Nor was this the extent of the enemy's mishap. Gen. Meade, convinced that their lines generally must have been depleted to strengthen this assault, ordered an advance along the front of the 6th and 2d corps, hold-ed to report to Gen. Benham, who ing our works before Petersburg to the left of Fort Steedman; and this was made with such spirit that the thinned line of the enemy recoiled before it, and their strongly intrenched picket-line was wrested from them and permanently held by their antagonists. Thus, instead of shaking himself free from Grant's gripe, Lee had only tightened it by this bold stroke; rendering his withdrawal to North Carolina even more difficult and hazardous than before.

Grant had already" prepared, if not issued, his order for a general, determined advance by his left on the 29th. To the obvious reasons which had formerly impelled a movement to flank the enemy's right was now added the necessity of intercepting and precluding Lee's withdrawal to North Carolina. Hence, the strategy of a nearly simultaneous attack on both flanks of the Rebel position was now abandoned: three divisions of the Army of the James, now commanded by Ord, being withdrawn"

22 Dated March 24.

Humphreys crossed Hatcher's run at the Vaughan road; while Warren, moving farther to the left, crossed four miles below, where the stream, since its junction with Gravelly run, has become Rowanty creek; thence moving up by the Quaker road to strike the Boydton plank-road. Sheridan moved nearly south to Dinwid die C. H.; where, at 5 P. M., he halted for the night.

Warren's corps alone encountered any serious resistance this day. Approaching the Confederate lines, Griffin's division, leading, was sharply assailed; but held its ground and repulsed the enemy, taking 100 prisoners. Our loss here was 370 killed and wounded. Warren rested for the night in front of the Rebel intrenchments covering the White Oak road. Humphreys-moving in an extended line, over a densely wooded and difficult country, repelling skirmishers only-had not struck the

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LEE ATTACKS WARREN AND SHERIDAN.

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enemy's intrenched line when night hurling his division back in disorder arrested his advance. on Crawford's, which likewise broke; so that there was, for a moment, a prospect of another Chancellorsville.

Rain fell heavily all that night and next day our infantry doing little beyond perfecting their formation | But behind these two stood Griffin's and their connections; while Sheridan, pressing back the enemy, without much fighting, behind his intrenchments, pushed forward part of his cavalry on their right flank to FIVE FORKS, where they found the enemy too strong to be ridden over or driven off; and returned, through the rain and mud, to Dinwiddie C. H. Grant, who was on the field, directing the general movement, ordered Warren to support the cavalry; placing him under Sheridan's command.

division, well posted in more open ground, whence it refused to be driven; stopping the Rebel advance, while the routed divisions rallied behind it, enabling Warren to assume the offensive; Humphreys supporting his counter-charge by sending in Miles's division on Warren's right to strike the enemy's left flank. Before these well-timed charges, the enemy recoiled; taking refuge behind his intrenchments along the White Oak road; having lost heavily by his assault, mainly in prisoners. Next morning," the rain had ceas- Still, his position was so strong that ed; but the earth was so soaked and repeated and vigorous attempts by flooded that Grant proposed in the Miles, Mott, and Hays, under Hummain to stand still. But Lee had phreys's orders, to penetrate it at other views. Alive to his peril, he different points, were repelled—the had left his works immediately cover-abatis which covered its front being ing Richmond to be held by some. even more formidable than the Re8,000 men, under Longstreet, while bels behind it. he hurried all the rest of his infantry, through rain and mire, to the support of his endangered right; his cavalry, which had been posted at Stony creek, far on his right, and which Sheridan's advance had isolated, making a long detour around Dinwiddie C. H. to regain its lost communications.

Warren had pushed forward skirmishers on his left to seize the White Oak road beyond the Rebel right, and had ordered Ayres to advance Winthrop's brigade through the woods to support the effort; when, at 10 A. M., Lee dealt him an unexpected and staggering blow: striking Ayres heavily in flank and rear;

Sheridan, meantime, had renewed his once foiled effort to turn the Rebel right by a resolute advance from Dinwiddie C. H. to Five Forks; and, while Lee's infantry was in conflict with Warren, he had advanced to and carried the coveted position. But now--the attack on Warren having failed-Lee impelled Pickett's and Bushrod Johnson's divisions of infantry westward along the White Oak road to Five Forks, where they fell upon Devin's division and Davies's brigade of cavalry there posted, drove them out in disorder, and followed them nearly to Dinwiddie C. H.; at length interposing between Devin and Sheridan's main line, and com

16 March 31.

pelling Devin to make a long detour
by the Boydton plank-road to rejoin
his chief. The Rebels, mistaking
this for a farther retreat, attempted
pursuit; thereby presenting their
flank and rear to Sheridan, who
charged with the brigades of Gregg
and Gibbs; compelling the enemy to
let go of Devin, and permit him to
rejoin his chief without farther
trouble. And, though they now as-
sailed the latter in superior force,
fully resolved to drive him, they were
unable to make any headway. Sheri-
dan dismounted his troopers, posted
them behind a slight breastwork,
and received his assailants with so
deadly a fire that they recoiled; and
darkness fell before they were ready
to try again. When morning came,
they had been withdrawn by Lee;
who doubtless saw that Pickett was
exposed to be struck in flank by War-
ren,
while assailed in front by Sheri-
dan, and thus disastrously routed.

Meantime, there was very natural alarm and anxiety at headquarters, where it was only known that Sheridan had been driven back from Five Forks to Dinwiddie, and there attacked by the enemy in force, with every prospect of routing him. Warren received order after order to hasten to Sheridan's rescue, and had sent Ayres's division through the mire and darkness; but Ayres, moving on the Boydton plank-road, had been stopped at Gravelly run, where the bridge was gone; and it was 2 A. M. before he had rebuilt and got across it; hurrying on to Dinwiddie; where he arrived at daybreak;" just as the last of the Rebels-a picket of cavalry-were hurrying off to join their departed comrades.

Sheridan, who had ascertained by midnight that the enemy were leaving, had been perfectly at ease while all beside his command had passed a night of apprehension on his account; so at daybreak he advanced, supported by Ayres, on the track of his late assailants; being, at 7 A. M., joined midway by Warren with his two other divisions.

Advancing steadily and boldly, Sheridan had, with his cavalry alone, by 2 P. M., pressed back the Rebels into their works at Five Forks, leaving Warren's corps entirely disposable: and now, while directing Gen. Merritt, with his division of cavalry, to threaten to turn the Rebel right, at the same time that they were sharply pressed in front, Sheridan ordered Warren-hitherto passive in his rear-to advance the 5th corps on our right to the White Oak road, so as to be fully on the enemy's left flank, and then, by a left-wheel movement, fall upon that flank in full force, striking the enemy well toward the rear, and rolling his force up on itself, in utter rout and confusion. Meanwhile, McKenzie, with the inconsiderable cavalry of the Army of the James, just arrived, was to cover Warren's right flank against attack from the direction of Petersburg. This order was promptly and thoroughly obeyed; McKenzie vigorously attacking and driving the only Rebel force discoverable in that quarter. This done, he promptly countermarched, and was back in the vicinity of Five Forks, ready to participate in the combined attack, before Warren was prepared to charge.

Sheridan was profoundly dissatisfied with the slowness of Warren's 17 April 1.

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SHERIDAN ROUTS PICKETT AT FIVE FORKS.

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opened if our troops had been handled with energy and resolution. He therefore deprived" Warren of his command, giving it to Griffin, whose division he ordered thrown forward to fill the gap in our line, which was now impelled forward with irresistible momentum; while Merritt, with the cavalry, charged the enemy's front.

movements, and suspected him of not | Warren's indifference or inefficiency; wishing to make a decisive charge for he believed this chasm in our that day. It was now 4 P. M.-dark-charging lines could never have been ness, in that wooded region, would quickly follow sunset-when all offensive operations, over ground to which our men were strangers, must utterly cease. As yet, many more of our men than of the enemy had fallen this day; and the morrow would doubtless show the Rebels either strongly rëenforced or missing. Sheridan-a raging lion on the battle-field-sought to hurry Warren's movements, using some language more energetic than courteous; and at length-the whole corps having reached the position assigned it and faced westward-the charge was made; McKenzie's horsemen having been thrown out on Warren's right, so as completely to outflank the Rebels and bar their retreat northward.

The Confederates, facing their foes in each direction, stood bravely to their arms; but they were two divisions-Pickett's and Bushrod Johnson's-against at least double their number, and their case was manifestly hopeless. In a few minutes, Ayres's division burst over their flank intrenchments, taking 1,000 prisoners; while Griffin struck their refused flank in the rear, capturing 1,500 more; and | Crawford-resisted only by skirmishers-pressed forward rapidly to the Ford road, running northward from their center, precluding their retreat toward Lee; and then, turning southward on that road, came rapidly down upon their rear, taking 4 guns

Ayres's division advanced nearest to the White Oak road and the Rebel defenses, with Crawford's on its right, or farther north; Griffin's being in reserve behind it. But Crawford's left, advancing across open ground under fire of the enemy-whose left had been refused and formed at right-our cavalry all the time sharply angles with its main line to meet this attack-swerved to the right to gain the shelter of the woods, opening a gap between it and Ayres's right, on which the Rebels now directed their fire, causing it to waver and crum-front, hurling all that remained of ble; a portion of it going to the right-about in haste and disorder.

Sheridan was watching this turning movement and charge in no amiable temper, and now saw its success imperiled by what he considered

16 Swinton says that "After the close of the action, Sheridan relieved Gen. Warren from duty." Sheridan's official report does not sustain this averment.

assailing their front and right, and at length charging over their intrenchments, as Ayres and Griffin, having turned their left out of its works, bore down upon its renewed

the enemy in disorderly flight westward; charged and pursued for miles by our cavalry until long after dark, and until our prisoners exceeded 5,000; while our total loss this day was but about 1,000. At this cost,

Warren, however, in his defense, asserts positively that Sheridan's order did not reach him till after the fighting was over.

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