had been a thought, in the minds of any one, of returning north of the Rapidan, the Lieutenant-General himself entertained no such design for a moment.

The Rebel assailants closed the day's work by a night attack, still later than that just spoken of, upon the center, breaking through Warren's lines, forcing him backward for a considerable distance, and compelling Sedgwick's corps to hasten its withdrawal rearward and to the left, to prevent being cut off from the remainder of the army. A stand was ere long made by the Fifth, however, and the final success of this overwhelming attack averted. The rout of the Union army, and its precipitate flight across the Rapidan, which Lee had seemed on the point of accomplishing, was completely foiled. His efforts to that end had cost more heavily than he could afford, without the anticipated success.

The persistent bravery and good conduct of our men, no less than the gallantry of our generals and other officers, were conspicuous in the actions of these two days. Few armies would have stood against such odds. It is a wonder—as the study of this battle will more and more disclose that any army so situated and so assailed should have escaped annihilation. By his peculiar advantages of communication, Lee was enabled, by his command of roads in the rear of the Wilderness, as we have seen, to precipitate the mass of his army first on our left, repelling the temporarily successful advance of Hancock; then upon the right, forcing Sedgwick backward, after a destructive resistance, ultimately flanking him, partially doubling up his force, and making important captures; and finally piercing the center, being seemingly on the point of driving Warren's corps pellmell, until by reinforcements and skillful dispositions, the latter was enabled to meet the shock.

A portion of Burnside's Corps, which crossed the Rapidan on the 5th, participated in the engagement, and aided to save the day.

The total losses on each side have been variously estimated, but probably fell little short of 18,000 (killed, wounded and prisoners), during the two days. Among the killed was the much lamented Gen. James S. Wadsworth, commander of a

division in the Fifth Corps-a gentleman of large estate, and of large heart, who bravely sacrificed all for his country.

While the two days' fighting has many of the aspects of a drawn battle, and was by no means decisive in result, it may be observed that Grant maintained his purpose of drawing out Lee and establishing himself beyond the Rapidan; while Lee, on the contrary, vainly exhausted all his efforts, with a loss believed to be relatively (though not actually) greater than Grant's, to force the latter to retrace his steps. The next movement, as will be seen, was, with Grant, a bold advance, and, with Lee, a prompt retreat. The latter had discovered, on the morning of the 7th, the march of our cavalry under Wilson and Gregg toward Spottsylvania Court House, with indications of a general movement in that direction. He immediately began to fall back. His whole line of works on Mine Run was abandoned, and his intrenchments in the Wilderness were only held by a rear guard, while the work of burying his own dead, caring for his wounded and securing the prisoners he had captured, received hurried attention. An attempt appears to have been made to embarrass Hancock on the left, and a claim was put forth by the Rebels that he had, for a time, been driven. There can have been little more than some harassing of his flank, soon obviated by the support which Burnside rendered.

While the Rebel army was moving southward, to take up its new position on the Po river, beyond Spottsylvania Court House, the National forces were executing a nearly unobstructed movement toward the left, by Chancellorsville and beyond Fredericksburg-a substantial pursuit, in the guise of a threatened turning of the enemy's right. Many of our dead and wounded in the Wilderness were unfortunately left on parts of the field that had been crossed and recrossed, remaining in hostile possession. In spite of extraordinary exertions, and a care quite unusual in the midst of movements so engrossing, there were many whose sufferings remained unalleviated for days, or who experienced the added torture of listen- ing helplessly to approaching fires, which ran through the woods, and from which, if they were not actually intended to do

this cruel work, the Rebels at least took no pains to rescue the wounded and dying. Some were saved after remaining for days in these wild and bloody thickets, and there are those still surviving, no doubt, who can repeat the tale of the sufferings, though never adequately describe the horrors that followed the great contests of the Wilderness.

The march of the rear of our army from the position held by the Fifth Corps, at the close of the conflict on the night of the 6th, to Chancellorsville, nine miles distant, was completed on the 9th of May. On the previous day the main army was well up to the banks of the Ny, near Spottsylvania CourtHouse, about fifteen miles south-east of Chancellorsville. The former place had already been entered by Custer's cavalry, and temporarily held, but this force was soon withdrawn. Grant's headquarters were twenty miles south-eastward from the battlefield of the 6th, as early as noon on the 8th. Our forces speedily occupied Fredericksburg, which was made a depot for the wounded, a large number of the houses of that city being taken for temporary hospitals. The movement in this direction-a small force clearing the way for the transportation of the wounded, while the main army advanced toward Spottsylvania-was heralded in Richmond prints: "Grant retreats towards Fredericksburg." In similar style, it had been an nounced, at an earlier day, that he was "falling back on Vicks. burg," while driving Pemberton into that city, preparatory to the capture of his whole army. Communication with the Potomac, by way of Fredericksburg and Belle Plain, was an essential auxiliary to his movement on Richmond, and marked a rapid advance in that direction.

The news of the unchecked progress of Grant, thus far, pressing Lee forward or drawing him on by flank movements, gave an assurance of the firm footing our forces had gained in a greatly advanced position, and of a determination of purpose, which, in spite of all losses, occasioned a general satisfaction more positive than the true history of the case, bating all exaggerations of the moment, would, perhaps, fully warrant. President Lincoln, moderately and justly estimating the results.

attained, and soberly appreciating the grave task yet before him, issued at this time the following proclamation:

TO THE FRIENDS OF UNION AND LIBERTY: Enough is known of army operations within the last five days to claim our special gratitude to God; while what remains undone demands our most sincere prayers to and reliance upon Him, without whom all human effort is vain.

I recommend that all patriots, at their homes, in their places of public worship, and wherever they may be, unite in common thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty God.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

Gen. Sheridan, directly after the days of the Wilderness, had started on an extensive cavalry expedition around and beyond the army of Lee, toward Richmond. The forces under his command had been brought to a high degree of strength and efficiency, and were prepared to test the vaunted superior ity of the cavalry battalions of the enemy. Sheridan proceeded by way of Fredericksburg, to near the Po river, encountering and defeating Stuart's cavalry in a sharp engagement, on the 9th of May. The evening of the same day found Sheridan near Beaver Dam Station, on the Virginia Central (Gordonsville) railroad, where he stopped for the night. During the next five days, the expedition continued on its course across the North and South Anna rivers, to Ashland Station, and onward to the immediate vicinity of Richmond, destroying railroad tracks, bridges and public property. On the 11th, a battle was fought at Yellow Tavern, in which Sheridan gained another victory over Stuart. The latter was mortally wounded in this fight, and died on the following day, having lived to see his boasted arm of the Rebel service not only repeatedly beaten, but permanently surpassed by the cavalry of Sheridan. Continuing his course, the latter encamped at Mechanicsville on the night of the 13th, and was at Bottom's Bridge, on the Chickahominy, the day following. He penetrated the outer fortifications at Richmond, retiring safely, and finally communicated with the Army of the James. These brilliant

operations between Lee and Richmond, for a time seriously interfered with that general's communications, and created no small excitement at the Rebel capital. This famous raid demonstrated, also, the present decided superiority of the Union cavalry, and marked a positive decline in that of the enemy, from which it never recovered.

During the movement of the main army to the Ny, and while the different corps were taking position and intrenching, there was occasional fighting with the enemy. There was a sharp conflict, on the afternoon of the 8th, between Warren and Longstreet's corps, now temporarily under Anderson, its commander being disabled by the wounds he had received on the 6th. It was during the same day that Maj.-Gen. Sedgwick, while personally aiding to put in position a battery of his own corps, was instantly killed by a Rebel sharpshooter; a loss which occasioned universal sorrow through the army and nation. Maj.-Gen. Wright succeeded to the command of the Sixth Corps, and Gen. Russell was advanced to the head of the First Division.

On the 9th, skirmishing was continued on different portions of the extended lines. A more serious engagement took place on the 10th, Grant having ordered an attack on the enemy's works. The Second and Ninth Corps were in the severest part of the action, which prevailed more or less along the whole line. The wings of Lee were forced backward, and a large number of prisoners captured. Here, as on the previous days, the forces engaged were mostly in the woods, permitting only an occasional use of artillery. The results were not decisive, though favorable to our arms. The fighting on the following day was comparatively slight. armies still occupying nearly the same position as before, is memorable for one of the severest contests of the campaignthe grand culmination of battle in this neighborhood.

The 12th, the two

At daylight, on the 12th, the combined forces of Hancock and Burnside, on the left, advanced on the enemy's lines. A brilliant bayonet charge was made on the right and center of Lee's intrenchments, driving him back for miles, capturing several thousand prisoners, with their general officers, and thirty