at half-past four A.M., driving the enemy within his entrenchments at all points, but without gaining any decisive advantage. Our troops now occupy a position close to the enemy." It would seem from this that Grant himself admitted the futility of his operations. His new movement had in fact been as unsuccessful as his first; but on the other hand it must be borne in mind that Lee had done nothing more than hold his own, and had been totally unable to drive off his adversary. At seven o'clock on the evening of the 3rd, the Confederates suddenly attacked Smith's brigade and Gibbon's division, but, after a furious combat of half an hour's duration, were completely repulsed. On the following morning (June 4th), Lee's left wing, in front of General Burnside, was found to have been drawn in during the night; yet for the most part the opposing lines continued close to each other.

About this time, Sigel was removed from his command of the Shenandoah army, and succeeded by General Hunter, who was ordered to advance without delay up the valley to Lynchburg. Sheridan, with two divisions of cavalry, was despatched from the army of the Potomac, with directions to break up the Virginia Central Railway, and effect a junction with Hunter; while Butler was commanded to employ his utmost efforts to obtain possession of Petersburg. The object of the Federal commander was to isolate Richmond as much as possible, to cut off its sources of supply and its means of reinforcement, and then to renew his operations on the south side of the James River, and therefore in the rear of Richmond. The country in which General Hunter was to act was very poorly supplied with Confederate troops. The Southern forces, in fact, consisted of only a few regiments of cavalry (mounted and dismounted), and the communications between Lynchburg and the army of General Lee were menaced by Sheridan's squadrons. Hunter was directed by his superiors to live on the country, so as not to be burdened by baggage, and effectually to destroy the railways and the James River canal. The land, moreover, was to be so completely desolated that no Confederate force which might come after should be able to find the means of subsistence. Marching up the north fork of the Shenandoah, Hunter defeated a Confederate force which attempted to cover Staunton, and then took possession of that town. This was about the close of May, and shortly afterwards Hunter was attacked by the irregular cavalry of Gilmor and Mosby, who defeated a part of his forces, and burned the whole of his train. The Federal commander next ad

vanced on Lynchburg, which was defended by the division under Breckinridge. After an ineffectual attempt to take the town, Hunter commenced a retrograde movement, fearing that he should be overpowered by the Confederate reinforcements, and might even be unable to keep open his communications by way of the Shenandoah Valley. In the first instance he retired on Salem, hotly pursued by the Southern cavalry, who destroyed many waggons, together with thirteen pieces of artillery and several caissons. Ultimately he succeeded in escaping across the mountains into Western Virginia; but in the course of this movement his men suffered much from want of food in the wild and desert country through which they were compelled to make their way. Sheridan likewise had been defeated by the cavalry of Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee. The Federal commander had not made even a distant approach towards the contemplated junction with Hunter, and his opponents followed up their success by a movement against the Federal depôts of the White House, which narrowly escaped falling into their hands. The position had been protected by a line of entrenchments, extending south of Gaines's Mill to the bank of the Chickahominy. These works had saved the depôts from capture, and they also enabled General Meade to rest in quiet and comparative safety, while he made preparations for the flank march to the southern side of the James River which Grant had by this time determined on executing.

In the second week of June, a detachment from General Butler's army, moving southward, crossed the Appomattox by a pontoon-bridge, and advanced on Petersburg. Meade at the same time moved towards his left under cover of a feigned operation on Richmond. The Chickahominy was crossed near White Oak Swamp, and the James River near the mouth of a small affluent called Deep Bottom. General Butler still remained at Bermuda Hundred, a small peninsula formed by a bend of the James River; and beyond the Federal lines at this point were the Confederate entrenchments which Beauregard had thrown up after his defeat of Butler on the 16th of May. The Confederates were by this time greatly over-matched in point of numbers; but Beauregard was so impressed with the necessity of defending all his positions that he strained every nerve to save them from capture by the dailyincreasing hosts of the Federals. The attack on Petersburg was under the direction of General W. F. Smith, who appeared before the city on the evening of the 15th of June. Beauregard telegraphed to Richmond for reinforcements; but

before these could arrive, Smith had taken a portion of the defences. The assault was to have been seconded by Hancock's corps from the Army of the Potomac; but that body had mistaken its road, and failed to join the army of General Smith until after nightfall. By this time the Confederates had been to some extent reinforced, and on the morning of the 16th of June the struggle was renewed Beauregard was on the spot in person, and saw how terribly his men were outnumbered, even without those accessions which were perpetually reaching his opponents. He again sent to Richmond for reinforcements, and also requested to be informed whether he should give up Bermuda Hundred or Petersburg, as it was no longer possible to hold both. After waiting some time without receiving any reply, he determined to relinquish the former of those positions, though its abandonment would permit of a land and naval force being sent up the James River to the southern side of Richmond, which was the point most open to attack. The entrenchments in front of Butler were therefore secretly evacuated, and the men added to the scanty forces still holding desperately to Petersburg.

He

The Federal operations against that city were now being pushed with great energy, and on the afternoon of the 16th an alarm was raised that the last line of defences had been carried, and that the victorious soldiers were bursting into the town. Beauregard had left the front to obtain a little rest and refreshment, when a sergeant of artillery, galloping through the street, cried loudly that all was lost. The General hastened back in the direction of the entrenchments, and was speedily met by a crowd of panic-stricken fugitives. eloquently exhorted them to halt, telling them that the fate of Virginia depended on their firmness. The stream, however, poured on, and Beauregard, drawing up his escort across the road, ordered them to shoot down any who refused to obey his commands. The reinforcements from Bermuda Hundred came up at this moment; the ranks were re-formed; and the men, to some extent re-assured, were led back to the works they had prematurely abandoned. The disaster reported by the sergeant of artillery had been greatly exaggerated by dismay and apprehension; yet it was true that the Federals were pressing their attack very closely. Three distinct corps were engaged before Petersburg, and Butler, relieved of the forces in his front, was

Several of these details of the operations against Petersburg were given by General Beauregard to Colonel Fletcher, and are included by him in his useful work on the events of the civil war.

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advancing against the Richmond and Petersburg Railway, so as to prevent the despatch of reinforcements from the Confederate capital. The assault continued during the early hours of the night; but at about eleven o'clock the incessant rattle of musketry and roar of artillery began to diminish. From a despatch of Burnside, which fell into the hands of the Confederates, it appeared that the attacking forces, notwithstanding the success which they had obtained, were getting dispirited at the stubbornness of the enemy's resistance. Beauregard took advantage of the pause which now set in to withdraw his troops to a shorter line in the rear, and the entrenchments designed to cover this new position were constructed during the night by his weary and almost exhausted soldiers, whose difficulties were rendered still greater by the want of proper tools. The Union troops, however, were equally worn out, and it was not until noon that preparations were completed for a renewed attack. Shortly afterwards, Beauregard was reinforced by the arrival of General Anderson's corps (formerly Longstreet's), which had overcome the resistance offered by Butler on the line of railway. Severe fighting was prolonged during the whole day, and on the whole the Confederates retained the new line which had been traced out by their commander. The entrenchments were strengthened during the night of the 17th, and on the 18th of June the Federals were driven back at all points, with heavy loss. Smith was ordered to retire from before Petersburg, and to reinforce Butler at Bermuda Hundred. A large part of Lee's army had been transferred from the northern to the southern side of Richmond, and Grant, despite his flank march, from which he had hoped to gain so much, was still confronted by his indomitable antagonist.

By this time the Federals had suffered enormous losses, and were greatly dejected as to the prospects of the campaign. It had been found necessary to recruit their decimated ranks by soldiers who had had little or no experience in warfare; and these men were likely to depress the spirits of their comrades still further by liability to unreasonable panic. Grant saw that for the present it would be imprudent to renew active operations; but, with his usual tenacity of purpose, he clung firmly to that which he had gained. He ordered the erection of counter-works to those of the enemy, and raised a line of entrenchments of more than ordinary strength. On the 21st and following days, he endeavoured to turn the right flank of his opponents, but the corps despatched on this expedition was routed by the Southerners. Grant also sent out a cavalry expedition on the morning of June 22nd,

the object of which was to cut the communication between Petersburg and Lynchburg by the Southside Railway. It was divided into two columns, which penetrated as far as the junction of the Richmond and Danville Railway with that of Petersburg and Lynchburg. After a few temporary and delusive successes, accompanied by some degree of injury to the lines, the detachment, while on its backward march to rejoin the main army, was defeated on the Weldon Railway, though supported by a body of infantry, and, abandoning its train and artillery, retreated, with the loss of many prisoners, to the lines round Petersburg. On the 1st and 2nd of July the troops arrived in camp, broken up into straggling parties, and presenting, in the appearance both of men and horses, unmistakable evidence of their fatigue and distress. More than a thousand negroes had followed the column; but most of these were shortly afterwards recaptured by the Confederates.

The weather was extremely hot and oppressive, and both armies suffered much from this cause alone. A long drought set in, and, at every movement of the opposing ranks, enormous clouds of dust rose into the air. The Federals were plainly disheartened. Although safe in their positions from any serious reverse, they were exposed to frequent and harassing attacks on the out-pickets. Butler's army was kept in constant anxiety by repeated sorties from the entrenchments in his front; and from time to time engagements took place, of no great magnitude in themselves, but tending to weary and exasperate men who had already undergone much and achieved little. During the cavalry expedition which set out on the 22nd of June, Sheridan was ordered to proceed from the White House to the camp before Petersburg, in order to supply the place of those who had been detached from the main body. On the evening of the 24th, he was attacked while on his march, and, although he succeeded in beating off the enemy and saving his trains from capture, he lost nearly five hundred men in the struggle. Thus, everything conspired to depress the attacking forces, and the evil influences of the time were visible in the looks and bearing of the men. It was stated in an American publication of the day that the troops were thoroughly worn out. The loss of officers had been so great that captains were sometimes commanding regiments, and majors brigades. The soldiers complained that they had no longer the leadership of their old officers; the officers alleged that the spirit of the soldiers had declined. "6 'My men do not charge as they did thirty days ago," said the leader of a storming party which had made an unsuccessful

attempt against the outworks of Petersburg. Even some of the chief commanders showed the effects of the campaign in broken health, in want of harmony with their colleagues, or in a failure of energy and skill. Divisions and corps which had formerly been remarkable for daring and gallantry now fought without animation, and suffered themselves to be captured without resistance.* The army was at once exhausted and dispirited, and yet the major part of its work still remained to be accomplished.

before Petersburg. before Petersburg.

Towards the close of June, the Federal army was fewer by 15,000 men than it had been when General W. F. Smith made his first attack on the lines Notwithstanding the strong positions held by General Grant, and his ability to communicate with the North by means of the James River, it became a question whether the expedition against Richmond must not be abandoned. At this moment of depression, Lieutenant-Colonel Pleasant, belonging to a Pennsylvanian regiment in Burnside's corps, proposed to run a mine under one of the approaches to the Confederate entrench、 ments before Petersburg, and, having created a gap by its explosion, to surprise the town by capture in the crisis of confusion and alarm created by the catastrophe. The plan was adopted, though reluctantly; and, while the mine was being excavated, Hancock's corps and Sheridan's cavalry were sent to the north side of the James-whether to execute a feint, or to conduct a serious attack on the Confederates in that neighbourhood, is a matter of uncertainty. Engagements of importance were fought in the direction of Richmond on the 27th and 28th of July, and Lee considered it necessary to withdraw four divisions from the opposite bank of the river, leaving only three in the vicinity of Petersburg. Grant and Meade saw that, if the mine was to be exploded at all, the proper moment had arrived. Hancock was ordered to re-cross the James on the night of the 29th, but to move with secrecy, so as to leave the enemy in ignorance of the change that had been effected; and large bodies of Federals were concentrated in front of Petersburg, to take advantage of the explosion. More than three weeks had been consumed in the construction of the mine, which was of a very elaborate nature, and was provided with several lateral galleries in connection with the main passage. The charge consisted of eight thousand pounds of gunpowder, and these were placed in the chambers on the 27th of July. General Beauregard had had some suspicion that such a work was in progress, and, as far as he could,

* United States Army and Navy Journal.

and Boston. Scattered bodies of Confederates were seen in various places, and Pennsylvania was entered, as well as Maryland. Whole neighbourhoods were laid waste, in revenge for what had been done by Hunter in the Shenandoah Valley; many private houses were burned; and the rich people in the towns were compelled to ransom their dwellings and property by the payment of large sums of money.

To meet this invasion, President Lincoln made a call for 12,000 militia from Pennsylvania, an equal number from New York, and 5,000 from Massachusetts. The various Governors issued proclamations summoning the required troops, and the militia speedily began to assemble. On the evening of the 8th of July, General Wallace, in command of a hastily-raised force of Northerners, withdrew from Frederick, Maryland, to Monocacy Junction, on the east side of the river, and on the following morning was attacked by the enemy. His illdisciplined troops soon gave way before the vehement assault to which they were exposed, and fled towards Baltimore, pursued by cavalry. This disaster produced the utmost consternation at the Federal capital, which for a time appeared to be in imminent danger. Reinforcements were hurried up from various quarters; and a corp of General Grant's army was despatched from before Petersburg. Early next attacked Rockville, Maryland, a little town situated not more than fourteen miles to the west of Washington. Detachments from his main army got so far as within five miles of the capital, where they seized prisoners, horses, and cattle, and inflicted a large amount of damage. Colonel Gilmor, of the cavalry, cut the communication between Baltimore and Philadelphia, and captured a railway train, among the passengers in which was General Franklin, who, having been wounded in Louisiana, was going north for rest and change of air. The prisoners, however, were not carefully guarded, owing to the extreme fatigue of Gilmor's men, who were almost incessantly in the saddle; and Franklin, with his companions, managed to escape. Intoxicated by his success, Early appeared before Washington on the 11th of July, and engaged the batteries at Fort Stevens, one of the out-works of the Federal metropolis. But reinforcements had by this time reached the city, and in the evening a body of men under General Auger sallied forth to drive away so troublesome and humiliating an enemy. A sharp skirmish ensued, and the Confederates were speedily compelled to retreat, leaving a hundred dead and wounded on the field. The invaders retired up the Potomac, which they crossed at Edwards's Ferry,

and then proceeded through Snicker's Gap to the western side of the Shenandoah. After an encounter with General Wright, who had been sent in pursuit, but who on the 18th of July was forced to withdraw from any further attempt at molestation, Early established his head-quarters at Winchester, and successfully resisted an attack by General Averill, who was obliged to seek shelter behind the works at Harper's Ferry.

It was not long ere Early once more crossed the Potomac into the Northern States. On the 29th of July, a band of Confederates passed over into Maryland, and advanced on Chambersburg, in Pennsylvania. Their progress was again marked by the destruction of private dwellings, and even of whole towns whose citizens refused to answer the requisitions of the invaders. At Chambersburg, Gilmor's cavalry made a demand for 200,000 dollars in gold, which the people declined to furnish. The city was accordingly given to the flames, and Averill, on arriving to its relief, found it fiercely burning. The Confederates were already in retreat, and, although with difficulty, they contrived to elude the various bodies of Federals sent to intercept them, and again to reach in safety the southern shores of the Potomac. From time to time these predatory incursions continued to be made, and, the Federal Government, finding that great inefficiency resulted from the want of a single command over the various corps entrusted with the defence of Washington, and that General Grant, from his position before Petersburg, could not give much attention to the subject, determined to unite in one the three departments of Western Virginia, Washington, and the Susquehannah. The military direction of this large area was confided to General Sheridan, who found himself at the head of more than 40,000 men. With these he conducted a number of desultory operations against the enemy, for the most part successfully, though the Confederate horsemen occasionally proved troublesome. Early had only about 13,000 troops with whom to maintain his position round Winchester; yet Grant for a time refused to sanction any offensive movement on the part of Sheridan, fearing the disastrous consequences of a defeat. At length, however, he gave his consent, but only on the understanding that the valley of the Shenandoah should be completely devastated, so that nothing might be left to invite any further invasion.

Sheridan attacked his adversary on the 19th of September, and with complete success. The two armies had been watching one another from the opposite banks of the Opequan, a small tributary of the Potomac, which it enters west of the Shenandoah.