PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



739 



enemy and the capture of Petersburg and Richmond, 

 if the proper effort was made. I therefore addressed 

 the following communication to General Sheridan, 

 having previously informed him verbally not to cut 

 loose for the raid contemplated in his orders until he 

 received notice from me to do so : 



GKAVELI.Y CREEK, March 29, 1865. 



GENERAL : Our line is now unbroken from the Appomattox 

 to Dinwiddie. We are all ready, however, to give up all, 

 from the Jerusalem plank road to Hatcher's Run, whenever 

 the forces can be used advantageously. After getting into 

 line south of Hatcher's, we pushed forward to find the one- 

 my's position. General Griffin was attacked near where the 

 Quaker road intersects the Boydton road, but repulsed it 

 easily, capturing about one hundred inen. Humphreys 

 reached Dabney's mill, and was pushing 'on when last heard 

 from. 



I now feel like ending the matter, if it is possible to do so, 

 before going back. I do not want yon, therefore, to cut loose 

 and go after the enemy's roads at present. In the morning 

 push around the enemy, if you can, and get on to his right 

 rear. The movements of the enemy's cavalry may, of course, 

 modify your action. We will act all together as one army 

 here until it is seen what can be done with the enemy. The 

 signal officer at Cobb's Hill reported, at 11:30 A. M., that a 

 cavalry column had passed that point from Richmond to- 

 ward Petersburg, taking forty minutes to pass. 



U. S. GRANT. Lieutenant-General. 



Major-General P. H. SHEBIDAN. 



From the night of the 29th to the morning of the 

 31st the rain fell in such torrents as to make it im- 

 possible to move a wheeled vehicle, except as cordu- 

 roy roads were laid in front of them. During the 

 30th, Sheridan advanced from Dinwiddie Court- 

 House toward Five Forks, where he found the en- 

 emy in force. General Warren advanced and ex- 

 tended his line across the Boydton plank road to 

 near the White Oak road, with a view of getting 

 across the latter ; but, finding the enemy strong in 

 his front and extending beyond his left, was directed 

 to hold on where he was and fortify. General 

 Humphreys drove the enemy from his front into his 

 main line on the Hatcher, near Burgess's Mills. Gen- 

 erals Ord, Wright, and Parke made examinations in 

 their fronts to determine the feasibility of an assault 

 on the enemy's lines. The two latter reported favor- 

 ably. The enemy confronting us, as he did, at every 

 point from Richmond to our extreme left, I conceived 

 his lines must be weakly held, and could be pen- 

 etrated if my estimate of his forces was correct. I 

 determined, therefore, to extend my line no further, 

 but to reenforce General Sheridan with a corps of in- 

 fantry, and thus enable him to cut loose and turn the 

 enemy's right flank, and with the other corps assault 

 the enemy's lines. The result of the offensive effort 

 of the enemy the week before, when he assaulted 

 Fort Steadman, particularly favored this. The en- 

 emy's intrenched picket line captured by us at that 

 time threw the lines occupied by the belligerents so 

 close together at some points that it was but a mo- 

 ment's run from one to the other. Preparations 

 were at once made to relieve General Humphreys' 

 corps, to report to General Sheridan ; but the con- 

 dition of the roads prevented immediate movement. 

 On the morning of the 31st, General Warren reported 

 favorably to getting possession of the White Oak 

 road, and was directed to do so. To accomplish this, 

 he moved with one division, instead of his whole 

 corps, which was attacked by the enemy in superior 

 force and driven back on the second division before 

 it had time to form, and it, in turn, forced back upon 

 the third division, when the enemy was checked. A 

 division of the Second Corps was immediately sent 

 to his support, the enemy driven back with heavy 

 loss, and possession of the White Oak road gained. 

 Sheridan advanced, and with a portion of his cavalry 

 got possession of the Five Forks; but the enemy, 

 after the affair with the Fifth Corps, re6nforced the 

 rebel cavalry, defending that point with infantry, 

 and forced him back toward Dinwiddie Court-House. 

 Here General Sheridan displayed great generalship. 

 Instead of retreating with his whole command on 



the main army, to tell the story of superior forces 

 encountered, he deployed his cavalry on foot, leav- 

 ing only mounted men enough to take charge of the 

 horses. This compelled the enemy to deploy over a 

 vast extent of woods and broken country, and make 

 his progress slow. At this juncture he despatched to 

 me what had taken place, and that he was dropping 

 hack slowly on Dinwiddie Court-House. General 

 McKenzie's cavalry and one division of the Fifth 

 Corps were immediately ordered to his assistance. 

 Soon after, receiving a report from General Meade 

 that Humphreys could hold our position on the 

 Boydton road, and that the other two divisions of 

 the Fifth Corps could go to Sheridan, they were so 

 ordered at once. Thus the operations of the day 

 necessitated the sending of Warren, because of his 

 accessibility, instead of Humphreys, as was intended, 

 and precipitated intended movements. On the morn- 

 ing of the 1st of April, General Sheridan, reSnforced 

 by General Warren, drove the enemy back on Five 

 Forks, where, late in the evening, he assaulted and 

 carried his strongly fortified position, capturing all 

 his artillery and between 5,000 and 6,000 prisoners. 



About the close of this battle. Brevet Major-Gen- 

 eral Charles Griffin relieved Major-General Warren 

 in command of the Fifth Corps. The report of this 

 reached me after nightfall. Some apprehensions 

 filled my mind lest the enemy might desert his lines 

 during the night, and by falling upon General Sher- 

 idan before assistance could reach him, drive him 

 from his position and open the way for retreat To 

 guard against this, General Miles' division of Humph- 

 reys' corps was sent to reenforce him, and a bom- 

 bardment was commenced and kept up until 4 o'clock 

 in the morning (April 2), when an assault was or- 

 dered on the enemy's lines. General Wright pene- 

 trated the lines with his whole corps, sweeping every 

 thing before him, and to his left toward Hatcher s 

 Run, capturing many guns and several thousand 

 prisoners. He was closely followed by two divisions 

 of General Ord's command, until he met the other 

 division of General Ord's that had succeeded in forc- 

 ing the enemy's lines, near Hatcher's Run. Gen- 

 erals Wright and Ord immediately swung to the 

 right, and closed all of the enemy on that side of 

 them in Petersburg, while General Humphreys 

 pushed forward with two divisions and joined Gen- 

 eral Wright on the left. General Parke succeeded 

 in carrying the enemy's main line, capturing guns 

 and prisoners, but was unable to carry his inner Tine. 

 General Sheridan, being advised of the condition of 

 affairs, returned General Miles to his proper com- 

 mand. On reaching the enemy's lines immediately 

 surrounding Petersburg, a portion of General Gib- 

 bon's corps, by a most gallant charge, captured two 

 strong, enclosed works the most salient and com- 

 manding south of Petersburg thus materially short- 

 ening the line of investment necessary for taking in 

 the city. The enemy south of Hatcher's Run re- 

 treated westward to Sutherland's Station, where they 

 were overtaken by Miles' s division. A severe engage- 

 ment ensued, and lasted until both his right and left 

 flanks were threatened by the approach of General 

 Sheridan, who was moving from Ford's Station toward 

 Petersburg, and a division sent by General Meade from 

 the front of Petersburg, when he broke in the utmost 

 confusion, leaving in our hands his guns and many 

 prisoners. This force retreated by the main road 

 along the Appomattox River. During the night of 

 the 2d the enemy evacuated Petersburg and "Rich- 

 mond, and retreated toward Danville. On the morn- 

 ing of the 3d pursuit was commenced. General 

 Sheridan pushed for the Danville road, keeping near 

 the Appomattox, followed by General Meade with 

 the Second and Sixth Corps, while General Ord 

 moved for Burkesville along the South Side road ; 

 the Ninth Corps stretched along that road behind 

 him. On the 4th, General Sheridan struck the Dan- 

 ville road near Jettersville, where he learned that 

 Lee was at Amelia Court-House. He immediately 



