RICHMOND. 



reached, but while the regiments in the Tan were en- 

 gaged in tearing up the track, a sudden :iii.u-k from a 

 part of Hill's corps drove them back, many of them 

 being taken prisoners. The railroad had been reached 

 but bad not been held, while the army had suffered a 

 loss of nearly 40txi men, mostly prisoners. 



At the same time a cavalry expedition, 8000 strong, 

 was sent for the imrjmse of breaking up the railroads 

 leading southward. They did considerable destruction 

 to the roads, tearing the rails up for miles, but on their 

 return found the eountrv full of enemies, and had to 

 fight their way back. Reaching Reams' Station on 

 the Weldon road, which they expected to find in the 

 hands of friends, they discovered it to be occupied by 

 a strong force of Confederate' cavalry and infantry, and 

 were defeated with heavy loss in attempting to break 

 through this line. They finally reached the army, but 

 had been so severely handled that no similar raid was 

 attempted for months. The profit proved too little 

 for the peril and expense. 



This southward movement was followed by a similar 

 one on the north, Butler, on July 10, throwing a 

 brigade across the James River at Deep Bottom, where 

 an intrenched camp was formed. This post was con- 

 nected with the army at Bermuda Hundred by a pon- 

 toon bridge, and was of advantage in enabling Grant 

 to throw heavy masses to the north of the James, if 

 desirable. Lee laid a similar bridge across the river at 

 Drewry's Bluff, by which counter motions could be 

 made. 



And now the use of musket and cannon, and destruc- 

 tion of hosts of men, which had continued almost un- 

 interruptedly for nearly two months, was replaced by 

 the use of the pick and shovel. Several months more 

 were busily employed in erecting those long and for- 

 midable lines of earthworks which eventually extended 

 for nearly 40 miles, from the left bank of the Appo- 

 niattox around the western side of Petersburg, to and 

 across the James and to the north-eastern side of Rich- 

 mond. They consisted of a double series of redans, 

 redoubts, ami infantry parapets, with other defences 

 of abatis, stakes, and chevaux-de-frise, facing each 

 other, well mounted with guns, and manned by the 

 tried armies which for years had confronted each other 

 on the soil of Virginia. The war had taken on a dis- 

 tinctly new aspect, and the engineer for the time being 

 had replaced the field-officer in the conduct of opera- 

 tions. 



The monotony of engineering operations was broken 

 by brisk field-work at the north. Sheridan early in 

 June was sent with a large cavalry force to break up 

 the Central Railroad and cut the Kanawha Canal, 

 channels of supply to Richmond. He found himself, 

 however, confronted by Wade Hampton with a strong 

 body of cavalry, and after a spirited engagement re- 

 joined the army without having accomplished his 

 chief purpose. On the other hand, Lee, with the 

 hope of creatinga diversion in his favor, sent, on June 

 13, Gen. J. A. Early with a force variously estimated 

 at from 8000 to 15,000 men up the Sheriandoah Valley, 

 to threaten Washington and alarm the Federal au- 

 thorities. Hunter, who had been advancing on Lyuch- 

 burg, was forced to retreat across the mountains to 

 West Virginia, and Early, by a rapid march, reached 

 and crossed the Potomac without opposition on July 5, 

 defeated Gen. Wallace at the Monocacy on the 9th, 

 and on the llth appeared before Washington, his ap- 

 proach being heralded by wild reports of the magnitude 

 of the force under his command. 



Had Early been a day sooner he might have entered 

 and captured the citv with little difficulty, but the de- 

 lay occasioned by Wallace's defeat at the Monocacy 

 saved the Federal capital. The troops ordered to its 

 defence reached there on the 1 1 th, and when Early, 

 on the morning of the 12th, prepared to attack, he 

 found the intrenchuients full of men. He at once 

 began to retreat, and made his way with all haste 

 back to the Valley. His subsequent career uiay be 



quickly disposed of. On the 23d he defeated Gen. 

 Crook at Kernstown. ('roving the Potomac again, 

 he sent a cavalry force into Pennsylvania, which occu- 

 pied and burned the defenceless town of Chambers- 

 burg. Sheridan was now placed in command in the 

 Valley, and defeated Karly in the successive battles of 

 Winchester and Fisher s Hill On October 19 Early 

 surprised the Union force in camp at Cedar Creek. 

 ana drove it back in great confusion towards Win- 

 chester. Sheridan, who had been absent at Washing- 

 ton, was on his way to the army from Winchester 

 while the battle was going on, and heard in the dis- 

 tance the roar of the cannon. Then took place the 

 remarkable incident of his dashing ride to the front, 

 his rallying of the fugitives by the magnetism of his 

 presence, and his turning of the tide of flight into an 

 irresistible charge on the hitherto victorious enemy. 

 Early's force was defeated and almost destroyed, only 

 a small remnant of the army escaping. This ended 

 the conflict in the Shenandoah Valley. Lee's diver- 

 sion had signally failed. 



Returning to the siege of Petersburg, the next oc- 

 currence of notable interest was the mine explosion of 

 July 30. This attempt to mine the Confederate works 

 was originally proposed by Lieut. -Col. Henry Pleas- 

 ante, of the Forty-eighth Pennsylvania, a skilful min- 

 ing engineer. The mining operations were placed 

 under his charge, and were conducted so expeditiously 

 that by July 23 the mine was finished and charged 

 with 8000 pounds of gunpowder. It extended under 

 a Confederate salient that was opposite to Burnside's 

 position. The early morning of July 30 was fixed for 

 the explosion, and a large force gathered for the 

 charge, while orders were issued to threaten Lee's 

 right and divert his attention from the real point of 

 attack. At 4.45 A, M. on the 30th the explosion took 

 place. The effect was tremendous. An immense 

 mass of earth was hurled into the air, together with 

 stone, timber, cannon, muskets, and mutilated corpses ; 

 200 men were killed, and a cavity torn in the Confeder- 

 ate lines 135 feet long, 90 wide, and 30 deep. A 

 heavy cannonade was at once opened all along the 

 line, to which the astonished and dismayed Confeder- 

 ates replied but feebly. The way seemed open for the 

 easv capture of this portion of Lee's works. 



The opportunity was lost by delay._ The charging 

 column moved slowly and feebly, halting in the crater 

 as if seeking shelter. A division of colored soldiers 

 attempted to storm the hill beyond, but the delay had 

 enabled the Confederates to recover from their sur- 

 prise, and these troops were driven back into the 

 crater. Here were huddled a large body of disordered 

 troops, on whom the Confederates, hurrying from all 

 quarters to the spot, poured a concentrated fire of 

 musketry and artillery. The slaughter was dreadful, 

 and a disorderly flight began. The result was a loss 

 to the Union forces of about 4400 men, mostly cap- 

 tured, and of less than 1000 to the Confederates ; all 

 due, as Grant declares, to inefficiency of the corps 

 commander and incompetency of the division com- 

 mander who led the assault An hour passed before 

 the Confederate fire was of any importance, and that 

 hour, if diligently employed, would have sufficed for 

 complete success. 



The leading purpose of Grant's later operations was 

 to seize and hold the Weldon and Southsidc Railroads, 

 the latter of special importance from its usefulness as 

 a Confederate channel of supply and since its capture 

 would open the way to the possession of the Danville 

 Kailroad. the remaining channel of communication 

 between Richmond and the South. The possession of 

 this road would force the evacuation of Richmond and 

 the desertion of the formidable line of defensive 

 work* which Ix'c's army had erected with such toil. 

 With this object in view (!rant steadily extended his 

 lines south and west of Petersburg, while Lee faced 

 him at every point with new earthworks covering the 

 important arteries of travel which his antagonist 



