GRANT, ULYSSES S. (His MILITARY CAREER.) 



429 



lieved, and Ord was assigned to the command 

 of the Army of the James. Grant fitted out 

 another expedition against Fort Fisher, under 

 Gen. A. II. Terry, which sailed from Fort Mon- 

 roe on Jan. 6, 1865. On the 13th, the navy 

 directed a heavy fire against the fort. Terry 

 landed his troops, intrenched against a force 

 of the enemy threatening him from the direc- 

 tion of Wilmington, and on the 15th made a 

 vigorous assault, capturing the fort with its 

 garrison and 169 heavy guns, and a large quan- 

 tity of ammunition. It was at first thought 

 best to transfer Sherman's army by sea to Vir- 

 ginia; but this plan was abandoned, and on 

 Dec. 27 he was ordered to move north by land. 

 His army numbered 60,000 men, and was ac- 

 companied by 68 guns and 2,500 wagons. On 

 Jan. 7 Schofield was directed to bring his army, 

 then at Clifton, Term., to the sea-coast. It 

 reached Washington and Alexandria, Jan. 31, 

 and on Feb. 9 arrived at the mouth of the Cape 

 Fear river, with instructions to operate against 

 Wilmington and penetrate the interior. He 

 entered Wilmington on Feb. 22, it having been 

 evacuated by the enemy, and took 51 heavy 

 guns, 15 light guns, and 800 prisoners. His 

 own loss in these operations was about 200 in 

 killed and wounded. He moved from here to 

 Goldsborough, where it was intended he should 

 form a junction with Sherman. 



On March 2 Lee addressed a letter to Grant, 

 suggesting a personal meeting, with a view to 

 arranging to submit subjects of controversy 

 between the belligerents to a convention ; but 

 Grant replied that he had no authority to ac- 

 cede to the proposition ; that he had a right to 

 act only on subjects of a purely military char- 

 acter. 



Sheridan moved down the Valley of Vir- 

 ginia, from Winchester, Feb. 27, and defeated 

 Early at Waynesboro March 2, capturing and 

 scattering nearly his entire command. He then 

 turned eastward, destroyed many miles of the 

 James river canal, passed around the north 

 side of Richmond, and tore up the railroads, 

 arrived at White House on the 19th, and from 

 there joined the Army of the Potomac. Grant 

 had been anxious for some time, lest Lee should 

 suddenly abandon his works and fall back to 

 unite with Johnston's forces in an attempt to 

 crush Sherman and force Grant to pursue Lee 

 to a point which would compel the Army of 

 the Potomac to maintain a long line of com- 

 munication with its base, as there would be 

 nothing left in Virginia to subsist on after Lee 

 had traversed it. Sleepless vigilance was en- 

 joined on all commanders, with orders to report 

 promptly any movement of Lee looking to a re- 

 treat. Sherman captured Columbia on Feb. 1 7, 

 and destroyed large arsenals, railroad establish- 

 ments, and 43 cannon. The enemy was com- 

 pelled to evacuate Charleston. On March 3 

 Sherman struck Cheraw, and seized a large 

 quantity of material of war, including 25 

 guns and 3,600 barrels of powder. At Fay- 

 etteville, on the llth, he captured the finely 



equipped arsenal and 20 guns. On the 16th he 

 struck the enemy at Averysboro, and alter 

 a stubborn fight drove him from his posi- 

 tion, losing 554 men. The Confederates re- 

 ported their loss at 500. On the 19th John- 

 ston's army attacked a portion of Sherman's 

 forces at Bentonville, and made six heavy as- 

 saults, which were al] successfully met, and 

 on the night of the 21st the enemy fell back. 

 The national loss was 191 killed and 1,455 

 wounded and missing; that of the Confederates 

 was reported at 223 killed, 1,467 wounded, 653 

 missing ; but Sherman reports his captures of 

 prisoners at 1,621. On the 23d Sherman reached 

 Goldsboro, where Schofield had arrived two 

 days before, and was again in communication, 

 with the sea- coast and able to draw supplies. 



On March 20 Stoneman started to march 

 eastward from East Tennessee, toward Lynch- 

 burg, and on the same day Canby moved 

 against Mobile. Pope, who had succeeded 

 Rosecrans in Missouri, was ordered to pursue 

 Price and drive him beyond Red river. Han- 

 cock had been assigned to command the mid- 

 dle division when Sheridan joined the Army 

 of the Potomac, and the troops under him 

 near Washington were held in readiness to act 

 as circumstances might dictate. 



All was now in readiness for the spring cam- 

 paign, which Grant intended should be the last. 

 President Lincoln, between whom and Grant 

 had sprung up a strong personal attachment, 

 visited him at City Point on March 22, and Sher- 

 mancame there on the 27th. They, with Grant 

 and Admiral Porter, held an informal confer- 

 ence, and on the 28th Sherman set out again to 

 join his army. At daylight, on March 25th, Lee 

 had made a determined assault on Grant's right, 

 capturing Fort Steadman, breaking through 

 the national lines, and gaining possession of 

 several batteries. In a few hours he was 

 driven back and all the captured positions 

 were regained. Lee took this step to endeavor 

 to force the withdrawal of troops in front 

 of his right, and enable him to leave his in- 

 trenchments and retreat toward Danville. Its 

 failure prevented the attempt. The country 

 roads being considered sufficiently dry, Grant 

 had issued orders for a general advance on the 

 29th, and these were carried out at the ap- 

 pointed time. Sheridan, with his cavalry, was 

 sent in advance to Dinwiddie Court-House. 

 The Fifth Corps had some fighting on the 

 29th, and in moving forward on the 31st was 

 attacked and driven back a mile. Supported 

 by a part of the Second Corps, it made a coun- 

 ter -attack, drove the enemy back into his 

 breastworks, and secured an advanced posi- 

 tion. Sheridan had pushed on to Five Forks, 

 but his command encountered a strong force 

 of infantry and cavalry, and after heavy fight- 

 ing all day he fell back to Dinwiddie Court- 

 House, where he repelled the repeated assaults 

 made upon him and held the place. The Fifth 

 Corps was that night ordered to report to 

 Sheridan. The enemy, on the morning of April 



