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A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



it i 





[period v. 



towards tlie south-west, and were strongly entrenched. 

 Ijee's lines, on a shorter arc, extended in the same 

 direction, but the exposed country to the west left an 

 open field for the employment of the immensely superior 

 force of cavalry now at Grant's disposal. 



He decided therefore to use his horsemen in wide 

 turning movements to sweep around Lee's exposed flank, 

 and turning it and driving it back towards Richmond, 

 to press on and cut the railways, which were the only 

 remaining sources of supply to the Confederate army. 



Lee was ^rery inferior in strength to the Federal forces, 

 which amounted to 160,000 of all arms, while he had only 

 about 45,000 or perhaps less. Grant was consequently 

 able to fully defend his lines while he detached a large force 

 to execute turning movements around Lee's right flank. 

 The force detached for this purpose consisted of the 

 whole of Sheridan's cavalry supported by the second and 

 fifth army corps, and as it circled around to the left the 

 positions taken were continually entrenched in order to 

 protect the army against an attack in flank while 

 moving on. 



Sheridan set out with his cavalry corps, 10,000 strong, 

 on the 29th March, 1865, moving by Reams Station 

 towards Dinwiddie Court House, which was occupied 

 that night ; the second and fifth corps being on 

 Sheridan's right and keeping up the communications 

 with the left of the main position. The positions assumed 

 that day were entrenched in anticipation of an attack, 

 which was made the same afternoon by a Southern 

 division and repulsed. Early on the 30th March General 

 Merritt, with four brigades of cavalry, set out to recon- 

 noitre towards Five Forks, the strongly entrenched post 

 which was the point d'appui of Lee's right flank. The 

 Confederate cavalry pickets were driven into the works 

 by the Federal dragoons, who in turn had to fall back. 



During the 30th the infantry corps also moved up 

 and by that night were on the Boydtown Road, between 

 Gravelly Run and Hatcher's Run. On the morning of 

 the 31st a general attack was made by the whole 

 Federal infantry force in the neighbourhood of the 



