The Portland daily press., 1865-04-07
Friday Morning, April Z, 1866.
GREAT BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS.
THE oAPTURB or PETERSBURG AND
RICHMOND.

RICHMOND.
From the special battlefield correspondent
of the New York World we make the follow
ing condensed account of the great battle OF
Five Forks, which seems to have decided the
fate OF Richmond and Petersburg:
MILITARY MOVEMENTS SINCE MARCH 29rH
Sheridan had scarcely time to change his
horses shoes beiore he was of, and on We'd
nesday OF last week much of our infantry also
moved to the left. We passed our ancient
breastworks at Hatcher's run, and extended
our lines southwestward Till they touched
Dinwidde Court House, thirty miles from
City Point The rebels iell back with but lit
tie skirmishing, until we faced northward aud
reached out toward their idoliZed Southidt g
Railway; then they grew uneasy, aud, as a
hint OF their opposition, fought us the sharp
battle OF Quaker Road on Thursday. Still we
reached farther and farther, lnarvelling to find
that, with his depleted army, Lee always over
matched as at every point Of attack; but on
Friday we quilted our entertainments on the
Boydtown piaBk-road, and made bold push
for the White-oak road. 1t became evident
to the rebels that we had two direct objects ia
view: the severiDg Of their railway, and the
occupation of the "Five Forks.n The latter
is magnificent strategic point. Five good
roads meet in the edge OF a dry, high, welt
watered forest, three OF them radaiing to the
railway, and their tributaries unlocking all
the country. Farther south, their defences
had been paluy, but they fortified this empty
solitude as il it had been their capital. Upon
lis principal road, he"White-oak" aforenam-
ed, they had ditched breastwoIk with en-
brasures OF logs and earth, reaching east and
west three miles, and this was covered east
ward and south eastward by riae.pits, masked
works and lelled timber; the bridges approach
ing It wore broken, all the roads picketed, and
a desperate resolve to hold 1t averred. This
noint of Five Forks may be as much as eight
miles Iaom Dnwiddie Court House, four from
the Southside road, and eighteen from Humph-
rey's the nearest OF our military railway sta
lious. A crooked stream, called Gravelly Bun,
which with Hatcher's forms Rowanty creek
and goes off to feed the Chowan in N nth
Carolina, rises near Five Forks and givest he
name of Grave'ly Run Church to little
Methodist Westinghouse, built in the fore st =
mile distant. That Westinghouse is a hospi-
. tai tonight running blood. and at Five Forks
a victor's battle-1ags are flying. -
THE INFANTRY BATTLES OF FRIDAY.
The Fifth army corps of General Warren,
for ths present superseded by General Gftfin,
has had all OF the flank fighting of the week
to do, Il lost five or six hundred men in its
victory cf Thursday, and on Friday rested
along the BoydtoWn park road st the houae
one Butler chiefly, which is about seven mites
from Five Forks. On Friday morning Gen.
Ayres took the advance with one of its three
divisions, and marched tbree-quarteIs OF a
mile beyond the plank road, through a woody
country, following the road, but crossing the
ubiquitous Gravey Run, till he struck The
enemy in strong force mile and a half blow
White Oak road. They lay 10 the edge Of a
wood, with thick curtain of timber in their
front, battery of field pieces to the right
mounted in a Fashioned earth-work.
GALLANTRY OF GEN. CHAMBERLAIN.
Gen. Griffia rode up to Gen, Chamberlain
in this extremity. Chamberlain is young
and snxious officer who resigned the profess
orship Of modern languages in Bowdoin Col
lege to embrace soldiers career. he had
been wounded the day befoIe, but was jealous
TO try death again. p 1a4 aa a aesef
chamberlain" said Griffin, "can't you save
the scn0r Of tie Fifth corps?'
The young general formed his men at once
they had tasted powder before-the 1S5th
New York aud the 19S5h Pennsylvania. Down
they went into the creek waist deep, up the
slope into the clearing, muskets TO the left o
s1tssss,. .muskets in front of them, cannon to the
right o. them; but their pace was swift, like
.heir resolve; many OF them were cut down
.,st they ke6s. ahead, and the rebels, who
seemed aslonished at their own previous sue
cess. drew off aud gave up the field. Almos
eco hours had elapsed between the loss and
the recovery OK the ground. The battle might
Sc called Dsfrney's farm, or more generally the
fqht OF Gravelly Run. An order was soon
alter issued 10 hasten the burial of the dead
and quit the spot, but Chamberlain petitloned
for 49, -.iarge the rebe. earthwork in the
rear, aud the enthusiasm of his brigade bore
down Gen. Warren's more prudent doubt. In
brief, Grifins division charged the tort, drove
the rebels out of it, and took position on the
White Oak road, far east of Five Forks.
OUR LOSSES. $50 -arli 5
We lost in Griffiu's division one hundred
and seventy wounded; in Ayres's, two hun
dred and tlty-one wounded; in Crawford's
three hundred and fifty; the killed and pris
oners may reach five hundred. The corp;
probably lost twelve hundred men. La th
action, the rebels. for the first time for msnl
''''ed all their traditional irresist
ence. The merit of the affair
link, should be awarded
retribution remained
for them in Li.> eding days DEGREES.
The foregoing events transpired on Thurs
day and Friday, March Both and 3lst.
SHERIDAN ON HIS OWN HOOK.
On Fdday night General Grant, dissatisfied
like most observers, with the days business
placed General Sheridan in the supreme com
mand OF the whole OF Warren's corps and al
Ho .. olrY General Warren reported to hin
UiE77 ". -. :
After describing the disposition maue>-s
his forces by Sheridan, the writer proceeds:
suERIDAN's CAVALRY DISCOUNTED.
wa,p,ist start with the suppostion that our
own men far outnumber the rebels. The lat
ter err were m widely separated from their com.
mands before Petersburg, and the adjustment
of our infantry as well as the great moyeaoie
force at Sheridan's disposal. renders IL aouot-
full that they could have returned AZ any
rate they do nos do so, whether from cnolce