Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-10-24
RICHMOND WHIG.
TUESDAY MORNING. OCT. a 1865
THE iisr SIX DAYS OF THE GRAM o,n
ARMi or NORTIiERS NiRGiSIA VI
[From the london Fortnightly Bcyioy. !
\ Graphic sketch by an Englishmnn.

h'""'ll gaming distinction and affection unless lac
possessed something of IN cpcene nature-lbat is
TO say, mixture Of masculine and feminine ou,Ii
ties. Without claiming Tor General zee in the LiUL
est sense o the title great i IS impossible 10 deny
that his memory will BE- cherished by those who in
the crisis OF h'S three years of trial stood and .ur
lered by his side, an exceptionally dear and pre.
ciOus possession Few soldiers, il asked whether
they wOull rather have served under Lee on the one
hand, or under Cromwell. Frederic The Great Mari.
borough Or Napoleon on ihe other would hesitate to
prefer the four famous Generals TO the discomftted
Confederate Yet it is doubtful whether any of the
four after they had passed away, and had ceased 10
communicate the electric shock OF their presence and
cOntact-o! eye voice, character and m;iuence-tO
Others, possessed such hold on the affections and
esteem rs were inspired BY Robert T. Lee
The truth seems 10 be that e greatest men are ne.
cessarily and intensely selfish. MI great men are
! monsters, says German pTOveTb; and it NAV.
think, be- conceded that when man is PLAYING a
conspicuous rGie in life, and IS generally loved, he is
not IN the worlds highest sense, great He is pro-
baby something better. lie has the houcAtfulne,s
about others, the unoDTUsiYenesS and rCnuHcia:;On
OF self the tr1ih'uiGess, purity modestr. CHARITY
| guelcssaess, which cannot long be Unnoticed BY
! those around him. and which lay firm hold uDon
their hearts. Bat 10 bc great 10 ill very large
| space il the worlds cy2 during mans few brief
| years upon earth, he must throw aodesy and unob-
trusiveness overheard he must be gTasping aggreS-
s.ve, dscreeiy greedy OF praise coyetou. OF large
share Of honor, judiciously cHyioGs must know how
out and to help useful friends without being SUD.
| planted Heartily agreeing with Coleridge that
where distinction and affection have been won coin
cdentiy there mast he the CpiCene element in their
winner, venture 30 doubt whether mans affection
is ever won by the greatest; or, IN otherword. wheth
eT in the greatest any o! the woman IS TO lie found.
| The men who Gf2 brave from tenderness are braVcr
| than the men who Grc brave from pride. But The
men WHO 10 encourage OF spare Others, gTatuit.
| ousy brave. are not se5lsea0dgi 10 De great The
| Inn fU.t pk l
| the pen of Mr.. Carlyle (whO is SAID to hold that
| Washington stands TOO high, and who if am right
| " informed, cOntcmpates lowering his pedestal
will think reverse the verdict OF Nj. Eyertts well
known lecture and will pronounce that Washing
ton was not greater than Peter or Frederic, or MARI
borough. as Mr.. Everett contends but was simply
more estimable.
The exceeding loveableness OF Lee became more
patent as your consciousness that as politician lie
lacked vigor and sc!f-asSertiOn became more ire
| siSth.c. This lOycableHe's wds based on never
tiring unseshness, 4 contagious endurance Of hard
ship and danger, 2 shrinking moie'ty, an abound
| ing tenderness. The child and tie young girl, who
| had never seen him before. ran 10 him nstinctycly
as To friend. His loo! spoke of honesty directne-.
| kindncss courage. His smile was iTrcsisiby win
| ming. But the stun which made Cromwell, Napole
on. William the Silent. greater is politicians than
| as soldiers, was lacking in Lee. Nj that there was
of true and brave in the people whom he so nearly
made into Il nation, called on him by signs that lie
who ran might have read, To put Congress aside to
control the press, to he Dictator indeed; and yet
he would not, Nevertheless, in the beiici that
| there is 30 more powerful si.mulanj 10 a noble
| btion than the study of such character aS Lees,
desire to throw ny stone upon the CaiIn by gather
cfing together a few NGtes for tie general accuracy
| of which can entirely yGGch, exhibiting the main
feature, of those cycntigl ,iv days which iRicryeGed
| between The evacuation Of the Confederate lines
around Petersburg and Richmond On the night o!
April 2nd, and The surrender Of Lees army on the
| morning Oi April 9i.i.
In order rightly to understand these six days, it
should he promised that the Federal cavalry. masscd
under General Sheridan, numbering about 1900
sabres spcndidly equipped, and converted by their
| ablc commander into It body OF military horsemen
! upon whom an Austrian or French SaGFcHr might
| have looked without disdIir, moved sOuthWarts
| down the Valley oi Virginia between the lst and
10Th of last March. and encountered scratch Con-
| fedcrate army of about 5000 men under General
! E5rly at Naynesb0rO. General Early, d.sirustlul
of his men, who were equally disirust!ul of him,
planted them with their backs to deep river. IN
order 10 make retreat impossible Tie result j. casi-
| ly rorcseen. Genera. sheridan Gag@el tw0-!hiri-
of his encmyS force and most OF his enemy ariil.
! lcrv Sweeping rapidly EDWARDS towards the James
| river between Richmond and Lynchhuf", sheridan
| fnund himself confronted hy a swollen and ulpassa.
BILE stream. lie tell back, rounded the left wing Oi
Lees army crossed the Pamuuicy riIcrat tht White
House (wLerc he recruited his strength by picking
np 900 fresh horse which awaited him thcTrl aud
upon the 9th of March joined General Grant IN the
lines before Petersburg. 10 Shcridan'S umtrng and
slgacioiis activity in the subsequent operations. more
| than - The agency of any Other man. j. due the
rompriuIirs- Of TIE Federal triTmph-tlr seemingly
! ineyrlicable collapse of the C0nicderacy
II was not long before trant' accession OF strength
! was felt Ey Lee.
I'pon tine evening Of Saturday. April Ist. General
LongstIcct who had long defended Richmond by
romIn9ndiur the Confederate Forces t1 the north Of
lanes river received information ir"Il Lee that
| Grant had detached Sherdan's cavalry and two
cor)s of infantry (ihout 2j,OtJ men in alD 10 act
| against the Sonth.Sdc railroad Before commune
eating with LOn%strcot Lee mad dcspacEeI Tickctts
and Bnshrod Johnsons divisions Hugcr's battalion
| of artillery ana fitzhugh Lees division of cavalry
| I'm all about I5.GJG mem, 10 meet the attack with
| which the South-Sic railroad was meraced. But
| sending away these 1900 men, Lee had 50 weak
rnad hs line. hciO;. Petersburg that there was but
one Confederate iei, TO every I!ty yards.
Under these circumstances, Lee called upon Long
street for men, But At dawn upon the = OF April
before Iong.trcct had had time 10 obey Lees or
dcrs Grant deserted from bis wooden tower of OBJ
| seryation the weakness of the Confederate lines.
| Immediately he threw = very heavy column, con-
,istinr believe chiefly OF Gibbons corps, upon the
weakest spot The FedeTals carried with very slight:
loss the outer line th.niy held by HctLS dVs on OF
| Copf.ieratcs ami bUlCrl Inward until they struck
two of the detached forts whereof string system
ran behind TIE whole length Of the Confederate
outer works. These two detached forts, which were
of course designed 20 cover each other, were named
| Forts Gregg and Alexander.
! Tie officer in command of Fort Alexander. which
| wa. farthest awav from the On-Coming Fedcra-.
deemed il more important To save his guns than 10
| try and help Fo.t Gfegg Receiving no assistance
f,r, IFS twin brother Font Gregg. manned by itaT
ris'. Mississippi brigade numbering 30 undaunted
mon breasted ntcp;a!y the til" OF IL multitud'noGs
! a.sailaDts Three times Gibbons corps sUrgcd mp.
and around tie worS-tAIca tiine-. with dreadful!
carnage they were driven back. am told that it
was subsequently admitted by General GibJOn that
in carving Fort Gregg he lost from five 10 six hun
lrrl mem OF, in other words. that each M!s>!7s.P-
pjan inside the works struck down at ieas! two as
| tailants When ~ last the work was carried there
remained out Of is 80 deenGers, but 80 suTy.'ois
| In those nine memorable April days there was no
episode more glorious 10 the Confederate arms than
tte heroic seit-immoajon Of the Mi-Sissippans in
Fort Gregg to gain tine for their comrades.
Fort Greg fell about even o'clock in the morn
| inn Of the 2i After delay OF two three hour,
the Feiera!s swept Onwar3s in tie direction Of Pc
tershurg taking tie Confederate lines ca rercrS.-
| AZ this moment LOng,;re5t accompanied by Ben
nine'- Brigade of Fields Division about 10 bayo.
nets strong, met the on.pouI.Ag Hood, ana checked
Il long enough to enable fresh troops 90 hurry up in
his rear and to form fresh line II i!0nt OF Peters
Simultaneously. in an attempt Of Heth's Division
10 re.as,absh Their lines General l. p. Hill (who
commanded the Corps 20 which Heln hNS'oh De-
ongcd) lost a life which. Tor nearly four years, lie
had UulincEingiy exposed IN hundred Ci his c"un'
try'S battle. About the sane moment was Dispatch
ed the memorable telegram which surprised Pftsi
dent Davis Ia ChgrCh, and announced tLat lie las'
day of that heroic resistance which had made iscA-
m6nd the most notable Of bcleaguerei cities Lad at
length arrived. The delay purchased by the obati
nate defence Of f0Tt Gregg. and by LonE-tieet
bold handbag Of Bennin-s Brigade, saved Peters
burg until tie tobacco and cotton stored IN that city
could hc burned and until ie.suieiy preparation loi
its evacuation could BE- made.
II is remarkable that no further onslaught wa
made by tie Fejeral- throughout the day or during
the evening although the laue- spr:nglEg UP ~
many parts Of the town mus; have told their Own
tale. 1T nighttlll on the 81 all the toLiede.ate te
troops. about 1899 strong, whichrymaHed uAda! iht
command II General Ewcii. to tine north OF james
river fell back from their lines and passed through
the bewiercd streets ". Richmond, t.ayer-!nG be-
fore day5-cak tie bridges james river, hicl
were 80 soon 70 De given 20 The tame. About e.gh
on the n!lt of tie same -. the Confederate troop
also commenced leaving Petersburg. their retreat be
ine covered by Fields division under LCngs.Ieet.-
Pursuit there Na- none. It j. probable that alread.
Grant was bending all hsenerges to get round an'
cut on Lees retreat. The Petersburg section Of tl
Confederate troops ful! Of yg0r and c'cH crossed L
the north side @; the AppOmattoXryer On pontoO