The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1865-04-12

~ tOAA " NlOSht ShsFhHS
left was doubtless the cause of the post
ponement. The plan oe this last phase
Of the action was this: Gen. Grant, on
receipt of the news Of Sheridan's victory
at Five Forks, Immediately dispatched
couriers in conjunction with the tele-
graph leading to bis headquarters to each
of his corps commanders. desiring them,
without loss Of time, to open with both
artillery aud infantry upon the works of
Petersburg. :.
Sheridan. it will be remembered, at
tanned his success by half past seven
o'clock on Saturday. At9 o'clock, Grant
hearing it. and before 10 O'Clock our
columns had passed the picket line, and
were on. their way to the rebel entrench-
ments. Parke on the right, Wright in
the centre, and Ord on the left, marched
almost on the same instant. The 9th
corps (Wright's) was arranged in double
line Of battle, and without ceremony they
threw themselves en- maSSe into the ditch
and up the parapets. The contest was
short, though terrible and desperate!
Hand to hand conflicts occurred-the
deadly bayonet lunge; the mpulsiye and
flful crashes of musket and revolver; the
crossing of swords; the volley now and
then, when our troops poured snflading
fires down the inside Of the parapei; the
yells and groans; the galloping of cou-
riers to and fro from end to end Of the
lines. In places the bitches were heaped
with living and dying combatants, tum-
blsd together promiscuously; but every
now and then northern cheers told how
the conflict was going. On the east side
of the 9Th corps, The scene was the same.
Opposite Fort He'll. the rebels had a
fort called Fort Heaven, at which they
fought like Satan's legions.
/ The Worlds account Of Sheridan's
battle at Five Forks, says: Sheri-
dams forces, Saturday morning, were
I,three divisions of infantry, two divisions
of cavalry, formerly Of the Shenandoah
army, one division Of cavalry of the Po'
tomac army, and a brigade Of cavalry Of
the army of the James. The proportion
Of infantry to cavalry was two to one.
Sheridan was absolute, and visited every
portion of his line. His object was to
push the enemy back into their trenches
with his cavalry, entirely masking the
operations of his infantry. The cavalry
line of battle stood together like walls of
stone, swelling onward, gradually, like
elevated ridges. Now aud then a detach-
ment of rebels would charge down upon
our swaying lines, and threatening to an
nilate us; through wood and brake, and
swamp, across fields and trenches, we
pushed-6ghting their defenders steadily
for part Of the time.
Sheridan himself was there, short and
broad, waving his hat and giving orders;
seldom out Of fire, but never stationary
Close by fell the yellow locks of Custar,
with his sabre extended
AT 4 o'clock the rebels were behind
their wooden walls, and still the cavalry
pressed them hard in front, while bat.
talon dismounted charged squarely up
in the face of their breastworks which
laid mainly on the north side of White
Oak Road. Then, while the cavalry
worked round toward the rear the infan-
try Of Warren, though commanded by
Sheridan, prepared to take part in the
battle. On the left was the division Of
General Ayres, Crawford had the centre
and Griffin the right. These advanced
from Boydton Plank road. Alto O'clock
while Sheridan was laundering away
with the cavalry, mounted. and dis
mounted, deluding the rebels with the
idea that he was the sole attacking party.
they lay concealed in the woods beyond
Gravelly Run Meeting house. Their lett
was not half a mile distant from the rebel
works. Little by little Sheridan extended
his lines and drove the whole rebel force
into their breastworks then he dis
mounted Che mass of his cavalry and
charged their works straight in front,
still laundering on their flank. AT last,
when every, rebel was safely behind his
Observation-Disclosures The signal was given
and the concealed infantry, many thou
sands strong, sprang up and advanced
by echelon to heright::