, 1865-06-17
W1lrQgt1 Ir1bune.
SATURDAY, JUNE II, ls65.
The LAST GREAT CAMPAIGN
or THE WAR.
General Sheridan's Report Of Ills
Operations from Petersburg
to App0matto1.
Why He ReIieyed Gen, Warren.
Brilliant WIpvemeuts Of Our
Cavalry.

Gtnc5al: have the honor to submit the
following pa57atire CT the operations If my
command during the recent campaign In front
Of Petersburg and Richmond, Terminating
House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865.
On March 60, my command. consisting. OF
the LIST and 3rd cavalry divisions, under
tic Immediate command Of BrcTes Major
General Wesley Merritt, crossed the James
river By TIC bridge at Jones' Landing. having
marched fion Winchester, in the Shenandoah
Valley, via White House, on the pamunksy
River.
On March Fl thls command went into camp
at Hancock Station, on the military railroad
in font OF Petersburg, AID on the same day
the ID caEalry division. which lad been
rorted to nc usdcr the command Of Major
Gen. Gtorge Cook.
The effective force Of these divisions was as
follows:
Gen. Mer7itr's command. First snd Third
Gen. CreoIa conmand, Second Di1;sion.:
Total effective force. rce......-.-.............2.0 600
With this force moved out on the 29th Of
March, in conjunction With tue armies opct-
nting against Richmond, and In the 6uhse-
qneut operations was under the immediate
cruers Of the Lieutenant Gencsal command
Ing. .....
Imeyed by The way Of Reans' Station, oa
the Weldon RailsoAd, md Malon's Crossing,
On tho Rowauty Creek, wLeFe We were oblts-
ed to construct q bridge.
At this point our adsauce encountered a
snail picket OF the rebel cavalry, and drove
it 10 The let across Stony Greek, capturing
few prisoners, from whom, and from my
scouts, I learned tlat the encmy's cavalry
Weldon Rail1 1oad, on our left flank and rear.
Believing that 1t would not attack me, and
tbAt by pushing On to Dinwid5ie Court
House cuuld fol &c 1t to make wide detnur,
We continued the march, teaehtng the Court
House abont five O'Clock p, NJ. encouuterlng
only a suall picket Of the ensmy, which was
driven away By our advance.
II WIS foura necessary to order Gen. Gus
ta1's division, Which WAS marching In the rear,
to 1ema.n nea1 Malon's Crossing. On the
| Rowanty Creek, to assist and protect our
| trains, which were greatly retardcd By the
almost inrassab1c reads OF TINT niry section.
| The lit and I'd divisions went INTO camp,
covering ihe Vaughan, Flat Foot, Boyat5n
| Pink ard Five FORKS Toads. which ala inter
sect at u pxitdie Court House, rendering
| ttis an important p3lnt, and from which
| vas expected to make cavalry raid Un thu
2outh Side railroad, and thence ] lin Gen.
Sherman. 0! return to Petersburg, rs cafcaIn'
| p}sht the Lieutenant General sent me- IT,
| etructiops to abandon the contemplated raid
| ard act in ctncert nth the infantry under biz
immediate command, and tu;u the ris sht flank
| Of Lees Amy II possible.
| Eatly On the morning Of the S0ih OF March
| directed Gen. Merritt to Etnd th- Let dtr1
SION, Brig. Gen. Deyi7 commanding, to gar
possession og the Five Forks, on White Oak
road, and directed Gen, Crook 10 send Gen
Davies b,igaae Of his division to the support
OF Gen. Dty!n.
Gregg's brigade, Of Crsck's division, va,
held on the Boydton plank road, and guarded
The CROSSING OF Stony Geek, forcing tGe enc
my's cavalry, that wus moving ffom Stony
! Creek depot to form connection With 1hs
| right Of their army, to tnadt a wide detouC
| as / had anticipated, on the south ct Saen.
Creek, ard west Of ChambeIla'n's Bed
very faai.uinG march, In the bad condition o
the reads. a verg heavy rain fel! during til,
g,ouud, and repde.Iug the movement Q
troops amos. impossible. Gsne:al Merritt
! reconnaissance developed the enemy In stTonE
force IN tic Waite Oak road, LII the Ticinit,
oi the Five Fnrss, and there Was some heay!
skisulahipg throughout the dag. n xtmosn
the Five Forka with the 1T division, nnt
meeting with considerable opposition, Gen
I Drsiu's brigade, Of Crooks tiNissen, wAs Or
| deEed ~ join him, while Gen. Czook, alyauc
Ing on the LEFT with The other two brlgades Q
his division, encountered the enemy at Caam
beslain's Creek, at poiut a little west Q
DinwIddie. making demonstrattons to cross
Smiths brigade was ordered to holt
them IN check, and Gregg's brigade TO "a po
sitiou On his right. The advance of the Is
division get possession sf the Five Forks
but In the meantime the 5th army corps
which had sdvauced toward the White OAl
road fom the Vaughan Road, YVES attacked
pofn,. this force OF ths enemy marched rap
{d1y from the font Of the 5th' corps
d,trirg In our cavalry advance, aud u,oyIn1
down on roads west pf Chamae1latn's Creek
attacked Gen. Smiths b igadc, but we're rl1
able to icrcc his position. Abandoning tn
tue eneny's infantry succeeded in affecting I
c1oss!ng higher mp the creek, stIlk NJ Gen
Uayksr brigade Of the "a division, which, af
ter gallant fight, was forced back uron tas
left flank Of tie 1st division, Tins PARTIAL.
isolattps all this force tram my main lin
covering Dtnxidde Court House.
O.ders wtre At once given to Gen. Merritt
to Cross this detached to1ee oyeT 10 the Boyd
ton plank road, aud march down to Din
W1dair Court House and come Into the lic'
Of tatslc. Tie enemy, dc2esred by tnt
movement, followed 1t up rapidly, making
Line Of battle. When his line Has neart,
parallel to mine, Gtn. Gl',ba' brigade or ths
Isl division, end Gtn. Irvine Gaesg's brigad,
Of the I'd division, were orde1ed to AttacE al
once, ard Gen. Cussar WIS directed to tFinf
| up two Of his bris,1des 1apidly, leaving On.
brigade Of his dsTtsion vi = thu trains ths'
Lad not yet reached D:uw.ddte Caurt House
In tie gallant attack made by Gibbs ant
Gregg, the enemy's wounded fell Into ou'
hannR, and he was loIcea to flce ty the rtal
rahk .pd give up Ills Increment, which, !
continued, would have tasen In flank AMI
rear the intantry line of the Army Of the Po
tomac. When The enemy had faced to NEE
| n$$ rff nh II = TH htn HYT n
contested battle ersutd, in which, with al
his cavalry and two divisions Of infantry. th
Enemy was unable to drive FIVE divisions 0
cur cavalry, dlsnounted, from an open plaI1
in front Of DiuTldd:e Court House. Th
btunt Of their cavalry attack was borne b.
held the crossing Of Chambesla:n's Creek Il
the morning. Bis command again held th
enemy In check with determined bravery
but the heavy force brought aga!ns
his right 1ank finally compelled hin
10 aSsndon biz position On the efsek
front oi Dmw!ddie Cour:- House. As the cne
m,'s Infantry advanced TO the attack orr CAV
airy threw up slight breastWorks Of rails a
some points along our lines, and when tn
enemy ATTEMPTED to force this position, the
were handsomely repulstd, aud gave up til
attempt to gain possession Of the courthouse
Il wss aftes dark when ths firing ceased, AMI
;
! uclc tlan oDt hundred yards in front Of on
lines. The commands Of Gems, DcTin mt
Davies reached Dinwidaie Court-H -House With
out opposition ty way Of the Boyator
plank road, hut did not Participate In the Ana
ncitn Of the day. In this well-eonte:te'
battle the most obstinate gallanIy was dis
played BY my entire comm3ud. The brigade
Fitzhugh, IN the LIST division Gems. Davies
Gtegc, aud Smith, in the End div slon
Coils. ftnnipgton and Cspehart, in the 3r'
dlyls.on Wed with each other In their deter
mined Efforts to bold In check the superlo
force Of the enemy and the ski1tut arranGs
ment Of their tTovps in this pteui,a1ly diff
cult county, entities the br1gate command
trs to the highest COMMUNICATION.
Gens. Crook, Merritt, Custar and DeEin, b
thrir courage aud sblllty, sustained tncl
commando, and executed the rapid move
ments Of the day with promptness and viii
During the night Of the 3ist Of March IN
headquarters were ut DtnwIddie Court Hous!
| and The Lieutenant General notified me tia
the 5sh corps would report to me, an
should reach me ng midnight. This corp
but very much desiring the 9Th corps. whic
had betn with me in the Shenandoah Valley
| ! pskcd for 1t, but en- account Of the della
which wcnld occur Ii moving that corr
fiom its position In the lines In front {
Petersburg 1t could not be sent to me.
1espt c.ful}y submit herewith my brief at
counts Of the operations ct the day, the re-
punec TO which WAS the ordering Of the st
: corps to my support and my comtnana, I
| also the dispatch of TIE lieutenant Gentr,
notifying me Of bis action, understood ths
the 5th corps, when ordered TO report to N
Z Was in position nesr s. Dabrey shouEc, in t
angle between tue Boydsou road and th
FiIe Forks road.
Hsd Gen. Warren moved according to Il
expectations Of the Lieutenant General the,
. would appear to have been but little chant
for the escape Of the encmy's infantry IL ffo1
Of DInw1ddie Court House. Ayres' dirlsie
moved down the Doydton plank road durtr
b the night, and In the morning moved We
. Via R. Do}sseau,s house, striking the FIJI
Forks road about two and half miles nort
Q ! of DinwIddie Court House. Gen. Warre
Yith Eriffls.,a and C1a,rfnkd,a diEiefnus. Nh