The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-04-14
THE CAPTIVE AND FLYING REBELS

aer THE CAPTIVE AND FLYING REBELS.
Acting with his usual decision, Sheridan
placed bis captives in care of provost-guard
and sent them at once to the rear. Those
which escaped, he ordered the fiery Custer to
pursue with brand and vengeance; and they
were pressed far into the desolate forest, spent
and hungry, many falling by the way of
wounds or exhaustion, many pressed down by
hoof or sabre, stroke, and many picked up in
mercy and sent back to rejoin their brethren in
bonds. We captured In all fully six thousand
prisoners. General Sheridan estimated them
modestly at five thousand, but the provost
marshal assured me that he had line four
abrest . full mile long. entirely bear him
out, having ridden for forty minutes in d.
rectisn opposite to that they were taking, and
growing weary at last of counting or seeing
them. They were fine hearty fellows. almost
all Virginians, and seemed to take their cap
ture not unkindly. They wore the gray and
not very attractive uniform of the confederacy,
but looked to be warm and fat, and passing
along in the night under the fir-trees conveyed
. most romantic idea of grief and tribulatiou.
They were put in huge pen midway between
Big and Little Five Forks for the night, the
officers sharing the same fate as the soldiers,
from whom, indeed, they were undistinguish-
abba.
Thus ended the splendid victory of Five
Forks, the least bloody to us, but the most sue
cessful, proportiOnate to numbers engaged
that has been fought during the war. One
man out of every three took a prisoner. We
captured four cannon, an ambulance train and
twenty-eight flags. General Longstreet, it is
thought, commanded. Neither he nor Picket,
nor Bushrod johnson, division commanders,
were taken they were wise enough to see that
the day was lost, and Initiated BOnaparte after
Waterloo.
SUMMARY OF THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS,
l attribute this victory almost entirely to
Sheridan it was won by strategy and persist.
ance and in great part by men who would not
ton of duties between cavalry and infantry ex-
cited fine rivalry, and the consciousness of
Sheridan's guidance. Has any battle so sue
cessful ever been fought in Virginia! or, in.
deed. in the East? I think not. 1t has open
ed to Us the enemys flank, 50 that we can
sweep down upon the Appomattox and inside
OF bis breastworks, enabling US to shorten our
and putting out of Lees service Is, 900 of his
choicest troops. And all this Gen. Sheridan
tells me, has cost him personally no more than
300 men. and the service no more than ], 500.
Compare this with Chanc ellorsville, Williams
burg, the Wilderness. Bull Run, and what
shall We say? The enemy must hare lost in
this fight 5000 killed and wounded.
SCENE AT GRAvELLY RUN CHURCH.
The scene at Gravelly Run Westinghouse at
and 10 o'clock on Saturday night, is one of
the solemn contrasts of the war, and hope
the last of them. A little frame church, plant
ed among the pines, and painted white, with
cool, green window-shutters, holds at its foot
gallery for the negroes, and at the head q
vanished pulpit found its pews moved to
the green plain over the threshold, and on its
bare floors the screaming wounded. Blood
ran in little rills across the planks, and, human
feet treading in them, had made indelible
prints in every direction; the pulpit lamps
were doing duty, not to shed holy light upon
holy pages, but to show the pale and dusty
faces OF the beseeching, and as they moved in
and out, the grOans and curses of the suffering
replace the gush OF peaceful hymns and the
deep responses to the preachers prayers. Fed
eral and confederate lay together the bitter
ness of noon assuaged in the common tribula-
ton of the night, and all the while came in the
dripping stretchers, to place in its golgotha
new recruits for death and sorrow.
SCENE AT sHERIDAN's BIvoUAC.
A mile past the church. going away from
headquarters all the time, lies Five Forks, the
object and name of the battle. large open
field of perhaps thirty acres intcrposes between
the church and the commencement of the rebel
works. Their left is only some rails and logs
to mask marksmeo, but the work proper is q
very long stretch of all distractions of man g
height in relief
The White Oak road runs directly in front of
these intrenchments, and was, at the time I
passed, the general highway, for infantry re-
turning from the field and cavalry men concen.
trating at Gen. Sheridan's bivouac. Riding a
mile came upon the Five Forks proper, and
just to the left, at the foot of some pines, the
victor and his assistants were congregated.
Sheridan sat by some faggots, examining a
Typographical map of the country he had so
well traversed possibly with a view to design
further aggressive movements in the morning.
He is opposite me now as pen these para
graphs by the imperfect blaze of his bivouac
tire. He is good humored and laxative, like
all men conscious of having achieved great
work. and has been good enough to sketch for
me the plan of the days operations, from which
have compiled much of the statement above.
Close by lies Custer, trying to sleep, his long
yellow hair covering his face; and Gen. Griffin,
now commanding the Fifth corps, goes here
cad there issuing orders, while aids and order.
lies ride in and out, bearing further fresh mes
sages of deeds consummated or proposed.
We shall have hot night no doubt, fol-
away off to the right continue volleys of mus
kerry and discharges of artillery, intermixed
with what seems to be thunderbolts of our men.
of:war at anchor in the Appomatox and James
If such can be heard at this great distance
which tell US that the lines are in motion
Possibly the rebels, to relieve their disasters ir
this quarter, have made a sally from thei
works, with the intent to charge our united
line and carry it by assault. Rash, deludeC
men! if this be their attempt. But the chance
are that Grant, hearing of Sheridan's famou
success, has given tonight the long expected
order for our massed columns to clear thei
lntrenchments and make desperate strike 70
petersburg. Whatever ensue, great event
are now transpiring. Bat none that are t.
come can exceed in splendor and success thi
battle of Five Forks, of which have bee
telling you.
"A correspondent just arrived fror
Richmond states that Judge Campbell ten
dered his services to President Lincoln t