Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-04-07
THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS.
sketches and Personalities from the
Battle Field.

Sketches and Personalities from the
Battle Field.
The telegraph has already furnished US
with two synopses of the New York Worlds
account of Sheridans great victory at Five
Forks on Saturday last. Neither of them,
however, did justice to the spirit and force
of that account, which will compare favor
ably with any of the descriptions of battles
fought and victories won during the war.
It's length prevents our reproducing it in
full, but we append some of its more
graphic passages,
A AGALtANT CHARGE.
A Colonel with shattered regiment
came down uponus in charge. The bay
onets were fixed the men esms on with 8
yell their gray uniforms seemed black
amidst the smoke; their preserved colors,
torn by grape and ball, waved yet defiant
ly; twice they halted and poured in vol
leys, but came on again like the surge from
the fog, depleted, but determined; yet, in
the hot faces of the cartiheers, they read
purpose as resolute, but more calm, and
while by scsthing volleys, 8 group of horse
men took them in flank. 1t was an awful
instant; the horses recoiled; the charging
column trembled like single thing, but at
once the rebels, with q rare organization,
fell into a hollow square, and with solid
sheets of steel defed Our centsuIs. The
horsennen rode around them in vain; no
charge could break the shining squares,
until our dismounted csrbineers poured in
their volleys sfresh, making gaps in the
spent ranks, and then in their WaVering
time the cavalry Numbered down. The
rebels could stand no more; they reeled and
swayed, and fell back beaten and broken.
And on the ground their Colonel lay, seal
ing his devotion with his life.
THE CRISIS OF THE BATTLE.
We had met the enomy; were they to
be ours2 To expedite this contamination
every officer fought as if he we're the for
lorn hope. Mounted on MS black pony,
the same which he rode at Winchester,
Sheridan gslloped everywhere, his flushed
face all the redder, and his plethOric but
nervous figure ali the more ubiquitous. He
gslloped ones straight down the rebel
'front.' with but handful of his staff. A
dozen bullets whistled for him together;
one grszed his arm, at which faithful
orderly rode; the black pony lesped high
in fright, and Sheridan was untouched, but
the orderly lay dead in the field, and the
saddle dashed afsr empty. General Wsr-
ren rode with Crawford most Of the after
noon, mounted likewise, and making two
or three narrow escapes. He was dark,
dsshing, and individual as ever, but for
some reason or other was relieved of his
command after the battle, and Griffin was
instated in his place. General Sheridan
ordered Warren to report at Gen. Grants
headquarters, sending the order by an aid.
We shall probably have an explanation OF
this fall from grace very soon Warren,
on his own hook, did not meet on Friday, with
his general success, and on Saturday Sheri-
dan was the master-spirit but Warren is
gentleman as well as q general, and is only
OvershsdoWed by q grester genius-not
obliterated. Ayres, accounted the best
soldier in the Fifth corps, but too quietly
modest for bis own favor, fought like a lion
in this pitch of battle, making all the faint
hearted around him ashamed to do i'll with
such an example contiguous. General
Bartlett, keen-faced and active, like fiery
scimitsr, leading his division as if he were
immortal He was closest at hand In the
most gallant episodes, and held at night
fall bundle of captured battle-fsgs. But
Grifia, tall and slight, was the master
genius of the Fifth corps, to which by right
he has temporarily succeeded. BE led the
charge on the flank, and wss the first to
mount the p9rspet with his horse, riding
over the gunners as May did at Oerro Cor
do, and cutting them down. Bsrtletts
brigade, behind him, finished the business,
and the last cannon was fired for the day
against the conquering Federsls. Gene
raj Crawford fulfilled his full share of du.
ties throughout the day, amply sustained
by such splendid brigade commanders as
Baxter, Coulter, and Kellogg, while Gwin
and Bowerymsn were at hand in the d.
vision of General Ayres; not to omit the
fallen Winthrop, who died to ssve friend
and win new laurel. What shall say
for Chamberlain, who, beyond all ques-
tion, is the first of our brigade commanders,
having Deen the hero of both Quaker Road
and Grsvelly Run, and in this action of
Five Forks, making the air ring with the
spplauding huzzss of his soldiers who love
him2 His is one of the names that will
survive the common wreck Of shoulder
straps after the war.
SUMMARY OF THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS.
attribute this victory almost entirely to
Sheridan; it was won py strategy and
persistence, and in great part by men who
would not stand fire the day before. The
happy distribution Of duties between cav
airy and infantry excited fine rivalry,
and the consciousness Of Sheridan's guild
sncs inspired confidence. Has any battle
so successful ever been fought in Virginis2
or, indeed, in the East2 think not. It
has opened TO us the enemy's flank, SO that
we osn sweep down upon the AppomRttox
and inside of his breastworks, enabling US
to shorten our lines of intrenchments one
half if no more, and putting out of Lees
service fifteen thousand of his choicest
troops. And all this General Sheridan
tells me, has cost him personally no more
than eight hundred men, and the service
no more than fifteen hundred. Compare
this with Charlottesville, Williamsburg,
the Wilderness, Bull Run, and what shall
we say 2 The enemy must have lost in
this fight three thousand in killed and
wounded.
AFTER THE FIGHT-sHERIDAN's BIYoUAC,
Riding mile 1 came upon the Five
Forks proper, and Just to the left, st the
foot of some pines, the victor and his as
sisIants were congregsted. Sheridan sat
by some faggots, examining Topographic
cal map OF the country he had SO well
traversed; possibly with view to design
further aggressive movements in the
morning. He is opposite me now as pen