Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1865-11-03
It was not long before Grants accession .

strength was felt by Lee.
Upon the evening of Saturday, April lst,
! General Longstreet, who had long defended
Richmond by commanding the Confederate
forces to the north Of james River, received
/ information from Lee that Grant. had de-
/ tached Sheridan's cavalry, and two corps Of
/ infantry (about Is, 600 men in alD TO act
against the SouthsideR. r. Before eommu-
nicating with Longstreet, Lee had dispatched
/ Pickett's and Bushrod Johnson's divisions,
Huger's battalion of artillery, and Fitzhugh
Lees division Of cavalry Gin all about Z goo
men) to meet the attack with which the South
side Railroad was menaced. But in send
ing away these 1900 men, Lee had so
weakened his lines before Petersburg that
there was but one Confederate left to every
fifty yards.
Under these circumstances Lee called up
On Longstreet for men But at dawn upon
the I'd of April, before Longstreet had had
time to obey Lees orders, Grant deserted
from his wooden towers Ct observation the
weakness of the Confederate lines. Immedi-
4 ately he threw a very heavy column, consist
ing, I believe, chiefly Of Gibbons corps, upon
the weakest spot. The Federals carried with
very slight loss the outer line, thinly held by
Heth's division Of Confederates, and bulged
inward until they struck two Of the detached
forts, whereof string or system ranbehl nd
the whole length Of the Confederate outer
works. These two detached forts, which
were Of course designed to cover each other,
were named Forts Gregg and Alexander.
The officer in command of Fort Alexander,
which was farthest away from the on-coming
Federals, deemed it more important to save
his guns than to try and help Fort Gregg
Receiving no assistance from it's twin broth
er, Fort Gregg, manned by Harris Missis-
sppi brigade, numbering $50 undaunted
men, breasted intrepidly the tide Of its null
titudinous assailants. Three times Gibbons
corps, surged up, and around the work
three times with dreadful carnage they were
driven. back. ] am told that it was tsubse-
quently admitted by Gen. Gibbon that in
carrying Fort Gregg he lest from FIVE to SIX
hundred men or, in other words, that each
Mississippians inside the works struck down
at least two assailants. When at last the
!. work was carried, there remained, out Of its
i $50 defenders, but thirty survivors. In those
nine memorable april days there was no cp-
isode more glorious to the Confederate arms
than the heroic self immolation of the Missis-
sippiaas in Fort Gregg to gain time for their
comrades.
Fort Gregg fell about seven o'clock in the
morning Of the ID After a delay of two or
threehours, the Fede rails swept EDWARDS in
/ Az of Do+o,cI,,,rcr Gop
federate lines en- rerers At this moment
/ Longstreet, accompanied by Benning's bri-
gade of Fields division, about one hundred
and seventy bayonets strong met the on
pouring flood, and checked it long enough to
enable fresh troops to hurry up in his rear,
and to form q fresh line in front Of Peters
burg.
Simultaneously, in an attempt Of Heth's d.
vision to re-cstablish their lines, General A.
p Hill (who commanded the corps to which
Heth's division baonged) lost a. life which
for nearly four years he had unfinchingly
exposed in hundred Of his country's battles.
About the same moment was dispatched the
memorable telegram which surprised Presi-
dent Davis in church, and announced that
had made. Richmond the most notable
Of beleagured cities had at length ar
rived. The delay purchased by the OBJ
stinate defence of Fort Gregg, and by
Longstreet's bold handling of Bennings bri-
gade, saved Petersburg until the tobacco and
cotton stored in that city could be burned,
and until leisurely preparation for its eyacu-
alton could be made. It is remarkable that
no further onslaught was made by the Fed
erals. throughout the day, or during the even
i ing, although the flames springing up III
many parts Of the town must have told their
own tale. At nightfall on the I'd, all the
Confederate troops, about 4, 600 strong which
remained under the command of General
! Ewell to the north of James River, fell back
from their lines and passed through the be-
wildered streets of Richmond, trayersing be-
fore daybreak the bridges over the james
River, which were 50 soon to be given to the
flames About eight on the night of the
same I'd, the Confederate troops also COM
menced leaving Petersburg, their retreat be-
ing covered by Fields division under Long
street. Pursuit there was none. tits prob
able that already Grant was bending all his
d energies to get round and cut off Lees re-
treat The Petersburg section Of the Con-
federate troops, full Of vigor and elan, crossed
to the north Of the Appomattox River on a
pontoon bridge, and made sixteen miles d1l-
ring the first night Of retreat 1t would be
difficult to conceive anything brighter or more
! hopeful than the tone of General Lees spirits
on the morning Of the Sd. Il have got my
army safe out Of its breastworks,' he said
"and, in order to follow me, my enemy must
abandon his lines, and can derive no further
benefit from his railroads or from James
River" There can be little doubt that Lees
design was to recruit his army with rations,
which he hoped to find in abundance at Anne
1 ia Court House, and to fall in detail upon the
4 Federals, who, breaking up into bodies Of
one or two army corps, were scattering all
over the country with a view to a vigorous
pursuit Two days rations at Amelia Court
House for 40, 600 men would possibly have
made great difference in the immediate,
4 though, as believe, none in the ultimate
d history of the Continent of North America.
4 There is little satisfaction in dwelling il
detail upon the five subsequent days, fol
which parallel must be sought on the banks
fof the Beresira, or in other similar passages
rof military. anguish. 1t is hardly necessary
/ to state that Amelia Court House, Lee founc