Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1866-01-13

wuru uOWn tnc Noioy
between the lst and 10th of last
March, and encountered q scratch
Confederate army of about 3,Ooo
men, under Gen. Early at Waynes
boro. Gen. Early distrustful of his
men, who were equally distrusttal
of him, planted them with their
backs to n deep river, in order to
make retreat impossible. The re-
suit is easily foresecn. Gen. sheri-
dan bagged two.thirds of his enc
my's force, and most of his enemy's
artillery. Sweeping rapidly on
ward towards the James River, be-
tween Richmond and Lynchburg,
Gen. Sheridan found himself con-
frontcd by swollen stream. lie
fell back, rounded the left wing OF
Lees army, crossed tho Pamunkey
River at the White House, (where
he recruited his strength by picking
1000 fresh horses which awaited
him there,) and upon the 25th OF
March Joined Gen. Grant in the lines
before Petersburg. TO Sheridan's
untiring and sagacious activity in
the subsequent operations, more
than to the agency Of any other man
is due the completeness Of the Fed
eral triumph-the seemingly mex
plicable collapse of the Confederacy.
1t was not long before Grants
accession of strength was felt by
Lee.
Upon the evening of Saturday,
April l, Gen. Longstreet, who had
long defended Richmond, by COM
manding the Confederate forces to
the north of James River, received
information from Lee that Grant
had detached Sheridan s cavalry and
two corps ofinfantry, (about $4,000
men ALL to act against the South
side Railroad. Before communicat.
ing with Longstreet, Lee had dis
patched Pickett and Bushrod John
sons divisions; Huger's battalion of
artillery, and Fitzhugh Lees divis-
ion of cavalry, Gin all about $1,000
men, Lee had so weakened his
lines before Petersburg, that there
was but one Confederate left to ev-
cry fifty yards.
Under these circumstances, Leo
called upon Longstreet for men
But at dawn upon the End Of April,
before Longstreet had time to obey
Lees orders, Grant deserted from his
wooden tower of observation the
weakness of the Confederate lines.
Immediately he threw heavy col
umn, consisting, believe, chiefly
of Gibbons Corps, upon the weak
estspot. The Federals carried with
very slightloss, the entire line, thin
ly held by Heth's Division of Con.
federates and bulged inward until
they struck two of the detached
forts, whereofa string or system ran
behind the whole length of the Con-
federate 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 n-coming Federals, deem
ed it more important to save his
guns than to try and help Ft. Gregg.
Receiving no assistance from Its
twin. brother, Fort Gregg, manned
by Harris's Mississippi Brigade,
numbering 250 undaunted men,
breasted intrepidly the tide Of its
multitudinous assailants. Three
times Gibbons Corps surged up,
and around the work-three times,
with dreadful carnage, they were
driven back. l am told that it was
subsequently admitted by Gen. Glib
bon, that in carrying Fort Gregg he
lost from five to six xbundred men; or
in other words that each Mississip-
plan inside the works struck down
at least two assailants. When at
last the work was carried there re-
out of its $50 defendants,
but 80 survivors. In those nine
memorable April days, there was no
episode more glorious to the Con-
federate arms than the heroic self
of the Mississippians in
Fort Gregg to gain time for their
Fort Gregg fell about seven o'clock
on the morning of the End. After a
delay Of two or three hours, the
Federals sweptonward in the direc-
ton of Petersburg, taking the Con-
frederate lines en- reuers. At this
Longstreet, accompanied
by Benning's Brigade of Fields Di-
vision, about 17O bayonets strong,
met the pouring food, and check
ed it long enough to enable fresh
troops to hurry up in his rear. and
to form fresh line in front of Peters
burg. Simultaneously in an attempt
Of Heth's Division to re-establish
their lines, Gen. A. p. Hill, (who
the corps to which
Heth's Division belonged, lost alife
which fornearly fouryears, he hadun-
finchingly exposed in nearly hun
dred Of his country's battles. About
the same moment was despatched
4 L -L.ok