The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-04-04

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From tho isepubsIe III otarrh.
49, = -f
The beginning Of July, 1865 ioua,
Grant with bis. powerful army yof trie,
veterans in front Of Petersburg. th'
key Of the rebel capital Daily b,
was tightening the grasp that was L
lepd 10 The capture Of the doonIet
lcity. In van Gen. Lee -exerted BIZ
consummaie skill TO break the stee
chain that the Federal army was
drawing around him. The men tha,
had swept from the Rapidan 10, thl
James river in The face VI death, ADD
Tough. their way inch by inch to ths
very heart OF tbe Confederacy, eosle
mot be turned aside from their pur
pose They had come 70 take, Rich
monde and no.bing bur some unf0re
seen disaster could pEevenl them
The rebel commander, ever fTuitfd
in resources, and desperate as lioL
at bay, determined on bold stroke
10 False the siege, aud, il possible, es
cape from his indomitable adversary
He knew that Grant had drawG
every available man from the desens
es Of " ashi0gtou; that but small
force stood between Richmond ans
the Fsderal capital, and that a rapid
movement up the ShenHzdo4h would
in all probability. result IL the cap
ture Of WAshington. or the quick re
lease Of Grants iron grasp upoa the
throat Of the Con federacy.
The movement was planned in Sc
eres, and is execution was the fri
intimatiou Of Lees design. Genera
.Iu5al Early was put in command oi
about twenty-five Thousand men-ths
best 10 the rebel army Breckenridge
and Rhodes were among his corps
commanders. On the Sd Of July
the rebel army had reached Martins
burg without eacounsering any op-
position. Sigel, with his small com
mand. beat basly retreat across the
Potomac Weber, at HaFper's Fer
~, heard Of The advance just ia time
u withdraw bis command from that
poins. and took up bis position on
The Maryland Heights opposite.
Early had tbns driysn, sitheut 5
shot, The slight obstacles f-o@, his
path The gates Of the North we're
found open and uDguarded, aud the
flushed enemy swept through them 70
achieve, what was thought At the
time, az easy victory ahead WITH
out an effort TO preyeat them they
crossed the Potomac 81 WiIliamspocC
sni Point oi Rocks, and on lhs Gsh
of July bad penetrated TO Hsgers-
town From this point slroHg de-
tachments were sent 0nt 20 occupy
Frederick aad neighboring towns,sud
10 destroy the railroads and canals
leading TO Baltimore and Washing
ton. Thus iar tee movement had
heea graud success. Toe Federal
authorities had been taken br sur
prise, and for the time being, it look
ed as If tie superb strategy Of Lee
vas 20 acbieFe all thas he had hepea
for
General Grant, however, was not
idle As soon as be diyined Lees
purpose be adopted measures to de
feat it 1t vas a grand game on The
chess board Of war, and although
Lee bad the advantage Of 8 move
Grants mastery activity and sagaci-
y WOE in the end. Never il his
brilliant career did bis genius show to
better advantage. Qaick as a fash
his forces were in motion. Hardly
bad EaFiy's columns left Richmond
before Grants troops were ia motion
to intercept them. Il was, ia reality.
a race for the Federal capital Early
moving BY laad, Grants force by
water.
General Lew Wallace, commanding
the department Of Annapolis, was
quickly spprised Of the rebel move
meBt, and took measures 10 defeat i.
He bad about eight thousand men.
the largest portion u which we're one
hundred days men, aud artillery
men from the defense Of Baliimc-e.
Ricketts, division Of the old sixth
corps was the only tried fghsing ma
Ierial Under his command.
The hest point Of defense was
thought TO be On the M0nocaeg, near
the railroad crossing. Here Wallace
hoped 10 keep the enemy At bay until
General Wright, with tie remainder
of the sixth corps aud part Of the
nineteenth, could reach Washington.
Early knew the value Of Tine. He
knew that Grant vas rot asleep. and
be felt tia. & single hours delay
might snatch fsom him tie golden
prize. de ran against the eolamns
of Waiiaee, and without stopping to
determine their strength precipilaied
h;s lighting force Of lG, GOO men
against item The contest 8as Ike
10 = fight between a fallgr0gn man
and a plucky boy. The boy stood
his ground, fought like Zero, checked
the progress Of the man, and reiTeat-
ed from the held only when forced
by unequal odds to do SC.
Wallace feH baeE upon B4ltimore
leaging the road to ss5i8gtoa opea
TO the victorious enemy.
Early had been crippled 5y the
desperate fight, and gos the 6rs. time
sinee leaving Richmond was cheek
ed IN his rapid movements. But be-
took in The situation st q glance, and
with almost sCperauman Efforts push
ed n toward the defenseless capital.
The battle Of the MonoeacY was
fought on the 3ih Of July, ret By
forced marches, EaFlY's advance had
reached Rockville on ihe uorai8g oi
the lob aud By the llth his entire
force was II front os The empty de-
feases Of the Federal capital. TIE
sixth and nineteeath corps had not
arrived. 4 handful Of Old soldiers
held Fort Stevens. az the head Of the
SeTenth street road, while the rife
pits we're poorly defended BY ra8 Ee-
efuIts, aad as many Of the Gonzales
cents as the hospitals Of the city
could turn oat for the emergency. f.
Surely, nothing ba. a. act Of PreYi- /
denee coala ave the eiET, sor. 3. the