Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1879-10-10


considerable battle, then treat at once for
terms. | am forced to the conclusion from
what you say, sir, that we have no time for
delay
$50 that is your opinion is itY he asked
in tone that sent the blood to my face.
ought to have remembered that it was a way
Gen. Lee had of testing the sincerity of a
mans opinion by appearing to discredit it.
"'It is, sir l replied, but l should not
have ventured it had it not been asked; and
since you seem to differ from the opinion l
hold, may ask you what your opinion is ?
AT once his manner changed, and leaning
forward he said blandly: 81 entirely agree
with you, General"
"Do President Davis and Congress know
these facts 7" Have you expressed an opinion
as to the propriety of making terms to Pres
ident Davis or the Congress.
Gen. Lee replied to this question: Gen.
Gordon, lam a soldier. 1t is my duty to
obey orders
Eyes replied, but if you read the pa
pers, Gen. Lee you can't shut your eyes to
the fact that the hopes of the Southern peo-
pie are centred in and on your army, and If
we wait until we are beaten and scattered
into the mountains before we make an effort
at terms, the people will not be satisfied. Be
sides, we will simply invite the enemy to
hunt us down all over the country devasta-
ting it wherever they GO
"Gen. Lee said nothing to this for some
time, but paced the floor in silence, while |
sat gloomy enough, as you may know, ut the
fearful prospect. He had, doubtless, thought
of all | said long before, and had decided
probably on his course before he sent for
me. don't wish you to understand that |
am vain enough to believe for moment
that anything said induced him to go to
Richmond the next day As | said before,
he had doubtless decided upon that already,
and only feigned difference of opinion or
hesitation in order to see with what peril
nacity | held my own. He did go to Rich
mond, and on his return sent for me again,
and in reply to. my question as to what had
occurred, he replied
FIGHT DETERMINED ON.
"'Sir, it is enough to turn a mans hair
gray to spend one day in that Congress- The
members are patriotic and earnest, but they
will never take the responsibility of acting
nor will they cothe me with authority to act
As for Mr.. Davis he is unwilling to do any,
thing short of independence, and feels that
it is useless to try to treat on that basis In
deed, he says that, having failed in one over
turc at Hampton Roads, he is not disposed
to try another
""rhen,' said |, there is nothing left us
but 10 fight and the sooner we fight the bet
tHF, for everyday weakens us and strength
ems our opponents
at was these two conferences that led to
the desperate and almost hopeless attack
made on the 25th of March on Grants line
at Fort Steadman and IIarc's Hill in front of
Petersburg"
After giving the details of the last desper-
ate and partially successful assault on Grants
lines, which ended in the withdrawal of the
half-starved victors from the captured works,
Gen. Gordon continues
"And then the death struggle began.
Grant hurled his masses upon our starved
and broken-down veterans. Ills main at
tack was made upon our left, A. u. Hills
corps. Grants object was to turn our TANKS
and get between us and North Carolina. The
fighting was fearful and continuous II was
a miracle that we held our lines for single
day. With barely 5000 men | was holding
six miles of line had just 1000 men to
the mile or about one to every two yards.
Hill and Longstreet were in not much better
trim, and some part of this thin line was be-
ing forced continually The main fight was
on my line and Hills, as Gen. Longstreet
was nearer Richmond. Heavy masses of
troops were hurled on our line and we would
have to rally our forces at a certain point to
meet the attack. BY the time we would re-
pei it we would find another point attacked
and would hurry to defend that OF course,
Withdrawing men from one part Of the line
would leave it exposed and the enemy would
rush in. Then we would have to drive them
out and re-establish our line Thus the bat
tie ragged day after day, Our line would
bend and twist and swell and break and
close again, only to be battered against once
more. Our people performed prodigics Of
valor. How they endured through those
terrible, hopeless, bloody days, do not know
They fought desperately and heroically, al
though they were so weakened through hun
ger and work that they could scarcely stand
upon their feet and totter from one point of
assault TO another. But they never com
planned. They fought sternly, grimly--as
men who had made up their minds to die.
And We held our lines. Somehow or other
God only knows how-we managed day
by day to wrest from the Federals the last
inch Of our lines. Then the men dropping in
the trenches, wou,d eat their scaniy rations,
try to forget their hunger and snatch an
hour or two Of sleep.
THE EVACUATION OF PETERsHuRG.
sour picket lines were attacked some
where every night This thing. went on till
the morning Of the 81 Of April. Early that
day il became evident that the supreme mo-
ment had come, The enemy attacked in
unusually heavy force, and along tho line of
mine and llii'scosps. II was absolutely ne
cessary 10 concentrate men at ii few points
along my line, in order 10 make deter
my line Of breast works unprotected by any
thing save vidette or two. or course, the
Federals broke through these undeiended
passes, and established themselves in my
breastwoPks At length, having repulsed
the forces attacking the points defended, |
began 10 re-establisl my line My men
fought with a yalor and a desperate courage
that has been rarely equalled, in my opin-
ion, in military annals, We recapturcd
position after position, and by A O'Clock in
the afternoon had re-establishcd my whole
line except ut one point. This was worry
strongly defended, but preferred 10 assault
it, | notified Gen. Lee OF my purpose and
Of the situation, when he sent me a message,
telling me that Hills line had been broken
and that Gen. Hill himself had been killed.
lie ordered, therefore, that should make
no further fight, but prepare for the cvaciIl-
ton, which he had determined 10 make that
night That night we left Petersburg Hills
'OID5J NliilDul It's
crossed the river first, and
followed, having orders from Gen. Lee 30
cover the retreat. We spent the night in
and early the next morning the
enemy rushed upon US. We had 10 turn
and beat them back. Then began the most
heroic and desperate struggle ever sustained
by troOps-a worn and exhausted force Of
hardly 1000 men, with vast and victOri-
Gus army, fresh and strong, pressing upon
our heels! We turned upon every hilltop
10 meet them and give our wagon trains and
artillery time 10 get ahead Instantly they
would strike us. We invariably repulsed
them. They never broke through my daunt-
less heroes; but after we had fought for an
hour or two we would find huge masses Of
men pressing down our TANKS, and to keep
from being surrounded | would have 10
withdraw my men We always rctrcated
in good order, though always under fire.
As we retreated we would wheel and fire,
or repel a rush, and, then stagger on 10 the
next hill top or vantage ground, where new
fight would be made. And 20 on through