Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-29
GENERAL GRANTS TACTICS.

General Grant ordered his troops to move
on roads running south of the lines OF retreat
Of General Lees army. General Sheridan
was continued in the advance, with the cav
airy, with orders to assume command of GER
tain corps Of infantry when they came up
with him. General Lee successfully concen-
trated his forces at Amelia Courthouse by
April 4, and bivouacked there with leisure
that indicated a confidence in his ability to
hold t at position indefinitely, or to, in his
own time, move off TO another and better one
General Grant well understood that the ulti-
mate purpose of General Lee would be to
reach DanvIlle, Va, via 'Burkesville or Fam
vile, and cooperate or consolidate his army
with General Joe Johnston's army, then in
North Gar0liua, and thereafter TO act against
General Sherman's army or the army of the
Potomac, or retire to safe distance from
both, as circumstances might dictate. Had
ne succeeded in reaching Danyille, there is
little doubt but that the war would have been
indefinitely prolonged. On April 5 the fly
ing President OF a tottering Con ederacy
issued from Danville a proclamation, an-
rnuncing the purpose TO continue the strug-
gle.
The stake General Grant played tor was
he Q 'nfederate army, under General Lee.
On A lril 3, in a despatch TO General Sheri-
dan. he said: "The tir-t object OF the pres
mt movement will be to intercept Lees
army The future historian or a good
history OF the war has not yet been written)
will, in recording the operations and move
mentS in this campaign OF the army under
The immediate direction Of General Grant,
damOnstrate that the campaign resulting in
b. capture OF the old, welI-trained and we'll
,fficered Confederate Army OF Northern Vir-
gina under SO sag tci Dus and able general
as Lee, in a country Inhabited by the latter's
friends and well known 10 MIN and his off
GERS, proves General Grant the military eqlal
Of any o her soldier famed for grand strategy
thai ever lived.
General A. p. II II, a corps commander in
G -uer Lee army, was killed ri Peters
rurg. A ril 2. 1865. and this, or some her
important reason, caused q neral Lee while
at Amelia COurGtOI to consolids'e lis
,rmy iuto two corps or WINS. one COM
manded by Leurenant-General Lorg tr,et
aud th- other by L'rutrnar t-General ESell
April General Lee was slll at his
place OF rend zvous. Late in the day
ne moved the head of his army
Sputhwtrd, on the road to Burkeville
At Jeff-rsonville he met resistance, first from
Sberldan's cavalry, under General Merritt,
aud later rom part of the Fifth Corps. The
sixth Corps reached Jeff-rsonville be evening
uf the 5th HI movement was there cut of,
without a general -nrag IN mt, and the rerrrat
4 D 'nvll e VIA BurkevIlle Was never again
possible.
Un the night of April 3 the two wings OF
'the Confederate army marched from Amelia
Courthouse by circutOus roads, around the
left OF the Union forces, through DeatOnville
and Panesville. designing TO move through
Prince wards to Danville, his princip pal oO-
jective point. At daylight on the morning OF
April the Union army at Jacksonville WAS
advanced in battle array toward Amelia Court
house. and some hours were lost in ascertaiM
ing the direction of the movement OF the
Confederate army.
As soon as it was known that General Lee
was retreating from Amelia Courthouse, the
whole of the Union troops were ordered back
to Jettersville, and thence the cavalry and
Infantry corps, by different roads and regard
less of them, by forced marches started to in
tercept his army.
FfSnH5D TOMORROW.