The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-02-04

via Burkeville or Fannviile, ana CO.
loperate or consolidate his army with
Gen. Joe Juhnston's army, then in
North Carolina, and thereaiterto act
against s sherman's army or the Army
Of the Potomac, or TO retire TO safe
distance from both, as circumstances
might dictate. Had he succeeded
in reaching Danville, there is little
doubt but that the war would have
been indefinitely prolonged. Oa
April 9th the flying President of the
tottering Confederacy issued from
Danville proclamation, announc-
ing the purpose to continue the
struggle.
The stake Grant played for was
the Confederate army, under Lee.
| lOn April 3. in dispatch TO Sheri
dan, he said
The first object of the present
movement will be to intercept Lees
army"
The future historian (for good
history of the war has not yet been
writtenl will, in recording the oper-
ations and movements in this cam
paign of the army under the inme-
diate direction OF Grant, demonstrate
that the campsign resulting in the
capture of the old well-trained and
well-ufficer-d Confederate Army OF
Northern Virginia, under SO saga
cious and able general as Lee. IN a
country Inhabited bv the latter'-
friends, and well known to him and
/ his officers, proves General Grant
the military equal of any other sol
der farmed for grand strategy that
ever lived.
Gen. A. P. Hill, a corps comman'
der in Lees army, WAS killed at Pc
tersburg April 2, 1865. and this. or
some other important reason, caused
Lee. while at Amelia Court House,
to consolidate his army into two
corps, or wings, one commanded by
( Lieutenant General Longstreet, and
the other by Lieutenant General
Ewell. April 5th Lee was still at
/ his place of rendezvous Late III
the day he moved the head OF his
army Suuthward. on the road to
Bun keville. At Jettersville he met
resistance, first from Sheridan's cav
! airy, under Gen. Merritt, aud later
from part of the Fifth Corps. The
Sixth Corps reached Jettersvllle the
evening of the 9Th. His movement
was there cut off, without d
general engagement, and the retreat
to Danvil,e, via Burkeville, was nev'
er again possible.
/ On the night of April ) the two
wings ofthe ConfederaIe e army march
ed from Amelia Courthouse by CIR
cuitous roads, around the left OF TIE
Union forces, through Deatonvillt
and Painsville, designing To move
through Prince Edwards TO Dan
vile, his principal objective point
At daylight on the morning OF Aprl
6 the Union army at Jettersvllle wa'
advanced in battle array toward
Amelia Courthouse, and some hour
were lost in ascertaining the dlrec
ton of the movement OF the Confed
crate army.
As soon as it was known thai
General Lee was re.reating from
Amelia Courthouse. the whole O
the Union troops were ordered back
to Jettersville, and thence the caval
ry and infantry corps, ny different
roads and regardless of them, by
forced marches started TO intercep
the army. The Sixth Corps. uDdel
General Wright, followed closely
after General Wesley Merritt's cav
airy corps, and about 3P. NJ, aftel
a march of eighteen miles, came vi
with it at a point about two and one
half miles from Sailors Greek OF
the left, and about the same dis
tance from Deatonville Oh the light
where it was engaged with a stron,
force of the enemy, which. was GOV
ering his trains, then moving rapid
ly on a country road toward Ride
Station and Prince Edwards Court
+ house. The Second Brigade of tn,
I Third Division of this corps wen
promptly into action, and Will
scarcely halt to complete a form
alton for battle, it, together with tn
cavalry, charged and drove the en-
emy back across the road, capturing
many prisoners, wagon trains ant
some artillery.
The maia body of the Confederat
army moving on this road bad. how
ever, passed by toward Sailor
Creek. Pursuit with such troops a
were up was promptly ordered b,
General Sheridan aud conducted b,
General Horatio e. Wright, VIII
commanded the Sixth Corps. Tn
enemy's rear guard fought stubborn
ly and fell back toward the stream
: The Second Division of this corps
under General Frank Wheaton, al
rived and joined the Third Division
: in the attack and pursuit. The mali
body Of the cavalry, under Genera
Merritt, was despatched to intercep
the Confederate retreat. Merritt
passed East and South of the enem
across Sailors Greek and again al
tackled him on the right rear.
General X. S. Ewell was in nmt
diate command of the Confrderat
forces engaged. BY about ) p. n
, the Confederate army was force
acruss the valley of Sailors Greek
, where il took an unusually stron
position on the heights immediate
iy on the West bank eff The stream
= These heights, save on their face
were covered with forests Tner
was a level bottom, wholly on tn
East bank of the creek, over whic
4 the Union forces would have To pas
before reaching the stream, the
swollen beyond ITS banks by recen
/, trains, and. which washed the foo
of the heights on which Genera
: Ewell had rested the division of hi
army, ready for an attack if made
and with the hope that under cove
of the night the whole Confederat
army might escape in safety to Dan
!. vile.
I THE plan OF RATTLE