The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-15


lines are broken in three places" and
warned his government that evacuation
must follow speedily. The gap which had
been Lees salvation for months, and
which he had kept open by the most des-
perate fighting, was about to be closed in
consequence Of those three breaks in his
lines, caused by the vigorous assaults Of
three of Grants corps under Gems. Parke,
Wright and Ord.
These assaults began at daylight April
2, with the determination on the Union
side Of finishing the fight then and there
The Confederates, driven from their outer
works after stubborn efforts to hold on,
fell back sullenly toward the gap, a space
but little over mile in width along the
Appomattox river, west of the city. Amy
object that would afford shelter from the
Union missiles was made to serve as a
temporary breastwork for Lees retiring
infantry, and every tree and stump and
log and ditch cost a heavy toll in dead
boys in blue before it could be passed. The
Confederate army had been cut in two, one
body being thrown off from Petersburg,
the other left hanging to the Notifications
there, and it was this hanging thread that
was curling itself up reluctantly, but of
imperative necessity and closing the gap
that, once barred, would shut Lee In while
keeping Grant out. But if Grant could be
kept out until re-enforcements could reach
Lee from across the James the latter could
hold on till rightfall and escape by the
river in the darkness.
After the breaks in Lees lines before
mentioned the North Carolina brigade of
Gen. j. H. Lane was making its way by
the curling up process from the broken
front line toward the main Confederate
line at the gap, disputing every inch of
ground. About or o'clock in the morn
ing the general and his adjutant, Capt.
Hale, reached an empty battery known as
Fort Gregg, or Battery Gregg which was
an outlying work that an extension of the
Confederate line months before had rem
dered useless. 1t was quarter of mile
or more in advance of the main Confed-
crate trenches, toward which the combat
ants were racing, the Confederates being
Of course on the inside. Lane had orders
to hold on as long as possible and gain time
for the beaten troops TO rally on the main
line, and for the expected requirements
to cross the river and occupy them.
AS his men had been strung out at wide
intervals when attacked and dispersed by
the Union columns at daylight, only frag-
ments could be called together at any
given spot, and he placed in Fort Gregg
portions of the Thirty-third and Thirty
seventh North Carolina infantry, under
four leutenants-F. II. Snow, A B. How
ard and f. z. Craige of the Thirty-third,
and D. ID. RiGler, of the Thirty-seventh
He also got up two 6-pounder guns with
!, g
terry and of the famous Washington artil-
lery battalion. Lieut.. McElroy, of the
Washingtonians, handled the cannoneers,
about p in number. About the same time
20 men of Thomas Confederate brigade
and IS of Harris Mississippians Joined the
garrison, swelling it, according to the best
accounts, to PA. Lieut.. Snow commanded
Lanes men and J. H. Duncan led the de-
tachment from Harris brigade. Gen Har-
ris, with the bulk of his brigade, occupied
Fort Whitworth, a companion to Gregg
Before leaving Fort Gregg to its fate
Gen. Lane sent in twenty-five rounds OF
artillery ammunition and ordered Snow to
hold it to the last. At that time the Union
guns were firing upon the little citadel,
which was a slight earthwork with low
parapet, over the top of which its own can
non were discharged. At 10 o'clock, by
order probably, the cannon of
Fort Whitworth were sent to the rear, and
as this act was witnessed by the Union
troops in front, the charge was sounded to
attack the isolated batteries, Whitworth |
and Gregg. The assailants numbered 5000 !
and were led by Gen. John Gibbon. Gregg /
stood first in the way and felt the brunt of |
the onslaught.
The cannoneers in Gregg stood to their |
guns CALAMITY. Three men were shot |
dead, one after another, in the attempt to |
discharge single piece. When the assail- |
ants reached within forty yards the infan-
try garrison gave them a singing volley, |