The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-07-07

tied into the James. These general fea- lures will be enough for the present.
 This river flowed in an easterly direc- ton by Richmond, which was built on
 it's north bank, then in much broken | manner flowed southeasterly to the Chesapeake Bay.
 It was originally the intention of Gen.
 eral Grant to fight his battles south and | west of Richmond. But by one of the
 apparent accidents so common In that
 war the orders issued to General Han
 cock to take Petersburg did not reach
 him in time. So the enemy was able to
 throw in achievements and held the
 place against all after assaults. The
 terrific fighting, therefore, of the winter
 of GA and '65, instead of being to the south of Richmond was below Peters | burg. with the South Side railroad as an
 ample feeder from the south to their ar-
 mics It was the struggle for this rail- i road which brought on the final conflict.
 The position of the armies should have | some proper representations Commen- l cing at Richmond we find strong dou-
 be line of works extending from the | James in the northwest around the
 north to the east down to Chapin's
 Bluff thence crossing the river connect 1 ed with lines that ran to Petersburg. | From that place there was double line
 running from the Appomattox river in the east of the city around the south
 across the Weldon railroad, thence
 westerly across the South Side railroad. The Union lines began at Chapin's Bluff
 north of the James, running south to the river. Across the James there were
 works that connected with the Appo-
 mattox river On the Petersburg side of
 that river the works south around the city extended westward gradually by
 severe fighting across the Weldon road
 then the Boydton plank road on toward
 the South Side railroad. In some places
 the lines were not more than three hun
 dred yards apart, while the pickets were not more than fifty yards from each
 other, though strongly entrenched. It was certainly very close quarters for either cannon or rifle.
 The game was so near an end now the meaning of the move was quickly
 detected by Lee who sent General Pick ct with five brigades, with other troops,
 together amounting to about fifteen thousand men, to strengthen and hold Five Forks. where three roads met, and which was but a short distance from the South Side railroad. That was the 29th and the 30th. If began to rain. That statement is full of narrowing refiec- tions to a veteran of the Army of the Potomac. Mud! Virginia could furnish more sacred soil after a rain than any part of the south most of us ever saw II stuck to the shoes so that the longer one walked the wealther he was in real estate. After marching had been over such a road an hour with infantry, ar tillery and wogons it began to feel that one was going up by going down.
 On that occasion 1t did rain! The men thought that Commodore Noah ought to be In command In the place of General Grant. But 1t hurt the defend- CTS of disaster as much as 1t did the up- holders of righteousness. There was no chance of their running away any such time, and if they waited while longer there would be no opportunity for that pedestrian feat The last day of March General Warren, with the Fifth crops was ordered to the aid of Sheridan. On the next day there was no April fool work on that end of the line. The final onset was not made until late in the af- ternoon of that day, Meanwhile the left of Picket's line had been turned by the fifth corps under Warren, who in the act of victory was relieved by Sheridan under the charge of sowness. Just at dusk the troopers under that fiery com mander went over the right of the rebel line and crushed the position as an egg shell. and ere long out of the confusion came the certainty of the most glorious union victory since the army had crossed the Rapidan, nearly eleven months before. Six guns, thousands of small arms, thirteen battle flags and some six thousand prisoners. That was the smallest part indeed. The right of the rebel line had been crushed, the way opened without resistance to the South Side railroad, and a powerful portion of the Army of the Potomac ready to swing | around into the rear of the enemy's en- | trenchments.
 The news of this victory at Grants headquarters produced the greatest en- thusiasm. It did indeed all through the army, for 1t was too good to keep, At once orders were issued to lombard Pe- tersburg and the enemy's works In front of them until daybreak, when a charge was to be made along the entire line It made beautiful sight. the air filled with shot and shell hissing and shriek- ing the trail of fire and the bursting shell were all terrible and grand; on the one side 1t was the thunderous com mand of a nation to surrender, on the other the defiant refusal to lay down their arms, But the most terrific night Petersburg ever knew slowly wore away. And as soon as morning light was enough to show the difference be- tween gray and blue a serried rank of bue-coats rose up in front of every fort and connecting line and dashed across the narrow space. Men with axes ran ahead and slashed into the abattis, while eager hands, without waiting, tore away in frenzied haste the pointed wall reared with such skill and labor and with loud hurrahs dashed over the forti- fcations. Park, with the Ninth corps on the right, Wright With the Sixth corps in the center, Ord, with the Army of the James on the left and Humphrey with the Second corps in the rear swept the works defended by about fifteen thousand veterans of Hills and Cor don's corps Thousands of soldiers, ar tillery and the entire outer line of the enemiec' works rhaDped ownerShiu