The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-06-08
was repulsed at all points. Els one
success was due to the celebrity of his
march and the s%uddenness of the dash.

1t was a sweeping blow that General
Hooker planned in the Chancellors-
vile campaign against Lees commune
cations with Richmond and Lynch
burg. In sending out the cavalry un-
der Stoneman to get between Lee on
the Rappahannock and his base, he ex-3
| pected to defeat Lee in battle. The
raid was to complete the work of de-
stroying Lee. His orders to Stoneman1
stated that the object would be the
plies, checking his retreat and infict-
ing on him every possible injury which.
will tend to his discomforture and de-
feat" The roads to be struck We're the
Orange and Alexandria and the Rich
mond and Fredericksburg, as well as
the turnpikes and the canal.
Stoneman set out with half his force
along the Richmond and Fredericks-
burg road and sent General Ayerell
with the remainder against the Orange
and Alexandria road. Averell had q
few skirmishes with a brigade of
Stuart's cavalry under General Lees
son, w. II. f., and was recalled to pro-
tect the right and e a of Hooker's own
army from the enemy's cavalry. So it
was tit for tat. Raiding is a game
both may play at.
Stoneman rode more than half way
to Richmond, but he found out on the
start that the enemy was aware of his
raid and watching for him. However,
he rushed ahead and destroyed the
Virginia Central at Louisa Court House,
a distance of 10 miles. He also de-
pixies at the rivers and did much in
cidental damage. But the enemy vas
on his track and small detachments
were unsafe alone. At the end of the
six days set by Hooker, when he hoped
the enemy would be in retreat, Stone
man found that he would be put to it
to get out of the trap into which he
had rushed. He succeeded in extricat-
ing his whole command, but his ah-
sence from the army cost Hooker dear
and gave him more concern than the
raid did Lee.
Just at the time when Grant was
moving to attack Vicksburg from the
south Colonel Grierson of the Sixth
Illinois cavalry rode through central
Mississippi from La Grange, Tenn, to
Baton Rouge, La, cutting local and
trunk lines, especially the Macon and
Columbus, Nicksburg and Meridian and
New orleans and jackson. Besides
attracting the enemy's attention away
from Grants operations, it delayed
supplies going to Vicksburg. John
Morgan, the Kentucky raider, and For
rest, too, often made such rides in
the rear of the enemy.
Raids against railroads were attempt
ed on a large scale in 1864, when the
Federal cavalry vas at it's full
strength. While Grant was forcing
Lee back from the Rapidan to the
James. Sheridan started with a large
force to raid the lines out of Richmond
The first point struck was Beaver Dam
station on the Virginia Central, where
the buildings, trains and rations were
destroyed and the track and telegraph
broken. Next Ashland was visited
and culverts, trestlework and six miles
of track were destroyed.
A raid of the magnitude of Sheri-
dams naturally drew the enemy upon
him, and he had to turn and fight. He
covered a wide territory and kept the
enemy's mounted troops occupied, but
yet did not seriously interrupt Lees
supplies.
When Grant confronted the last
stronghold of the C~onfederates on the
8 g nv !