The National tribune., 1902-03-13
CLOSING SCENES OF THE WAR.
The Pursuit OF Lees Army and the Capture
of Gen Reads Command by Fitzhugh Lee.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE-Dec. IS,
'64, the First Division, Army of West
Virginia, commanded by Gen. Turner, was
in camp at Currantown, four miles above
Winchester, and on that day received or
ders to join the Army of the Potomac
On the morning OF the 10Th the division
broke camp and marched to Stevenson
Station, two miles north of Winchester.
This march was made through six or
eight inches of snow. The writer made
this march with three pairs of old stock.
ings on his feet, with mary" n Govern
ment brogan to cover the stockings.
We Joined the Army of the James in
front of Richmond on Dec. %, 1864, tax
ing the place of Terry's men. and were
assigned as the independent division.
March % the division was assigned to
duty guarding pontOon train out to
Chickahominy River We returned to the
army the Goth. The 9th we crossed the
James River and proceeded with the First
Division of the Twenty-fourth Corps and
Corps de Antique of the Twenty-fifth
Corps, under command of Gen Gibbon,
and took position at Hatchers Run, fore.
ing the rebels back into their fortifcation.
On the morning of April 2, 1865, after
the Sixth Corps had captured the rebel
works to the right we moved up to Fort
Gregg and formed line of battle, with the
sion next, the three divisions of the Sixth
Corps following the Corps de Antique
bringing up the rear, the right of
the siv divisions resting on the inte-
rior Of the captured rebel works. The
distance between each division was about
100 yards, and they moved in this order
until the advance division became engaged
with Fort Gregg and another fort about
300 yards in the rear. l speak only of
the troops that 1 know We're engaged at
the capture of Fort Gregg. The order of
the regiments from right TO left as they
went into action was: 199th Pa, S9th
n. Y. and Tooth N. Y. in front of our
brigade. They made the first attack on
Fort Gregg. The composition of our
brigade. from right to left, was: 54th
Pa, 18th w. Va, and Odd Ill.
When it became evident to our officers
that the first line of battle was INSULT
cient, our brigade was ordered to ad-
vance, and the honor of the capture of
Fort Gregg belongs wholly to the six regi-
ments above mentioned.
The day after the capture of Fort Gregg
the Twenty fourth Corps, under Gen Glib
bon, took up the line of march to prevent
Lees army from going to Danville, arriv-
ing at Burkeville Junction at / o'clock a.
IN. April 6. About o'clock that morn
ing we were formed in line of battle,
which proved to be our last association
with the Twenty-fourth Corps. We took
the road leading from Burkeville to High
Bridge, AID after passing four miles from
the Junction We were halted for break.
fast, it being then about sunrise, April
6. 80.
We then learned what troops composed
this forlorn hope-a squadron of the 4th
Mass. Cav 123d Ohio and 54th Pa. We
marched direct toward High Bridge, and
when within a mile of High Bridge we
were attacked from the rear by the whole
of Fitzhugh Lees cavalry division, and
it took that commander three hours to
capture this detachment under Gen. Read,
who was mortally wounded. After being
cOrraled in the bull ring, we were
marched back three miles on the road we
had come to Rice's Station, where Long
street had stopped to fight Gregg's Cav
airy. Here we were turned over to
Longstreet's provost; Capt. Scott, in the
meantime having been robbed by our cap
tors of all our rations, blankets, tents.
money and some clothing that
we were wearing which our Johnny
friends thought they needed. We con-
tinued with the rebel army until after
Lees surrender at Appomattox, when we
were paroled and sent to Camp Parole,
II. VanScoten, Sergeant Co. III.
4th z. r. V. G.. and Cos L and E., 54th
Pa, Montrose, Pa.