Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-15
MILES IN THE CIVIL WAR
One Brilliant Incident of His Service
 in the Army.

OHe bTullanC 1nclQenL or HIS SeIFlC0 | in the Army
 The Suns measurement of Miles as a military figure pure and simple was fully warranted by the generals record in the field in the most trying circum- stances. A single battle event and the written testimony of General Grant are alone sufficient to fix his status on the plane to which the Sun discriminatory fixed him.
 Upon hearing of the great union successes to the west of Petersburg on that memorable 2nd of April 1865, when the confederate lines were at last penetrated by the union army, Grant sent the following dispatch to l the commander of the Army of the | Potomac | Grants Headquarters, Apr. 2, 1865. General Meade Miles has made big thing of it and deserves the high est praise for the pertinacity with which he stuck to the enemy until he wrung from him victory. As the cav airy was coming down the Cox and River roads ann very much in hopes we will hear tonight of the capture of the balance of Heth's and Wilcox's divisions. I think a cavalry force has been thrown to the very bridge over which they expected to escape in ad- vance. fe
 U. S. GRANT. Lieutenant General.
 Such was the opinion on the spot of l the supreme victor of the civil war of Miles performances on a day of amazing successes all along the line. l It was an hour of victory, yet Miles brilliant performances compelled this special commentary from the general in-chief. His praise was unreserved, and the history of the event which called it forth proves that it was de- served. In fact the official records of | the fall Of Petersburg show that Gen. eral Miles operations on that day made profound impression on the ablest soldiers there engaged. He was praised by Grant, Meade, Sheri-r dan and Humphreys.
 Although then only few months | over A years of ag., Miles was al { ready a brevet major general of vol unteers, in command of the finest dl- vision in the army. approximately 1 1000 strong. After nightfall on Apr1l this division had been temporarily | detached from the Second corps up the White Oak road to the support Of General Sheridan, then near Five | 1 that day he had smashed up and scattered the confederate General | Picken's forces, the 'sbeginning of the end. ''
 This victory of Sheridan was the. signal for the final movements which next day culminated in the fall Of Pe- l tersburg and the last march of Lees army in northern Virginia. Sheridan was under no obligations to respect 1 an order, much less a request, or Gen
 eral Meade but in some petuiance ne yielded and without discussion turned over the division to Humphreys, Leav- 1 ing Miles on the Claiborne road to be | handled by Humphreys, Sheridan now I abruptly countermarched the Fifth
 corps to get opon other roads farther
 north leading toward Petersburg. and there to begin anew his operations against the common objective :.
 Three distinct Union armies were that day operating against Petersburg, all under separate commanders, but the whole directed by General Grant present in person Humphreys, only l 8 corps commander was in a quandary
 He wanted back his division, but he knew that General Grants order de taching it to Sheridan was supreme, and that the request for it's return
 from his own immediate army con- l mander, Meade. had no force, and in l fact might disarrange important plans of the lieutenant-general commanding
 The upshot was that Humphreys, in
 the circumstances, declined to receive
 back Miles's division, and he, too, rode off to other battles down the Bodyton | plan road.
 Thus Miles was left alone. Sheridan
 was gone; Humphreys was gone. He was in difficult position, with his single division. The Confederates
 wer apparently strong in the front He die not know what he was facing up the Claiborne road. Toward Peters burg the steady roar of WTight's heavy | battle for the Confederate intrench-
 me1rts was heard with increasing vol-
 ume.
 An ordi--ary division commander of l twenty fo,-r years would have heSitat- ed and then withdrawn, with the usu-, al stereotyped excuses for failure. But l Miles was an extraordinary soldier He determined to fight just the same as if
 Sheridan and the Fifth corps were still at his back He knew that it was | vital to the game to get upon the Southside railroad as quickly as pos sible. >a.>-. ....
 Deployed in battle front across the Claiborne road he pushed northward for the goal of Sutherland station. The Confederates under General Cook slowly fell back, eventually taking strong position about midway, in front of the station. After examining the ground, General Miles attacked | impetuOuSly, but was reDulSed with considerable loss, one of his brigade commanders being wounded.
 Then a second attack was made, which was also repulsed, and another of his brigadiers wounded. Things be- gan to look serious, But Miles was on his mettle. After strong recon