Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1904-06-18
April Great Month for Strife.

April Great Month for Strife.
The greatest battle month of the
civil war, measured by the importance
of its anniversaries, is April. April
IL, 1861, the confederates opened fire
on Fort Sumter; April and z, 1852,
was fought the great and fateful bat
tie of Shiloh; April "a, 1862, Admiral
Farragut ran the fire of Forts Jack
son and ST. Philip, which forced the
surrender of New Orleans April 16,
1863, Commodore Porter with his iron
clad fleet and transports ran the fire
of the Vicksburg batteries and assured
the success of Grants famous cam
paign. The month of April, 1865, was
crowded with great events. Sheridan,
with 10000 cavalry and $4,000 In
fantry, struck at Lees right and rear,
and on April 1, 1865, bit off his right
flank under Pickett at Five Forks. His
line had been stretched SO that it had
broken at last. The next morning
at daylight, April 2, general assault
was made all along the lines before
Petersburg. The sixth corps, $4,000
strong, and but 700 yards distant from
the enemy, carried the works in it's
front for half a mile.
This success decided the fate Of the
day and that night Lee abandoned his
lines. The rest of the campaign was
the mere hunt of the gallant quarry
that, crippled and bleeding at every
pore, resolutely faced his pursuers
when overtaken, like wounded stag
standing bravely at bay. April the
confederate rear guard was crushed
ard captured after a most heroic re-
sistance at Sailors creek. April s
e Try nf
Lees retreat at Appomattox station. A
rapid night march brought up the in
fantry of the fifth and twenty-fourth
corps to Sheridan's support, and at
daylight, April Lee found himself
with the road barred to Lynchburg by
Sheridan with 10000 cavalry and 90
900 infantry, while Meade with 10000
infantry of the second and sixth corps
was pressing his rear. Without food,
without artillery, without hope of res
cue, Lee was obliged to surrender.
On April 26 came the surrender of
Joe Johnston's army, which had been
preceded by the victorious raid of Gen.
Wilson, who, with $4,000 cavalry, had
captured Selma, Ala, April 2; West
Point and Columbus, Ca, April 16.
The forts defending Mobile fell April
9. Surely April, 1865, was a memoir
able month of battle, crowded with
disaster for the confederates, who. as
they manfully said, lost everything
but honor" All the eminent leaders
in the last great campaign are dead
save Gems. Schofield, Howard, Merritt,
Miles and Wilson of the union army,
and Gen. Bates. Fitzhugh Lee and
Wheeler of the confederates.
All these tremendous events Of our
cival war were closed only thirty nine
years ago, and yet to-day United
States Senator Foraker of Ohio, who
was a lieutenant in Sherman's army
in Sherman's last battle at Benton
vile, N. c., March 20, 1865, is trying
hard to have congress pass law pro-
viding for the marking of the graves
of 10000 confederate soldiers who
died in the hands of the United
States government prisoners of
war, thus carrying out project which
was Endorsed by the ex-confederate
soldiers at their gathering at Memphis
on Memorial day of 1901. Surely the
hopes of Grant, the hopes of Lee, the
prayer of Johnston and the benedic-
lions of Wade Hampton have been
justified when we find an ez-union
soldier pleading from his seat in the
United States to have congress order
the marking of the graves of confed-
crate prisoners of war. Why not? IT
was terrific war; there were many
men fell in that war; there was much
heroism on both sides, and the mem
ory or 1t is title and heritage of re-
spect to the children of the generation
that fought this great conflict to its
fateful conclusion. Senator Foraker
as gallant solder knows that the
confederates were most gallant men
In battle, and he would not leave a
single confederate grave unmarked
within our lines. 1t Is only doffing
cap to gallant foes.-Portland Oregon
ian.