The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-07-13
The Fall of Petersburg
A FoRTIETH ANNIVERSARY WAR STORY

point in tie old works could a weak
place he found
In some piJg-s the Federal AID Con
fedarate works We're w.t-lu sixty r,..s
oi each other but Lees barriers were
massive and could lot De- battered
down by artillery.
The Coniederltcs gave "a good ac-
count Of themselves in defending tlr..
last ditch The Federal .uaer.n-
uents extended from the ApIomat,Jx
ciyer below the town to the river above.
and General Grant ordered a heavy
bOmbardmcnt TO be begun at ) O'Clock
on the morning Of the 81. This was t.
be followed by a grand assault ut s.
o'clock. But preparations were going
on quietly in Lees lines for evacuation.
and this was to be accomplished he
fore the hour fixed for assault.
In the death Of General \. =. Hill, a
corps commander, the south lost one
Of its most fiery leaders. It was he of
whom StoneWall Jackson spoke ia his
delirious moments ON his deaubed.
when he said, a. P. Hill prepare for
action"
Hill was the last Of the prominent
leaders Of the southern army to fall,
and his death was tragic. He had been
in Petersburg during tie list Of April.
while sheridan was fighting Pickett IT
Five Forks, and on the morning Of the
ID had gone, in Obedience 10 orders
from Lee. to prepare his troops to re
enforce Pickett Hills troops, cousi t.
ing Of the divisions Of General Henry
Ueth, General G. NJ. Wilcox and Gen
eraI William Malone, were occupying
inrenchmeuts On Lees right in front
Of the positions held bv the Federal
corps under Wright and Humphreys.
When these commanders made their
attack on the morning Of the "a they
broke through the Confederate lines
completely, and those Confederates
who were on their left, or the Peters
burg side Of the break, were compelled
to flee back toward the AppomattoX
and make a detour to join their fellows
on the right Of the break Wright and
Humphreys pushed on 50 rapidly that
the Federal and Confederate troops
were at times on the same line in al
tenate spaces,
After fighting desperately to prevent
the Federal army from breaking
through the works Hill saw that fur
ther resistance would he useless and
decided to concentrate his brigades and
divisions into a shorter line. With Lee
he stood upon a lofty ridge south Of
the city and, pointing to the field in
front covered with struggling soldiers,
said he would 90 and join one Of tie
divisions still intact some distance
away. Lee tried to dissuade him ana
pointing to the troops in the folds
through which Hill was to pass. said.
"Those are our enemies" In spite Of
Lees warning Hill set out on horse
back entirely alone. On the way he
saw half dozen Federal soldiers par
tally secreted in a shallow ravine He
boldly demanded their surrender, and
they apparently yielded; but, being
alone, he did not attempt to disarm
them. They marched by his side or be
hind him quietly for some distance. and
then two or three of them suddenly
drew their muskets and shot him dead.
This is the story as given in the most
authentic Confederate accounts. 1t
conflicts with the Federal narratives.
Lee, anXi0usly watching the course
of his favorite general, witnessed the
tragedy. He Immediately ordered
brigade Of the troops nearest him to
charge through the advancing line of
enemies to the spot where Hill lay and
recover the body. 1t was done. There
seemed poetic justice in the fate OF
Hill. Never having tasted the bitter
ness of direct defeat upon the field Of
battle, he was spared the humiliation
of the fall of Richmond and the still
greater one Of Appomattox, a week
later.
The successes of Wright and Hum
phreys in carrying the Confederate in
trenchments south of Petersburg COM
pleted the work Of the siege, which had
been kept up nearly ten months. 1t is
true that Petersburg was not surround
ed, but its southern exits were cut off.
1t could communicate with Richmond.
but Richmond was invested north and
east, and the play of twenty miles be-
tween the Two places and a single out
let to the westward from Il point be-
tween the two was all that remained
now to the army with Lee, the chief re-
lance of the COnfederacy.
The losses in the siege have never
been separately computed. The lines
under Grants control extended from
Petersburg to Richmond, and two ar
mics operated upon them. the armies
IF the Potomac and of the James. Each
of these armies REINFORCED the other
In the different battles and their losses
figure together in the reports. The fight
ing Mt Petersburg began June Q, 1864, !
when the troops of the Army of the
James attempted to seize the place in
advance Of the arrival of Lees army.
From the 18th Of June to the close of |
the actual fighting in the trenches on |
April ., 1865. there had been constant |
collisions along the lines. collisions va
rying from picket volleys to actual bat !
ties. The COnfederates had acted on |
the defensive with the exception of the |
assault at Fort Stedman March %, |
QItI o1,1 Tho att,r,,,+r. NOD,