The Washington herald., 1914-05-30
s zssi as 4 The WASHINGTON HERALDE
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago
May 90 lsels Aaiss 4 csas and Lee Were Easassa Ha
Struggle fer Ps6sa Frss # NhneEd viii caat Manssvas His
Airy Reads csnisas Geld Hass Est aa fzs City, and
Lee Preparing to Meet Him.
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X :
Fifty years ago today the armies o
Grant and Lee were engaged In q her
culean struggle for position In front o.
Richmond. Grant was maneuvering hi
army on the roads centering At Col<
Harbor, eight miles from the Confeder
ate capital Lee. watchful and calm
was holding his troops In hand. read,
| to meet any move that his more power
full adversary might make.
The fight for position was tense and
ceaseless. Day and night troops on botf
sides were marching. diminishing or In
Itrenching. to the limit Of their endur'
ance. The weather was hot. and a pow
derry. choking dust rose from all the
roads. The soldiers were worn with much
marching and fighting. yet each general
moved army corps as a player at chess
| moves his pieces on the board. Every
exertion possible to the soldier was de-
manded of him. It was a time of breath
less struggle for place that every one
felt was the prelude to final bloody
test of strength in battle.
II Grant could not break down Lees
barrier here, he could not hope to break
II at all on that side of Richmond. HIS
success in battle would depend much
upon the position that each side secured
for the struggle. Lee now had about
10000 effective men, and In a few days
would have 5000 more. Grant had be-
tween 80 900 and 100. 900; but as Grant was
the attacking party, and was moving at
distance from his base, with large
wagon trains carrying his ammunition
and supplies, which required heavy
guards. he could not put as great a
proportion of his strength into the bat
tie line as his adversary.
It is a recognized principle of war that
A-Rx ~ L.
equal in fighting strength to four men
assaulting that work. Lee knew well
the value Of fighting behind defensive
works, and throughout the campaign
had chosen. with consummate skill and
with q thorough knowledge of the coun-
try, the strongest available positions In
which to intrench and meet Grant.
The scene to which the operations of
the contending armies had now brought
them served Gen. Lees purpose far bet
ter than 1t did Gen. Grants and neutral
lied the latter's numerical superiority.
Region of swamps and streams.
Both armies were now within twelve
miles Of Richmond, being between the
Pamunkey and Chickahominy rivers.
Grant, on crossing the Pamunkey at
Hanover Town-after a march of thirty
four miles from the North Anna, where
Lee had checked hinn-found the country
south of the river intersected with nu-
merous roads The most important was
a highway direct to Mechanicsville and
Richmond. He had sent out a part of his
cavalry on this road on May q. and the
first clash in the operations south Of the
Pamunkey had taken place that day at .
called Haws Shop.
After an all-day's fight the Federals
mad forced back their opponents and had
occupied the disputed point Grant at
,nce had ordered his infantry to occup,
t.
As yet ne definite information of the
position of Lees various corps had
Grant. He believed. however,
that Lee was in his immediate front and
Judged that an advance would quickly
develop his position.
Lee. in fact. was hut three miles from
Grants new line. He had seized a ridge
several miles in length. extending south
"a eastward, in a line paralleling the two
-ivers From this ridge followed east
ward the Pamunkey. the chief of which
ras the Totopotomoy, which extended
along Lees front. To the west flowed
numerous streams emptying into the
Chickahominy.
All these waterways were deep and
sluggish, with marshy banks and firing
more than twenty feet wide was almost
Is complete a BARRED to the rapid ad-
vance of troops as a ditch in front of a
fortress.
Grant had never seen this section Of
before. but officers on his staff |
md on Gen. Meade's knew II from ex-
oerience. Its sinister character was well |
understood by Grant. therefore: yet the |
knowledge Of II did not deter him from |
pressing forward through 1t to seek the |
,nemy.
Early on May % Grant ordered for |
ward his whole line. The Federals ad- !
ranced by three different roads. cover |
ng a front six miles long. On its right. |
IT western end. the Sixth Corps, Gen. II. |
9. Wright. marched toward Hanover |
Court House, Gen. Lees late Headquarters |
70 enemy was found there. The Second |
,orps, Gen. Hancock. took the main road /
o Richmond, and the Fifth Corps, Gen |
}. K. Warren. a more easterly route. |
rhe Ninth Corps, Gen. Burnside. was
leld in reserve.
Hancock was first to meet the enemy
It the crossing OF the Richmond road
'ver Totopotomoy Creek. II was a
ogical point of meeting. The enemy
lad made the ground strong with
arthworks They attacked Hancock's
men as soon as they appeared. The day
,assed here with heavy continuous
diminishing and night brought no change
n the relative positions of the combat
ants.
Grant was now no longer in doubt as
o the problem presented by the new
ield of action. With characteristic en-
rgy he prepared to force the passage
4 the creek and press his whole force