The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-11
CIVIL WAR DAY BY DAY, FIFTY YEARS AGO.

CIV VAuPAAV"AAJ y
l The Federal operations of the day.
the fourth OF the pursuit or Lee. De-
gan with q general movement on
Amelia Courthouse. up the panVille
road from Jetersville. by the Second
Fifth. and Sixth Corps; under Gen
Meade. while Ords column. accom- :
panied by Grant. moved west along
the Southside Railroad, and Sheridan
cavalry moved out between the two.
on roads bisecting the enemy's line OF
march.
Gallant, Hopeless Charge.
The first severe lighting of the day
fell upon a small detachment OF troops
sent out from Gen. Ord's column, on
orders from Gen. Grant, to attempt
the destruction of High Bridge ana
nearby bridges over the Appomattox,
or Lees possible line of march.
The troops chosen were the Flfty-
fourth Pennsylvania and the 123d
!Ohio regiments Gen. Theodore Read,
Gen. Ord's chief of staff being as
signed to command the expedition.
Later the Headquarters Cavalry. nifty
men of the Fourth Massachusetts Cav
airy. under Col. washburn. was or
dered to aid the infantry. The force
was within two miles of its objective
when IL encountered two divisions OF
Confederate cavalry under Gems. Eos
ser and Munford, across their return
path.
Though greatly outnumbered. the
| Federals made "one of the most gal
] liant and pathetic fights of the war.
-, The squadron of cavalry heroically
| twice charged on the enemy. Gen.
| al oh burr slain
though not until a number of Confed-
| crate officers. including Gen. James
bearing, had also been killed. When
| resistance became hopeless the Fed
! erals surrendered.
Gen. Grant attached much import
ance to this little fight. stating that it
| caused the enemy to halt and in
| trench. and thus halted one Of Lees
advance columns for several hours.
This was the only fighting of the day
! of troops under Gen. Ord with whom
Gen. Grant was marching). Ord ar
| rived at night at Rice's Station. too
! late to attack Longstreet Before
| morning Longstreet was gone. The
events of the day with Lee forced
! him to make a hasty retreat to rejoin
! his chief. These events had been of =
striking character.
Lees Column Seen.
The march of Meade's troops had
been arranged by Gen. Grant, who
changed the Sixth Corps from the
right to the left. where it could CO.
operate with the cavalry with which
il had worked in the Shenandoah VAL
ley) and had put the Fifth Corps on
the extreme right. (This corps was
not engaged during the day..
Gen. Meade's original plan was to
move by the right on Amelia Court
house. Grants was to swing out to
the left. to strike Lee he moved.
The latter plan proved the better one.
Tho march had taken Meades force
but four miles when. at $40 a. m. tho
corps on the left. the Second. under
Gen. A A. Humphreys, caught sight
of Confederate column, moving west
on a road across a stretch of swamp
and meadow through which flowed a
small stream. Flat Creek. Signal ofi-
GERS soon reported that other columns
of the enemy were on roads farther
north.
ened the pursuit The stream was
deep. but the infantry dashed into IL
up to their shoulders and forded it.
Bridges were quickly built for tho
guns and wagons. and soon the Sec
ond Corps was in full cry after Lees
rapidly moving columns.
Lees rear guard was passing when
the Federals came up with them by a
cross road. They turned and fought
savagely. When overpowered by num-
bers they moved quickly on, only to
turn and night again.
Thus for fourteen miles a running
fight was kept up by Gordon's men, in
a valiant effort to save Lees army.
Gordon's Running Fight.
Ahead OF Gordon marched Ewelrs
command. composed largely Of the |
debris of the army-the fragments of |
Picketts and Bushrod Johnson's COM
mands, under Gen. R. H. Anderson, |
Forks april -: the conscripts and |!
department clerks, old men and boys. !
who had held the Richmond works;
the sailors from the James River ships |
which had been blown up when the |,
retreat began. and the artillerists of |
the James River forts, a total force |
mot counting Gordon), of about 10, 200. |
In the forenoon two of Sheridan's
cavalry divisions. under Gen. George
Crook and Gen. Wesley Merritt, re-
spectively, began to hang upon the
left flank Of Ewelrs column, trying to
reach the trains.
In the afternoon, at a fork in the
road six miles west Of Amelia Springs,
Ewelrs column, led by Anderson,
turned into a road to the left leading
to Rice's depot. where Longstreet was
posted. Gordon was to follow EwelI
into this road, but before he could do
so part OF Sheridan's cavalry slipped
into the road behind Ewell. and barred
Gordon's way. obliging him to keep
on tho main road westward.
This movement precipitated the bat-
tie OF Sailors Creek. AZ Gordon kept
on the Second Corps came up behind
him. pressing him hard for three
miles. Finally. toward niehtfall. he
attempted to make a stand at Perk-
lnsons Mills. on Sailors Creek, near
The Appomattox River.
Heavy blows from superior numbers
sent him hurrying at dark toward
High Bridge. His loss for the after
,oon was 100 men.
While Gordon was thus engaged
cavalry had got in front Of
Anderson. on the cross road. and the
sixth Corps. Gen. Horatio q. Wright,
had como up in Ewslrs rear.
Under ARTILLERY Fire.
Ewsll formed his men in battle ar
'ay on a slope north Of Sailors Creek,
rot with the hope Of escaping, but to
make such show of resistance as he
night.
The 61ht that fo,lov>a q. r.t.a -