The Washington herald., 1915-04-04


bers Of the Confederate government, ha,
hed that night from Richmond by trair
toward Danville. 135 miles in the interior
Of Virginia.
When nights friendly curtain fell ovel
the bloody corpse strewn entrenchment.
Of Petersburg. Lee had begun movint
his troops westward along the north sid,
OF the Appomattox River. also heading
for Danville. which he was not destined
to reach.
Flag Raised in Petersburg.
Before dawn on April the Federal.
knew by the silence on the enemys linel
that Lees army was gone. Picket.
pushing continuously forward in the still
dark. found the trenches that a deter
mined army had held against them fol
more than nine months. deserted.
With the coming of daylight variou.
detachments Of troops in the works near
est Petersburg rushed forward to the
town. into which the division Of Gen. O.
B. Wilcox Of the Ninth Corps led the
way.
At 40 a. m. the flag of the First Michi.
gan Sharpshooters. OF Col. Ralph Elys
brigade. was raised ON the courthouse
and that Of the Second Michigan In
fantry on the custom-house. A few min
utes later guards were posted about the
town. Soon 200 cavalry from City Point
Joined the patrol.
I'm two hours, notwithstanding the
presence Of troops from every corps, in
cluding colored troops" reported Col.
Ely. Petersburg was as quiet. and prop
erty and persons as safe as in Washing
tom
Grant had apprehended Lees depart
ure from Petersburg. but had chosen to
let him 60 and strike him in the open,
rather than to sacrifice lives by attack
ing him within his strong inner lines.
Grants cavalry under Sheridan was
already posted at ana beyond Five
Forks. in a position to head Lee on
or strike his fleeing columns. The
Federal infantry on the extreme left
of Grants long line. south of Peters
burg. was early put in motion on
route parallel to Lees.
Grant was concerned now only in
giving his opponent a finishing stroke.
Before taking up the march he graft
fed a natural desire to spend a brief
period in the captured stronghold.
Grant and Lincoln Meet.
Grant entered Petersburg about 9
a. m. The city was quiet The better
class Of whites who remained there
were within doors. Groups of negroes
on being told that the plainly dressed.
dusty little man with the small escort
was Gen. Grant, cheered. There was no
other demonstration.
Noting a comfortable looking brick
house on Market street trne residence
of Thomas Wallace). Grant halted
there for brief rest in the shade of
its piazza. A small group of citizens
and negroes gathered in front of the
house and gazed at him in silence. An
off1cer soon rode up with a dispatch
from Sheridan, reporting his progress
in the pursuit of Lee.
Grant had not been long here when
President Lincoln arrived. At City
Point he had impatiently waited news
had been evacuated he had
come up on the military railroad. In
the ride from the station he was ac-
his son Robert, a captain
on Grants stan: his younger son
Tad" Admiral Porter, whose guest he
had been on board the flagship NAL
vern. and a few officers Of the army.
First In Fallen Capital.
The first intimation received by
Federal troops lying in front Of the
fall was the glare of the fires in the
city and the explosion of the fleet of
vessels in the James
River, which was commanded by Ad-
miral Raphael Semmes. Blowing up
three ironclads. the sailors landed at
from their lighter vessels,
which they fired. Then they fitted up
4 railroad train and on it started in
land.
The Federal works before Richmond.
which were about seven miles from the
Ill
ty-fourth Army Corps. Gen. John Glib
bon. and the Twenty-nfth Corps. Gen.
Godfrey Weitzel. The generals and
their pickets were on the alert all
night. and before dawn the pickets of
the Twenty fifth Corps were thrown
forward. and found the enemy's
works abandoned. The troops holding
hem, Gen. G. W. c. Lees division,
had crossed the James at Drury's
Bluff on a pontoon bridge.
Believing that Richmond had been
evacuated. Gen. Weitzel in the early
ordered forward a portion Of
his provost guard, about forty men of
Companies E and H. Fourth Massachu-
'etts Cavalry, under Maj. Atherton H.
stevens. jr.. provost marshal. to recon- |
ioiter.
They advanced by the New Market |
Dad. Outside the city they were met |
~ the mayor and a committee of citi- |
ens. who surrendered Richmond.
The troopers rode to the Virginia |
'tate House tthe Confederate CapitoD, |
which they reached at 1880. Maj. Stew |
ms and Col. f. f. Graves. aid to Gen. |
yeitzel. climbed TO the roof and raised |
wo cavalry guidons on the Flagstaff |
These were the first flags typifying |
Federal control that were raised in
richmond after its occupation.
Later the Stars and Stripes were
aised by Capt. Loomis L. Langdon
nd Lieut.. johnson L. de Peyster, of
len. weitzers stanf. Lieut.. de Peyster,
youth of is. had carried a flag on
lis saddles pommel for several days
With this object in view.
Gen. weitzel arrived at the City Hall
t SIS and there received the formal
urrender of Richmond. He at once
he first brigade he could fnd and
ring II in to act as provost guard"
he aid found Gen. E. A. Ripley's
of Gen. Charles Devens' divi-
ion Of the Twenty-fourth Corps. This
onsisted Of the Eleventh Connecticut.
thirteenth New Hampshire. Eighty
rst. Ninety-eighth and 13sth New
'ork and Nineteenth Wisconsin regi-
lents.
Headed by the Thirteenth New
hampshire Volunteers, Ripley's Brig
de marched into Richmond with hags
ying and their bands playing patriotic
irs, and proceeded to Capitol Square,
1here they arrived between and 8
clock, and at once assumed guard