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ing marched 25 miles and had an engagement during the day.

On the 29th, Rosser, after a long march, surprised, by able strategy, the enemy's camp at New Creek, on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, capturing 800 prisoners and eight pieces of artillery. The army remained in its New Market camps until December 6th, taking the cars at Staunton on the night of the 7th. Wickham's brigade retired that day from Mt. Jackson to Timberville. This movement of the Second corps from the Valley was brought about by a report that the Sixth corps of Sheridan's army had already gone to Richmond to join Grant, and that more of the same army were moving in that direction. Grimes' division of Early's army left for Richmond on the 14th of December.

The famous Second corps of the army of Northern Virginia, Jackson's old command, embracing the remnants of his old division and his old brigade, now left the Shenandoah valley for the last time, under the command of Maj.-Gen. John B. Gordon, one of the ablest, bravest and boldest of the surviving brigade and division commanders of the immortal Stonewall Jackson, Gen-. eral Evans, of Georgia, succeeding to the command of Gordon's division. This remarkable body of veterans, a mere fragment of its former self when, in the meridian of its strength of numbers and efficiency, Jackson led it against Pope at Cedar run, had, in four successive campaigns, played a most important part in the great military operations in the Shenandoah valley, that have not only made that region famous in the annals of history, but have made its movements and conflicts with superior forces opposed to them, the subjects of admiration and study of the military men of all the civilized fighting nations of the world. Thenceforward the small remnant of the Second corps, the few surviving veterans who had passed through so many memorable conflicts, became a portion of the army of Northern Virginia at Petersburg, participating, with unflinching manliness, in the remarkable defense of that beleaguered city, until the fall of Richmond and General Lee's retreat to Appomattox Court House, where it was actually repulsing an attack of a portion of the Federal army, and successfully driving it back when the truce was called that led to the surrender, when, with the intrepid Gordon at its head, it

laid down its arms and left its memory, without a stain, embalmed in the undying history of Virginia and of the Confederacy.

General Early remained at New Market until December 16th, when Wharton's division fell back to near Mt. Crawford, Rosser's cavalry toward Swoope's, near Buffalo gap, west of Staunton, and Lomax's cavalry to Swift Run gap. Wharton's division, a mere regiment in numbers, the only infantry now left with Early, went into winter quarters near Fishersville, between Staunton and Waynesboro, on the 19th; on which day two divisions of Federal cavalry crossed the Blue ridge, at Chester gap, near Front Royal, and made demonstrations toward Gordonsville. The same day the signal stations reported an advance of the enemy up the valley to Woodstock. On the 20th, Early again started down the valley, with Rosser in advance, followed by Wharton, the former marching to Harrisonburg, and the latter to Naked creek beyond Mt. Sidney. The Federal cavalry came to Lacey's Springs. On the 21st, through a blinding snowstorm, Early moved forward to attack the enemy. Rosser, marching at dawn, fell on Custer's division, consisting of Pennington's and Chapman's brigades, at Lacey's, or Big Spring, on the Valley turnpike, having, in crossing over from the middle road, struck the Federals in flank, with Payne's brigade in front, followed by Morgan's, just as they were saddling their horses to advance on Wharton. Rosser routed their First and Second brigades, capturing 35 prisoners and their wagons and ambulances; but they rallied on their Third brigade, compelled him to fall back, and recaptured their wagons, when they at once retreated down the valley. Rosser was unable to get his whole command together for this attack, and so had joined issue at a disadvantage. Wharton was halted at the Big Spring, some two miles southwest of Harrisonburg.

On the 22d, Wharton marched back to near Staunton, as did also Payne's and Wickham's brigades. On the 23d, two brigades of Wharton's division took cars at Staunton for Gordonsville, to assist in repulsing the movement of cavalry that had crossed the Blue ridge at Chester gap, on the 19th. One of Wharton's brigades went into its former camp at Fishersville.

On the 24th, the brigades of Jackson, Imboden and

McCausland met the advance of the Federal cavalry on the Liberty Mills road, northwest of Gordonsville, destroying the stores there collected, and breaking General Lee's line of supply over the Virginia Central railroad. This engagement closed the contentions of General Early with the Federals for the year 1864. He then established his headquarters at Staunton, put Wharton's division in winter cantonment near Fishersville; Long's artillery battalion went into camps near Waynesboro, the rest of the artillery that had been with Early having gone to Richmond. Early located remnants of his war-worn cavalry in small camps in Piedmont, in the Valley, and in the Appalachia, far out to the front, to the east, northeast, north and northwest, where forage could be had for their horses, and where they could prevent incursions of the enemy and give Early intelligence of any forward movements. Signal stations were located and telegraphs put in order connecting these cavalry camps with headquarters at Staunton.

F

CHAPTER XXX.

THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG.

"OILED in his attempts to turn Lee's flank south of the James by the capture of Petersburg, through Beauregard's brave resistance for four days against his repeated assaults, Grant drew back and commenced throwing up formidable lines of intrenchments, all along his front, during the night of June 18th and the following Sunday. Lee's army, facing to the eastward, was as busily occupied in throwing up equally strong defensive works, preparing to hold Petersburg as the key to the defenses of Richmond, in obedience to the Confederate authorities, although Lee himself would have preferred to draw Grant farther into the interior, away from his tidewater base and fortress, where he could have maneuvered against him in the open country and amid Nature's great fortifications, which so abound among the mountains of Virginia.

At this time, Beauregard's left rested on the navigable Appomattox, about one mile north of east from Petersburg, where the Appomattox turns northward, for five miles, to the vicinity of Port Walthall, and thence eastward, for about four miles, to City Point, where that river enters the James. On his right, Anderson, with the First corps, extended the Confederate line for some three miles to the southward, in front of Petersburg, crossing the Norfolk & Petersburg railroad in the vicinity of the Jerusalem plank road, thence westward, for some two miles; the Third corps, under A. P. Hill, extended the Confederate right, on the south of Petersburg, to the Weldon & Petersburg railroad. Pickett's division took up the line on the west side of the Appomattox and extended it north to the James, at the big bend opposite Dutch gap. The fortifications on the north of the James, from Chaffin's bluff northward, along the front of Richmond, were held by batteries and by local troops, in command of Lieut. -Ġen. R. S. Ewell.

Subsequently the Confederate works were extended to the southwest of Petersburg for more than 10 miles, to beyond Hatcher's run, until Lee's line of defensive works, consisting of forts and redoubts connected by breastworks and strengthened by all means known to the art of war, extended for nearly 40 miles.

The Federal fortifications, commencing on the river road north of the James, in front of the Confederate lines, extended for four miles to the south, to Fort Brady, above Dutch gap; then were resumed, opposite the big bend of the James, and extended across the neck of the Bermuda Hundred peninsula, for nearly four miles, to the big bend of the Appomattox; then again resumed, upon the south side of that river and along its eastern side, and extended for over four miles, by redoubts and detached works, to the City Point railroad, on the bank of the Appomattox, and were thence prolonged, for 15 miles or more, around the front of Petersburg, to beyond Hatcher's run, frequently as double lines. South of these main defensive works, a line of formidable intrenchments protected the rear of the besieging army; while numerous forts, connected by heavy breastworks, extended across the City Point peninsula, making an enclosed camp for the base of supplies and the headquarters of the Federal army.

Grant "rested his men," as he had promised, with the vigorous use of intrenching tools, until near the end of June, constructing works far more formidable than those opposing him, and making such preparations as are only made when a great fortress is to be taken by protracted and regular siege operations. Within these well-fortified lines Grant collected more than 107,000 men, most of them veterans of the armies of the Potomac and of the James. To oppose these, Lee had, in his 40-mile line, for the defense of Richmond and Petersburg, some 54,000 men, the remaining veterans of the army of Northern Virginia, and of the department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia, Beauregard's army. Grant's supplies easily reached him by water, up the broad navigable James to City Point. Lee drew his, mainly from the South, by three railroads that met at Petersburg and were thence continued by single line to Richmond. first Federal assault cut the roads leading to City Point and Norfolk.

The

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