SHERIDAN'S WITHDRAWAL FROM TREVILIAN.

733 prevent the movement of supplies or troops from the Virginia and Tennessee railroad toward Richmond. General Hunter, then in command in Western Virginia, was ordered to co-operate with him, and had he been able to do so, Gordonsville and Charlottesville might both have been captured. Crossing the Pamunkey, he moved at once to Aylett's station; thence the next day to the Fredericksburg railroad at Chesterfield station, where he seriously damaged the railroad; thence to Childsburg, New Market, and Mount Pleasant, and crossed E. NE. creek at Young's bridge. On the morning of the 10th of June, he moved forward again, and having crossed both branches of the North Anna river, encamped at Buck Childs, a small village three miles north of Trevilian station, on the Virginia Central railroad. It had been his intention to destroy the railroad from this point west for some distance, and then crossing to Keswick station, cut the railroad in both directions from Gordonsville and Charlottesville, which latter town was his ultimate objective. On arriving at Buck Childs, however, he found the Rebel cavalry in his front, and immediately prepared to give them battle. He divided his force, and sent a part to attack the Rebels in rea", while he assailed them, the next morning, June 11th, in front. The fighting was desperate, but he at last drove them back from line after line of breastworks, through an almost impassable forest, to the station at Trevilian; and here his detached troops attacking them in rear, their route was complete, and Sheridan established his headquarters that night at Trevilian.

The next morning, June 12th, the railroad from Trevilian station to Louisa Court House was completely destroyed, the ties burned, and the rails twisted and bent, so as to be utterly unserviceable. This occupied from daybreak to three P. M. The Rebels meantime had concentrated in considerable force at Gordonsville, and advancing toward Trevilian, commenced the construction of rifle-pits, at a distance of about four miles, to resist Sheridan's movements. After a careful reconnoissance, General Sheridan found the enemy too strongly posted to be effectively assailed by his light artillery, especially as his ammunition was running low, and he therefore decided not to make a general assault. On the extreme right, however, his troops assaulted and carried the enemy's lines again and again, but were eventually driven from them, by the long-range guns of the Rebel infantry; and finding his ammunition giving out, and being unable to obtain forage for his horses, General Sheridan determined to withdraw; but he carried out this determination in a characteristic way. Returning to Trevilian station, he ordered supper, inviting his generals to sup with him, and having given orders for the removal of the wounded who could be moved, and detailed surgeons to stay with those who were most severely injured, and perfected his order of march, he partook quietly of his evening meal, and then set about the withdrawal of his force from a position in which it was confronted by nearly the entire

cavalry of the Rebel army. While the trains and the rear divisions were moving off with the wounded, he ordered forty rounds of canister to be fired at the Rebel position; and when the enemy, severely cut up by this fire, attempted to take the battery by a bold, sudden dash, he charged upon them with a regiment of cavalry, at the same time pouring in a full round of canister at very short range, and compelled them to retire in confusion. While they were retiring, the gun was withdrawn, and as he found that the Rebels were still retreating, he moved quietly back, and followed the divisions which had already set their faces southward. By day-dawn of the 13th, his men were well out of Trevilian station, and he marched with them to Troyman's store, without encountering any opposition; and on the 14th, reached the vicinity of Spottsylvania Court House, the scene of so many bloody battles a short month previous. Remaining here a day, to aid the wounded, who had been left in field hospitals, he arrived at Guinney's station on the evening of the 15th, and established his headquarters there for a few days, and then moved to White House. On the 23d of June, having marched from White House, he was attacked by the enemy at Jones' bridge, over the Chickahominy, and on the 24th, near St. Mary's church, between the Chickahominy and the James. On both occasions the Rebels were in strong force, and entirely confident of their ability to overwhelm and capture his troops. Sheridan acted entirely on the defensive, but produced such terrible havoc among the enemy with his artillery, firing at short range, that they were soon very willing to withdraw, and not further molest his progress. During the afternoon and night of June 25th, he crossed the James river, five miles above Fort Powhatan, ou a pontoon bridge, protected on either side by gunboats, without loss, though the enemy were in heavy force near him.

THE TROOPS IN WEST VIRGINIA.

735

CHAPTER LIX.

THE TROOPS IN WEST VIRGINIA-CROOK AND AVERELL DEFEAT THE REBELS ON NEW RIVER-→→ THE BATTLE of new marKET-SIGEL DEFEATED—HE IS RELIEVED OF COMMAND, AND SENT TO MARTINSBURG AS POST COMMANDANT-GENERAL HUNTER SUCCEEDS HIM-BATTLE NEAR MOUNT CRAWFORD THE REBELS DEFEATED, AND THEIR GENERAL KILLED-HUNTER CAPTURES STAUNTON AND Lexington, and BURNS THE LEXINGTON MILITARY INSTITUTE, AND GOVERNOR LETCHER'S HOUSE, but fails TO JOIN SHERIDAN, AND IS COMPELLED BY EARLY TO FALL BACK FROM LYNCHBURG INTO THE KANAWHA VALLEY, AFTER A LOSING FIGHT— EARLY TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THIS TO DESCEND THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY TO THE POTOMAC-HUNTER'S EFFORTS TO RETRIEVE HIS BLUNDER-ARMY OF THE POTOMAC-CROSSING THE JAMES-CAVALRY RECONNOISSANCE TO MALVERN HILL-THE ATTACK ON PETERSBURG-PARTIAL SUCCESS-BUTLER CUTS THE RAILROAD-THE ASSAULTS OF THE SECOND AND NINTH CORPS ON THE DEFENCES OF PETERSBURG-INCOMPLETE SUCCESS-THE REBELS RETIRE TO THEIR INNER LINE OF DEFENCES-FAILURE OF THE ATTEMPT TO CARRY THESETHE ATTACKS ON THE WELDON RAILROAD-THE DISASTROUS REPULSE OF JUNE 22d-THE POSITION NEArly regained, BUT NO ADVANCE MADE-WILSON'S AND kautz's raid ON THE WELDON AND SOUTHSIDE RAILROADS-GREAT DESTRUCTION OF RAILROAD TRACKS AND PROPERTY-HEAVY LOSSES OF THE EXPEDITION IN ITS RETURN MARCH-EARLY'S FORAY INTO MARYLAND AND PENNSYLVANIA-TERROR OF THE INHABITANTS--THE BATTLE OF MONOCACY-WALLACE DEFEATED-THE SIXTH AND NINETEENTH CORPS ORDERED INTO MARYLAND-GENERAL ORD SUCCEEDS GENERAL WALLACE-RAILROADS BROKEN UP AND TRAINS CAPTURED BY THE REBELS-WASHINGTON THREATENED-REBELS DEFEATED BY GENERAL AUGUR-THEIR RETREAT ACROSS THE POTOMAC-FIGHTING AT SNICKER'S AND ASHBY'S GAPS—AVERELL'S BATTLE NEAR WINCHESTER-DEFEAT OF THE REBELS-BATTLE OF WINCHESTER, JULY 24TH-CROOK DEFEATED, and mulliGAN KILLED—SKETCH OF MULLIGAN-THE PANIC IN MARYLAND AND PENNSYLVANIA RENEWED-ABSURD REPORTSBURNING OF CHAMBERSBURG-MOSBY'S LITTLE RAID-GOVERNor curtin CALLS A SPECIAL SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE-THIRTY THOUSAND MILITIA CALLED OUT-EARLY'S RETREAT FIGHTING NEAR CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND-REBELS DEFEATED BY AVERELL AT MOOREFIELD, VIRGINIA-THE MINE AT PETERSBURG-DEMONSTRATION ON THE ENEMY'S LEFT-FIGHT AT DEEP BOTTOM-EXPLOSION OF THE MINE-FATAL BLUNDERING-REPULSE AND HEAVY LOSS.

WE have referred incidentally, in connection with other operations, to the movements of the army under Sigel, in the Shenandoah valley, and to those troops in Western Virginia, under Crook and Averell, whose office it was to threaten the Rebel communications by way of the Virginia and Tennessee railroad. The movements of these troops, though not, on the whole, successful, and perhaps contributing but little, one way or the other, toward the final result, was yet of sufficient importance to merit some notice.

The force under Crook and Averell fought three battles about the middle of May, near the west line of the State, on New river, with the Rebel Generals Sam. Jones and A. G. Jenkins, and were successful in all. In one of them General Jenkins fell into the hands of the Union troops

mortally wounded; and in the three, about six hundred of the Rebels were killed and wounded, and three hundred taken prisoners. Averell also succeeded in cutting the Virginia and Tennessee railroad, burning the bridge over New river, and destroying several miles of the track. The loss of these troops, who were, perhaps, one half of them, guerrillas and bushwhackers, was not a very serious one to Lee, and the injury done to the railroad was but temporary.

General Sigel, in the Shenandoah valley, did not meet with success. He moved, early in May, up the valley as far as New Market, where, on the 15th of May, he encountered a Rebel force of seven or eight thousand, under the command of General Breckinridge, with Echols and Imboden under him as subordinate generals. General Sigel chose an untenable position, and after some hard fighting was defeated, with a loss of about six hundred killed and wounded, fifty taken prisoners, and five pieces of artillery. On receiving the report of this mishap, the War Department promptly relieved General Sigel of his command, and ordered him to Martinsburg, as post commander, while General David Hunter succeeded him in the command of the army of the Shenandoah valley.

Breckinridge, after defeating Sigel, hastened, as we have seen, to reinforce Lee, whose numbers had been seriously reduced by the battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania, and General Hunter found few Rebel troops to oppose his progress toward Staunton, which town he reached and captured on the 6th of June, having the previous day fought and defeated a Rebel force under General W. E. Jones near Mount Crawford. The Rebels were very heavy losers in this battle, their commander, General Jones, being killed, a large number of their troops killed or wounded, fifteen hundred prisoners, and three guns captured, and the remainder of their forces driven from Staunton to Waynesboro. On the 8th, a junction was effected between Hunter's force and those commanded by Crook and Averell, from Western Virginia.

He had received instructions, after this reinforcement, to march toward Charlottesville, tearing up the track of the Virginia Central railroad as he went, and driving the Rebels before him toward Charlottesville and Gordonsville, and there to form a junction with Sheridan, who, as we have seen, was pushing toward the latter point. Had he done so, the Rebels, somewhat too strong for either force separate, might have been driven out of Gordonsville by the combined force with heavy loss, and Lynchburg, one of the most important dépôts of supplies for the Rebels, have been captured. Owing to some misunderstanding, for we cannot in justice ascribe to so meritorious an officer as General Hunter any other motive, he failed to join the cavalry commander; and while he delayed, to destroy the Lexington Military Institute and Governor Letcher's house, Sheridan was compelled to fall back for want of support; and when at

MOVEMENTS OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.

737 last he approached Lynchburg, it was too strongly fortified and garrisoned to make success possible.

Lee now sent General Early, who had taken command of Ewell's corps in consequence of the illness of Ewell, to drive Hunter out of the valley. Early at once assumed the offensive, and marching out from Lynchburg with a large and well appointed force, he compelled Hunter to fall back-and he adopted what he believed to be the most judicious course, but, as it proved, was a very unwise one. He abandoned the Shenandoah valley-having previously had a fight with the Rebels, in which only a part of his troops were engaged, and in which he lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners, about six hundred, and several pieces of artillery-and moved westward into the Kanawha valley, leaving the Shenandoah valley open to the Rebel forces. Early took immediate advantage of this blunder, and marched at once down the valley, capturing Winchester, flanking Martinsburg, where General Sigel was in command, and compelling him to evacuate the town, and retreat to Harper's Ferry, on the 3d of July. This in turn was evacuated by Colonel Mulligan, and "Sigel took possession of Maryland heights, and the Rebels of the town and the Virginia side. Of Early's subsequent movements we shall speak by and by. Hunter saw his mistake too late, and made desperate efforts to retrieve it, and to reach the Potomac; but in attempting to cross the mountains, the greater part of his train and seven cannon were lost, and his troops were placed on short allowance, and suffered severely. The blunders of Sigel and Hunter in this campaign were not the result of cowardice, for there were not two braver generals in the army, but they indicated a want of capacity and generalship for the somewhat difficult situations in which they were placed, and resulted in serious and extensive disaster to Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania.

We return to the army of the Potomac, which we left face to face with its enemy on the banks of the Chickahominy. Convinced that the small gains which could be made by a series of determined and persistent assaults upon the very strong positions occupied by the Rebels would only be purchased by a heavy and excessive sacrifice of life, and having, besides, resolved, as a part of his plan for the utter overthrow of Lee's army, to approach it from the south and southwest, and by cutting off its communications compel it to surrender, General Grant now made the bold stroke of transferring the army of the Potomac to the south side of the James river. In this campaign he had already three times changed his base of supplies, to Belle Plain and Fredericksburg, to Port Royal, and to White House. He now proposed to change it again, to City Point, and at the same time to make a flanking movement with his whole army of about fifty-five miles around the enemy's base, and by routes nowhere more than six or eight miles distant from his fortified lines. It was in this case as in all the previous ones, the enemy's right which he flanked. The move