thousand men,-infantry, artillery, and cavalry,-with their almost interminable line of wagons, pressed on toward their goal. All day long of Sunday and of Monday, and until Tuesday afternoon, with scarcely any rest, even at night, these iron men tramped on in silence, till the extraordinary feat was accomplished. They crossed the Chickahominy and the James, accomplishing a march of fifty. five miles without the loss of a wagon or a gun. This extraordinary movement was effected in the presence of an enemy a hundred thousand strong, desperate in courage, ably officered, and whose ramparts were in many places within fifty yards of the entrenchments from which General Grant marched his troops. Every possible path was crowded with the immense host. Through swamps and dust, and the blaze of noonday and the gloom of midnight, the army, guided by the energies and protected by the sagacity of one mind, pressed forward till the marvelous feat was accomplished."

It will be remembered that Grant had ordered Butler to ascend the south bank of the James River to menace Richmond from the South, and thus prevent the withdrawal of the garrisons

in and around Richmond-the Confederate forces were under command of Beauregard, who had gone South to meet Butler with an overwhelming force. Butler, learning of this, and fully realizing that he could not successfully meet such an army in the open field, secured a commanding

BENJAMIN F. BUTLER.

position and entrenched his army; the enemy rearing strong entrenchments in front of his lines, had held him where he was and prevented any advance on his part.

On Wednesday, the 15th, the advance of the Union army crossed the James River and joined Butler at Bermuda Hundred; by the 16th the whole army was on the South side. Previous to the arrival of the Army of the Potomac, General Butler had made an ineffectual attempt to capture Petersburg, twenty-two miles south of Richmond-this city is the center of all the railways running South from Richmond, and once in the possession of the Union forces would compel the evacuation of the Confederate capital. By the dilatory movements of the Union

PHILIP H. SHERIDAN.

officer intrusted with the order to occupy Petersburg, General Lee and his veterans had arrived in force, and was able to repulse the several subsequent assaults by the troops of Meade, Burnside, Warren, Hancock, and other commanders. The assaults

were made; unparalleled in heroism by

the Northern soldiers-but General Grant became satisfied that the formidable entrenchments manned by the veterans of Lee could not be carried by assault, as they were capable of resisting five-fold their numbers. Petersburg could not be taken except by siege.

May 9 General Sheridan had been sent with Generals Merritt, Gregg and Custer, and a force of cavalry to cut Lee's communications. Cutting loose from the army he

swept around the right flank of the rebel army, striking the Virginia Central Railroad at Beaver Dam Station, destroyed ten miles of track, three trains of cars, a million and a half of rations, liberated 400 Union prisoners taken in the Wilderness and then on the way to Libby prison. On the 11th he captured Ashland Station, on the Fredericksburg road, destroying the railroad property and a large amount of supplies. Being charged with the duty of menacing Richmond, he pushed on to Yellow Tavern, a few miles north of Richmond, where he was confronted by that able rebel cavalry leader, General Stuart. After a sharp engagement he drove the Confederates toward Ashland with the loss of their gallant commander. Dashing down the road to Richmond he made a spirited charge upon the outer works -which were bravely carried by Custer, who captured over 100 prisoners. Finding the second line too strong for his force, he crossed the Chickahominy at Meadow Bridge, where he destroyed the railroad bridge, pushing southward to Huxhall's Landing on the James-here he rested three days-rejoining the army on May 25.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG AND RICHMOND.

Petersburg contained at this time a population of about fifteen thousand. It is situated on the south bank of the Appomattox River, twelve miles above its mouth, and twenty-five miles south of Richmond. It was the intention of the Union commander to seize the railways leading south from the city, investing it on the south and west. The first railroad south of the James, which was easily seized, was the one running from Petersburg to Norfolk. The next one, some ten or twelve miles west of this, was the Petersburg and Weldon, and still further west was the Petersburg and Lynchburg road, running nearly west. Both of these roads were of vital importance to the Confederacy, opening as they did all of the resources of the South.

After General Grant had become convinced that it would be impossible to carry the strong entrenchments of the city, manned by the veterans of Lee's army, it became necessary to close the avenues of supplies, in order that a siege might be successfully prosecuted; and he at once instructed the Sixth and Second Corps to advance toward the Weldon road. The movement was made on the 21st, and advanced as far as the Jerusalem plank road, about midway between the Norfolk and the Weldon roads. Here they encountered the enemy in such force that they