Gen. Grant speaks of the mine affair as follows:

There had been some delay on the left and right in advancing, but some of the troops did get in and turn to the right and left, carrying the rifle-pits as I expected they would do. "There had been great consternation in Petersburg, as we were well aware, about the rumored mine that we were going to explode. We had learned through a deserter who had come in that the people had very wild rumors about what was going on. They said we had undermined the whole of Petersburg; that they were resting upon a slumbering volcano. I somewhat based my calculations upon this state of feeling, and expected that when the mine was exploded the troops to the right and left would flee in all directions, and that our troops, if they moved promptly, could get in and strengthen themselves before the enemy had come to realize the true situation. It was just as I expected it would be. We could see the men running without any apparent object except to get away. It was half an hour before musketry-firing, to any amount, was opened upon our men in the crater. It was an hour before the enemy got artillery to play upon them, and it was nine o'clock before Lee got up reinforcements to help in expelling our troops.

"The effort was a stupendous failure. It cost us 4,000 men, mostly, however, captured,—and all due to the inefficiency on the part of the corps commander, and the incompetency of the division commander who was sent to lead the assault."

EMBARRASSMENTS.--Gen. Sherman, who was at Atlanta, wanted reinforcements. He was willing to take the raw troops

being raised in the Northwest. Grant kept watch that Confederate reinforcements should not be sent from Virginia, to move against Sherman from his north or east. It was feared that Gen. Kirby Smith, in command of the trans-Mississippi river forces, might also go against Sherman; but a force was held ready to hold him in check. In the midst of these embarrassments, Halleck informed Grant that there was an organized scheme on foot in the North to resist the draft; he suggested that troops might be required to put the rising down, and advised him, at the same time, " to take in his sail and not go too fast."

WELDON RAILROAD TAKEN, AUGUST 18, 1864.-While Sheridan was conducting a telling campaign against Early in the Shenandoah Valley, Grant was active before Richmond and Petersburg. He ordered a demonstration against Richmond on the south side of the James, August 14th, to prevent more reinforcements from being sent to Early. The threatening position was maintained for a number of days, with more or less skirmishing, and some tolerably hard fighting. Instructions had been given to prevent anything like a general battle unless there should be opportunities for a decided success.

This demonstration against Richmond caused Lee to withdraw many of his troops from Petersburg. Grant then ordered Gen. Warren to capture Weldon Railroad, a road of great importance to the enemy, as the avenues for bringing Confederate supplies to the army were already being much contracted. It was evident that the capture and maintenance of this road would

bring about some desperate fighting. The movement was made on the morning of August 18th. After some heavy fighting the road was carried, the new position fortified, and reinforcements sent to hold it. Lee made repeated attempts to dislodge Warren's corps, but without success, and with heavy losses. The cost to the Union army in the entire movement for the possession of the Weldon Railroad was about 4,550 men killed, wounded, and missing, most of them prisoners; while Lee's loss was some less than half that number.

REAM'S STATION, AUGUST 21, 1864.-Hancock, who had been recalled from the north of the James in the demonstration against Richmond, moved rapidly toward the Weldon road in the rear of Warren. Striking it near Ream's Station, August 21, he commenced tearing up the road. After having destroyed a considerable portion of it, he was vigorously attacked by Hill. When night came, Hancock withdrew from Ream's Station. His loss was 2,400 (1,700 prisoners) out of 8,000, and Hill's was but little less.

This disaster did not loosen Warren's hold upon the Weldon Railroad. He had made his position impregnable, and Lee was compelled to see one of his important lines of communication pass from him.

This closed the active operations around Richmond for the winter. There were frequent skirmishes among the pickets, but no serious battle took place between the contending forces until the following spring.

CHAPTER XVIII.

SHERIDAN AND EARLY IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY, 1864.

SIGEL'S DEFEAT AT NEWMARKET, MAY 15, 1864.-Grant's comprehensive plan of campaign embraced not only the Overland Campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, and Butler's movement toward Richmond, but the coöperative movements directed up the Shenandoah and Kanawha valleys. The former was under Gen. Sigel, and the latter under Gen. Crook.

Sigel accordingly moved up the valley on May 1, 1864, with 10,000 men, and was met near Newmarket by a Confederate army of equal force under Breckinridge. Sigel's army was defeated with a loss of 700 men, and driven back to Cedar creek, near Strasburg.

Gen. Crook moved from Charlestown, with a force of about eight thousand men, at the same time Sigel left Winchester; but by dividing his forces he was compelled to retreat from the enemy, and missed an opportunity to strike a telling blow against him.

Gen. Grant relieved Sigel of command, and named Gen. Hunter in his place. The pressure upon Gen. Lee's forces led to the withdrawal of Breckinridge, with the better part of his forces, for the defense of Richmond, while W. E. Jones was left in command of the remaining forces.

MARCH ON LYNCHBURG, JUNE 18, 1864.-The two armies met at Piedmont. Jones was killed, his army routed, and about fifteen hundred prisoners taken, and 3,000 small arms. Hunter advanced to Staunton, where he was reinforced by Crook and Averill, bringing his numbers up to 20,000 men.

Hunter was ordered to cross the Blue Ridge and take Lynchburg, the chief city in the western part of Virginia, situated in a rich and populous region. It was of great importance to the Confederates, as it had at that time extensive manufactories, was located on the James river and canal, and in unbroken railroad communication with Richmond and Petersburg on the one hand and the farther South on the other. Gen. Lee dispatched a considerable force from Richmond under Gen. Early to the relief of the city. Early arrived at Lynchburg the day before the attack was commenced, June 18th. Hunter's ammunition ran low, while great numbers were rallying to overwhelm him; he had no choice but to retreat, closely pursued as far as Salem. Hunter marched north into West Virginia, over an exhausted and desolated region, living on the country as he went. The loss of horses and the suffering of his men were great. He was compelled to make a circuitous and harassing movement, to escape severe punishment, by way of the Kanawha and Ohio rivers, and by Parkersburg and Grafton. This took a long time, and rendered his army of no service until its return.

EARLY'S MOVEMENT ON WASHINGTON, JULY, 1864.-Hunter's failure before Lynchburg, followed by his circuitous march to return to the contested soil of Virginia, left the Shenandoah