Battles of the Civil War

A severe cavalry engagement was fought at Trevilian Station, north of Richmond, on June 11th, between the Confederates, commanded by Generals Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee, and the Federals, commanded by General Sheridan.

During the latter days of July the Federals were engaged in digging a mammoth tunnel, beginning in the rear of their entrenchments and to extend under the Confederate fortifications before Petersburg, at the completion of which they expected to fill the same with large quantities of gunpowder which was to be exploded and was expected to blow up the Confederate fortifications.

Of all the schemes employed by either army this was the greatest, and one in which Grant had great faith, and the progress of which was watched with great anxiety. The Confederates were apprised of this undertaking, and had made ready by placing several batteries within their lines so that the fire from the same would sweep the opening which would be made by the blowing up of the "crater." At a few minutes past five on the morning of July 30th this mine was exploded, which was a sight to behold. The Federal troops who were in waiting to march through the opening were somewhat delayed from the shock and horror of the explosion, but at length marched in the opening in great numbers, and by this time the Confederate batteries were brought into action, which so horribly swept their ranks, and they were charged by General Mahone with several divisions of Georgia troops, and the Federal loss became so great, and their ranks in so much confusion, that they were ordered to retire within their entrenchments, thus bringing to a dismal failure the capture of Petersburg by this plan.

During the last days of August Grant renewed his plan to destroy the Weldon railroad. This task was given to General Warren, with a large force who, after fighting several hard battles with the dashing Mahone, whose numbers were greatly inferior to that of Warren, and from his reputation for strategy it is thought that he was very worthy to wear the mantle of "Stonewall" Jackson, the Federals succeeded in destroying this railroad in several places.

Grant continued to extend his lines, and by the end of October he was very near the Southside railroad, and on the 27th fought a desperate battle with A. P. Hill at Hatcher's Run, in which the Federals were defeated and retired within their entrenchments before Petersburg, this being the last engagement of importance until the coming spring.

The suffering and privation endured by Lee's army during the winter of 1864 and 1865, while they lay within the defenses of Petersburg and Richmond with scant clothing and food, can scarcely be imagined by anyone excepting those who were there. Their numbers were depleted by sickness and other causes so by the coming of spring Lee had within his ranks less than 50,000 men.

Lee's lines had been extended until they were so thin that there was danger of breaking. A. P. Hill held the right, Gordon and Anderson the center, and Longstreet the left. Late in February Grant's army was reënforced by General Sheridan from the valley, and in the last days of March it was further reënforced from General Butler's army from down the James River.

General Lee began to see the position that he was in with his army against superior numbers and equipment, and felt that he must sooner or later evacuate Petersburg, and began to plan a junction of his army with General Johnston's in North Carolina.

General Grant anticipated this plan of Lee's and began to extend his lines westward so if possible to cut off Lee's chances of retreat.

Lee determined to make a bold attack on Grant's right, the objective point being Fort Stedman. This plan was given to General Gordon to be carried out, which he gallantly did, and captured the fort, but was unable to hold the same, and retired within the Confederate lines. His attack and capture of Fort Stedman was carefully planned and well supported by the main Confederate army.

The battle at Fort Stedman did not interfere with Grant's plan in extending his lines along the front of the Confederate army, under General Warren. Lee had sent General Anderson to hold the road over which he would retreat in the event he was compelled to evacuate Petersburg.

On the 31st a large Confederate force was at Dinwiddie Court House, and during that night they took a strong position at Five Forks, and here on April 1st a hard battle was fought, the Federals being commanded by Generals Sheridan and Warren. The Confederates were finally defeated with a loss of 5,000 prisoners.

The Confederates' defeat at Five Forks was a great blow to Lee, and he immediately began preparations for the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond.

On the night of April 1st Grant began his attack all along his lines, which he kept up the entire night. His cannon threw shells into the doomed city, and at dawn on April 2d the assault began. The Federal troops went forward in an impetuous charge through a storm of grape and canister which was poured into their ranks. The Confederates fell back within their inner breastworks and the Federals pushed on the left as far as Hatcher's Run, where they had a severe engagement in which the Confederate General Pegram was killed, and another engagement near the Southside railroad in which General A. P. Hill was killed. His death was an irreparable loss to the Confederacy. He was one of their able corps commanders, and had been in all the principal engagements in the East. He played a distinctive part in the Seven Days' Battles before Richmond; his timely arrival on the field saved Lee's army from utter rout at Antietam Creek and turned defeat into partial victory; he was a great favorite of "Stonewall" Jackson, and took a distinctive part in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, in which last-named battle he was near by when "Stonewall" Jackson was mortally wounded; with his corps was first on the field at Gettysburg; his corps received the first onslaught of the Federals at the Battle of the Wilderness; was too sick to command his corps at Spottsylvania Court House, which was temporarily commanded by General Early; played a distinctive part at Cold Harbor, and here at Petersburg, on Sunday, April 2d, the end. He was buried in the cemetery at Petersburg on the night of April 2d, while the whole country was being lit up by bursting shells and the hurrying and noise of the progress of a great battle.

On Sunday morning, April 2d, General Lee notified the authorities at Richmond that he must evacuate Petersburg at once, and to notify President Davis of the situation. President Davis was at St. Paul's Church with several of his cabinet listening to a sermon by Dr. Minnegerode, speaking of a supper before Gethsemane. The sexton walked up the isle and handed the President the message, which he read, and quietly retired from the church, this being noticeable on account of it being somewhat out of the ordinary, although they were accustomed to the roar of the cannon at Petersburg. However, it was soon known that Petersburg and Richmond were soon to be evacuated, and the service was dismissed at the church without further announcement.

The city of Richmond was in a state of excitement as the officers of the government departed from the city on their way to Danville, and during the night the arsenals were set on fire by the evacuating troops. The flames spread to a large portion of the city, which was burned. The next day the city was taken charge of by the Federals.

THE SURRENDER AT APPOMATTOX

We are now to the closing scenes of the greatest civil war of modern times.

Lee evacuated Petersburg early on the third morning of April, 1865, and retreated toward Amelia Court House.

With the evacuation of Petersburg also fell the city of Richmond. For nine months Lee's invincible forces had kept a foe more than twice their numbers from invading their capital.

Lee had ordered supplies for his army to Amelia Court House, for which they were in sore need, as they had been on little or no rations for several days, but by some mistake of orders the train of supplies had been sent on to Richmond. This serious mistake was a crushing blow to Lee's army, for when his troops reached Amelia Court House and found no supplies, which had been promised them, their hopes sank within them. Lee, as well as his officers, had come to realize that the end of the great war could not be far distant.

Grant's army was hastening in pursuit of that of Lee's, Grant had sent General Sheridan to flank around Lee's army and get in his front, so if possible to cut off his chance of escape.

Lee had intended to concentrate his forces at Amelia Court House, but his whole army did not come up until the evening of the 5th, and on the discovery of his inadequate supplies he began the march anew toward Farmville, dividing his army so as to secure supplies from the country over which he passed. In the afternoon of April 6th Lee's army was overtaken by the Federals and a hard battle was fought at Sailor's Creek, in which General Richard Ewell, who was on the rear of Lee's army, was captured with his entire corps, numbering about 6,000 men.

Lee's main army reached Farmville on the night of the 6th of April, where they received their first rations within two days, and near which place a hard battle was fought, in which the Confederates, under General Mahone, gained a temporary victory.

The retreat was again renewed in the hope of breaking through the Federal lines, which were rapidly enveloping around them. During these marches the soldiers were so worn out from hunger, fatigue, and lack of sufficient clothing in the early spring weather, that there was much straggling from the army, and many had thrown their arms away until scarcely one-third of Lee's army was equipped for battle.

Lee's army reached Appomattox Court House late in the evening of April 8th, and here found the Federals in their front, and were compelled to stop and prepare for battle. General Lee and his officers held a council of war that night and decided to make a desperate effort to cut through the Federal lines the next morning. This task was assigned to General Gordon.

On Sunday, the 9th, Gordon made a fierce attack upon the Federals in his front, but was finally repulsed by overwhelming numbers, and sent word to General Lee that he could do nothing further unless he was heavily supported from Longstreet's corps.

With the repulse of Gordon on that morning sank Lee's last hope of breaking through the Federal lines, and he said there is nothing to do but see Grant.

Grant had proposed to Lee at Farmville, on the evening of the 7th, terms for the surrender of Lee's army, to which Lee replied that as much as he desired peace, yet the time certainly had not arrived for the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.

After the repulse of Gordon, on April 9th, Lee soon arranged a meeting with Grant and a truce was ordered pending negotiations for the surrender of Lee's army. This meeting took place at the house of Wilmer McLean at Appomattox Court House, at which place the terms were finally agreed upon by the two world famous commanders and were put in writing in the form of a letter from General Grant to General Lee, and the acceptance of the terms were written by Lee to Grant in the same form.

It is interesting to know that Wilmer McLean had lived on the battlefield of Bull Run during the progress of the first battle fought there, and after the battle moved to Appomattox Court House, and at his house was negotiated the terms of the surrender of Lee's army, thus around his premises was fought the first and the last great battle of the war.

The Confederate officers were allowed to retain their side arms, and the Confederate soldiers to retain their horses. This was a welcome concession.

Lee's army numbered less than 28,000 men, which he surrendered. Of these less than one-third were bearing arms on the day of surrender.

The Confederate soldiers for some time did not realize that negotiations for their surrender was on and were expecting and seemed to be anxious for another battle with General Sheridan in their front, and were greatly surprised on learning of the negotiations that had been completed for their surrender.

It was at once apparent to all that the great war was practically ended.

On the next day the surrender of the army was completed, and when Lee made his farewell address to his soldiers, who had so faithfully defended their faith in the Confederacy in all the hard battles in which they had been engaged, and especially since the Wilderness campaign, and in the defense of Petersburg and Richmond in the closing days, where their endurance was the greatest, and had now come down to the closing scenes at Appomattox, they were all deeply moved. General Lee, in broken accents, admonished them to be as brave citizens as they had been soldiers.

Thus practically ended the greatest civil war in history. Soon after Lee's surrender the other Confederate forces arranged for their surrender in quick succession.

It had been a long, bloody and devastating war, and it is said that there were more Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout alone than the number with Lee's army at the surrender.

The war closed on a spectacle of ruin the greatest yet known in America. While the smoke had cleared away, and the roar of the cannon had ceased, yet there could be heard the wailing of mothers, widows and orphans throughout both North and South, which is the greatest costs of so great and devastating war.

The Southern states lay prostrate; their resources gone; their fields desolate; their cities ruined; the fruits of the toil of generations all swept to destruction.

The total number of Union soldiers engaged were about a million and a half. Of this number, 275,000 were either killed in battle, died of mortal wounds or from disease in camp, and the loss to the Confederates was approximately the same. In both armies about 400,000 were disabled for life, thus making a grand total loss of about a million able-bodied men to the country.

At the close of the war over 60,000 Confederate prisoners were released. The records of the war department shows that 220,000 Confederates were made prisoners in the war. This includes, of course, the surrender of the armies at the close. Of this number 25,000 died of wounds and disease during their captivity. The estimated number of Union captives were about 200,000, of whom 40,000 died in captivity.

THE END