Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 12.djvu/265

Rh Almost simultaneously the armies of Sherman and Grant moved out on their respective lines of advance Sherman to penetrate Georgia and Grant to take Richmond. General Grant, on May 4th, crossed the Rapidan to place his army between Lee and Richmond, but on the 5th and 6th found himself in sudden battle in the Wilderness. Checked in the first move, Grant turned toward Spottsylvania Court House, designing to reach that vantage ground before Lee discovered his purpose. But the Confederate commander anticipated the movement by marching Longstreet's corps to the same point, where the two armies again faced each other and fought for position on the 9th and 10th. General Sheridan, in co-operation with this infantry movement to Spottsylvania, had been sent by Grant with a fine corps of about 10,000 cavalry to ride to the rear of Lee's army and cut the communications with Richmond. Stuart, following after him, fought the battle of Yellow Tavern and rescued Richmond, but lost his own life. Sheridan's raid did not succeed and he returned to Grant.

The fighting at Spottsylvania, nearly continuous, culminated on this line on the 12th, when a salient left without proper artillery protection was carried at dawn by a Federal assault which swept over Gen. Edward Johnson's division and greatly imperiled Lee's army. A most remarkable infantry struggle took place during the day of this assault, at the end of which the Federal advance was checked. For a week afterward Grant awaited the arrival of reinforcements from Washington, which were sent, and then moving behind the cover of the rivers toward Bowling Green, found Lee in line offering battle at Hanover Junction. Shifting his army eastward without having ventured to attack Lee in this new position, he maneuvered to deceive Lee, but the two great armies again met on the battlefield of Cold Harbor, where the Federals were placed at disadvantage. It was at this point that General Grant, on the 3d of June, made