Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/544

 538 Southern Historical Society Papers.

As General Lee had sent Breckinridge back towards the Valley on June 8th, and General Early, with the Second corps (now num- bering about eight thousand muskets — it having suffered more than either of the other corps), on the 12th to meet Hunter at Lynchburg, and restored Hoke's division to General Beauregard at Petersburg, the odds against him were much increased, as he had now with him only from twenty-five to twenty-seven thousand infantry.

These bold movements show what he thought of the condition of the Federal army and his undiminished confidence in the morale of his own troops.

When Grant reached the James in safety, after his successful march, he did not repose under the shadow of his gunboats, as did the sorely bruised McClellan in 1862. Being essentially a man of action and obstinent persistency — and, more than all, having the advantage of McClellan in the consciousness that his Government had staked all on him and would support him with all its resources — he crossed the James and pushed on to Petersburg. He attacked Beauregard on the Petersburg lines on the 15th with Smith's corps, sent in trans- ports from the White House. Reinforcing Smith heavily, he attacked him again on the i6th, and pushed corps after corps to the front. On the 17th Beauregard had all Grant's armv to deal with. Fighting against overwhelming numbers, he had exacted a bloody tribute for every foot gained by the enemy. Though Grant met with partial success in carrying the outer lines, held by a mere handful of troops, yet Beauregard's small force, strengthened by his brigades with- drawn from the Bermuda Hundred lines and by the return of Hoke's division from Cold Harbor, held him in check at the interior lines until General Lee's arrival with reinforcements on the i8th of June.

General Lee remained on the north side of the James until June 15th. On the night of that day he camped near Drewry's Bluff. On the i6th and 17th of June he superintended personally the recap ture of the Bermuda Hundred lines by Fields's and Pickett's divis- ions. These lines had been occupied by Butler after the withdrawal of Beauregard's troops for the defence of Petersburg on the day be fore. The incident of the volunteer attack of our men on these lines, various incorrect versions of which have been given, happened thus : By the afternoon of the 17th all of the line had been retaken except a portion in front of the Clay House. The order had been given to Generals Field and Pickett to move against them from the lines which they held. But meantime the engineers reported that the line already taken up by our troops was of sufficient strength,