Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/96

 90 Southern Historical Society Papers.

the death or capture of every one of whom was a loss not to be repaired.

The grandest compHment ever paid by one soldier to another was paid by Grant to Lee in the famous "attrition" order of the former. It openly abandoned competition with him in the fields of strategy and manoeuvre, and simply proposed to hurl superior against infe- rior forces, until " by the mere force of attrition' ' the latter should be annihilated. Whatever else may be said of it, the plan seemed sure of success, and it succeeded, but at the cost of such enormous destruction to the superior force as the Federal general could hardly have contemplated.

The situation was from the first a desperate one for Lee. The odds against him, and the enemy's unlimited capacity for maintain- ing and increasing them, left little chance for a decisive victory. He might not hope that Grant would divide his forces, and give him the chance, so often profited by in the past, of whipping him in detail. The policy of retreat, however "masterly," could lead to but one result — the final submission to a siege within the defenses of Rich mond, and consequent abandonment of the capital.

The only course which promised the possibility of success was to fight from the start, to attack, regardless of odds, whenever op- portunity offered, to dispute every step of the advance, to hold every position to the last, and to take those chances which, upon the most unequal fields, genius sometimes finds to snatch victory from the very jaws of despair.

There is something magnificent in the audacity with which, as soon as Grant had crossed the Rapidan, and set his vast force on the advance to Richmond, Lee marched straight for him, and in- stantly grappled with him in the Wilderness. A terrible wresde ensued, lasting for two days, in which the advantage was on the Con- federate side. It was Grant and not Lee who retired from this struggle, and sought by a rapid flank movement to gain Spotsyl- vania Courthouse. But Lee anticipated his design, and reaching that point simultaneously with Grant, again opposed his army to his advance on Richmond. Here again the two armies closed in des perate fight, in which, as at the Wilderness, the losses of the enemy were terrific. After repeated and fierce assaults Grant again retired from this field, and moved by the flank toward Bowling Green, but Lee reached Hanover Junction in time to place himself again in his front.

Declining the gage of battle here offered. Grant began a series of