Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/460

 454 Southern Historical Society Papers.

next day. General Sheridan, repulsed and defeated, abandoned his raid and escaped down the Chickahominy.

The battle commenced early in the forenoon, and continued with much charging and counter charging until late in the afternoon, for General Stuart did not fall until about 4 o'clock. If General Sheri- dan had not been intercepted and so vigorously repulsed by Stuart's greatly inferior force, he might have ridden into Richmond in the morning, but opportunity was offered by the delay of many hours created by Stuart's force, and successful opposition, for infantry to be concentrated in the formidable works on that side of the fateful capi- tal where the battle was fought, and then it was scarcely possible for cavalry to have entered the city. Richmond was entirely surrounded by a ditch and embankment, impassable for cavalry, and after the works were properly manned by infantry, as they were on that occa- sion, it is safe to say that it would have been extremely imprudent for General Sheridan to have attempted to ride into the city, and he evidently thought so too. The Northern people would almost have deified " Little Phil" had he occupied the Confederate capital even for an hour even long enough to have burned it.

If people could only know beforehand what they subsequently learn, many signal failures would have been converted into magnifi- cent successes. Richmond was impregnable for four years against all assaults, because the Generals who were sent to capture it lacked the power and the knowledge requisite to the accomplishment of so great an enterprise. They saw their mistakes only when too late. It was the same way with the Confederates. These post mortem views are valuable to the student, but they are thoroughly worth- less as a basis for the fame of any soldier who might have succeeded had he known how.

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