Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/57

 The KIrrrnth \rth Carnliiiu /fry//*/*.*//. 61

SPOTSYI.VANIA TO PETKRSBURG.

Continuing his policy of turning our flank and interposing himself between us and Richmond, in which policy he was continually foiled by finding (ieneral Lee in front of him at every move, General Grant transferred his army to the North Anna and then to the Chicka- hominy, whence, despairing of reaching Richmond by the north Mik-, he crossed the James, intending to take Petersburg. In the course of these movements, lasting from the 2Oth of May to June I4th, many engagements of minor and some of great importance took place on the line of the North Anna, Pamunkey and Totopo- tomy rivers, and around Cold Harbor and the Chickahominy. Our brigade took part in a number of them, marching and counter- marching, and doing some very hard fighting; but the details I find myself unable to record in their order satisfactorily. In one of these fights General Kirkland was wounded, and did not again rejoin the brigade,. Colonel McRae, of the Fifteenth North Carolina, was promoted June 2jth and assigned to the command of our brigade, in which command he continued until the surrender at Appomattox. He was a strict disciplinarian, as was Pettigrew, and which General Kirkland was not, and he rapidly brought the brigade to a high degree of efficiency. General Kirkland was subsequently assigned to a brigade in Hoke's Division.

AROUND PETERSBURG.

General Grant commenced transferring his army across the James June I4th, and in conjunction with the troops already on the south side attempted to surprise and capture Petersburg before Lee's forces could get there; and he very nearly succeeded. But after some pretty stubborn fighting he was again foiled, and both armies pro- ceeded to entrench themselves in a line reaching from the James to the Appomattox and around Petersburg nearly to the Weldon railroad, and what was practically a siege of the city began, to last until its fall in April, 1865. In some places these lines ultimately came so close together that no pickets could be thrown out, and picket duty was performed by sharpshooters in the trenches, who made it hazardous for any one on either side to expose any part of his person. Mortar slulling was also added to the ordinary artillery fire, rendering bomb-proofs a necessity, and they were accordingly built all along our lines. In spite of this dangerous proximity and the well nigh