Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/61

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cavalry. moved out to Hatcher's Run, and in the afternoon parts of the Sixth and Ninth were ordered up to reinforce them. This move- ment \vas resisted by Hill's Corps and parts of Longstreet's, Heth's Division attacking Humphrey's (Second Corps i and subsequently the whole corps participating. Nothing accomplished. Fighting resumed on the 6th and jth, and Hill gained some advantage in the afternoon of the 6th by defeating with heavy loss Warren's Fifth Corps. But they brought up fresh troops and our victory was a barren one, the Federals finally holding Hatcher's Run.

Another lull followed until the 25th of March, when General Lee, with Gordon's Division, made an assault on Fort Stedman's (Hare's Hill) on the Federal right and carried it handsomely, with capture of prisoners and guns. But our army was now so attenuated that we could not hold any ground we gained or follow up any victory, while the Federals could pour in fresh troops to retrieve their disas- ters; so the fort was soon retaken, and Grant made a counter demonstration along his lines. There was some severe fighting on our right in which McRae's Brigade was engaged. Nothing accom- plished on either side.

Meanwhile Grant had been preparing his army for a final cou/> dc main, withdrawing troops from the north side of the James and from the entrenchments on the right of his line at Petersburg, con- centrating them on the right of his left near Hatcher's Run. His programme was to bear down on our right with crushing force, and in case Lee reinforced his right with troops from the trenches at Petersburg, to assault the weakened lines at any practicable point and carry them. The plan was a complete success. Lee did carry e\ ery available soldier to the right, and some heavy fighting with varying fortune was done there beginning March 29, and culminating in the battle of Five Forks April r, in which last battle our troops (Pickett's Division and our cavalry corps under Fitz. Lee) were dis- astrously defeated at the hands of Sheridan's cavalry and Warren's Fifth Corps of Infantry. On the morning of April 2nd, at 4 o'clock, our attenuated lines near Petersburg were assaulted by Generals Wright and Parke (Sixth and Ninth Corps) previously massed in front of their works, and so near to ours that they could reach them in a few steps and almost before their approach was known. Wright's Corps carried the works in his front which would have been impregnable if defended by any adequate force, but which in fact were occupied by a mere skirmish line. The Eleventh and the