Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 29.djvu/303

 Change of BHW. 287

GRANT'S CROSSING OF THE RAPIDAN.

The campaign was as yet but a month old. General Grant crossed the Rapidan on the night of May 4 at the head of an army of 120,- ooo men of all arms, feeling confident that with this mighty force he could beat down all opposition to his straight march on Richmond. General Lee met him in the Wilderness with but 60,000 men, and that straight line was deflected to the left, and still again at Spotsyl- vania, where he had hoped to resume his direct march, and this left-flank "forward" movement was continued until Cold Harbor was reached, but a few miles from Richmond, and here again he found the Confederate army disputing his further progress.

In these series of battles General Grant lost 55,000 men, or within 5,000 of as many as Lee had when the two armies met in the first battle of the campaign. These figures seem startling, but they are nevertheless official.

During the twelve days the two armies stood face to face at Cold Harbor, Lee was sparing no pains to strengthen his position in anti- cipation of another attack. But General Grant had changed his plans, and in the mean time was making preparations to extricate his army from the terrible predicament in which he had placed it.

WHY M'CLELLAN FAILED.

There was but one thing for him to do change his base to the James river, and that everlasting "forward" move by the left flank had to be performed once more. That great soldier, McClellan, al- ways insisted that the proper route to Richmond was by the James, and that McClellan was right was here demonstrated. Had that able commander been given what he called for in men and munitions of war, and at the same time as free a rein as had been given Gen- eral Grant, Richmond would have fallen two years before Grant began his advance by this new road. But re-enforcements had been denied him, and he was, moreover, embarrassed by arbitrary orders from Washington.

Grant could have gone to City Point by another route in less time without the loss of a man, much less 55,000. Many another general had before him suffered from having taken the wrong road, but I doubt if any other had paid so dearly for his mistake.

But the war of attrition Grant had inaugurated was bearing fruit. The grind was to go on, and it was only a question of time when the