Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/374

 360 PETERSBURG (SIEGE OF) PETERWARDEIN but were routed and fled in confusion, pursued for miles by Sheridan's cavalry, who had also borne an important part in the action. The tvo strong divisions upon which Lee had main- ly counted for the salvation of his army were annihilated. The Union loss was about 1,000. The confederate loss in killed and wounded is unknown, but they lost 5,000 or 6,000 prison- ers. To prevent Lee from falling with his whole force upon Sheridan's command, a heavy bombardment was opened upon Peters- burg, and a general assault was made at day- break. The principal resistance was met in one of a chain of strong forts in rear of the lines, in which was a garrison of not more than 250 men. The fort was captured with a loss of 500 men ; of the defenders only about 30 escaped. Lee concentrated the remnant of his army, and telegraphed to Richmond that he should abandon Petersburg and the capi- tal that night. He still had about 40,000 men, but they were widely scattered. At 2 o'clock of the morning of April 3 the confederate pick- ets were still out; but the retreat was be- gun some hours before, and by 3 o'clock the confederate troops were all safely across the Appomattox, burning the bridge behind them, and blowing up the magazines on the whole line to Richmond. Parke's corps advanced, and were met by the mayor, who formally surrendered the city. At half past. 4 the Union flag was raised over the court house. To unite their forces Lee marched N". W. from Petersburg, and Longstreet S. "W. from Richmond, coming together at Chesterfield Court House. They then moved westward. Grant pursued by roads parallel to theirs, hoping to intercept them before they should reach Burkesville, at the crossing of the Danville and South Side railroads, 52 m. W. of Petersburg. Lee had ordered a provision train to meet him at Amelia Court House, but when it reached the place it was met by orders to proceed to Rich- mond to bring off the persons and archives of the government. The train went on without unloading, so that when Lee arrived he found no rations for his famishing troops, and he had to halt and break up his army into foraging squads. This unexpected delay proved fatal, and resulted in the surrender at Appomattox Court House, April 9. PETER'S PENCE, an annual tribute of one penny formerly paid to the pope on the festi- val of St. Peter. In England, where every family possessed of 30 pennyworth of proper- ty of any kind was considered liable to this tribute, it was continued from Saxon times to the reign of Henry VIII. The tribute was collected by the bishops. The term is also ap- plied to any general voluntary collection made for the pope, such as that in 1860 ; on Jan. 1, 1861, the amount received at Rome from this collection had exceeded $2,000,000. Since the annexation of the Papal States to the kingdom of Italy, voluntary Peter's pence associations have been formed in Great Britain and Ireland, which yield a handsome revenue. Similar as- sociations, under various names, also exist on the continent of Europe and in the British colonies. In the United States a collection is taken up annually in every church and sent to Rome. These offerings now form (18T5) the only revenue of the papal court. PETERWARDEIN (Hung. Pttervdrad), a for- tress of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, called " the Hungarian Gibraltar," in the Sla- vonian portion of the former Military Fron- tier, on the right bank of the Danube, 170 Fortress of Peterwardein. m. S. S. E. of Pesth, and 42 m. N. W. of Bel- grade; pop. in 1870, 4,022, exclusive of the garrison. The upper fortress is on a lofty es- carped rock overhanging a sharp promontory formed by a bend of the river, opposite the town and steamboat station of Neusatz in the Hungarian county of Bacs, contains extensive barracks and arsenals for a large force, and presents to the water and land sides a for- midable face of walls, port holes, and bastions.