Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/88

* LEE. 76 The invasion was n tonlativc one, and was at- tenili'd wilh many ilishcarlcning circunistanees. Ttiiiiisancis of stra^islcis left tile ranks between MMiiassas and the Potomac, (lie fii'cater part weakened by want of rest, food, and .shoes, ami worn out liy eontiimed marelies and daily battles, while many yielded to other motives. (Jeneral JleClellan had meanwliile been sent ajjainst Lee. On SeptenilMT 15, KSO-i, Harper's Ferry was eap- tnred by the Confederates under .Taekson prepar- atory to the invasion of Pennsylvania. Alet'lel- Ian followed Lee's movements, keeping' the body of his army between Lee and Washiiifiton. By good fortune, eoiiiin<; into jiossession of Lee's order of march, lie forced the latter to turn. The battle of .Vntietam (q.v.), September llith-lTth. was the result, the advantage being with the Federals. With a greatly superior force, McClcllan sue- ceede<l in compelling Lee to abandon his jilan of invading Pennsylvania, but the hitter's su]ierior generalship displayed throughout the whole en- gagement and the subsequent movements pre- vented the former from obtaining any further ad- vantages as Lee retreated southward. Lee and his army had finight with splendid skill and bravery, but the campaign as a political move was a fail- tire. The Fed<'ral Government now decided to renew the attempt on Hichmond, this time via Fredericksburg. On November 7th Hurnside re- ceivcil theconimand of the Army of the Potomac. ]?otIi armies were rapiilly drawn southward, and on Xovember liOth Lee wa^ g:it!iering his entire army licOiiiid the works of Fredericksburg, wliile Rurnside's covered the hills on the north facing theni. On necemlier LSth a determined a.ssault was directed by Hurnside squarely against the fortified hills of Fredericksburg. It was repelled with terrible loss to the Federal army. (See FiiKDKRUK.snuRO.) AftcM- this battle tlic army of fieneral Lee was not again molested until the campaign of ISti.'i openeil. Gen. .Joseph Honker had been appointed to supersede (Jeneral iUirn- side, and with a powerful army, about double tnat of Lee, now declared his intention of forcing the Confederate army from Fredericksburg. At the end of .pril he leil the bulk of his army across the Hapiiahannock. and took up a position near ('hanccllnrsville. The genius of Lee was never more conspicuous than in the battle which followed ( .May •Jd-4th). resulting in the complete defeat of Hooker. (See Ciian-cki.i.ohsvii.i.i:, H.t- TI.K OF.) Hut while the battle of Chaneellorsville had been brilliantly won, Lee had lost his great- est supjiort, '.Stonewair .Jackscm. After some indecisive fighting the Federal army on May tith withdrew across the Kaiipahannoek. Lee now organized his army for the invasion of Pennsylvania, and on .June 3d commenced the advance with 80.000 men. The entire Con- federate army was transferred to North Vir- ginia, and on .Tune 27th it was concen- trated near Chambersburg. Pa. Gen. George G. Meade succeeded Hooker in the command of the Federal army, which was now concentrated to- ward (iettysburg. General Stuart, on whom Lee depended for his information as to Federal movements, had nnskillfully got on the other side of Meade and could render no .service. On July 1st the battle of Gettysburg began by an un- expected collision between the Federal cavalry anil the head of General IliU's column movin""' from Chainl)ersburg towanl (iettysburg. It re- sulted in the repulse of the Federal advance and LEE. it-s retirement to the strcmg position of Cemctrry Ridge, .south of Gettysburg. On .July 2d, -t 4 I",.M., after a tremendous cannonade, the ('mi federates delivered an impetuous jittack on lii' right side of .Meade's ])osition. It met with ■m: partial success. On the afternoon of the Lee ordered a cannonade which lasted for i > hours, and under cover of which his attaci columns of 15,000 men formed. The attack i all that human bravery could make it; but I in' columns melted before the fire that waited I'ii' them; and tliongli their van reached and covci'l the key of the struggle, their main force ;i- annihilated, and the jiositiun quickly retalm. General J>ee's equanimity was conspicuous in this defeat in the manner of his meeting the disorganized remnant of that returning column, infusing them with his own serene contidence and taking upon himself the responsibility for tin' fatal charge. Meade's army was seemingly t'n much shattered for him to venture the oll'ensive the next day. although Lee stood ready for him. The Confederate general, now short of ammuni- tion and fearing for his cominnnications. began to retreat, (See (Jetty.suiiro, Batti-E of.) ileade followed to the Potomac, but did not at- tack, and Lee got his army across with masterly skill. The Federal commander crossed into Vir- ginia shortly afterwards, but no events of im- portance took place in that State during the vr- mainiler of the year. Lee. feeling that a cii-i- was at hand, suggested that he be relieved by a younger man, but President Davis promptly answered that such a step was impossible. The autumn of 1803 saw only mana^uvring on the part of Lee and Meade, but the latter was forced to withdraw just when he was intending to attack, and Lee went into winter quarters behind the Rapidan. .fter this winter of 1803-G4, in which the pri vations that the Confederates sulTcred were well compared with those of the cam]) at Valley Forge, the final campaign o])ened with General Grant in eoniniand of the Federal forces. He recog- nized that the way to defeat Lee was to 'ham- mer' him out. Lee had only about 00,000 against Grant's 120.000, but he was tigliting on the de- fensive in a very difficult country. From May 5th to .Tune 12th there was terrible and almost con- tinuous fighting in the 'Wilderness' (q.v.). and along the line of Grant's movement to the .James River, Lee using his veterans with consummate skill, and (!rant his constantly filled ranks with a persistence that was peculiarly his own. In this short time the Federals lost 00.000 men and the Confederates 14.000. and in the siege of Petersburg from .June, 1804, to the beginning of April, 1805, the fighting was almost as terrible, save for the fact that now the I'^cderals were defended by their works and the Confederates were almost without food. On .pril 2. 18(1,'). Lee's position became untenable, and he rcsolviil to try to lead the 30.000 men left to him south- waril. He abandoned Richmond and Pctcrsbiiig, which were occupied by the l'"<'dcrals on April 3il : and Lee, pressing on to . ielia Court House, found that by some mistake his provisions had been .sent on to the capital, and that lie could neither fight nor retreat with any prospect of succcsk. On .-pril 0, 1805, be surrendered to General (Jrant at .Appomattox Court House. The devo- tion of Lee's soldiers to their leader was never more strikingly shown than at the surrender.