General Grant determined to draw them. from the heights of Spottsylvania by another march to the right. On the twenty-first of May the Army of the Potomac moved from Spottsylvania to the banks of the North Anna River, and reached that stream on the twenty-third. Lee had marched rapidly by a shorter route, and his army was in position on the south side of the river when Grant reached the northern shore. Lee had chosen a position of very great strength in front of Hanover Junction, and had covered it with earthworks. On the twenty-fifth Grant crossed a large part of his force to the south side of the North Anna, and endeavored to force the Confederate line, but discovering its remarkable strength, withdrew his troops to the north shore, and on the twenty-sixth moved around Lee's right in the direction of the Chickahominy. Lee followed him promptly and took position at Cold Harbor, on the north. side of the Chickahominy, and within nine miles of Richmond, occupying very much the same position held by McClellan's army in the battle of Cold Harbor, on the twenty-seventh of June, 1862. He covered his entire line with strong earthworks. On the first of June a sharp encounter occurred between the Federal right and the Confederate left wings, and on the Confederate line at Cold Harbor, General Grant drew off leisurely towards the James River at Wilcox's Landing, intending to cross that river and attack Richmond from the south side of the James. In the meantime, upon reaching Spottsylvania Court-house, General Grant had sent General Sheridan, with ten thousand cavalry, to destroy the railroads connecting Rich GENERAL FITZHUGH LEE. morning of the third of June, Grant made a | mond with Lee's army and the valley of Vir general assault upon the Confederate works. The attack was made with great gallantry, but was repulsed with a loss to the Federal army of thirteen thousand men. The losses of The losses of the Army of the Potomac since the passage of the Rapidan had reached the enormous total of over sixty thousand men. The Confederate loss during the same period was about twenty thousand. Failing to force the ginia. Sheridan executed his orders with complete success, and went within seven miles of Richmond. On the tenth of May he reached Ashland. he reached Ashland. He was attacked there by the Confederate cavarly under General Stuart, and moved off towards Richmond. Stuart, marching by a shorter route, threw his cavalry between Sheridan and Richmond, and again encountered him at the Yellow the crossing of the James River by the Army of the Potomac. At the opening of the campaign, General | between their works and the two rivers until Butler, with a force of about thirty thousand men, known as the Army of the James, was sent up the James River to attack the defences of Richmond, on the south side of that river. He occupied City Point and Bermuda Hundreds on the fifth of May, and a few days later, advanced up the neck of land lying between the James and the Appomattox Rivers. The Federal plan of campaign also included the seizure of the valley of Virginia, and of the railway connecting Virginia with East Tennessee and Georgia. On the first of May, General Sigel, with an army of ten thousand men, advanced up the valley towards Staunton. On the fifteenth, he was defeated with To oppose him, the Confederates collected considerable loss by the Confederates, under left thrown out towards the Weldon railroad. | battles, but we have not space to relate them During the summer and fall he continued to extend his left until he had seized the Weldon road. From this point he sought to extend his left still further, and to seize the South GENERAL J. E. B. STUART. Side railroad, Lee's only remaining line of communication with the South and South west. Frequent encounters occurred between the two armies during the summer and fall, a number of which attained the proportions of all. On the thirtieth of July a mine was sprung under one of the principal works of Lee's line, and the explosion was followed by an assault by Burnside's corps. The attack was repulsed with a loss of over five thousand men to the Union troops. During the early autumn General Grant extended his lines across the James river, and established a force on the north side of that river to lay siege to the defences of Richmond. The right of this force was extended as far as the Williamsburg road. This was the situation of the two armies at the close of the year. In the meantime Early had advanced into the valley of Virginia after the defeat of Hunter. The retreat of that commander into West Virginia had left the Potomac unguarded, and Washington City exposed to attack. General Lee at once reinforced Early to fifteen thou sand men, and ordered him to cross the Potomac and to threaten Washington, hoping by this bold movement to compel Grant to weaken his army for the protection of the capital, if not to raise the siege of Petersburg. Early moved rapidly, crossed the Potomac near Martinsburg on Petersburg in the autumn of 1864. Their absence in the valley enabled the Confederate leader to prolong his defence through the winter. As soon as he had gotten his forces well in hand, Sheridan advanced upon Early, and the fifth of July, and on the seventh occupied | have been forced to abandon his position at Frederick City in Maryland. On the ninth he defeated a small force under General Lewis Wallace at Manocacy Bridge, and advanced upon Washington. The Nineteenth army corps of the Federal army was at Fortress Monroe, where it had just arrived from New Orleans, en route to join Grant's army. It was at once ordered to Washington, which, until its arrival, was held by a small garrison, and Grant at the same time embarked the Sixth corps, and sent it with all speed around to the Potomac. These troops reached Washington before the arrival of Early, who appeared before the defences of that city on the eleventh of July. He found the works too strongly manned to be attacked by his force. After skirmishing for several days before them, he withdrew across the Potomac on the fourteenth, and retreated to the neighborhood of Winchester. Early's movement so alarmed the Federal government for the safety of GENERAL WINFIELD S. HANCOCK. Washington that a force of forty thousand men, ten thousand of which were the splendid cavalry of Sheridan, was stationed in the valley, and Major-General Sheridan was appointed to the command of this army. Had Grant been able to retain these troops with his own army, it is safe to say that Lee would on the nineteenth defeated him at Winchester, and drove him back to Fisher's Hill, where on the twenty-second, he again defeated him and drove him out of the valley, pursuing him as far as Staunton. By the orders of General Grant, General Sheridan now laid waste the entire valley of the |