LXIII. 1864. Aug. 28. CHAP. and telegraph poles. Hood, noticing that a large portion of Sherman's army were gone, thought they were retreating. The rumor spread, and the citizens crowded to give him their congratulations, which he was receiving, when a courier on horseback dashed in and brought the astounding news that Sherman had possession of the road, and that Hardee, who had been sent with a large force to protect Jonesboro, was disastrously defeated. Sept. 2. Sept. 23. That night strange noises like earthquakes or explosions were heard in the direction of Atlanta. Hood was blowing up the magazines and evacuating the place. Sherman entered the once beautiful city, now almost a mass of ruins, and it was telegraphed over the land, "Atlanta is ours, and fairly won." Hood's scattered forces were afterward more or less united, and he made many attempts to annoy the Union army by cutting railroads and attacking places garrisoned, but in all these he totally failed. Sherman detached General Thomas and his corps with other divisions to move on Nashville and repel Hood should he make an attempt in that direction. Jefferson Davis after the fall of Atlanta visited the region, and at Macon encouraged the people by assuring them Sherman would yet be driven back, and "our cavalry and our people will harass and destroy his army as did the Cossacks that of Napoleon; and the Yankee general like him will escape with only a body guard." 66 Sherman in one of his letters to Grant made a sugges tion that it was "futile to chase round after Hood," but, leaving Tennessee in the hands of Thomas, to destroy Atlanta and march across Georgia to Savannah or Charleston, breaking roads and doing irreparable damage; we cannot remain on the defensive." This led to the consideration of the question more fully, though it would seem a similar thought had occurred to Grant; and preparations were made for the "march to the sea." Meantime, Hood with his army was hastening on toward middle Tennessee, expecting to defeat Thomas. LXIII. 1864. Sherman now destroyed in Atlanta the public buildings CHAP. used by the Confederates for military purposes-no private dwellings or churches were injured-and set out to push across the country to the sea, and if need be come in the rear of Richmond. The army marched in two columns with spreading wings-extending sixty miles-so thoroughly bewildering the enemy that they were unable to make much Nov. opposition. This bold march ended December 10, within 16. a few miles of Savannah, and soon communication was had with the Union fleet which was in waiting. Three days Dec. later Fort McAllister, the defense of Savannah, was taken, and General Hardee in consequence evacuated the city, which was immediately occupied by Union forces. Sherman sent the following dispatch to President Lincoln: "I beg leave to present, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with 150 heavy guns, and plenty of ammunition, and also 25,000 bales of cotton." 10. Dec. 20. CHAP. 1864. CHAPTER LXIV. LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION—CONTINUED. Grant's choice of subordinates.-Battles in the Wilderness.-Butler at Bermuda Hundreds.-Flanking Movement.-Early in the Valley. Sheridan in the Valley.-Sheridan's ride.-The Mine Exploded.-Capture of Mobile.-Outrages in Missouri-Capture of Wilmington.-Battle of Nashville.-Defeat of Hood. WE now return to the Army of the Potomac. Arrangements were in preparation for the final struggle. General B. F. Butler was assigned to the general supervision of the force designed to follow up the James to Richmond, and to make a diversion toward Petersburg. He had about 30,000 men, under the command of Generals W. F. Smith and Gilmore-the latter had been recalled from Charleston Harbor with 10,000 men. General Sigel was in command in that famous battle-field of the war-Shenandoah Valley -in connection with General Crook on the Kanawha, West Virginia; General Meade, the hero of Gettysburg, with the main army on the north bank of the Rapidan. General Grant always showed great skill and knowledge of men in the choice of subordinate officers; nor did he ever seem to be influenced by professional jealousy. He brought with him to Washington only three or four staff officers-no more than were absolutely necessary. The general plan of campaigns was marked out, and he availed himself of the skill of his subordinate commanders, who, in the details, were permitted to exercise their own judgment in accordance with the general plan. Some of the best suggestions of generals in the field were frequently disregarded by Halleck, the commander-in-chief at Washington, as if BATTLES IN THE WILDERNESS. LXIV. 1863. 943 he knew better-though hundreds of miles away-than the CHAP. equally educated commander in the field. We must not overlook the private soldiers composing the armies of the Republic. They were intelligent and understood how much was involved in the contest; with this knowledge they had left their homes, and were willing to risk their lives in defense of the Union of their country, and frequently the superior intelligence, the bravery and dash of private soldiers crowned with success important maneuvers. Lee's army lay on the South side of the Rapidan, virtually entrenched in the "Wilderness." This is a barren region, covered with scrub-oak and tufted trees, where a thousand soldiers could keep four times their number at bay. This was intersected by many narrow cross roads, bounded on either side by a perfect jungle, The whole district and every road was thoroughly known to the Confederate generals; and Lee from his position and knowledge of the ground was thus able to throw, as he wished, a strong force on any particular point. 4. The Union army crossed the Rapidan at Germana Ford May unopposed-purposely, says Childe, in order to secure a battle in the Wilderness." Grant had intended to pass rapidly through the wilderness, with as little fighting as possible, and force his adversary back toward Richmond, because in that jungle he could not deploy his men, and could only use about twenty out of his three hundred pieces. of artillery; neither could he use his cavalry. Early the next morning the Union army began its onward march to get beyond this labyrinth of trees, when it was met at two points by two Confederate forces brought up by parallel roads. This was at first thought to be a feint, but at 11 May A.M. the battle began in earnest by the Union soldiers assaulting the enemy. The conflict of this day was peculiar. The soldiers groped for each other through the thicket, and with various successes in different parts of the woods. It was a drawn battle-then both armies lay on their arms. 5. CHAP. 1864. May 6. May 9-10. May 11. May 12. After receiving reports from his subordinates, Grant issued orders for attacking the enemy the next morning, and at dawn Hancock's division, sustained by Wadsworth, fell furiously on the Confederate center, and after a few hours drove it a mile and a half, taking many prisoners. They were now reinforced, outnumbering Hancock, and in turn forced him back over the same ground, but at 11 A. M. he made a stand from which the enemy failed to move him. Here fell General Wadsworth, a gentleman of excellent worth, and high social position; and here also fell the Confederate Generals Jones, Jenkins and Stafford, very efficient officers. There was a lull for some hours, when the enemy. at 4 P.M. made a desperate assault upon Hancock, and partially forced him from his position, but being reinforced the assailants were in turn driven back. Here Longstreet was severely wounded, and carried from the field, and Lee himself took immediate command. He restored order, but could not retrieve the field. When the Union center advanced the next morning, Lee was found to have fallen back to a second position strongly entrenched. This line of battle was six miles long, along which raged the conflict; Lee fell back again and afterward fought only from behind breast works, except where it could not be avoided. The Confederates were evidently discouraged, and when a portion of the Union army moved by night toward Spottsylvania Court House, Lee fell back lest he should be taken in the rear. Now commenced a series of conflicts in one of which General Sedgwick, one of the first of the corps commanders, was killed. Grant telegraphed to the Secretary of war: "we have now ended the sixth day of very heavy fighting. The result, to this time, is much in our favor. I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer." The following morning at 4 o'clock, in a dense fog, the orders were given as quietly as possible, and the march was in silence. Hancock made a dash at an advanced position of the enemy, rushed over the breastwork, and captured the |