登陆注册
5240100000041

第41章 Chapter VII Fronting the Army of the Potomac(1)

Battle of Cold Harbour--Siege of Petersburg--The General intrusts a mission to his son Robert--Battle of the Crater--Grant crosses the James River--General Long's pen-picture of Lee--Knitting socks for the soldiers--A Christmas dinner--Incidents of camp life From the North Anna River the Federal Army moved by its left flank, seeking to find its adversary unprepared, but the Army of Northern Virginia steadily confronted it, ever ready to receive any attack.

At Cold Harbour they paused, facing each other, and General Grant, having received sixteen thousand men from Butler by way of Yorktown on June 1st, made an attack, but found our lines immovable. In his "Memoirs" he writes:

"June 2d was spent in getting troops into position for attack on the 3d. On June 3d, we again assaulted the enemy's works in the hope of driving him from his position. In this attempt our loss was heavy, while that of the enemy, I have reason to believe, was comparatively light."

This assault was repelled along the whole line, with the most terrible slaughter yet recorded in our war. Yet in a few hours these beaten men were ordered to move up to our lines again. Swinton, the historian of the Army of the Potomac, thus describes what happened when this order was sent to the men:

"The order was issued through these officers" (the corps commanders)

"To their subordinate commanders, and from them descended through the wonted channels; but no man stirred, and the immobile lines pronounced a verdict, silent, yet emphatic, against further slaughter. The loss on the Union side in this sanguinary action was more than thirteen thousand, while on the part of the Confederates it is doubtful whether it reached that many hundreds."

Colonel Walter H. Taylor, in his "Four Years with General Lee," says:

"Soon after this, he (Grant) abandoned his chosen line of operations, and moved his army to the south side of the James River. The struggle from Wilderness to this point covers a period of about one month, during which time there had been an almost daily encounter of hostile arms, and the Army of Northern Virginia had placed hors de combat of the army under General Grant a number equal to its entire numerical strength at the commencement of the campaign, and, notwithstanding its own heavy losses and the reinforcements received by the enemy, still presented an impregnable front to its opponent, and constituted and insuperable barrier to General Grant's 'On to Richmond.'"

Thus after thirty days of marching, starving, fighting, and with a loss of more than sixty thousand men, General Grant reached the James River, near Petersburg, which he could have done at any time he so desired without the loss of a single man. The baffling of our determined foe so successfully raised the spirits of our rank and file, and their confidence in their commander knew no bounds.

The two armies now commenced a contest which could end only one way.

If General Lee had been permitted to evacuate Petersburg and Richmond, to fall back upon some interior point, nearer supplies for man and beast and within supporting distance of the remaining forces of the Confederacy, the surrender would certainly have been put off--possibly never have taken place--and the result of the war changed. The Army of the Potomac placed itself on the James, through whose channel it had easy access to the wide world whence to secure for itself an unlimited supply of men and munitions of war. General Lee, with a line thirty miles long to defend and with only 35,000 men to hold it, with no chance of reinforcements, no reserves with which to fill up the ranks lessened daily by death in battle and by disease, had to sit still and see his army, on half rations or less, melt away because it was deemed advisable by his government, for political and other purposes, to hold Richmond, the Confederacy's capital.

In an article by Lord Wolseley, in "Macmillan's Magazine," he says:

"Lee was opposed to the final defense of Richmond that was urged upon him for political, not military reasons. It was a great strategic error. General Grant's large army of men was easily fed, and its daily losses easily recruited from a near base; whereas, if it had been drawn into the interior after the little army with which Lee endeavoured to protect Richmond, its fighting strength would have been largely reduced by the detachments required to guard a long line of communications through a hostile country."

During the nine months the siege of Petersburg lasted, I saw my father but seldom. His headquarters were near the town, my command was on the extreme right of the army, and during the winter, in order to get forage, we were moved still further away, close to the border of North Carolina. During this summer, I had occasion, once or twice, to report to him at his headquarters, once about July 1st by his special order.

I remember how we all racked our brains to account for this order, which was for me to report "at once to the commanding general," and many wild guesses were made by my young companions as to what was to become of me. Their surmises extended from my being shot for unlawful foraging to my being sent on a mission abroad to solicit the recognition of our independence. I reported at once, and found my father expecting me, with a bed prepared. It was characteristic of him that he never said a word about what I was wanted for until he was ready with full instructions. I was fed at once, for I was still hungry, my bed was shown me, and I was told to rest and sleep well, as he wanted me in the morning, and that I would need all my strength.

同类推荐
  • A Fragment on Government

    A Fragment on Government

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Glaucus

    Glaucus

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Message

    The Message

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 度一切诸佛境界智严经

    度一切诸佛境界智严经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 国宝新编

    国宝新编

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 一宠到底,池少请签字

    一宠到底,池少请签字

    为了和他结婚,罗伊用了一些手段。以为终究要开始幸福。可是婚姻却依旧让她如此的痛苦。前女友挺着肚子归来,婆婆小姑子耀武扬威。三年的隐婚让她最终递出离婚协议书。却被男人讽刺,当场撕毁协议,“怎么,得到了自己梦寐以求的婚姻,这么快就腻了!”她只是轻轻的一笑,“我错了,我以为只要努力,就可以有爱情。”男人冰冷的靠近,讽刺的笑着,“想要离婚,没门。除非我死,不然别妄想。”死?她从来都不曾想到要这样子的结束,如果这是他想要的,那么如他所愿吧!池封爵一辈子都没有想到,这个女人竟然会这般的疯狂,而更加没想到,自己的心竟然会这般的疼痛。
  • 篱下沧桑

    篱下沧桑

    保姆——如今城市居民生活迫需的助手,传统观念中却仍受歧视的职业。早在上世纪80年代,国家劳动部和安全生产部门就冠给保姆们一个堂皇的“官名”——家政服务。这个“官名”的确立,虽然让一些人改变了对保姆这个行当的一些偏见,但从根本上依然难以改变保姆受雇主歧视的命运。时至今日,发生在大都市里一些保姆身上的故事以及她们的身世和景况,听起来仍然令人扼腕和叹息。保姆这份职业古今中外由来已久,保姆们的地位也确实有其特殊性,但即便不撇开经济的瓜葛就生命的相互关系来说,尊者又何为贵?贱者又何为轻?到底是谁依赖谁,谁离不开谁?
  • 我与死神有个约定

    我与死神有个约定

    亡父祖坟被强行霸占,对方却称,这是受我祖上指意,一切都是为了我好!这是一场人与死神之间的交易与较量!十四张死牌决定十四个人的命运!轮回千载!算天测地!玄术通神!古武霸道!死神秘宝!千年前受神恩惠,千年后与神游戏。
  • 吸引力法则大全集(超值金版)

    吸引力法则大全集(超值金版)

    你想做什么?你想成为什么?你想拥有什么?你想达到什么目标?通过运用本书介绍的技巧、观念和工具,主动参与吸引力法则的运作过程,你会汲取更多的快乐并获得成功的力量,创造出你梦想中的人生。
  • 太初无上至尊

    太初无上至尊

    神话时代,太初衍化万道,而后万道式微,天道崛起。天地不仁,以万物为刍狗。黑暗时刻,即将到来。少年秦观,得太初源珠,走上逆天之路。踏破九霄,笑对天下。
  • 豪门的恋情

    豪门的恋情

    从这刻起,今晚发生的一切,她一定会彻底忘记的。“若烟,衣服我放门口。很晚了,你不要泡太久,不然会生病的。”白飞飞关切的话透过门板传来。“嗯,我知道了。你先休息吧。”她清声回应,不让脆弱泄露。她的确没有生病的本钱,于是若烟只是泡了一会,穿上衣服走出去,白飞飞还没有睡,看她出来,却是一副生气的模样。“若烟,我本以为,你不是那种女人。我真想不到,你竟然这样作践自己,我竟然还自……
  • 前世今生爱相随

    前世今生爱相随

    【本故事纯属虚构】林青青同学意外坠马,竟然穿成了一朝废后,不就是一个皇后吗,她不稀罕!她要做一个混吃混喝的小米虫!她要活色生香地调戏美男!哦!NO!她不要和顺治玩亲亲!什么?他胆敢接乌云珠入宫!这还没完,他竟然和乌云珠夜夜狂欢!好你个顺治!我惹不起还躲不起吗?我穿回现代当明星去!呃!怎么顺治的影子总在她眼前晃呀晃,晃得她忧心忡忡......好吧!她当他已改过自新,在穿越之门开启的时刻重新穿越回去......
  • 狐狸王爷擒烈妻

    狐狸王爷擒烈妻

    一穿到古代就挨了下人的一顿鞭打?她可是堂堂王妃!这丈夫嫌弃,下人横行,小三嚣张的情景是怎么回事?身处异世,且看她收服下人,调教小三,休掉暴龙王爷,欺她之人她定然不饶!
  • 情深案重

    情深案重

    一桩桩蹊跷离奇的命案,一段刻骨铭心的情爱痴缠,在世情冷暖中交织出一个个惊心动魄的故事。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 斗破苍穹

    斗破苍穹

    这里是属于斗气的世界,没有花俏艳丽的魔法,有的,仅仅是繁衍到巅峰的斗气!新书等级制度:斗者,斗师,大斗师,斗灵,斗王,斗皇,斗宗,斗尊,斗圣,斗帝。……吴磊、林允主演的同名电视剧9月3日起周一到周三每晚22:00登陆湖南卫视,腾讯视频全网独播。