FIVE FORKS AND THE PURSUIT OF LEE.

been driven in by the force of superior numbersand were falling back toward the Boydton plank-road. The brigades of Gibbs and J. I. Gregg hadrushed in on the right and rear of the enemy, andgot in some very good work, but were soon aftercompelled to fall back toward Dinwiddie. Iturned the corner of the Brooks cross-road andthe Five Forks road just as the rear of our cavalrywas passing it, and encountered one of Sheridan’sbands,& under a heavy fire, playing “Nellie Bly ”as cheerily as if it were furnishing music for acountry picnic.

I found Sheridan a little north of DinwiddieCourt House, and gave him an account of matterson the left of the Army of the Potomac. He saidhe had had one of the liveliest days in his experi-ence, fighting infantry and cavalry with cavalryonly, but that he was concentrating his commandon the high ground just north of Dinwiddie, andwould hold that position at all hazards. He didnot stop here, but becoming more and more ani-mated in describing the situation and stating hisviews and intentions, he declared his belief thatwith the corps of infantry he expected to be putunder his command he could take the initiativethe next morning and cut off the whole of the forcethat Lee had detached. He said: “This force isin more danger than I am—if I am cut off fromthe Army of the Potomac, it is cut off from Lee’sarmy, and not a man in it should ever be allowedto get back to Lee. We at last have drawn theenemy’s infantry out of its fortifications, and thisis our chance to attack it.” He begged me to go toGeneral Grant at once and again urge him to sendhim the Sixth Corps, because it had been under himin the battles in the Valley of Virginia, and knewhis way of fighting. I told him, as had been statedto him before, that the Sixth Corps was next toour extreme right, and that the only one whichcould reach him by daylight was the Fifth. Istarted soon after for General Grant’s headquar-ters at Dabney’s Mill, a distance of about eightmiles. I reached there at 7 o’clock P. M., and gavethe general a full description of Sheridan’s opera-tions. He at once telegraphed the substance ofmy report to Meade, and preparations soon afterbegan looking to the sending of the Fifth Corps toreport to Sheridan. About 7:40 Captain M. V.Sheridan, of Sheridan’s staff, brought still laternews from Dinwiddie, saying that the cavalry hadhad more fighting but was holding its position.

It was finally decided that Warren should sendAyres down the Boydton plank and across by theBrooks road, and Griffin and Crawfford by theCrump road, which runs from the White Oak roadsouth to J. Boisseau’s. [See map, p. 539.] Mac-kenzie’s small division of cavalry was ordered tomarch to Dinwiddie and report to Sheridan. Allhaste -was urged, in the hope that at daylight theenemy might be caught between Warren’s twodivisions of infantry on one side and Ayres’s divi-sion and Sheridan’s cavalry on the other, and bebadly beaten. It was expected that the infantry

Sheridan’s bands were generally mounted on grayhorses, and instead of being relegated to the usual dutyof carrying off the wounded and assisting the sturgeons,

7 1 1

would reach its destination in ample time to takethe offensive at break of day, but now one delayafter another was met with, and Grant, Meade,and Sheridan spout a painfully anxious night inhurrying forward the movement. Ayres had torebuild a bridge over Gravelly Run, which tooktill 2 A. M. Warren, with his other two divisions,did not get started from their position on theWhite Oak road till 5 A. M. , and the hope of crush-ing the enemy was hourly grow’ing less. Thisproved to be one of the busiest nights of the wholecampaign. Generals were "writing dispatches andtelegraphing from dark till daylight. Staff-officerswere rushing from one headquarters to another,wading through swamps, penetrating forests, andgalloping over corduroy roads, engaged in carry-ing instructions, getting information, and makingextraordinary efforts to hurry up the movement ofthe troops.

The next morning, April 1st, General Grantsaid to me: “I wish you would spend the daywith Sheridan’s command, and send me a bulletinevery half-hour or so, advising me fully as to theprogress of his movements. You know my views,and I want you to give them to Sheridan fully.Tell him the contemplated movement is left en-tirely in his hands, and he must be responsible forits execution. I have every confidence in his judg-ment and ability. I hope there may now be anopportunity of fighting the enemy’s infantry out-side of its fortifications.”

I set out with half a dozen mounted orderlies toact as couriers in transmitting field bulletins. Cap-tain Peter T. Hudson, of our staff, went with me.After traveling again by w r ay of the Brooks road, Imet Sheridan, about 10 A. M., on the Five Forksroad not far from J. Boisseau’s house. Ayres hadhis division on this road, having arrived aboutdaylight, and Griffin had reached J. Boisseau’sbetween 7 and 8 A. M. I had a full conferencewith Sheridan. He told me the force in front ofhim had fallen back early in the morning, that hehad pursued with his cavalry and had had severalbrushes with the enemy, and was driving himsteadily back; that he had his patience sorelytried by the delays that had occurred in gettingthe infantry to him, but he was going to makeevery effort to strike a heavy blow with all the in-fantry and cavalry, as soon as he could get theminto position, provided the enemy should make astand behind his intrenchments at Five Forks,which seemed likely. General Warren, who hadaccompanied Crawford’s division, arrived at 11o’clock and reported in person to Sheridan.

A few minutes before noon Colonel (afterwardGeneral) Babcock, of General Grant’s staff, cameover from headquarters and said to Sheridan:“ General Grant directs me to say to you, that ifin your judgment the Fifth Corps would do betterunder one of the division commanders, you areauthorized to relieve General Warren, and orderhim to report to General Grant, at headquar-ters.” General Sheridan replied, in effect, that

they were brought out to the front and made to play theliveliest hirs In their repertory, with great effect on thespirits of the men.—H. P.