712

FIVE FORKS AND THE PURSUIT OF LEE.

'Bass’

Hams

Moody

Battle of Five Forks,Va.

Scale of One Mile

CAVALRY twWl

MAP OF THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS.

Iii Iris official report, General Fitzlmgh Lee gives tliefollowing account of the battle of Five Forks from theConfederate point of view:

“Onr position in the vicinity of Dinwiddle Court House[March 31st] brought us to the rear of the left of the infantryconfronting the right of our line of battle at Burgess’s Mills,and ascertaining during the night that that force, consistingof the Fifth Corps, had about-faced and was marching to thesupport of Sheridan and his discomfited cavalry, which wouldhave brought them directly upon our left hank, at daylighton the 1st we commenced moving back to our former positionat Five Forks, where Pickett placed his infantry in line ofbattle. W. H. F. Lee was on his right, one regiment of Mun-ford’s command on his left, uniting with the pickets of Gen.eral Roberts’s command, who filled the gap between our posi-tion and the right of our main army, then at Burgess’s Mills.Rosser was placed just in rear of the center as a reserve,Hatcher’s Run intervening between him audour line. Every-thing continued quiet until about 31*. M., when reports reachedme of a large body of infan try marching around and menacingour left flank. I ordered Munford to go in person, ascertainthe exact condition of affairs, hold his command in readiness,and, if necessary, order it up at once. lie soon sent for it, andit reached its position just in time to receive the attack. Adivision of two small brigades of cavalry was not able long towithstand the attack of a Federal corps of infantry, and thatforce soon crushed in Pickett’s left flank, swept it away, andbefore Rosser could cross Hatcher’s Run the position at the

lie hoped such a step as that might not becomenecessary, and then went on to speak of his plan ofbattle. We all rode on farther to the front, andsoon met General Devin, who was considerablyelated by his successes of the morning, and wasloudly demanding to be permitted to make a gen-eral charge on the enemy. Sheridan told him hedidn’t believe he had enough ammunition, to whichDevin replied: “I guess I’ve got enough to give’em one surge more.”

General Babcock now left us to return to head-quarters. About 1 o’clock it was reported by thecavalry that the enemy was retiring to his in-trenched position at Five Forks, which was justnorth of the White Oak road, and parallel to it,his earth-works running from a point about three-quarters of a mile east of Five Forks to a point amile west, with an angle or crotchet about one hun-dred yards long thrown back at right angles to his

Forks was seized and held, and an advance toward the rail-road made. It was repulsed by Rosser. Pickett was drivenrapidly toward the prolongation of the right of his line ofbattle by the combined attack of this infantry corps andSheridan’s cavalry, making a total of over 26,000 men, towhich he was opposed with 7000 men of all arms. Our forceswere driven back some miles, the retreatdegeneratinginto arout, being followed up principally by the cavalry, whilst theinfantry corps held the position our troops were first drivenfrom, threatening an advance upon the railroad, and para-typing the force of reserve cavalry by necessitating its beingstationary in an interposing position to check or retard suchan advance. ... I remained in position on Hatcher’s Run,near Five Forks, during the night, and was joined by thecavalry which was driven hack the previous afternoon, andby Lieutenant-General [R. IT.] Anderson with Wise’s andGrade’s brigades, who, leaving the position at Burgess’sMills, had marched by a circuitous route to our relief. Had hoadvanced up the direct road, it wouldhave brought him on theflank and rear of the infantry forming the enemy’s right, whichattacked our left at Five Forks, and probably changed theresult of the unequal contest. Whilst Anderson was march-ing, the Fifth Corps was inarching hack, and was enabled toparticipate in the attack upon our lines the next day, whilstthe services of the three infantry brigades (which GeneralAnderson reenforced us by, too late for use) and the five withPickett, by their absence, iucreased the disparity betweenthe contending forces upon the next day for the possession ofthe lines ciroumvallatiug Petersburg.” Editors.

left to protect that flank. Orders were at oncegiven to the Fifth Corps to move up the GravellyRun Church road to the open ground near thechurch, and form in order of "battle, with Ayres onthe left, Crawford on his right, and Griffin in rearas a reserve. The corps was to wheel to the left,and make its attack upon the “ angle,” and then,moving westward, sweep down in rear of the en-emy’s intrenched line. The cavalry, principallydismounted, was to deploy in front of the enemy’sline and engage his attention, and, as soon as itheard the firing of our infantry, to make a vigor-ous assault upon his works.

The Fifth Corps had "borne the brunt of thefighting ever since the army had moved out on the29th, and the gallant men who composed it, andhad performed a conspicuous part in nearly everybattle in which the Array of the Potomac had beenengaged, seemed eager once more to cross bayo-