he was merely passing through it. It was Gen. Lee who had required that it should be made a battle-field; and it was Gen. Lee who was now leaving it. At noon, it was found he was in full retreat to Spottsylvania Court House. Pursuit was immediately begun, which soon changed into a race, as both parties desired to secure the high ground around Spottsylvania Court House, fifteen miles distant. Gen. Grant rode forward to the advance; and, as he passed with his staff by the side of the troops, he was greeted by the soldiers with the wildest enthusiasm.

But the enemy had the start, and were in position when our forces arrived on Sunday morning.

Part of the day was occupied in examining the position which the enemy held, putting the divisions of the army in proper place as they arrived, and locating batteries. On Monday, while directing some of his artillery-men, Gen. Sedgwick noticed them watching with a little uneasiness the bullets of the sharpshooters, and said in a joking way, "Oh! they couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." He had hardly uttered the words, when a Minie-ball tore through his brain, and he fell dead into the arms of one of his aides, - another costly sacrifice in the cause of the Union. A brave man, and a splendid officer, he gave his life freely to his country in the day of its peril.

During Monday and Tuesday, the tide of battle surged like the ocean, — now advancing, now receding. The scenes were similar to those frequently described in preceding pages. Assaults on the enemy's intrenchments were made with unsurpassed heroism, and met

by the most stubborn courage. The battle raged with unabated fury. The roar of artillery, the sharp rattle of musketry, the shrieking of bursting shells, were mingled with the groans of the wounded. The dying and dead covered the field by thousands. During the afternoon of Tuesday, a dash was made from our left by Gen. Wright's division, capturing nine hundred prisoners and several guns.

Later in the afternoon, Gen. Lee massed his troops in front of our centre, with the intention of hurling them with overwhelming strength upon that part of our line. To disguise his purpose, he sent two brigades to attack our right: but Grant had too recently employed the same tactics against Bragg at Chattanooga to be deceived by Lee; and, by a singular coincidence, he was at the same time strengthening his own centre, preparatory to attacking Lee. Both generals had determined to assault each other on the same plan at the same time. The result was a desperate attempt on either side to break the line of the other.

On Wednesday, the battle was renewed; and Gen. Grant sent to Washington his well-known despatch:

"We have now ended the sixth day of very heavy fighting. The result to this time is much in our favor. Our losses have been heavy as well as those of the enemy. I think the loss of the enemy must be greater. We have taken over five thousand prisoners by battle, whilst he has taken from us but few except stragglers. I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer."

Grant determined to attack the enemy's right centre; and during the night, under cover of a fog, a portion of the troops under Hancock, Barlow, and Gibbon, were advanced to within twelve hundred yards of the position they were to storm.

At half-past four o'clock, Thursday morning, they advanced at the double-quick, and, with cheers which echoed to the skies, rushed over the enemy's works, and engaged in a hand-to-hand fight with bayonets and clubbed muskets with the astonished foe. The fight was short, but sharp, and ended in the capture of thirty guns, twenty colors, and over three thousand prisoners, among them Generals Johnson and Stewart. Lee himself also narrowly escaped capture, although this was not known at the time.

The position won by our men was hotly contested throughout the day. Lee seemed determined to retake it at any sacrifice of the life of his men. Five times the most savage assaults were made by the rebels, and five times they were repulsed with fearful slaughter. At times, the rival flags would be seen for a few moments on opposite sides of the same breastworks. The fighting was as fierce and deadly as any that occurred during the whole war. The carnage on both sides was frightful.*

During the day, an incident occurred showing Gen. Grant's coolness, and readiness to apply the results of his military training. A shell fell near where Gen. Grant and some of his officers were standing; and, while the latter were stepping out of the way, Grant drew a small compass from his pocket, examined the course of the shell, ascertained the location of the battery, and at once gave orders for a few of our guns to reply in a

* "In the vicious phraseology commonly employed by those who undertake to describe military operations, and especially by those who never witnessed a battle-field, ' piles of dead' figure much more frequently than they exist in reality. The phrase is here no figure of speech, as can be attested by thousands who witnessed the ghastly scene.". Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac.

direction which soon rained a shower of shells upon the annoying rebel battery.

" turn me,

Brig.-Gen. Rice of Michigan was among those mortally wounded. "Turn me," said he a few moments before he expired, that I may die with my face to the enemy!" After his wish had been complied with, he said, “Tell my wife and children I died for my country."-"How does the great Captain of salvation appear to you now?" said the chaplain.

"Oh! Jesus is near and very dear," said the dying man, and soon after ceased to breathe. And thus another of the army of Christian heroes went up from the ensanguined fields of our war for freedom.

Hour after hour, the bloody havoc went on, until twenty thousand more precious lives were added to the costly sacrifice which slavery demanded with insatiable cruelty and voracity.

The army surgeons, the chaplains, the agents and nurses of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions, followed the reaper Death as he gathered his harvests of woe, binding up the wounds of the suffering, and ministering consolation to the dying.

"In dust the vanquished and the victor lie:
With copious slaughter all the fields are red,
And heaped with growing mountains of the dead.
So fought each host, with thirst of glory fired;
And crowds on crowds triumphantly expired."*

* Pope's Homer,

CHAPTER XXVII.

A

BATTLE OF COLD HARBOR.

N order was read to the army, announcing the victorious march of Sherman, through Georgia, to the sea. The cheers with which it was received rang out above the din of battle, and were heard all along the rebel lines.

May 9, Sheridan had been sent, with Merritt, Custer, and a force of cavalry, on a raid to Richmond. At Beaver Dam, on the Virginia Central Railroad, they destroyed the station, ten miles of track, three trains of cars, a million and a half of rations, and liberated four hundred Union soldiers taken in the Wilderness, and then on the way to Libby Prison. At Yellow Tavern, a few miles north of Richmond, they had a battle with the rebel cavalry under Gen. Stuart, who was mortally wounded. Sheridan now dashed down the road to Richmond; and Custer carried the outer defences, capturing one hundred prisoners. But Richmond could not be taken by cavalry. He rejoined the army on the 25th of May.

The army manœuvred for several days with a view to find a vulnerable point of attack in Lee's intrenchments, and finally, on the 20th, began a flank-march to turn the enemy's position, and compel him to leave