Sheridan had crossed the
Appomattox from
Bermuda Hundred, and, passing in the rear of the army before
Petersburg, on the morning of March 29, 1865, had halted at Dinwiddie Court-house.
A forward movement of the
National army had just begun.
Warren and
Humphreys, with their corps, had moved at an early hour that morning against the flanks of the
Confederates, and they bivouacked in front of the works of their antagonists, only 6 miles from Dinwiddie Court-house.
Warren had lost 300 men in a fight on the way. On the next day (March 30),
Sheridan sent a party of cavalry to the
Five Forks, but the
Confederate works there were too strongly armed and manned to be ridden over, and the Nationals were driven back to the
Court-house.
There was some severe fighting that day, without a decisive result.
Sheridan was engaged in the struggle, but at midnight he was satisfied that
Lee was withdrawing his troops, and felt quite at ease.
It was known at headquarters that his troops had been driven back from
Five Forks, and that it was uncertain whether he could hold his position.
Warren was sent to his aid with a portion of his corps.
Ranking
Warren,
Sheridan became commander of the whole force.
Leaving
Warren half-way between Dinwiddie Court-house and
Five Forks,
Sheridan pressed boldly on towards the latter place, with cavalry alone, and drove the
Confederates into their works and enveloped them with his overwhelming number of horsemen.
He then ordered
Warren forward to a position on his right, so as to be fully on the
Confederate left.
He drove some Confederates towards
Petersburg, and returned before
Warren was prepared to charge upon the works.
At 4 P. M. War-
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Movement towards five Forks. |
ren moved to the attack.
Ayres charged upon the
Confederate right, carried a portion of the line, and captured more than 1,000 men and several battle-flags.
Merritt charged the front, and
Griffin fell upon the left with such force that he carried the intrenchments and seized 1,500 men.
Crawford, meanwhile, had come forward, cut off their retreat in the direction of
Lee's lines, struck them in the rear, and captured four guns.
Hard pressed, the
Confederates fought gallantly and with great fortitude.
At length the cavalry charged over the works simultaneously with the turning of their flanks by
Ayres and
Griffin, and, bearing down upon the
Confederates with great fury, caused a large portion of them to throw
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Battle of five Forks. |
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down their arms, while the remainder made a disorderly flight westward, pursued many miles by
Merritt and
McKenzie.
The Confederates lost a large number of men, killed and wounded, and over 5,000 were made prisoners.
The
Nationals lost about 1,000, of whom 634 were killed and wounded.
