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John Esten Cooke, Wearing of the Gray: Being Personal Portraits, Scenes, and Adventures of War., General Pegram on the night before his death. (search)
General Pegram on the night before his death. I. The writer's object in the present paper is to chronicle the events of a day in the pine-woods of Dinwiddie in 1865, and to mention a circumstance which impressed him forcibly at the time; nearly convincing him of the truth of presentiments, and warnings of approaching death. It was early in February of the year 1865, and General Grant had for some time been straining every nerve to force his way to the Southside railroad-when General Lee would be cut off from his base of supplies, and compelled to retreat or surrender his army. Grant had exhibited a persistence which amounted to genius; and the Federal lines had been pushed from the Jerusalem to the Weldon road, from the Weldon to the Vaughan and Squirrel Level roads, and thence still westward beyond Hatcher's Run, toward the White Oak road, running through the now well-known locality of Five Forks. On the western bank of the run, near Burgess's Mill, General Lee's extrem
John Esten Cooke, Wearing of the Gray: Being Personal Portraits, Scenes, and Adventures of War., Lee's last battles. (search)
, and he had learned the important maxim that it is always best to give your enemy credit for intending to do what he ought to do. If Lee moved promptly toward Danville, every effort would be made to come up with and destroy him; if he did not retreat, time would be allowed the Federal army to gradually fight its way to the Southside road. Once lodged upon that great artery of the Southern army, Grant had checkmated his opponent. Upon this obvious view of the situation, General Lee, in February, issued orders for the removal of all the stores of the army to Amelia Court-House, on the road to Danville. A movement of this sort is, of course, impossible of concealment, and the whole army soon knew that something was in the wind. Government cotton and tobacco was hauled away from Petersburg; hundreds of the inhabitants left the place; all the surplus artillery was sent to Amelia Court-House, and even the reserve ordnance train of the army was ordered to the same point. Then suddenl