Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 3.

[336] distance of two and a half miles. With these they took fifteen guns, and made three hundred men prisoners. Meanwhile, two divisions of Hancock's Corps had come up and joined Smith's command,¹ when the united forces were ordered to rest upon their arms within the works just captured. Smith thought it more prudent to hold what he had obtained, than to risk all by attempting to gain more.² so, during the calm hours that succeeded, the nearly full moon shining brightly until past midnight, the assailants reposed, while nearly the whole of Lee's Army was crossing the James to the south front of Richmond, and troops were streaming down toward Petersburg and into the lines around it. There, in a few hours, these worked wonders, and on the following morning

June 16, 1864.

there was a startling apparition of a new line of works around the City, with a cloud of veterans deployed in battle order behind them. The prize so much coveted by Grant was lost. Twenty-four hours before, Petersburg might have been easily taken;³ now it defied its foes, and continued to do so during a most distressing siege of about ten months from that time. That delay of twelve hours--whether wise or unwise let the reader judge — was the turning-point in the campaign.

and now, at the middle of June, a large portion of the Army of Northern Virginia were in Petersburg, and within the lines in front of it, or were on their way and near by; and that evening

June 16.

the greater part of the Army of the Potomac, with the command of Smith on its right, resting on the Appomattox, confronted the Confederates. Grant had gone to the front at an early hour that day, and ascertaining the state of affairs, was returning to City Point, when he met General Meade on the road, and directed him to post his Army as quickly as possible, and at six o'clock that evening open fire on the Confederate lines. It was expected that Burnside would join Smith and Hancock by that time. He did so. The bombardment was opened at the appointed hour, and was kept up, with varying intensity, until six o'clock in the morning. The result of the fearful combat on that warm June night was a General advance of the National lines, but at a serious cost to the Corps of Hancock and Burnside. Birney, of the former, stormed and carried the ridge on its front. Burnside could make no impression during the night, and was kept at bay by a murderous fire; but at dawn General Potter's division made a desperate charge upon the works in front of the Ninth Corps, carried them, and captured four guns and four hundred prisoners. His division was at once relieved by General Ledlie's,