[
705]
In planning
Smith's movement, the fact that the troops in our front might be sent to reinforce
Petersburg was taken into account, as, if they all got there, we should still be four to one of the enemy.
And when
Beauregard had ten thousand men there on the 17th and 18th,
Grant's corps of fifty-five thousand men were attacking the new line built during
Smith's delay, and they failed to carry the new works even with the great superiority of numbers.
A great misfortune and fault of the Army of the Potomac which enabled the rebels to defend themselves successfully was that the men of the Army of the Potomac were put in to attack intrenched lines, and that they substantially would not do. They had been for six weeks led to abortive attacks accompanied with great slaughter and no success,
1 and their great desire was to have
Lee attack them when they were behind defensive works, as they would have been if
Lee's men had been stopped, by holding the enemy's line of works at the
Appomattox bridges as
Smith had been ordered to do.
Of this opinion was
General Hancock.
By the order of
General Meade he attacked the enemy's new line at 6.30 P. M. on the 16th and fought all night (so that it seems the moonlight was sufficient for him to fight), and reported to
General Meade the reason of his repulse as follows:--
I do not think the loss heavy but in officers.
I do not think the men attacked with persistence; they appeared to be wearied.
General Meade, in a despatch to
General Grant at 6 A. M. of the 17th, describing the attack of the 16th, says:--
Advantage was taken of the fine moonlight to press the enemy all night.
A rough return would make our loss two thousand killed and wounded. I regret to say that many officers are among the numbers.
Our men are tired and the attack could not be made with the vigor and force which characterized our fighting in the Wilderness.
If they had not been, I think they might have been more successful.
The men were tired and weary of assaulting works, of being led to assault intrenchments; not tired and weary in the sense of physical fatigue.
Most of them had rested quietly during the night of the 15th, and the day of the 16th before they were led to the attack
