Pictorial history of the war for the Union, volume 2 (of 2)

by Ann S. Stephens

EVACUATION OF RICHMOND AND PETERSBURG, VA. SURRENDER OF GENERAL LEE.

The great Union victory achieved at the battle of Five Forks, on the 1st and 2d of April, 1865, decided the fate of the city of Richmond and the city of Petersburg. Both places were immediately evacuated by the rebels, and were entered and occupied by the National forces on the 3d of April. Immense excitement and rejoicing was occasioned throughout the North by the dispatches which announced this news to the country. The newspapers were filled with letters, descriptive of the great victory and the great triumph, and, on every hand, salutes and bonfires, and all manner of demonstrations of gladness announced the conviction of the people that the civil war was substantially ended. The cities of the North were gaily decked with the glorious banner of the Republic. All was enthusiasm and gratitude.

PETERSBURG.
Surrendered April 3, 1865.

Petersburg before the war numbered a population of twenty thousand people, and was the second city, in size and importance, in the State of Virginia; but, during the war, its population was greatly reduced, there not being more than five thousand whites left in the place at the time of its capture.

General Ely’s brigade, of the Ninth army corps, was the first to enter the city, on the morning of the 3d of April. This was at daylight; but, at a quarter past six o’clock the city was formally surrendered to Brigadier-General Edwards, of the Sixth corps. The retiring rebels had burned some property in their flight. A good deal of tobacco had been thus destroyed, together with some railroad rolling stock.

By six o’clock the town was awake and alive. Troops were pouring in from all directions, shouting, singing, and cheering, but otherwise preserving the most orderly and commendable bearing. There was no straggling, no pillaging, no destruction of property or intrusion on private residences. Guards were stationed thickly in all directions, with imperative orders to keep the soldiers out of all buildings, public or private, and protect all property from destruction. The citizens were showing themselves in large numbers upon the door steps, in the doors and at the windows of the houses, indicating that but few, if any, had run away, while most of them manifested, in the expression of their faces, a gladness at the National success. They seemed, indeed, to be starved out. While there was plenty of food for the rebel army, it had been carefully hoarded, and the resident population left to shift for themselves as best they could. Perhaps it was on this account more than any other that the citizens were so ready to abandon the rebel cause. On the main business streets there was every appearance of thrift.

An army correspondent, who entered Petersburg with the Union forces, alludes thus to the damage which the city had sustained from the National bombardment: “I had much curiosity to see the effect of the numerous shellings to which the town had been subjected, and rode through that portion of the city most exposed. It was certainly wonderful that so little damage had been done. Nearly every other building in some localities had been struck; but, with the exception of now and then a chimney knocked down, or a hole through the building that a few dollars would repair, the injuries were scarcely perceptible. I found the people living in the exposed localities, and was told that they had been there throughout all the siege. But few people had been killed by the cannonading in the town.”

In the course of the day General Grant entered Petersburg, and established his headquarters there. But no halt was made by the army. All day long, with banners flying and “music on the wind,” the soldiers of the Union marched through Petersburg, in pursuit of the flying forces of General Lee. The First division of the Ninth corps was, however, left in the captured city, to do provost duty.

RICHMOND.
Surrendered April 3, 1865.

Meanwhile, on the same memorable morning, the Mayor of Richmond, Mr. Mayo, had surrendered the capital of the Confederacy to General Weitzel, whose troops immediately marched in and took possession of the city. A portion of it was found to be in flames, General Early having caused it to be fired, on retreating during the night of the 2d instant. Major Stevens directed the alarm bells to be sounded, and at once assumed direction of the Fire Department of the city, consisting of a few men, two steam fire engines, four worthless hand-engines, and a large amount of hose, ruined by the retreating rebels. The efforts to subdue the flames were arduous, but finally successful, and before night the city was exceedingly quiet in all respects.

On personally arriving in the city, General Weitzel issued the following order:—

“Headquarters, Detachment Army of the James, }

“Richmond, Va., April 3, 1865. }

“Major-General Godfrey Weitzel, commanding Detachment of the Army of the James, announces the occupation of the city of Richmond, by the armies of the United States, under command of Lieutenant-General Grant. The people of Richmond are assured that we come to restore to them the blessings of peace, prosperity and freedom, under the flag of the Union.

“The citizens of Richmond are requested to remain for the present quietly within their houses, and to avoid all public assemblages or meetings in the public streets. An efficient provost guard will immediately re-establish order and tranquillity within the city.

“Martial law is, for the present, proclaimed.

“Brigadier-General George F. Shepley, United States Volunteers, is hereby appointed Military Governor of Richmond.

“Lieutenant-Colonel Fred. L. Manning, Provost-Marshal-General, Army of the James, will act as Provost-Marshal of Richmond. Commanders of detachments doing guard duty in the city will report to him for instructions. By command of

“Major-General WEITZEL.

“D. D. Wheeler, Assistant Adjutant-General.”

The works in front of Richmond which were occupied by the rebels; and wholly evacuated previous to the Union occupancy of the city, were found to consist of three strong lines, strictly enveloping Richmond. The outer ones were continuous lines; the inner one consisted of a series of strong redoubts and bastion forts. These works mounted upwards of three hundred heavy guns, all of which were captured.

General Weitzel also took one thousand prisoners, besides the wounded. These numbered five thousand, in nine hospitals. He captured cannon, to the number of at least five hundred pieces. Five thousand muskets were found in one lot. Thirty locomotives and three hundred cars were also seized.

The rebels had succeeded in destroying all their vessels of war; but the well known Tredegar iron works were found to be unharmed. Libby Prison and Castle Thunder were also captured, and were speedily filled with rebel prisoners. It was ascertained that the rebels began the work of destroying the city, by firing the Shockoe warehouse, filled with tobacco, as well as the large granary establishment on Carey street, near Twenty-third street. The fire was very destructive; and in addition to destroying the War Department, the general Post Office, the Treasury building, several churches, and many stores, likewise destroyed the offices of the Richmond Enquirer, Dispatch and Examiner; the Virginia Bank, the Farmers’ Bank, and the Bank of Richmond. The United States Custom House was saved, by reason of its being fireproof.

On the 4th of April President Lincoln visited Richmond, where he was received with great enthusiasm. During his stay in the city, he occupied, with General Weitzel, quarters in the house which, only a little while before, had been the residence of the rebel President Jefferson Davis.

SURRENDER OF GENERAL LEE, AND HIS ENTIRE ARMY.
April 9, 1865.

On abandoning Petersburg and Richmond, General Lee betook himself in the direction of Danville, which is just upon the border of the State of Virginia, close to the North Carolina line. Here—or earlier, at Burkesville—it was designed to make another stand. General Sheridan was already in full pursuit, and aimed to cut off Lee’s army at Burkesville. On the 6th of April, he sent the following dispatch:

“April 6—11:15 P. M.

“Lieutenant-General Grant:—

“I have the honor to report that the enemy made a stand at the intersection of the Burkesville station road with the road upon which they were retreating.

“I attacked them with two divisions of the Sixth army corps and routed them handsomely, making a connection with the cavalry. I am still pressing on with both cavalry and infantry. Up to the present time we have captured Generals Ewell, Kershaw, Barton, Corse, De Bose and Custis Lee, several thousand prisoners, fourteen pieces of artillery, with caissons and a large number of wagons. If the thing is pressed, I think Lee will surrender.

P. H. SHERIDAN,

“Major-General Commanding.”

On the receipt of this message, General Grant was already pushing on in person, with his whole army, to join Sheridan and strike the deathblow to the rebellion. But there was no need of further fighting. Sheridan had captured a large part of the rebel army, and the rest was demoralized. Lee’s headquarters at this time were near Amelia Court House. On the afternoon of the 9th of April, finding all hope of success to the rebel arms to be utterly empty and vain, the rebel commander finally surrendered to General Grant the entire Army of Northern Virginia. The letters which passed between the two commanders, upon this occasion, and which telegraphed to the Northern press, created the wildest enthusiasm throughout the land, are well worthy of preservation in the pages of any History of the War for the Union—so graphic and thorough in their narrative of the closing scene of rebel discomfiture and national triumph.