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.