as
routed; his line had been stretched westward until it broke; there was
no longer any hope of saving Richmond, or even of materially delaying
its fall. But Lee apparently thought that even the gain of a day was of
value to the Richmond government, and what was left of his Army of
Northern Virginia was still so perfect in discipline that it answered
with unabated spirit every demand made upon it. Grant, who feared Lee
might get away from Petersburg and overwhelm Sheridan on the White Oak
road, directed that an assault be made all along the line at four
o'clock on the morning of the second. His officers responded with
enthusiasm; and Lee, far from dreaming of attacking any one after the
stunning blow he had received the day before, made what hasty
preparations he could to resist them.

It is painful to record the hard fighting which followed. Wright, in his
assault in front of Forts Fisher and Walsh, lost eleven hundred men in
fifteen minutes of murderous conflict that made them his own; and other
commands fared scarcely better, Union and Confederate troops alike
displaying a gallantry distressing to contemplate when one reflects
that, the war being already decided, all this heroic blood was shed in
vain. The Confederates, from the Appomattox to the Weldon road, fell
slowly back to their inner line of works; and Lee, watching the
formidable advance before which his weakened troops gave way, sent a
message to Richmond announcing his purpose of concentrating on the
Danville road, and made preparations for the evacuation which was now
the only resort left him.

Some Confederate writers express surprise that General Grant did not
attack and destroy Lee's army on April 2; but this is a view, after the
fact, easy to express. The troops on the Union left had been on foot for
eighteen hours, had fought an important battle, marched and
countermarched many miles, and were now confronted by Longstreet's fresh
corps behind formidable works, while the attitude of the force under
Gordon on the south side of the town was such as to require the close
attention of Parke. Grant, anticipating an early retirement of Lee from
his citadel, wisely resolved to avoid the waste and bloodshed of an
immediate assault on the inner lines of Petersburg. He ordered Sheridan
to get upon Lee's line of retreat; sent Humphreys to strengthen him;
then, directing a general bombardment for five o'clock next morning, and
an assault at six, gave himself and