. Lee had
succeeded in interposing himself between General Grant and Richmond.

On the same evening the bulk of the two armies were facing each other
on the line of the Po.

By the rapidity of his movements General Lee had thus completely
defeated his adversary's design to seize on the important point,
Spottsylvania Court-House. General Grant, apparently conceiving some
explanation of this untoward event to be necessary, writes: "The
enemy, having become aware of our movement, and _having the shorter
line_, was enabled to reach there first." The statement that General
Lee had the shorter of the two lines to march over is a mistake. The
armies moved over parallel roads until beyond Todd's Tavern, after
which the distance to the south bank of the Po was greater by Lee's
route than General Grant's. The map will sufficiently indicate this.
Two other circumstances defeated General Grant's attempt to reach the
point first--the extreme rapidity of the march of the Confederate
advance force, and the excellent fighting of Stuart's dismounted men,
who harassed and delayed General Warren, leading the Federal advance
throughout the entire night.

An additional fact should be mentioned, bearing upon this point, and
upon General Lee's designs. "General Lee's orders to me," says General
Early, who, from the sickness of A.P. Hill, had been assigned to the
command of the corps, "were to _move by Todd's Tavern along the Brock
Road_, to Spottsylvania Court-House, as soon as our front was clear of
the enemy." From this order it would appear either that General Lee
regarded the Brock Road, over which General Grant moved, as the
"shorter line," or that he intended the movement of Early on the
enemy's rear to operate as a check upon them, while he went forward to
their front with his main body.

These comments may seem tedious to the general reader, but all that
illustrates the military designs, or defends the good soldiership of
Lee, is worthy of record.

We proceed now to the narrative. In the Wilderness General Grant had
found a dangerous enemy ready to strike at his flank. He now saw in
his front the same active and wary adversary, prepared to bar the
direct road to Richmond. General Lee had taken up his position on the
south bank of one of the four tributaries of the Mattapony. These four
streams are known as the Mat, Ta, Po, and Nye Rivers, and bear the
same relation to the main stream that the fingers of the open hand do
to the