antime news reached Grant that Butler, who was to have moved up the
James with his army of 20,000 and co-operate with the main army against
Richmond, had suffered himself to be "bottled up" at Bermuda Hundred, a
narrow spit of land between the James and Appomattox Rivers, the
Confederates having "driven in the cork." Re-enforcements reached Grant,
however, which made good all his losses.

On the 19th, after an unsuccessful assault the day before, he resumed
the flanking movement, and reached and passed the North Anna. But Lee
pushed in like a wedge between the two parts of the Union army,
separated by crossing the river at different points, and after some
fighting, Grant re-crossed and resumed his march to the south. Lee,
again moving on shorter lines, reached Cold Harbor before Grant.

The outer line of Confederate intrenchments at Cold Harbor was carried
on June 1st, and at early dawn on the 3d a charge made along the whole
front. Under cover of a heavy artillery fire the men advanced to the
enemy's rifle-pits and carried them. They then swept on toward the main
line. The ground was open, and the advancing columns were exposed to a
terrible storm of iron and lead. Artillery cross-fire swept through
their ranks from right to left. The troops pressed close up to the
works, but could not carry them. They intrenched, however, and held the
position gained, at some points within thirty yards of the hostile
ramparts. The Union loss was very heavy, not less than 6,000; the
Confederates, fighting under shelter, lost comparatively few.

During the next ten days the men lay quietly in their trenches. Both
forces had now moved so far south that Grant's hope of getting between
Lee's army and Richmond had to be abandoned. He therefore decided to
cross the James and take a position south of Richmond, whence he could
threaten its lines of communication, while that river would furnish him
a secure base of supplies.

The two hosts now began a race for Petersburg, an important railway
centre, twenty-two miles south of Richmond. Grant's advance reached the
town first, but delayed earnest attack, and on the morning of the 15th
Lee's veterans, after an all-night's march, flung themselves into the
intrenchments. Grant spent the next four days in vain efforts to
dislodge them. On the 19th he gave up this method of assault, and began
a regular siege. His losses in killed and wounded hereabouts had been
almost 9,000.

Things now remained