mediate command of General
W. F. Smith, with which, and Gilmore's command, he should "seize
City Point and operate against Richmond from the south side of the
river," moving simultaneously with Meade's army. To Meade he said:
"_Lee's army will be your objective point. Wherever Lee goes there
you will go also_." General Burnside, then at Annapolis organizing
the Ninth Army Corps, was to reinforce Meade with probably 25,000
men. There was to be naval co-operation on the James. Grant had
not then determined on which flank to attack Lee, or whether he
would cross the Rapidan above or below the Confederate Army.

All baggage was reduced to the lowest standard possible. "Two
wagons to a regiment of 500 men . . . for all baggage, exclusive
of subsistence stores and ordnance stores. One wagon to a brigade
and one to a division headquarters, . . . and about two to corps
headquarters."

Meade subsequently made a further reduction, and allowed only one
wagon to a regiment.

When it was finally determined to move by Lee's right flank, Meade
was ordered to have supplies forwarded to White House, on the
Pamunkey.( 3)

Sigel was directed to advance a column in co-operation from
Martinsburg up the Shenandoah Valley.

Grant, in a confidential dispatch,( 4) April 29th, to Halleck,
fixed May 4th as the date for putting the Army of the Potomac in
motion, saying:

"My own notions about our line of march are entirely made up, but
as circumstances beyond my control may change them, I will only
state that my effort will be to bring Butler's and Meade's forces
together."

The next day, on the authority of a rebel officer arrested in
Baltimore, who left Lee's army on April 17th, Halleck wired Grant
that Lee was about to move Longstreet by the mountain road westward
over the Blue Ridge with 20,000 men; that Hill, 50,000 strong, was
to force Grant's right at Culpeper, and with three divisions form
a junction at Warrenton with Ewell; that all Confederate troops
from East Tennessee were to strengthen Lee; that Breckinridge, with
25,000 men in West Virginia, accompanied by Morgan's cavalry, was
to force his way down the Kanawha into Ohio, near Gallipolis; that
if Lee reached Pennsylvania, Breckinridge was to join him, Morgan's
cavalry destroying all railroads to east and west; that Lee's
general direction was to be towards Wheeling and Pittsburg; that
Richmond's defence was to be left to Beauregard, with Pickett's
division of 15,00