the 15th of June Meade's losses were
51,908, and Butler's 9,234, together 61,142. The best estimates
give 61,000 to 64,000 as Lee's strength at the Wilderness, or 78,400
from the Rappahannock to the James,--"Century War Book," vol. iv.,
pp. 182-187.

(4) The first suggestion seems to have come from Butler to Stanton,
May 29th, Weitzel concurring. Grant disapproved this in a telegram
dated 3 P.M., June 3d: the second assault had been made that morning.
The movement across the James for the surprise and seizure of
Petersburg came to a stand-still on the 18th. On the 23d Grant
made the request and the orders were issued the next day.

(5) In the official records wrongly printed as the 160th.

CHAPTER XXX.
ON THE POTOMAC.

Grant had meant to send the troops to join the Army of the James
under Butler at Bermuda Hundred, but already the dust of Early's
columns was in sight from the hills behind Washington, and the
capital, though fully fortified, being practically without defenders,
until the Sixth Corps should come to the rescue, in the stress of
the moment the detachments of the Nineteenth Corps were hurried up
the Potomac as fast as the transports entered the roads. It was
noon on the 11th when Davis landed the fourteen companies from the
_Crescent_ at the wharves of Washington, where he found orders to
occupy and hold Fort Saratoga.(1)

At the hour when Davis was disembarking at the southern end of
Sixth Street wharf, Early's headquarters were at Silver Spring,
barely five miles away to the northward, and his skirmishers were
drawing within range of the guns of Fort Stevens. Behind the
defences of Washington there were but twenty thousand soldiers of
all arms. Of these less than half formed the garrison of the works,
and even of this fraction nearly all were raw, undisciplined,
uninstructed, and lacking the simplest knowledge of the ground they
were to defend. But five days before this, Grant had taken Ricketts
from the lines of the Sixth Corps before Petersburg, and sent him
by water to Baltimore, whence his superb veterans were carried by
rail to the Monocacy just in time to enable Wallace, with a chance
medley of garrison and emergency men, to face Early on the 9th,
and compel him to lose a day in crossing. Then, at last, made
quite certain of Early's true position and plans, Grant hurried
the rest of the Sixth Corps to the relief of Washington, and thus
the steamboat bearing the advance of Wright's