ly hunted for a weak spot in his enemy's
line, and decided that Spottsylvania Court-House was the place, and
thither he marched his army on the night of May 7th.

While this movement was in progress, Sheridan and his cavalry made a
dash toward Richmond in the effort to cut Lee's communications. The
vigilant Stuart intercepted them at Yellow Tavern, within seven miles of
the city, and compelled Sheridan to return, but in the fighting Stuart
received a wound from which he died the next day.

When Grant's advance reached Spottsylvania Court-House, the Confederates
were in possession, and repulsed the attempt to drive them out. While
the preparations for renewing the battle were going on, General Sedgwick
was struck in the head by a Confederate sharpshooter and instantly
killed.

GRANT'S REPULSE AT COLD HARBOR.

A series of flank movements followed, with fierce fighting, in which the
Union loss was great. Reinforcements were sent to Grant, and nothing
could deter his resolution to drive Lee to the wall. At Cold Harbor, on
June 3d, however, the Union commander received one of the most bloody
repulses of the war, suffering a loss of ten thousand in the space of
less than half an hour, and his losses from the Rapidan to the
Chickahominy--whither he moved his army--equaled the whole number of men
in Lee's army. The latter was within the defenses of Richmond, of which
the centre was Cold Harbor. Having much shorter lines, the Confederates
were able to anticipate the movements of the Army of the Potomac and
present a defiant front at all times.

Meanwhile matters had gone wrong in the Shenandoah Valley. On the 15th
of May, Sigel was utterly routed by Breckinridge. The Union officer
failed so badly that he was superseded by Hunter, who made just as
wretched a failure. The 15,000 troops under Breckinridge were sent to
reinforce Lee, when, had Sigel and Hunter done their duty, this force
would have been compelled to stay in the Shenandoah Valley.

Another movement that was meant to help Grant materially was that of
Butler, who was to threaten Richmond by water, while Grant and Meade
were assailing the city in front. But Butler was outgeneraled by
Beauregard, who succeeded in "bottling him up," as Grant expressed it,
at Bermuda Hundred, a peninsula formed by the James, twenty miles below
Richmond. There Butler was held helpless, while Beauregard sent a small
part of his meagre force to reinforce Lee.

[Illustration: GENERAL