rty and defeat to their homes. That spectacle was surely
tragic, and appealed to the hardest heart; and if any rejoiced in such
misery he must have been unsusceptible of the sentiment of admiration
for heroism in misfortune.

The last and decisive struggle between the two armies at Petersburg
began in March, 1865. But events of great importance in many quarters
had preceded this final conflict, the result of which had been to
break down all the outer defences of the Confederacy, leaving only the
inner citadel still intact. The events in question are so familiar to
those who will peruse these pages, that a passing reference to them is
all that is necessary. Affairs in the Valley of Virginia, from autumn
to spring, had steadily proceeded from bad to worse. In September,
General Sheridan, with a force of about forty-five thousand, had
assailed General Early near Winchester, with a force of about eight
or nine thousand muskets, and succeeded in driving him up the Valley
beyond Strasburg, whence, attacked a second time, he had retreated
toward Staunton. This was followed, in October, by another battle at
Cedar Run, where Early attacked and nearly crushed General Sheridan,
but eventually was again repulsed, and forced a second time to retreat
up the Valley to Waynesboro', where, in February, his little remnant
was assailed by overwhelming numbers and dispersed. General Sheridan,
who had effected this inglorious but important success, then proceeded
to the Lowlands, joined General Grant's army, and was ready, with his
large force of horse, to take part in the coming battles.

A more important success had attended the Federal arms in the West.
General Johnston, who had been restored to command there at the
solicitation of Lee, had found his force insufficient to oppose
General Sherman's large army; the Confederates had accordingly
retreated; and General Sherman, almost unresisted, from the exhaustion
of his adversary, marched across the country to Savannah, which fell
an easy prize, and thence advanced to Goldsborough, in North Carolina,
where he directly threatened Lee's line of retreat from Virginia.

Such was the condition of affairs in the months of February and
March, 1865. In the former month, commissioners from the Confederate
Government had met President Lincoln in Hampton Roads, but no terms of
peace could be agreed upon; the issue was still left to be decided by
arms, and every advantage was upon the Federal side. G