onfederates. Grant had failed in his efforts to turn Lee's right and to
accomplish his direct advance; he therefore changed his base and moved
his army round toward Spottsylvania.

Lee soon perceived his object, and succeeded in carrying his army to
Spottsylvania before the Federals reached it.

On the afternoon of Monday the 9th, there was heavy fighting, and on the
10th another pitched battle took place. This time the ground was more
open, and the artillery was employed with terrible effect on both sides.
It ended, however, as the previous battles had done, by the Confederates
holding their ground.

Upon the next day there was but little fighting. In the night the
Federals moved quietly through the wood and at daybreak four divisions
fell upon Johnston's division of Ewell's corps, took them completely by
surprise, and captured the greater part of them.

But Lee's veterans soon recovered from their surprise and maintained
their position until noon. Then the whole Federal army advanced, and the
battle raged till nightfall terminated the struggle, leaving Lee in
possession of the whole line he had held, with the exception of the
ground lost in the morning.

For the next six days the armies faced each other, worn out by incessant
fighting, and prevented from moving by the heavy rain which fell
incessantly. They were now able to reckon up the losses. The Federals
found that they had lost, in killed, wounded, or missing, nearly 30,000
men; while Lee's army was diminished by about 12,000.

While these mighty battles had been raging the Federal cavalry under
Sheridan had advanced rapidly forward, and, after several skirmishes
with Stuart's cavalry, penetrated within the outer intrenchments round
Richmond. Here Stuart, with two regiments of cavalry, charged them and
drove them back, but the gallant Confederate officer received a wound
that before night proved fatal. His loss was a terrible blow to the
Confederacy, although his successor in the command of the cavalry,
General Wade Hampton, was also an officer of the highest merit.

In the meantime General Butler, who had at Fortress Monroe under his
command two corps of infantry, 4000 cavalry, and a fleet of gunboats and
transports, was threatening Richmond from the east. Shipping his men on
board the transports he steamed up the James River, under convoy of the
fleet, and landed on a neck of land known as Bermuda Hundred. To oppose
him all the troops from North Carolina