great column
that had marched forward in the morning, confident that victory was
assured to them, and that the explosion would lay Petersburg open to
capture, made their retreat, the Confederates, however, taking a
considerable number of prisoners. The Federal loss in killed, wounded,
and captured was admitted by them to be 4000; the Confederate accounts
put it down at 6000.

After this terrible repulse it was a long time before Grant again
renewed active operations, but during the months that ensued his troops
suffered very heavily from the effects of fever, heightened by the
discouragement they felt at their want of success, and at the tremendous
losses they had suffered since they entered Virginia on their forward
march to Richmond.

CHAPTER XVIII.

A PERILOUS UNDERTAKING.

Vincent Wingfield had had an arduous time of it with his squadron of
cavalry. He had taken part in the desperate charge that checked the
advance of Sheridan's great column of cavalry, which approached within
three miles of Richmond--the charge that had cost the gallant Stuart his
life; and the death of his beloved general had been a heavy blow for
him. Jackson and Stuart, two of the bravest and noblest spirits of the
Confederate army, were gone. Both had been personally dear to Vincent,
and he felt how grievous was their loss to the cause for which he was
fighting; but he had little time for grief. The enemy, after the
tremendous battles of the Wilderness, swung their army round to Cold
Harbor, and Vincent's squadron was called up to aid Lee in his struggle
there. Then they were engaged night and day in harassing the enemy as
they marched down to take up their new base at Petersburg, and finally
received orders to ride round at full speed to aid in the defense of
that place.

They had arrived in the middle of the second day's fighting, and
dismounting his men, Vincent had aided the hard-pressed Confederates in
holding their lines till Longstreet's division arrived to their
assistance. A short time before the terrible disaster that befell the
Federals in the mine they exploded under the Confederate works, he was
with General Wade Hampton, who had succeeded General Stuart in the
command of the cavalry, when General Lee rode up.

"They are erecting siege works in earnest," General Lee said. "I do not
think that we shall have any more attacks for the present. I wish I knew
exactly where they are intending to place their heavy batteries