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4.

clay's House, June 17th, 1864: 3.30 P. M.
Major-Genl. W. H. F. Lee, Malvern Hill, via Meaden Station:
Push after the enemy, and endeavor to ascertain what has become of Grant's army. Inform General Hill.


5.

clay's House, June 17th, 1864:4.30 P. M.
Lieut.-Genl. A. P. Hill, Riddle's Shop, via Meaden Station:
General Beauregard reports large number of Grant's troops crossed James River, above Fort Powhatan, yesterday. If you have nothing contradictory of this, move to Chaffin's Bluff.

R. E. Lee.
Official. W. H. Taylor, A. A. G.

6.

clay's House, June 17th, 1864: 12 M.
General G. T. Beauregard:
Telegram of 9 A. M. received. Until I can get more definite information of Grant's movements, I do not think it prudent to draw more troops to this side of river.


7.

clay's House, June 17th, 1864; 4.30 P. M.
General G. T. Beauregard, Petersburg, Va.:
Have no information of Grant's crossing James River, but upon your report have ordered troops up to Chaffin's Bluff.


No further proof is necessary to show how impossible it is That ‘the van of lee's army’ could have reached Petersburg during the night of the 15th, when, from evidence furnished by General Lee himself, the first division of his forces only came up on the morning of the 18th.

This settles the point as to Mr. Swinton's first error. The second, referring to the ‘mettle’ of the troops defending Petersburg, although of less importance, is still deserving of comment.

The only difference between the ‘crude soldiersMr. Swinton speaks of and those belonging to the army of General Lee was, that some of them, numbering two hundred local militia, were less inured to the hardships of war, and were mostly old men and boys. But the other part consisted of Wise's brigade, which few commands in the service equalled, and of two small regiments of cavalry, under Dearing, who had infused into his men the dash and spirit that so eminently characterized him. The proof, however, that the ‘mettle’ of the forces at and around Petersburg on the 15th was identically the same as that of all the Southern troops is that, although they numbered but 2200 effectives,1 they

1 See, in Appendix, synopsis of General Wise's report of the operations around Petersburg on the 15th of June, 1864.

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