The end of
October was approaching. Grant had continued to hammer away along his
immense line of earth-works; and day by day, step by step, he had gone
on extending his left in the direction of the Southside railroad.
If the reader will keep this in view, he will understand every movement
of the great adversaries. Grant had vainly attempted to carry Lee's
works by assault, or surprise,--his only hope of success now was to
gradually extend his lines toward the Southside road; seize upon that
great war artery which supplied life-blood to Lee's army; and thus
compel the Confederate commander to retreat or starve in his trenches.
One thing was plain--that when Grant reached the Southside railroad,
Lee was lost, unless he could mass his army and cut his way through the
forces opposed to him. And this fact was so obvious, the situation was
so apparent--that from the moment when the Weldon road was seized upon
by General Grant, that officer and his great adversary never removed
their eyes from the real point of importance, the true key of the
lock--namely the Southside railroad, on Lee's right.
Elsewhere Grant attacked, but it was to cover some movement, still
toward his left. He assaulted Lee's works, north of the James--but it
was south of the Appomattox that he was looking.
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