that it fell to the lot of the Armies of the Potomac and James so gloriously to overwhelm and capture the entire army that had held them so long in check, and their success gave new impulse to finish up our task. Without a moment's hesitation we dropped our trains and marched rapidly in pursuit to and through Raleigh, reaching that place at 7. 30 a.m. of the 13th, in a heavy rain. The next day the cavalry pushed on through the rain to Durham Station, the Fifteenth Corps following as far as Morrisville Station, and the Seventeenth Corps to Jones' Station. On the supposition that Johnston was tied to his railroad as a line of retreat, by Hillsborough, Greensborough, Salisbury, Charlotte, &c., I had turned the other columns across the bend of that road toward Ashborough. (See Special Field Orders, Numbers 55. *) The cavalry, Bvt. Major General J. Kilpatrick commanding, was ordered to keep up a show of pursuit toward the Company's Shops, in Alamance County; Major General O. O. Howard to turn to the left by Hackney's Cross-Roads, Pittsborough, Saint Lawrence, and Ashborough; Major General H. W. Slocum to cross Cape Fear River at Aven's Ferry, and move rapidly by Carthage, Caledonia, and Cox's Mills; Major General J. M. Schofield was to hold Raleigh and the road back, and with his spare force to follow an intermediate route.

By the 15th, though the rains were incessant and the roads almost impracticable, Major-General Slocum had the Fourteenth Corps, Brevet Major-General Davis commanding, near Martha's Vineyard, with a pontoon bridge laid across Cape Fear River at Aven's Ferry, with the Twentieth Corps, Major-General Mower commanding, in support, and Major-General Howard had the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps stretched out on the roads toward Pittsborough, whilst General Kilpatrick held Durham Station and Chapel Hill University.

Johnston's army was retreating rapidly on the roads from Hillsborough to Greensborough, he himself at Greensborough. Although out of place as to time, I here invite all military critics who study the problems of war to take their maps and compare the position of my army on the 15th and 16th of April, with that of General Halleck about Burkeville and Petersburg, Va., on the 26th of April, when, according to his telegram to Secretary Stanton, he offered to relieve me of the task of "cutting off Johnston's retreat. "+ Major-General Stoneman at the time was at Statesville, and Johnston's only line of retreat was by Salisbury and Charlotte. It may be that General Halleck's troops can outmarch mine, but there is nothing int heir past history to show it, or it may be that General Halleck can inspire his troops with more energy of action. I doubt that also, save and except in this single instance, when he knew the enemy was ready to surrender or disperse, as advised by my letter of April 18, addressed to him when chief of staff at Washington City, and delivered into his hands++ on the 21st instant by Major Hitchcock, of my staff.

Thus matters stood at the time I received General Johnston's first letter and made my answer of April 14, copies of which were sent with all expedition to Lieutenant-General Grant and the Secretary of War, with my letter of April 15. I agreed to meet General Johnston in person at a point intermediate between our pickets on the 17th at noon, provided the position of the troops remained statu quo. I was both willing and anxious thus to consume a few days, as it would enable Colonel Wright to finish our railroad to Raleigh.

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*Part III.

+See Vol. XLVI, Part III, p. 954.

++See Sherman to Rawlins, May 30, p. 42.

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