Transcribers note:- Some inconsistencies of spelling,punctuation and hyphenation have been normalised.
The quality of the maps is poor but better copies were not available.

WITH LEE IN VIRGINIA

A STORY OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

BY

G. A. HENTY

AUTHOR OF "WITH CLIVE IN INDIA," "WITH WOLFE IN CANADA,"

"BY ENGLAND'S AID," "IN THE REIGN OF TERROR,"

"THE DRAGON AND THE RAVEN"

[Pg iii]

NEW YORK

HURST AND COMPANY

PUBLISHERS

PREFACE.

My Dear Lads:

The Great War between the Northern and Southern States of Americapossesses a peculiar interest to us, not only because it was a strugglebetween two sections of a people akin to us in race and language, butbecause of the heroic courage with which the weaker party, with ill-fed,ill-clad, ill-equipped regiments, for four years sustained the contestwith an adversary not only possessed of immense numerical superiority,but having the command of the sea, and being able to draw its arms andmunitions of war from all the manufactories of Europe. Authorities stilldiffer as to the rights of the case. The Confederates firmly believedthat the States, having voluntarily united, retained the right ofwithdrawing from the Union when they considered it for their advantageto do so. The Northerners took the opposite point of view, and an appealto arms became inevitable. During the first two years of the war thestruggle was conducted without inflicting unnecessary hardship upon thegeneral population. But later on the character of the war changed, andthe Federal armies carried widespread destruction wherever they marched.Upon the other hand, the moment the struggle was over the conduct of theconquerors was marked by a clemency and generosity altogether unexampledin history, a complete amnesty being granted, and none, whether soldiersor civilians, being made to suffer for their share in the rebellion. Thecredit of this[Pg iv] magnanimous conduct was to a great extent due to GeneralsGrant and Sherman, the former of whom took upon himself theresponsibility of granting terms which, although they were finallyratified by his government, were at the time received with anger andindignation in the North. It was impossible, in the course of a singlevolume, to give even a sketch of the numerous and complicated operationsof the war, and I have therefore confined myself to the central point ofthe great struggle—the attempts of the Northern armies to force theirway to Richmond, the capital of Virginia and the heart of theConfederacy. Even in recounting the leading events in these campaigns, Ihave burdened my story with as few details as possible, it being myobject now, as always, to amuse, as well as to give instruction in thefacts of history.

Yours sincerely,

G. A. Henty.

[Pg v]

CONTENTS.