I can devote but little space to the military movements of General Grant in Virginia until Richmond surrendered and the rebellion collapsed.  There was among the Southerners no contempt of this leader, fresh from the laurels of Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga; and the Confederates put forth almost superhuman efforts to defend their capital against the scientific strategy of the most successful general of the war, supported as he was by almost unlimited forces, and the unreserved confidence of his government.

The new general-in-chief established his headquarters at Culpeper Court House near the end of March, 1864.  His plan of operations was simple,—­to advance against Lee, before proceeding to Richmond, and defeat his army if possible.  Richmond, even if taken, would be comparatively valueless unless Lee were previously defeated.  Grant’s forces were about one hundred and fifty thousand men, and Lee’s little more than half that number, but the latter were intrenched in strong positions on the interior line.  It was Grant’s plan to fight whenever an opportunity was presented,—­since he could afford to lose two men to one of the enemy, and was thus sure to beat in the long run; as a chess-player, having a superiority of pieces, freely exchanges as he gets opportunity.  There was nothing particularly brilliant in this policy adopted by Grant, except the great fact that he chose the course most likely to succeed, whatever might be his losses.  Lee at first was also ready to fight, but after the dreadful slaughter on both sides in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, and Cold Harbor, he apparently changed his plans.  One-third of his forces had melted away; he saw that he could not afford to take risks, and retreated behind his defences.  Grant, too, had changed his operations, at first directed against Richmond on the northwest; and, since he found every hill and wood and morass strongly fortified, he concluded to march on Lee’s flank to the James River, and attack Richmond from the south, after reducing Petersburg, and destroying the southern railroads by which the Confederates received most of their supplies.

The Federal commander had all the men he wanted.  A large force was under Butler near Petersburg, and Sheridan had driven out the enemy from the Valley of the Shenandoah with his magnificent cavalry.  Lee was now cooped up between Fredericksburg and Richmond.  He was too great a general to lead his army into either of these strongholds, where they might be taken as Pemberton’s army was at Vicksburg.  He wisely kept the field, although he would not fight except behind his intrenchments, when he was absolutely forced by the aggressive foe.