BOYDTON ROAD, NEAR PETERSBURG, April 2, 1865.—­4.40 P.M.

COLONEL T. S. BOWERS, City Point.

We are now up and have a continuous line of troops, and in a few hours will be intrenched from the Appomattox below Petersburg to the river above.  Heth’s and Wilcox’s divisions, such part of them as were not captured, were cut off from town, either designedly on their part or because they could not help it.  Sheridan with the cavalry and 5th corps is above them.  Miles’s division, 2d corps, was sent from the White Oak Road to Sutherland Station on the South Side Railroad, where he met them, and at last accounts was engaged with them.  Not knowing whether Sheridan would get up in time, General Humphreys was sent with another division from here.  The whole captures since the army started out gunning will amount to not less than twelve thousand men, and probably fifty pieces of artillery.  I do not know the number of men and guns accurately however. * * * I think the President might come out and pay us a visit tomorrow.

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

During the night of April 2d our line was intrenched from the river above to the river below.  I ordered a bombardment to be commenced the next morning at five A.M., to be followed by an assault at six o’clock; but the enemy evacuated Petersburg early in the morning.

CHAPTER LXV.

THE CAPTURE OF PETERSBURG—­MEETING PRESIDENT LINCOLN IN PETERSBURG—­THE CAPTURE OF RICHMOND—­PURSUING THE ENEMY—­VISIT TO SHERIDAN AND MEADE.

General Meade and I entered Petersburg on the morning of the 3d and took a position under cover of a house which protected us from the enemy’s musketry which was flying thick and fast there.  As we would occasionally look around the corner we could see the streets and the Appomattox bottom, presumably near the bridge, packed with the Confederate army.  I did not have artillery brought up, because I was sure Lee was trying to make his escape, and I wanted to push immediately in pursuit.  At all events I had not the heart to turn the artillery upon such a mass of defeated and fleeing men, and I hoped to capture them soon.

Soon after the enemy had entirely evacuated Petersburg, a man came in who represented himself to be an engineer of the Army of Northern Virginia.  He said that Lee had for some time been at work preparing a strong enclosed intrenchment, into which he would throw himself when forced out of Petersburg, and fight his final battle there; that he was actually at that time drawing his troops from Richmond, and falling back into this prepared work.  This statement was made to General Meade and myself when we were together.  I had already given orders for the movement up the south side of the Appomattox for the purpose of heading off Lee; but Meade was so much impressed by this man’s story that he thought we ought to cross the Appomattox