“By these instructions a large part of the armies operating against Richmond is left behind.  The enemy, knowing this, may, as an only chance, strip their lines to the merest skeleton, in the hope of advantage not being taken of it, while they hurl everything against the moving column, and return.  It cannot be impressed too strongly upon commanders of troops left in the trenches not to allow this to occur without taking advantage of it.  The very fact of the enemy coming out to attack, if he does so, might be regarded as almost conclusive evidence of such a weakening of his lines.  I would have it particularly enjoined upon corps commanders that, in case of an attack from the enemy, those not attacked are not to wait for orders from the commanding officer of the army to which they belong, but that they will move promptly, and notify the commander of their action.  I would also enjoin the same action on the part of division commanders when other parts of their corps are engaged.  In like manner, I would urge the importance of following up a repulse of the enemy.

“U.  S. Grant, Lieutenant-General. 
“Major-generals Meade, Ord, and Sheridan.”

Early on the morning of the 25th the enemy assaulted our lines in front of the 9th corps (which held from the Appomattox River towards our left), and carried Fort Stedman, and a part of the line to the right and left of it, established themselves and turned the guns of the fort against us, but our troops on either flank held their ground until the reserves were brought up, when the enemy was driven back with a heavy loss in killed and wounded, and one thousand nine hundred prisoners.  Our loss was sixty-eight killed, three hundred and thirty-seven wounded, and five hundred and six missing.  General Meade at once ordered the other corps to advance and feel the enemy in their respective fronts.  Pushing forward, they captured and held the enemy’s strongly intrenched picket-line in front of the 2d and 6th corps, and eight hundred and thirty-four prisoners.  The enemy made desperate attempts to retake this line, but without success.  Our loss in front of these was fifty-two killed, eight hundred and sixty-four wounded, and two hundred and seven missing.  The enemy’s loss in killed and wounded was far greater.

General Sherman having got his troops all quietly in camp about Goldsboro’, and his preparations for furnishing supplies to them perfected, visited me at City Point on the 27th of March, and stated that he would be ready to move, as he had previously written me, by the 10th of April, fully equipped and rationed for twenty days, if it should become necessary to bring his command to bear against Lee’s army, in co-operation with our forces in front of Richmond and Petersburg.  General Sherman proposed in this movement to threaten Raleigh, and then, by turning suddenly to the right, reach the Roanoke at Gaston or thereabouts, whence he could move on to the Richmond