General Grant had battered Lee's little army into a corner, fighting with courageous desperation. The Army of Northern Virginia had diminishing ammunition, little food and ragged uniforms. Grant's federal forces had multiplied, while Marse Robert's little band was hurting for any replacements, at all. The use of black troops had been granted, far too late. Grant wired President Lincoln of Lee's desperate condition, and opined that he could end this thing if the matter were pressed. Lincoln urged, "Let the matter be pressed." SOUTHSIDE seeks to tell how this ''pressing'' actually affected local people-women, children, crippled soldiers, old men and young boys. No one in Southern Virginia was exempt from the pain of the war's pressure. Prisoners and guards in Danville ate the same ration...one piece of "interesting" cornbread, per day.
Only one town in Virginia was feared by the United States Army. Not Richmond, not Lynchburg-but Danville, in deep Southern Virginia. The bustling city of Richmond may have been crowned the Capitol of the South, but hungry soldiers and the President were soon rushing toward Danville, which would be the Capitol. Perhaps, later, the Capitol could be moved farther Southward. To General Robert E. Lee, Danville was his Army's last chance for survival. There, he could resupply, feed his exhausted troops, and arrange a linkup with the Army of Tennessee-larger in size than his own. Danville, Virginia, the small riverside town, had exploded in size and importance. Fighting equipment awaited Lee-along with uniforms, shoes, and artillery. Dry, fresh ammunition rested in warehouses. Danville's access to river and rail, plus the many tobacco houses, made her a ''Golden City, '' with treasures that would restart the war effort. Presidents Lincoln and Davis knew this. Generals Grant, Sherman and Sheridan knew this, also.
Meanwhile, there was one other great asset on the way to Danville...the railroad's crucial bridge at the Staunton River. Destroy that key bridge, and Richmond is cut off from Danville. Munitions and rations cannot be forwarded to Lee, and all resistance stops. Cold. Northern politicians and officers were shouting this at each other, and the big push was to head off Lee from Danville. Lincoln's bony finger, similar to Jefferson Davis', traced the rail route to Danville, many times, no doubt pausing to tap the little bridge over the deep Staunton river.
General Wilson and General Kautz were sent to burn the bridge, and isolate Danville. They were equipped splendidly, carrying the prized Spencer Carbine-the innovation that Wilson had approved for all cavalry, during his stint in Washington, as "Grant's Darling," as some called him. With 5,500 men, nothing could stand up to him in rural Virginia.
But, Lee sent some old men, and some boys.