EVENTS BETWEEN PETERSBURG AND RICHMOND. a 321 to keep re-enforcements from reaching Lee from the south; and his first effort for that purpose was to destroy the railway between Richmond and Petersburg, lying at an average of about three miles from his line of intrenchments. So early as the 6th," he sent out General Heckman to reconnoiter that road, and on the 7th five brigades, under General Brooks, May, 1864. advanced upon the Port Walthall branch of the railway, not far from the junction,' and began its destruction. They soon found a strong Confederate force, under D. H. Hill, on their front, for, on the previous night, nearly all of Beauregard's troops had reached Petersburg. Heavy skirmishing ensued, and the Nationals, after gaining some advantages, were compelled to withdraw, with a loss of about two hundred and fifty men. Another advance upon the railway was made early on the morning of the 9th, by a force composed of the divisions of Generals Terry, Ames, and Turner, of the Tenth Corps, and of Weitzel and Wistar, of the Eighteenth. General Gillmore commanded the right of the column, and General Smith the left. They struck the railway at different points, and destroyed it without molestation, and then, with Weitzel in the advance, they moved on Petersburg. They were confronted by a heavy Confederate force at Swift Creek, within three miles of that city, where a sharp action ensued. The Confederates were driven across the stream; and that evening Butler sent a dispatch to the Secretary of War, saying, "Lieutenant-General Grant will not be troubled with any further re-enforcements to Lee from Beauregard's forces." And, encouraged by the success that day, Butler determined to improve the advantages gained by driving the Confederates across the Appomattox into Petersburg, and, if possible, capture that place. But that evening news came from Washington that Lee, vanquished by Meade, was in full retreat on Richmond. If so, he might quickly and heavily fall, with crushing force, on the Army of the James, so Butler recalled his troops from Swift Creek, strengthened his lines, and prepared for active co-operation in an attack on Richmond. The story was not true. 2 May 13. On the 12th, Butler pushed a heavy column northward, the right, under General Smith, moving up the turnpike in the direction of Fort Darling, on Drewry's Bluff, and the left, under General Gillmore (who left General Ames to watch the Confederates at Petersburg), following the line of the railway further westward. The Confederates fell back to, and across Proctor's Creek, and took position upon a fortified line (outworks of Fort Darling) behind it on the following morning. Gillmore turned the right of that line and held it. The other column had pressed well up toward the Confederate left, and Generals Butler and Smith made their quarters at the fine mansion of Dr. Friend, less than nine miles from Richmond.' Orders were given for a general attack the next morning, but the National line was then so thin that the movement was thought too hazardous, and it was postponed until the morning of the 16th. The Confederates, meanwhile, had prepared for a similar May 14, 1 Port Walthall is on the left bank of the Appomattox River, between Petersburg and City Point, and at the head of navigation for the large steamers on the James River. A branch of the Richmond and Petersburg railway extends to that point. 2 See page 402, volume II. This was a fine brick mansion at the head of a shaded lane leading from the turnpike. The house and its surroundings were in a dilapidated state when the writer visited it at the close of May, 1866. See the next page. VOL. III.-99 322 EVENTS BETWEEN PETERSBURG AND RICHMOND. movement at the same time. son. Beauregard was in command of them in per. The evening of the 15th was still and clear, but after midnight, a heavy fog arose from the bosom of the James River, and enveloped both armies. Under cover of this and the darkness, before the dawn, Beauregard advanced and aroused the slumbering Nationals by a sudden and heavy fire of musketry and artillery. The assailed were illy prepared for the unexpected attack, and presented on their right a weak point, which Beauregard had discovered the evening before, and now quickly took advantage of. Between that right and the river was a space of open country, for a mile, picketed by only about one hundred and fifty negro cavalry. To turn that flank was Beauregard's first care. At the same time a division under General Whiting was to move from the Richmond road, strike Gillmore heavily, and cut off the Union line of retreat. The plan, if fully carried out, would, it seemed, insure the capture or dispersion of Butler's army. DR. FRIEND'S HOUSE. General Heckman's brigade, of Weitzel's division, held Smith's right. After a gallant fight it was overwhelmed by the sudden and heavy blow, and the general was captured. The Confederates gained the rear of that flank, and were pressing on to seize the road leading to Bermuda Hundred, when the One Hundred and Twelfth New York, of Ames's division, of Gillmore's corps, which had been sent to Smith, came up. Being at that instant joined by the Ninth Maine, the two regiments checked the assailants by such stubborn resistance, that the astonished Confederates, ignorant of the numbers on their front (for the fog was yet dense), first halted and then withdrew. Meanwhile the front of Smith's column and the right of Gillmore's (the former held by the divisions of Brooks and Weitzel) were fiercely attacked, but a repetition of the performance in front of Fort Sanders, at Knoxville,' made their repulse an easy task. General Smith had caused the stretching of telegraph wire from stump to stump, a short distance above the ground, in front of his line, which tripped the assailants when they charged, in the dense fog, and they were shot or bayoneted before they could rise. They recoiled; and Whiting, failing to obey Beauregard's orders to seize the Union way of retreat on the left, the plans of the Confederate general entirely miscarried. Seeing this, Beauregard renewed his effort to turn Smith's right, and so far succeeded, with a heavier force, as to cause that commander to fall back and form a new line, extending from the Half-Way House,' on the turnpike, nine miles from Richmond, almost to the river. Gillmore was compelled by this movement to fall back, and Beauregard pressed the whole National line closely and heavily, with increasing numbers. Perceiving the danger to his communications, Butler withdrew his whole force within his lines at Bermuda Hundred, when his antag See page 173. 2 See picture on the next page. UNION CAVALRY RAID. 323 onist proceeded to cast up a line of intrenchments in front of and parallel to those of the Army of the James, at that place. In the operations of the 16th, the Nationals lost about four thousand men, and the Confederates a little over three thousand. Butler was now in an almost impregnable posi tion, with the rivers on each flank at his command, and was about to strike a determined blow for the capture of Petersburg, when he received orders to send nearly two-thirds of his effective men to the north side of the James, to assist the army contending with Lee in the vicinity of the Chickahominy. Butler complied with the requisition. which deprived him of all power to make further offensive movements, saying "the necessities of the Army of the Potomac have bottled me up at Bermuda Hundred."2 While Butler's main army was making movements toward Richmond, Kautz was out upon another raid on the railways leading to that city from the South and Southwest. He left Bermuda Hundred on the 12th of May, with two brigades, and passing near Fort Darling, swept on the arc of a circle by Chesterfield Court-House and struck the Richmond and Danville railway, at Coalfield Station, eleven miles west of the Confederate capital. He struck it again at Powhatan; menaced the railway bridge over the Appomattox, which was strongly guarded; swept around eastward, and struck the road again at Chula Station; and then, with a part of his command he crossed to the Southside railway at White and Black Station, while the remainder went on to the junction of the Danville and Southside roads. All now turned eastward, moving down far toward the North Carolina line, crossing the Weldon road and destroying it at Jarratt's Station, south of the scene of their devastations a few days before, and passing by Prince George's Court-House, returned to City Point on the 17th. Kautz had seriously damaged the railways that lay in his track, skirmished sharply at many places, and took to City Point one hundred and fifty prisoners, of whom thirteen were officers. 4 May 19, 1864. When Beauregard had perfected his batteries in front of Butler's lines at Bermuda Hundred, he opened their fire upon the Nationals," and pressed their picket line heavily. This was repeated the next morning, and under cover of these guns the Confederates assailed the advance of the divisions of Generals Ames and Terry. The pickets of the former were driven from their rifle-pits, and the line of the latter was 1 This was the appearance of the old tavern, on the stage route between Richmond and Petersburg, known As the Half-Way House, as it appeared when the writer sketched it in May, 1866. 2 See Report of Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, of the Armies of the United States-1864-'65, July 22, 1865. Composed of the Third New York, First District of Columbia, and Fifth and Eleventh Pennsylvania The brigades were commanded respectively by Colonel Spear and Major Jacobs. 324 ADVANCE OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. forced back; but the rifle-pits were soon recovered by a brigade under Colonel Howell, after heavy fighting and much loss on both sides. The RIFLE-PITS, 2 attack was renewed on the following day, with no better success, when Beauregard ceased all attempts to dislodge Butler. Two or three days later, Fitzhugh Lee, with a considerable body of Confederate cavalry," attacked the post at Wilson's Wharf, then held by two regiments of negro troops, under General Wilde. After being three times repulsed, Lee withdrew.' • May 24, Operations of greater magnitude and importance nearer Richmond, now absorbed attention. Let us consider them. We left the Army of the Potomac at Spottsylvania Court-House, about to resume its march toward Richmond. It was then disencumbered of its twenty thousand sick and wounded men, who were taken to the hospitals at Washington and elsewhere, and of about eight thousand prisoners who had been sent to the rear. At the same time twenty-five thousand veteran recruits, with ample supplies, were on their way to join the army, and full thirty thousand volunteers, recruited for one hundred days' service, had been mustered in. It was under these favorable auspices that the Army of the Potomac began another flank and forward movement on the night of the 20th and 21st of May.' It was begun by Hancock's corps, which, at midnight, moved eastward to Mattaponax Church, and then turned southward, with Torbert's cavalry in advance. Lee, anticipating the movement, was very vigilant, and Longstreet's corps was put in motion southward immediately after Hancock's started. Warren followed the latter on the morning of the 21st, when Ewell marched in the track of Longstreet. Then began another exciting race of the two great armies, the immediate goal being the North Anna River. The Confederates had the more direct 1864. 1 At about this time a forgery, in the form of a proclamation by the President, calculated to inspirit the Confederates, alarm and distract the loyal people, depress the public securities, and embarrass the Government at a most critical moment, appeared in two Opposition newspapers in the city of New York. The pretended proclamation was dated the 17th of May, at the moment when Grant's march toward Richmond was temporarily checked at Spottsylvania Court-House, and the news of the failure of the Red River expedition was creating much disappointment. It declared that the campaign of the Army of the Potomac was "virtually closed," and, in view of the gloomy aspect of affairs, it recommended the setting apart of an early day throughout the United States as one for "fasting, humiliation, and prayer." It also called for 400,000 more troops, and threatened an "immediate and peremptory draft" for that number if they were not forthcoming within thirty days. The Secretary of State immediately pronounced the paper a forgery, and the publication offices of the offending newspapers were taken possession of by the military. Their proprietors at once declared themselves the innocent victims of an adroit forgery, and offered rewards for the apprehension of the perpetrator. He was discovered to be one of the editors of an Opposition newspaper in Brooklyn, and declared that his purpose was, simply to make a profitable speculation in stocks, and that no political designs had been considered. 2 This picture gives the appearance of a rifle-pit in summer, when the men in them have little canvas shelters from the sun. Rifle-pits are of two kinds, namely, a hole for the shelter of one man, or a short trench for the use of several men. They are shallow, with a parapet formed of the earth thrown out, in which is often a loop-hole or embrasure formed of bags of sand. These pits are used by pickets, and by infantry placed in advance of fortifications or fortified camps. 3 See page 311. |