£74

ABUSI

ABUSE OF A CHAPLAIN.

strongly in his front, thus covering his railroads, the city, and all that was valuable to him. His army, therefore, though in a position of great security, was as completely shut off from further operations, directly against Richmond, as if it had been in a bottle strongly corked. It required. but a comparatively small force of the enemy to hold it there."

A little farther on, referring to the same lamentable affair, he says:

"The army sent to operate against Richmond, having hermetically sealed itself up at Bermuda Hundred, the enemy was enabled to bring the most, if not all, the reinforcements brought from the south by Beauregard, against the Army of the Potomac. In addition to this reinforcement, a very considerable one-probably not less than fifteen thousand menwas obtained by calling in the scattered troops, under Breckenridge, from the western parts of Virginia."

The public was not aware, at first, of the extent of the misfortune, and rested comparatively satisfied with the announcement that "Butler's "position was impregnable." It was as much as the position of a war correspondent wa worth, in the Army of the James, to breathe one word in disparagement of Butler's skill, or express a doubt of the wisdom of his movements.

This had a striking illustration in the case of a chaplain in Gillmore's Corps. In a private letter to the editor of The Evening Post, he stated some very unwholesome truths, respecting this unfortunate battle. This was published anonymously, but Butler having discovered its author, under a trumped-up charge of his being absent without leave, got the unsuspecting clergyman within his department, and, unable to make him consent to unsay the truth, and state a falsehood, threw him into confinement among rebels and negroes, where he kept him for more than a month, subjected to

་

KAUTZ'S RAID.

4.

375

exposures that well nigh destroyed his life. Refusing to grant him a trial, in direct violation of his duty; refusing, also, to allow him to hold religious service with his fellowprisoners, he continued his unmanly persecutions until powerful friends of his victim, from without, took up the case, when he was compelled to release his despotic grasp, and let the injured man go free to paint his persecutor in his true colors..

Kautz's cavalry raid, which started two or three days before this disastrous battle, accomplished its work successfully. The damages inflicted upon the enemy have been described as follows:

.

"Going direct to Walthall Junction, the depot of the Richmond and Petersburg railroad was destroyed, together with its contents. Moving on to Chester Station, a similar scene was enacted.

"Marching on to the Richmond and Danville road, the depot at the coal mines, with a large number of cars, was demolished. The same occurred at Tomahawk Station. At Powhatan, a locomotive and train were destroyed, together with the railroad buildings. When the Third New-York and Eleventh Pennsylvania cavalry approached Chola, on the line of the Lone road, their further progress was contested by a rebel infantry regiment stationed there. After a brisk fight, our men drove the rebels. In the short engage ment, but few were killed or wounded, on our side.

"The rebels having retired, the command pushed on, after destroying considerable of the property, a train of cars, and a locomotive included. The expedition then struck for the South-side road. Here, at Black's and White's, another train was destroyed, with a large amount of commissary stores. At Wellsville and Wilson's Station, railroad property was demolished

376

BUTLER HERMETICALLY SEALED.

"At Lawrenceville, the Court-House of Brunswick County, a large amount of corn, tobacco and flour, belonging to the Confederate Government, and which had been taken from farmers, for taxes, was burned.

"On the Nottaway River, near Jarrett's Station, a pontoon bridge was destroyed. The part of the Petersburg and Weldon railroad, which was tapped by the former raid, had been repaired, but this time the raiders broke it more effectually. At all the stations, where the expedition halted to destroy depots, the railroad track was torn up for several miles on each side. Bridges were leveled, not only on the railroads, but on several turnpikes.

"There were large quantities of commissary stores all along the line of the road, which were rendered thoroughly useless for the Confederates. The work done by this expedition was most effectual; four railroads being rendered useless to the rebels, to say nothing of what else was done, which will cripple them very materially.

"Our men penetrated within four miles of Richmond, and three of Petersburg. Encounters with the enemy occurred on several occasions, but they always were compelled to retire."

With small loss, the force again reached City Point, on the evening of the 18th.

Butler now being "corked up," but little interest was felt by Grant, fn his action, for he knew that nothing more could be done in that direction until he should arrive with the Army of the Potomac. There was plainly, now, but one way to form a junction with Butler, and that was to march to the spot where he lay helpless. The Army of the James being "hermetically sealed," it must remain useless to him until, by his presence, he could unseal it.

The rebels, emboldened by their success, endeavored to get possession of the James River, below Butler, and cut

ACTION OF THE NAVY.

377

off his supplies; they accordingly attacked both Fort Powhatan and Wilson's Wharf, but were repelled by the monitors under Admiral Lee.

But, while the month of May will be forever marked in our calendar for the mighty military movements it witnessed, East and West, its record would not be complete without giving the naval operations along our coast.

When Grant set in motion our great armies, it was understood that the navy should, at the same time, threaten the rebel ports, not yet in our possession, and thus keep from Lee reinforcements that otherwise would reach him. With all our borders at peace, the entire military force of the North was available, and could be sent in any desired direction. At the South, this state of things was reversed, and with fewer men to bring into the field, she had to keep back many, even of these, to protect the few ports that still remained to her.

At Mobile, Farragut lay waiting for one or two iron-clads to boldly force his way into the bay, while expeditions up the rivers of Florida kept detachments of troops there, which Lee would soon be in sore need of. In one of these up the St. John's, we lost the steam tug, Columbine, which fell into the hands of the enemy. Our batteries and iron-clads were also pounding away on the defenses of Charleston harborholding strong garrisons there to defend the place.

Thinking that we had drawn away our forces from Newbern, to fill up our armies, the rebels organized an expedition against it, and in the fore part of the month, news was received that it was closely besieged by the enemy, and fears were entertained that it might fall into his hands, but he was driven back in disgrace.

Although nothing but disaster had overtaken the Southern navy from the outset, two formidable rams, on the eastern coast, this Spring, caused a good deal of alarm to our ship

378

FIGHT WITH THE ALBEMARLE.

ping. One, at Wilmington, was reported to be a powerful vessel, and a strong force was kept watching her. The Al bemarle, that had wrought such mischief to the Miami and s Southfield, in Albemarle Sound, was decoyed out of the r Roanoke River, by Melanéthon Smith, senior officer in the Sound, and attacked by eight steamers. The gun-boat Bomb-. shell, which accompanied it, was captured, and the ram was compelled to retire from the conflict, apparently, somewhat damaged. The Sassacus behaved nobly in the combat. Laying herself alongside her formidable antagonist, she poured in her heavy shot at close quarters. After the capture of the Bombshell-she being some distance off, and the ram lying broadside too-Roe, the Commander, "ordered full steam on and open throttle, and laid the ship fair for the broadside of the ram, to run her down. The Sassaçus struck her fairly just abaft her starboard beam, in the position, in the rear of the house or casemate, with a speed of nine or ten knots, making twenty-two revolutions with thirty pounds of steam. As I struck, (he says,) she sent a one hundredpounder rifle-shot, through and through, from starboard bow to port-side, at the berth-deck. The collision was pretty heavy, and the ram careened a good deal,-so much so that the water washed over her deck, forward and aft the casemate. At one time, I thought she was going down; I kept the engine pushing, as I hoped, deeper and deeper into her, and also hoping it might be possible for some one of the boats to get up on the opposite side of me, and, perhaps, enable us to sink her, or, at least, to get well on to her on all sides. I retained this position full ten minutes, throwing grenades down her deck hatch, and trying in vain to get powder into her smoke-stack, and receiving volleys of musketry, when the stern of the ram began to go round, and her broadside port bearing on our starboard bow, when the ram fired, and sent a one hundred-pounder, Brook's rifle-shot,