RICHMOND MENACED. 351 It was at about this time that the lodgment at Deep Bottom was made. Lee sent troops to expel Foster, but their attempts to do so were unsuccess July, 1864. cation across the river would be seriously menaced. These troops crossed the James on the night of the 26th," and on the following morning, while Foster amused the Confederates on their front, Miles's brigade of Barlow's division flanked them, and captured four of their guns. They fell back to a strong position behind Baylis's creek, where they blocked the way to the heavy works on Chapin's Bluff, which Sheridan attempted to flank. He gained an advantageous position on high ground, and was preparing to make an attempt to get in the rear of the Confederate stronghold, when night compelled him to suspend his movement. July. These menacing operations had the desired effect. To meet the seemingly impending danger to Richmond, Lee withdrew five of his eight remaining divisions from the south side of the James, between the 27th and 29th,' and the opportunity for the assault which Grant had been waiting for was now offered. The lines before him were weakened, and Early was yet in the Shenandoah Valley; so he arranged for an explosion of the mine on the morning of the 30th, and a co-operating assault upon the Confederate works in front of Burnside's corps, where, within one hundred and fifty yards of his lines, a strong six gun fort projected beyond the average of the front of his adversary. This was the doomed fortification. About four hundred yards behind it was Cemetery Hill, crowned by a battery, which commanded Petersburg and the most important of the Confederate works. It was believed that if that crest could be seized and held by the Nationals, the city must quickly fall, with heavy loss to its defenders. This crest was, therefore, the chief objective in the impending assault. Every thing was in readiness on the night of the 29th of July. The explosion was to be followed by an immediate opening of the great guns all along the front, and by an assault at the breach to be made by the active mine. This was to be done by a division of Burnside's corps, one of which was composed of negro troops. The Lieutenant-General refused to have the 1 In this little picture Chapin's Bluff is denoted in the extreme distance by a series of white spots along the edge of the water. The spectator is standing in an embrasure of Fort Darling, on Drewry's Bluff, looking directly down the James River. The single bird in the distance is over the place of the fortifications at Chapin's Bluff. The three birds nearer are hovering over the remains of obstructions in the river, just below Fort Darling. 352 THE MINE AT PETERSBURG. latter-named division employed for the purpose, and Ledlie's, composed of white men, was chosen by lot for the perilous duty.' It stood ready for action at half-past three o'clock in the morning, the hour appointed for the explosion. An accident postponed that event until almost five o'clock, when the fort, its guns, cais sons, and other munitions of war, and its garrison of three hundred men, were thrown high in air and annihilated. In the place of the fortification was left a crater of loose earth two hundred feet in length, full fifty in width, and twenty-five to thirty MAGAZINES OUTLINE OF THE Crater and the magaZINES.3 2 feet in depth. The National guns then opened a heavy cannonade and bombardment, with precision and effect, all along the line. To this only a feeble response was given by the astounded Confederates," and the way seemed open for the easy capture of the coveted Cemetery Hill beyond the crater, by the assaulting column. 6 But that column moved slowly and feebly, first in clearing away most dangerous obstructions, and then in halting in the crater, as if seeking shelter from a storm of shot and shell. No such storm occurred until long after the explosion; yet Ledlie's division went no further than the site of the ruined fort. Portions of the divisions of Potter and Wilcox followed, but their way toward the crest was blocked by Ledlie's halted column. Then the division of colored soldiers, under General Ferrero, was sent forward to storm the hill. For a moment it seemed as if those troops would be successful. They pushed well up toward the crest, and captured some men; but they, 1 This division was composed of two brigades, the first led by General J. J. Bartlett, and the second by Colonel Marshall, and consisted of the Ninth, Twenty-first, Thirty-fifth, Fifty-sixth, Fifty-seventh, and Fiftyninth Massachusetts, under Bartlett, and the One Hundredth Pennsylvania, One Hundred and Seventy-ninth New York, Third Maryland, Second Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, and the Fourteenth New York Heavy Artillery, under Marshall. 2 Pleasants lighted the fuse at a quarter past three o'clock, and waited an hour for the explosion, when Lieutenant Jacob Douty and Sergeant Henry Reese, of Pleasants's regiment, volunteered to go in and examine into the cause of the delay. The fire had stopped where the fuses had been spliced. They were relighted by these daring men, and at sixteen minutes before five o'clock the mine exploded. See Pleasants's Report. It is 3 This shows the outline of the crater and the position of the magazines which composed the mine. copied from Pleasants's Report. 4 General Hunt, the Chief of Artillery, in his report, speaks of the manner of firing on that occasion, as "partaking of the nature of target practice," and which "was very effective." The Confederates had received intimation of the construction of this mine, and had begun a counter-mine in search of it; but they had no positive knowledge concerning its progress or destination. In front of their works the Confederates had strong abatis, and also tripping wires, such as the Nationals used at Knoxville and elsewhere. Among these were sharp stakes, which might impale those who were thrown down by the wires. 7 Lieutenant-Colonel Pleasants, in his report, made on the 2d of August, says: "I stood on the top of our breastworks, and witnessed the effect of the explosion on the enemy. It so completely paralyzed them, that the breadth of the breach, instead of being two hundred feet, was practically four or five hundred yards. The rebels in the forts both on the right and left of the explosion ran away, and for over an hour, as well as I could judge, not a shot was fired by their artillery. There was no fire from the infantry from the front for at least half an hour, none from the left for twenty minutes, and but few shots from the right." MOVEMENT AGAINST RICHMOND 353 too, were soon hurled back by a heavy fire. They rallied and again advanced, when they were repulsed a second time. Then they fled in confusion to the vicinity of the crater, where the whole body of disordered troops, huddled in small space, were confused and mingled, and subjected to a concentrated fire from the Confederates, who had rallied and were bringing to bear upon the swarm of assailants their musketry and heavy guns with terrible effect. Shot and shell and minie bullets were poured upon the confused mass like hail, and the slaughter was dreadful. To remain was to court death; to retreat was to invite destruction; for the ground between the lines was swept by the Confederate artillery. At length a column of the foe charged upon the Nationals at the crater, and were repulsed. A second charge scattered the dismayed fragments of the Ninth Corps, which had made attempts to retreat in squads, when it was found that their comrades in the trenches could not aid them. Each man was now attentive only to his own safety in flight. In this wretched affair the Nationals lost about four thousand four hundred men, and the Confederates less than one thousand, including those who were blown up with the fort. It was a most conspicuous and disastrous failure, and the Confederates were greatly encouraged and comforted by it. Grant was disappointed, but not discouraged, by the failure of the 30th. He paused about twelve days, and then ordered Hancock to attack the Confederates in front of Deep Bottom. Hancock was joined, for the purpose, by the remainder of the Tenth Corps (to which Foster's division belonged), under Birney,' and Gregg's cavalry division; and for the purpose of mislead ing the foe, the whole expeditionary force was placed on transports at City Point, and its destination was reported to be Washington City. That night" it went up the James River to Deep Bottom; but so tardy was the debarkation, that an intended surprise of the Confederates was prevented. " August 12, 1864. August 13. It was nine o'clock in the morning before the troops were ready to move, when Hancock pushed out the Second Corps by the Malvern Hills and New Market road, to flank the Confederate defenses behind Baylis's Creek. He sent Barlow with about ten thousand men to assault the flank and rear of the foe, while Mott's division threatened their intrenched front, and Birney's corps attacked them nearer the river. But the delay had allowed Lee to send re-enforcements, and the operations of the day were of little account to the Nationals, excepting advantages gained by Birney, who captured four guns. Considering Richmond in danger, Lee rapidly sent re-enforcements, and the Nationals were compelled to adopt new plans and make other dispositions. On the morning of the 16th, General Birney made a di- August. rect attack on the Confederate lines with General Terry's division. That gallant officer carried the lines, and captured nearly three hundred men, with three battle-flags; but the foe soon rallied in heavier force, and drove him back. In the mean time, Gregg, supported by Miles's "fighting brigade," of Barlow's division, had been operating on the Charles 1 Several changes had been made. General Gillmore was succeeded in the command of the Tenth Corps by General Birney, and General W. F. Smith, of the Eighteenth Corps, was succeeded by General Ord. VOL. III.- 101 SEIZURE OF THE WELDON ROAD. 355 City road, with the view of drawing the Confederates out of their intrenchments. He drove their van some distance, and killed their General Chambliss; but he was soon driven back, and no special advantage to the Union cause was obtained. Other efforts to draw the Confederates from their intrenchments were made, one of which was the sending of a fleet of vessels up to Deep Bottom on the night of the 16th, to give the impression that the Union troops were about to be withdrawn. The deception did not succeed; and after spending two or three days, chiefly in reconnoitering, Hancock and Gregg were ordered to return to the lines before Petersburg. This they did, by way of Bermuda Hundred, on the 20th. Meanwhile, Birney was at- August 18 tacked by a heavy force; but after a fight of twenty minutes, in which Miles, with two brigades, participated, the Confederates were repulsed. In this demonstration against Richmond the Nationals lost about five thousand men, and the Confederates a somewhat less number. 1864. Taking advantage of the absence of many of Lee's troops from Petersburg, Grant made a vigorous movement for securing possession of the Weldon road, not more than three miles from the left flank of his lines on the Jerusalem plank road. This movement was made by Warren, with the Fifth Corps, on the morning of the 18th of August, and at noon he reached the coveted railway without opposition, where he left Griffin to hold the point seized, while with the divisions of Ayres and Crawford he moved toward Petersburg. He had marched but a short distance, when a division of Confederates suddenly and heavily fell upon his flank, and plucked from a Maryland brigade two hundred prisoners. That brigade immediately received shelter and aid from the Fifteenth New York Heavy Artillery, acting as infantry, who soon repulsed the assailants. Warren held the ground he had gained at a cost of one thousand men killed, wounded and prisoners, and from that moment the use of the important Weldon railroad was lost to the Confederates. August 19. Lee now sent a heavy force, under Hill, to drive Warren from the road, and on the following day' that leader flanked the Nationals, and fell furiously upon Crawford's division in flank and rear, compelling the whole of his force and the right of Ayres to fall back. In this struggle Hill captured twenty-five hundred Nationals, including General J. Hays. Yet the troops clung to the railway; and when, shortly afterward, the brigades of Wilcox and White, of Burnside's corps, came up,' Hill hastily withdrew. Then Warren recovered the ground he had lost, re-established his lines, intrenched his position, and prepared for desperate attacks, for he was satisfied that the Confederates would make every possible effort to repossess the road. ⚫ August 21. Warren's expectations were soon realized. Three days later he was suddenly assailed by a cross-fire of thirty guns, and then by two columns of infantry, one moving against his front, and the other making an effort to turn his flank. He was so well prepared, that the force on his front was easily repulsed; and flanking the turning column, he broke 1 General Wilcox was now in command of the Ninth Corps, General Burnside having been relieved a few days before. |