he two lines were within easy artillery range; the right of the 2d ed on Hatcher's run, near the Crow house; a division of the 24th ssed the run and connected the right of the 2d with the tete de pont ughan road; both lines were intrenched. the night previous and throughout the whole of this day the rain own in torrents. The roads had become impassable for wagons and ard the engineer troops were engaged in corduroying them and in rebridges over Hatcher's and Gravelly runs. agon-train stuck fast in the mud. The cavalry had to be sent back by to the terminus of the military railroad to replenish their supplies of he wagons not being able to come up to them. 5 the night of the 30th the 2d corps extended its front to the left, · Boydton plank road, resting its flank on Gravelly run. On the morne following day an unsuccessful effort was made by the 5th corps to enemy from the White Oak road; subsequently, upon being re-enforced, k was renewed, and possession gained of that road. ds evening the cavalry had repulsed and held in check, in front of e Court House, a superior force of the enemy. During the night of that 31st, the 5th corps was sent to the assistance of the cavalry. From mencement of the movement he had accompanied the commanding over different parts of the field, in readiness to execute such instructions be given, and on the 1st of April, by his direction, rode along and inhe lines from Hatcher's run toward the west. The evening of that day 1 a most brilliant engagement on the left, in which both the cavalry and corps participated, the enemy along that immediate front having been ly routed. lorious news was communicated throughout the army, and orders were at a simultaneous attack should be made at different points along the ngth of the intrenched line at four o'clock on the following morning. nd assault of the 2d of April was made, and the exterior line of the works penetrated and possession gained of the larger portion of them. nemy having been pieced at his centre and divided, one portion was ithin an interior line of works immediately encircling the city, and the ved off from the White Oak along the Claiborne road, rapidly pursued vision of the 2d corps. The line of the army extended at noon of from the Appomattox, above Petersburg, to the Appomattox below, the s resting on the river. 1 Michler was at that time ordered to rectify this line if necessary, and he day to select a site for a pontoon bridge across the river, and posibatteries to command the crossing and protect passage of the army in of the retreat of the enemy. on the morning of the 3d it was ascertained that the enemy had evaccity of Petersburg, and orders of march were immediately issued to ent corps to follow in pursuit. The roads were found in wretched cond a great deal of corduroying and bridging had to be done. About noon h he was ordered to proceed in advance of the 2d and 6th corps to General Sheridan, who had arrived with the cavalry and 5th corps ville on the previous evening, to consult with him in regard to the to be taken by the army in anticipation of an expected attack by the being reported that his whole force was concentrating at Amelia Court His line of retreat towards Danville had been cut off, and it was prewould venture a heavy battle to regain it. In company with the e rode over the line, and by the direction of the general the troops ted as they arrived; a part of the line of battle had been previously e army of the Potoniac was put in motion in melia Court House to attack the enemy, but the d that he was endeavoring to escape by Decadirection of the line of march was immediately y on the former place, and in a short time isk skirmish with the retreating force, and conlosed the operation; the 5th corps was shifted road to Pineville. o report the change of movement and explain its er of the 6th corps. His column was counterright to the left flank. After retracing its steps g some two miles beyond the village, it left the road which he had found leading towards the Dops moving along it were absolutely certain of g army. The entire cavalry force was operat 's creek was fought, which will long be rememat and successful affairs of the war. It was, in ent between these two armies. it was continued. The enemy having succeeded Farmville and High Bridge, he succeeded in former place, but failed in his efforts to damage e latter crossing; three spans of the railroad road) were burnt; this structure is two thousand undred and twenty-five feet high. The enemy both these places and also on the Lynchburg miles beyond Farmville. osition at high bridge was rendered additionally ad been built there some time previous, for the cavalry raids. corps followed along the stage-road to Lynchcavalry corps pursued; the one by Hampton ations towards Appomattox Court House. o Farmville to hasten the construction of some rejoined the major general commanding on the ening Lieutenant General Grant had demanded void the further effusion of blood. No skirmish› day, although the one army was close on the sequence of the negotiations in regard to the nd exchanged under flags of truce between the ctive armies, the advance of the army of the suit, when within three miles of Appomattox t and await the issue of the proceedings. The ching, succeeded in passing around and conenemy at the latter place. pense were happily compensated by the glori claimed throughout the army, announcing "the ern Virginia." y commenced a retrograde movement towards ined in camp until ordered to take up its final C. el Michler was detached from the staff of the ay of the Potomac, and directed, in conformity nt General Grant, to proceed to Petersburg, in tions held by the two opposing the same, combined with a d adjacent country; also to assu fields and lines of operations House. By the 30th of June, the ter is called, the field-work had be sity of continuing during favor square miles through which it ef only suficient drawing to answ quently the maps at that time exhibit the large amount and t Narrative colla' The companies of the Unite Potomac were under the imme engineers, with Captain Turn Cuyler and Heap, whose servi in Major Michler's The reports. pontoon trains for serv corps, were under the comma: New York volunteers. The department were indispensa transportable bridges, the armi tersected with numerous river rents, as well as ebb and flood is modelled from the French These trains, particularly that for the first time been proved country. They have been ve south, as well as the armies in trains and their construction h tions in the details. Lieutena modified improvements. The will exemplify the use and val service. e, combined with a detailed and accurate topographical map of the country; also to assume charge of the surveys of the different battlead lines of operations from the James river to Appomattox Court e 30th of June, the termination of the fiscal year for which this report , the field-work had been far advanced, but in consequence of the necesontinuing during favorable weather the survey of the several hundred niles through which it extends, little or no office duty was accomplished— ficient drawing to answer necessary purposes at the time; and consethe maps at that time were not sufficiently far advanced, and could not the large amount and the nature of the work accomplished. Narrative colla'ed from reports of Major Mendell. PONTOON TRAINS. companies of the United States engineer batallion with the army of the were under the immediate command of Major Mendell, of the corps of s, with Captain Turnbull, Lieutenants Mackenzie, Benyaurd, Howell, and Heap, whose services, with the men under their command, are given Michler's reports. pontoon trains for service in the field, and to accompany the several army ere under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Spaulding, of the 50th ork volunteers. The services rendered by this branch of the engineer ent were indispensable to the success of the army. Without these table bridges, the armies could not have moved through a country ind with numerous rivers, wide and deep, and oftentimes with rapid curs well as ebb and flood tides. The material of this branch of our service lled from the French wooden trains and the Russian canvas trains. rains, particularly that with light canvas boats, have, during this war, first time been proved advantageous and efficient and adapted to our They have been very generally used by the armies in the west and s well as the armies in the east. The officers having charge of these nd their construction have devised and adopted many useful modificathe details. Lieutenant Colonel Spaulding has added much to these I improvements. The accompanying tabular statement from his report mplify the use and value of this indispensable branch of the engineer 440 Do. Wooden..... Fredericksb'rg Lacy house Rappahannock .. Major Beers. Po... Lieutenant P. S. Michie, corps of engineers, unteers, to General Delafield, Chief Engineer, th October, 1865. The army of the James, consisting of the d subsequently of the 24th and 25th,) com7. Butler, occupied a defensive position across red on a line six thousand and fifty-eight yards ames river about one mile below the Howlett omattox river, on the high ground across the und overlooking Port Walthall. osition, was unusually strong. With its flanks rivers, and its front of attack being diminished because of impassable ravines, it was capable force than the enemy were required to keep disadvantages; for the enemy intrenched on an eight hundred yards, with flanks as secure ilable by means of all the obstacles known to y closed to our forces there every avenue to do ke, which were the lines of communication to the Peterburg and Remond Turnpike الفروة |