THE PASSAGE OF THE JAMES RIVER.

333

hundred. He inflicted a loss of men upon the Confederates quite equal to his own. Among their killed was the active General Rosser.

June, 1864.

Grant continued moving slowly to the left, and keeping up the appearance of an intention to cross the Chickahominy and march on Richmond, until the evening of the 12th," when every thing was in readiness for the army to move to the James. White House was abandoned as a base of supplies; the rails and ties of the York River railway leading from it to Richmond were taken up and sent in barges to City Point, and the command of General Smith was re-embarked at the head of the York, and sent back by water to Bermuda Hundred. Then the Army of the Potomac moved. Warren's corps, preceded by Wilson's cavalry, forced the passage of the Chickahominy at Long Bridge with very little trouble, and made demonstrations in the direction of Richmond, to mask the real movements of the army. Hancock followed Warren across the stream, and marched directly to Wilcox's Wharf, on the James, below Harrison's Landing, between Charles City Court-House and Westover,' where he was ferried across. Wright and Burnside crossed the Chickahominy at Jones's bridge, lower down; while the trains, for greater safety, took a route still. further east, and crossed at Coles's Ferry.

Lee discovered the withdrawal of his antagonist from his front on the morning of the 13th; but finding Warren across the Chickahominy, and on the road leading through White Oak Swamp to Richmond, he concluded that Grant was about to march by that route upon the Confederate capital. With this impression, he retired to the fortifications of that city, while Grant's army was making a rapid journey in another direction. Warren quickly followed the Nationals, and on the night of the 14th, June. a pontoon bridge, more than two thousand feet in length,

was thrown across the James River, at Douthard's,' a little below Wilcox's, over which the entire remainder of the army had passed before noon of the 16th, with very little molestation by the enemy, and was moving in the direction of Petersburg. Grant, meanwhile, had gone up to City Point, and there, upon the beauti

ful elevated grounds of

Dr. Eppes, near the junction of the Appomatox and the James, he established his head-quarters.

1 See page 435, volume IL

? This bridge was laid in the space of about fifteen hours, under the immediate supervision of General Benham Its site was selected and the general directions for its construction were given by General Weitzel, chief engineer of Butler's Department of Virginia and North Carolina.

This was the appearance of Grant's head-quarters when the writer visited City Point, at the close of 1864. The building seen in the center was the General's quarters. It was very neatly built of small hewn logs, excepting the front, which was of planed pine timber, the bark left on the edges, and the whole well "chinked" with cement. It had two wings, making the whole quite spacious. A building at the left of it, was occupied by

334

THE DEFENSES OF BERMUDA HUNDRED.

When Grant determined to throw Meade's army to the south side of the James, he hastened to Butler's head-quarters for the purpose of arranging a plan of co-operation from Bermuda Hundred, -against Petersburg, the possession of which would be of vast importance as a point d'appui, or fixed place for the forming of troops for chief operations against Richmond. Butler's line of works, erected under the direction of General Weitzel, were then perfected, and were not surpassed, in complete

His position

ness for defensive operations by any made during the war. was almost impregnable; yet, while Smith was absent with a greater portion of the Army of the James, he was too weak to attempt formidable offensive movements. It was for this reason that Smith was so quickly sent back to Bermuda Hundred, as we have observed. 3

General Rawlins, Grant's chief of staff; and one on the right was the quarters of General Barnar 1, the engineer in-chief. Grant's house was presented by the Lieutenant-General, at the close of the war, to George H. Stuart, President of the U. S. Christian Commission, who caused it to be taken to Philadelphia. By permission of the city authorities he re-erected it in Fairmount Park, where it yet (1868) remains.

1 Petersburg is situated on the south bank of the Appomattox River, about ten miles from its mouth at City Point. That river is navigable to Petersburg for vessels of one hundred tons burden; but larger ones ascend only to Port Walthall, six miles below it, near the high eminence on the north side, known as Point of Rocks. Through Petersburg passed the railway that connected Richmond with the Carolinas. Another, called the Southside road, extended westward to Lynchburg; another, running in a southeasterly direction, connected Petersburg and Norfolk, and a short one also connected Petersburg with City Point.

2 This shows a portion of the line of works constructed by General Weitzel. First, there was a strong line of earthworks, consisting of redoubts and intrenchments, with embrasures made more efficient by bags of sand.

CHEVAUX-DE-FRISE

Outside of this was a ditch, with abatis in front, and outside of all a row of pointed palisades of timber, inclining toward the approaches of assailants. The Confederate engineers also constructed admirable defensive works around Petersburg, in which they extensively employed a species of movable chevaux-de-frise, delineated in the annexed engraving These were made of saplings, through which passed strong spikes of wood, sharpened at each end, and presenting fear or six radiating arms. The sapling forming the center of

each was connected by wires or chains with another and so continuous lines of chevaux-de-frise were formed to any required extent.

See page 833.

ATTEMPTS TO CAPTURE PETERSBURG.

335

In the mean time, Butler endeavored to do what he might in furtherance of Grant's plans, and on the 10th of June he sent three thousand five hundred infantry, under Gillmore, and fifteen hundred cavalry, under Kautz, against Petersburg. At the same time two gun-boats were sent up the Appomattox, to co-operate with a battery in bombarding an earthwork a little below Petersburg, called Fort Clinton. These combinations were well arranged. The troops crossed the Appomattox at Point of Rocks, four miles above. City Point. Gillmore marched up the turnpike, while Kautz made a little circuit, so as to strike the city from the south. The former found no resistance until he was within two or three miles of Petersburg. He had easily driven in the Confederate skirmish line; but at the outer works of the defenses of Petersburg, already thrown up, he first halted, and then fell back to his camp, with the impression that his force was inadequate for the task assigned him. Kautz, meanwhile, had performed his part of the drama. While a greater portion of the defenders of Petersburg were watching Gillmore, he dashed into the city at about the time when the latter fell back, when the Confederates, relieved of danger from the infantry column, fell upon Kautz in force, and drove him from the town and its defenses.

Five days later, the attempt to capture Petersburg was renewed. When the Army of the Potomac began its passage of the James, Grant went to Bermuda Hundred, and finding the van of Lee's army, under A. P. Hill, already on the south side of the river, near Fort Darling, and ready to act in co-operation with Beauregard, he directed Butler to send General Smith and his command immediately across the Appomattox, and in conjunction with Gillmore and Kautz, make another attempt upon Petersburg. He was so well satisfied that such attempt, if vigorously made, would be successful, that he looked for the possession of that city by the Army of the Potomac, within the space of three days, as a certainty.

a

1864.

Smith arrived at Bermuda Hundred on the night of the 14th. His troops, having rested on the transports, were fresh; and early the next morning," they crossed the Appomattox on a pontoon bridge, June 15, and before noon were in front of the defenses of Petersburg, northeastward of the city. The troops had marched in three columns. Kautz had kept well to the left, and threatened the defenses of the Petersburg and Norfolk railway. Brooks led the center, and Martindale the right. On the way General Hinks, with his negro brigade, had carried advanced rifle-pits and captured two guns; and the whole column was inspirited with the expectation of a quick and easy victory. But this exultation was diminished when a reconnoissance revealed the fact that there was a strong line of works on their front, the guns of which swept the ditches and ravines, which cut a broad valley in various directions, over which the Nationals must pass to the assault.

General Smith paused. He did not then know how few and inferior were the soldiers behind the works he was facing, and it was nearly sunset before his cautious preparations for assault were completed. Then a part of his troops, under Martindale, Brooks, and Hinks, forming a heavy skirmish line, pressed forward, and at seven o'clock in the evening drove the Confederates from their formidable line of rifle-pits. Pushing on, they soon captured a powerful salient, four redoubts, and a connecting line of intrenchments along

336

ATTACK ON THE PETERSBURG LINES.

2

distance of two and a half miles. With these they took fifteen guns, and made three hundred men prisoners. Meanwhile, two divisions of Hancock's corps had come up and joined Smith's command,' when the united forces were ordered to rest upon their arms within the works just captured. Smith thought it more prudent to hold what he had obtained, than to risk all by attempting to gain more. So, during the calm hours that succeeded, the nearly full moon shining brightly until past midnight, the assailants reposed, while nearly the whole of Lee's army was crossing the James to the south front of Richmond, and troops were streaming down toward Petersburg and into the lines around it. There, in a few hours, these worked wonders, and on the following morning there was a startling apparition of a new line of works around the city, with a cloud of veterans deployed in battle order behind them. The prize so much cov eted by Grant was lost. Twenty-four hours before, Petersburg might have been easily taken;3 now it defied its foes, and continued to do so during a most distressing siege of about ten months from that time. That delay of twelve hours-whether wise or unwise let the reader judge-was the turning. point in the campaign.

a June 16, 1864.

June 16.

And now, at the middle of June, a large portion of the Army of Northern Virginia were in Petersburg, and within the lines in front of it, or were on their way and near by; and that evening' the greater part of the Army of the Potomac, with the command of Smith on its right,.resting on the Appomattox, confronted the Confederates. Grant had gone to the front at an early hour that day, and ascertaining the state of affairs, was returning to City Point, when he met General Meade on the road, and directed him to post his army as quickly as possible, and at six o'clock that evening open fire on the Confederate lines. It was expected that Burnside would join Smith and Hancock by that time. He did so. The bombardment was opened at the appointed hour, and was kept up, with varying intensity, until six o'clock in the morning. The result of the fearful combat on that warm June night was a general advance of the National lines, but at a serious cost to the corps of Hancock and Burnside. Birney, of the former, stormed and carried the ridge on its front. Burnside could make no impression during the night, and was kept at bay by a murderous fire; but at dawn General Potter's division made a desperate charge upon the works in front of the Ninth Corps, carried them, and captured four guns and four hundred prisoners. His division was at once relieved by General Ledlie's,

1 Between five and six o'clock in the afternoon, Hancock, then pressing forward with his column from Windmill Point toward a designated spot in front of Petersburg, received orders from Grant to hasten to the assistance of Smith. The divisions of Birney and Gibbon were then in advance, and these were pushed forward to Smith's position. Hancock, who was blamed by some for being yet on his march so late in the day, pleaded the fact that he had been misled by an incorrect map, and stated that the order from General Grant, to assist Smith, was the first intination he had received of an intended attack on Petersburg that day.

2 General Smith, in his Report of Operations before Petersburg, says that he was aware of the crossing at of the James by Lee's army that night. He deemed it, he said, "wiser to hold what we had, than, by attempting to reach the bridges [that spanned the Appomattox at the city], to lose what we had gained, and have the troops meet with a disaster." "Heavy darkness was upon us," he said, "and the troops were placed so as to occupy the commanding positions and wait for daylight."

In his report, written more than a year afterward, General Grant said, in speaking of these operations of General Smith: "Between the lines thus captured and Petersburg, there were no other works, and there was no evidence that the enemy had re-enforced Petersburg with a single brigade from any source. The night was clear, the moon shining brightly, and favorable to further operations."

OPERATIONS AGAINST PETERSBURG.

337

which advanced to within a mile and a half of the city, and held a position from which shells could be thrown into the town. This menacing projection of Burnside's line was furiously attacked that night, and the National troops were driven back with great loss. At other points they were repulsed. Their loss much exceeded that of the Confederates.

• June 16, 1864.

The danger threatening the Petersburg lines having drawn a large portion of the troops from Butler's front, that officer sent out General Terry on the same day," to force Beauregard's lines, and destroy and hold, if possible, the railway in that vicinity. Terry easily passed through those lines, and reached the road without much opposition, and was proceeding to destroy the track, when he was attacked by Pickett's division of Longstreet's corps, then on its way from the Virginia capital to the beleaguered city.' Smith's corps (Eighteenth) having been relieved by the Sixth, was sent by Grant to aid Butler, in the event of an exigency such as had now occurred; but it arrived too late to assist Terry, and the latter, after a sharp engagement, was driven back to the defenses of Bermuda Hundred, when the Confederate works in front of them were at once heavily garrisoned.

On the morning of the 17th, the Second and Ninth Corps renewed the attack upon the works before Petersburg, when the hill upon which Fort Steadman was afterward built, was carried and held by the former corps. Another attack was made by the Ninth in the afternoon, when the battle that ensued continued until night, with great slaughter, in which Barlow's division suffered most severely. Crawford was sent to Burnside's support. He became entangled in the ravines, and could do but little. He penetrated the Confederate lines, however, and brought away a number of prisoners. Several times during the day, desperate but unsuccessful attempts were made to recapture what the Nationals had seized, and that night a heavy force drove back the Ninth Corps.

Impressed with the belief that much of Lee's army yet remained near Richmond, and hoping to capture Petersburg before that army should all be upon his front, Grant ordered a general assault along the entire chain of works before him, on the morning of the 18th." At dawn it was discovered that the Confederates had abandoned their broken and imperiled line at their front, and had taken a new and stronger position on an inner line, which had been constructed with the best engineering skill (and none was better) that Lee could command. This change compelled Grant to readjust his own lines for attack, which delayed an advance until afternoon. The attack which followed resulted in disaster to the Nationals, who were repulsed at every point. Only Martindale's division gained any success. That carried the Confederate skirmish line on its front, and made a few prisoners.

In co-operation with Pickett's movement was a naval demonstration by the Confederates, who sent three iron-clad steamers down the James River from Drewry's Bluff, to Dutch Gap, hoping to divert the attention of Admiral Lee from the attack that might be made upon Butler if he should attempt to interfere with the passage of the troops to Petersburg; also with a hope of damaging the National squadron. But they effected nothing, and were easily driven back.

The National line was then formed as follows: The division of General Martindale, of the Eighteenth Corps, which had been left before Petersburg when Smith withdrew to the Peninsula, occupied the right, and the line was extended to the left by the Sixth, Second, Ninth, and Fifth Corps, in the order named.

VOL. III.-22