The Attack on Petersburg

Transcription

1 Chapter 1 The Attack on Petersburg June 9, 1864 UNEDITED ADVANCE SAMPLE. ALL COPYRIGHTS APPLY Editor s Introduction By the evening of June 3, 1864, Lt. Gen. U. S. Grant s Overland Campaign had lasted thirty days. Grant, the general-in-chief of all Union armies, made his headquarters in the field and guided Maj. Gen. George G. Meade s Army of the Potomac during that long brutal month. Together, the two generals hammered Gen. Robert E. Lee s Army of Northern Virginia in an effort to cripple it and, if not break it up entirely, force it back into the Richmond defenses. The battles stretched from just below the Rapidan River all the way southeast to the Chickahominy River. The Union army crossed the Rapidan on May 4 and plunged into the heavy terrain known as the Wilderness. Lee attacked Grant on May 5, triggering the battle of the same name. Despite some of the heaviest losses in the war, Grant had no intention of withdrawing as his predecessors had done. Instead, he maneuvered southeast in an effort to insert the Army of the Potomac between Lee s army and the Southern capital at Richmond. By dint of outstanding marching and good luck, however, the Confederates assumed a position that blocked the Union advance, triggering nearly two weeks of bloodshed known as Spotsylvania. Despite major attacks against breastworks, breakthroughs, counter-attacks, and flanking maneuvers, the primary result added nothing but tens of thousands of casualties to the respective army s ledgers.

2 2 The Petersburg Campaign: The Eastern Front Battles Petersburg Court House before the battle and siege of Petersburg Library of Congress Undaunted, Grant maneuvered a second time, sliding around Lee s right flank once again and meeting up with him along the North Anna River during the last week of May. The Confederates devised a powerful defensive arrangement that offered a good possibility of inflicting a substantial defeat upon a portion of the Union army, but Lee was too ill during this period and his subordinates not up to the task. Grant sidestepped yet again to the southeast and met Lee and his men at Cold Harbor at the end of May for a general static battle that would stretch nearly as long as Spotsylvania. Believing Lee s army was weak and exhausted, Grant ordered his now-infamous attack that lost thousands of men to no purpose. Instead of standing still or withdrawing, however, Grant conceived of a plan to cross the James and move against Petersburg which was lightly defended by one regular infantry regiment, one cavalry regiment, some artillery, and a handful of militia. On June 6, while still in front of Cold Harbor, Grant notified Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler that he planned to send the Army of the Potomac south

3 The Attack on Petersburg, June 9, across the James to seize Petersburg. Grant sent two staff officers to Butler to obtain maps and select the best site on the banks of the James to install pontoon bridges for the crossing. 1 While putting together the pieces of his complex operation, Grant decided to destroy the Virginia Central Railroad, Richmond s main supply line to the west. On June 5 he ordered cavalry commander Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan to ride to Charlottesville, and join there with Maj. Gen. David Hunter and his Army of the Shenandoah (which was moving up the Shenandoah Valley). Sheridan s and Hunter s combined force would then destroy the railroad bridge over the Rivanna River and head back to Union lines, destroying the tracks as far east as Hanover Junction and eventually join the Army of the Potomac. 2 Meanwhile on June 5 at Piedmont Hunter defeated the Confederate force defending the Valley. Lee learned of the defeat the next day and on June 7 sent Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge s command, borrowed originally from the Shenandoah Valley to reinforce his own army, back west to repulse Sheridan. Four days later Lee sent his II Corps under Gen. Jubal Early to help with this effort. Ben Butler was not idle during this period. He revived a plan for a coup de main against Petersburg by his army holding the Bermuda Hundred line. It is not clear whether he mentioned this plan to Grant and received permission, or whether he went ahead with the plan on his own. * * * Reports from Union informants reached Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler s Spring Hill, Virginia, headquarters at the end of the first week of June 1864, that the Confederates had stripped the defenses of Petersburg to reinforce Lee s Army of Northern Virginia and to man the Howlett Line, the earthworks that kept Butler s army corked in the Bermuda Hundred bottle. Lee s army continued, as it had since June 1, to hold General Grant s powerful Army Group at bay in front of the Cold Harbor lines. Butler s spies stated that the only Rebel troops left in Petersburg were soldiers of the 7th North Carolina Infantry, about 700 troops of the 7th Confederate Cavalry, and a few pieces of artillery. This force picketing the roads leading into Petersburg was scattered. In an emergency, the Petersburg 1 John Horn, The Petersburg Campaign (Conshohocken, PA, 1993), Horn, The Petersburg Campaign, 38.

4 4 The Petersburg Campaign: The Eastern Front Battles Major General Benjamin F. Butler Library of Congress

5 The Attack on Petersburg, June 9, Major General Godfrey Weitzel Library of Congress defenders expected help from the local militia, consisting from exempts from physical disability from the army, boys under 17 and men between fifty and fifty-five... Butler s sources placed the strength of the militia at between 1,000 and 1, The Petersburg defenses were known to consist of a single line of earthworks, nine miles in length, forming a perimeter, about two and a half miles east, south and west of the city. Butler evaluated these reports and decided to storm the rifle pits and capture the city. The expedition would be entrusted to columns led by Generals Hinks and Kautz. Hinks at the head of his division of African Americans, supported by two sections of artillery, was to carry the Rebel rifle pits on either side of the lunettes guarding the eastern approaches to Petersburg via the City Point and Jordan s Point Roads. Colonel Duncan s black brigade would be pulled out of the rifle pits north of the Appomattox to increase the strength of Hinks striking force. Kautz s horsemen 1,200 to 1,400 strong were to leave camp under the cover of the infantry, swing to the southeast, and approach the city by way of the Jerusalem Plank Road. 4 3 The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 128 vols. (Washington, D.C., ), Series 1, vol. 36, pt. 2, Hereafter references are to Series 1 unless noted. 4 Ibid., 275. Edward Hinks was a Massachusetts state legislator before answering his country s call. On August 3, 1861, Hinks was commissioned colonel of the 19th Massachusetts Infantry. Hinks fought in numerous battles in the eastern theater of operations from Ball s Bluff to Antietam, where he was seriously wounded. He was on court-martial duty and in charge of the Camp Lookout prison pen till April 1864, when he was assigned to lead the 3rd division, XVIII Army Corps. Mark M. Boatner, The Civil War Dictionary (New York, 1959), 402. Ezra Warner, Generals in Blue: Lives of Union Commanders (Baton Rouge, 1964), August Kautz, after serving in the War with Mexico, had received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, from which he graduated in Wounded twice by Indians while serving on the

6 6 The Petersburg Campaign: The Eastern Front Battles Final plans were hammered into shape by Generals Butler and Hinks, assisted by Chief Engineer Godfrey Weitzel, on the morning of June 8. While they talked, they were joined by General Gillmore, commander of the X Corps. The newcomer listened attentively. 5 Soon after the staff-meeting broke up, General Weitzel called Butler aside, and explained to his friend and superior that Gillmore wished to command the attacking force. Gillmore pegged his argument on the great importance of the expedition to the Union cause, the necessity of having tried troops to cover the retreat in case of disaster, or who would be more to be depended upon in making the assault upon the enemy s lines. When Butler questioned Gillmore about this, the corps commander said that he would like to employ one of the white brigades from his line, rather than Colonel Duncan s African Americans, and with it make the real infantry attack. Although it was against his better judgment, Butler was unwilling to decline an offer to have the expedition led by an officer of General Gillmore s rank and experience. Gillmore, at noon, was placed in charge of the expedition. Butler took it upon himself to see that General Hinks had one of his black brigades ready to march at the appointed hour. Before parting, Butler and Gillmore reviewed the plan. As they did, Butler unfolded and spread a copy of the map of the Petersburg defenses found on the person of captured Confederate Brig. Gen. William S. Walker. 6 Gillmore was to march the brigade withdrawn from his Bermuda Hundred lines at midnight and cross the pontoon bridge at Point of Rocks. After crossing the Appomattox, Gillmore was to halt the brigade in some convenient spot until near daybreak. The two infantry brigades (one white and the other African American) would then be put in motion. A three-mile march along the Point of Rocks Road, which had been frequently reconnoitered by Hinks cavalry, would bring the Union foot soldiers up against the Rebel picket line. The outposts were to be driven in and followed by the bluecoats into the Confederate fortifications. frontier, Kautz held the rank of captain in the 3rd U.S. Cavalry in May Kautz had seen action both east and west of the Appalachians. June 1864 found Kautz commanding the Army of the James cavalry. Boatner, Civil War Dictionary, ; Warner, Generals in Blue, OR 36, pt. 2, 275. Gillmore graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1849, and as No. 1 in his class was assigned to the Corps of Engineers. Prior to the Civil War, Gillmore supervised construction of coastal fortifications and taught engineering and served as quartermaster at West Point. Gillmore commanded the X Corps from June 13, 1863, in operations directed against Charleston, South Carolina, and at Drewry s Bluff and Bermuda Hundred. Boatner, Civil War Dictionary, 343, Warner, Generals in Blue, OR 36, pt. 2, General Walker was wounded and captured by Butler s troopers on May 20.

7 The Attack on Petersburg, June 9, 1864 Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant Library of Congress 7

8 8 The Petersburg Campaign: The Eastern Front Battles General Robert E. Lee Library of Congress As soon as the infantry had uncovered a road leading to the left toward the Jerusalem Plank Road, General Kautz s cavalry was to turn into this byway, execute a detour well out of sight of the Rebel pickets, and charge up the Jerusalem Plank Road. Gillmore and Kautz were informed by Butler that the distance the cavalry would have to travel before attacking was from 15 to 20 miles.

9 The Attack on Petersburg, June 9, The great benefits to accrue to the Federal cause by the fall of Petersburg were made known to Gillmore. The destruction of the bridges across the Appomattox, he was made to understand, would seriously impede the flow of supplies of men and materiel to Lee s army. With the railroad bridges down, all rolling stock between the Appomattox and James would be bottled up at Richmond. Butler opined, and so told Gillmore, that the capture of Petersburg would be cheaply purchased at 500, and not too dearly with the sacrifice of 1,000 men killed and wounded. Butler emphasized to Gillmore the importance of moving promptly, thereby insuring that his troops would be back in their entrenchments by daybreak on the 10th, prepared to resist a Confederate counterstroke against the Bermuda Hundred lines. If successful in his attack on Petersburg, Gillmore could send back 1,000 blacks, with whom Butler would endeavor to hold the entrenchments. Knowing their marching capabilities, Butler had confidence in the African Americans ability to carry out their mission. If Gillmore destroyed the Appomattox bridges, thus placing the river between Kautz and the Union lines north of the river, the cavalryman was to ride south down the Petersburg & Weldon Railroad, destroying it as he advanced. Upon encountering Rebel forces in strength, Kautz was to retrace his steps. 7 Returning to his X Corps headquarters, General Gillmore moved to organize his strike force. According to his understanding with Butler, the combat-ready brigade that was to cross the Appomattox was to muster 1,800 fighting men. Gillmore called on the commander of his First division, Brig. Gen. Alfred H. Terry, for a brigade. Terry designated his 2nd Brigade, led by Col. Joseph R. Hawley. Learning from Terry that Hawley s brigade numbered about 1,400 effectives, Gillmore asked Butler for permission to form a composite brigade, which would alleviate the need of recalling Hawley s men on picket, and thus running a risk of letting the Confederates know something big was impending. Butler was agreeable, whereupon, Gillmore called on Brig. Gen. John W. Turner of his Second division to name a 400 man regiment to accompany the expedition. Gillmore also suggested that it might be wise to take along a battery. Before returning to Butler s Spring Hill headquarters, Gillmore planned to discuss the situation with General Kautz. 8 Butler was willing for Gillmore to take two sections of a battery, while Hinks brigade would be accompanied by two guns. This is not to be artillery work, Butler pointed out, but a quick, decisive push. 9 7 Ibid., OR 36, pt. 3, 705; pt. 2, 277, 292, Ibid., pt. 3, 705.

10 10 The Petersburg Campaign: The Eastern Front Battles Contrary to Butler s instructions, General Terry determined to recall Hawley s pickets, soldiers of the 7th New Hampshire. Orders were issued for Col. Harris M. Plaisted to have one of his regiments, as soon as it was dark, relieve Hawley s outposts. Butler was unaware of this development. Meanwhile, Gillmore had outlined to Terry the route he wished Hawley s brigade to take to the pontoon bridge the troops were to move down the entrenchments to Point of Rocks. Terry, shaking his head, remarked that the movement of so large a body of men along the earthworks could attract the attention of Rebel sentinels. Since the expedition was cloaked in secrecy, he thought it best for the brigade to march via the road to Hatcher s. Gillmore saw the wisdom in Terry s suggestion, and Hawley was told to take that road. 10 By 9:00 a.m. on June 8, three of Hawley s regiments the 3rd New Hampshire and 6th and 7th Connecticut fell in on the color line. Each man carried two days cooked rations in his haversack and 40 rounds of ammunition in his cartridge box. A few minutes later, the 7th New Hampshire, having been relieved on the picket line, marched up, and Colonel Hawley reported his brigade ready to march. As yet, the promised guide had not put in an appearance to show the column the way to Point of Rocks. A staffer was sent to division headquarters to learn what had happened to the guide. When he returned and reported that he could not secure a satisfactory answer to his request, a second aide galloped off on the same quest, but he was no more successful than the first. 11 General Terry (at 10:20 p.m.) issued orders for Colonel Hawley to move at once with your brigade across the Appomattox, by way of the pontoon bridge near General Butler s headquarters, calling there for a guide. On the high ground south of the river, Hawley was to be joined by the 62nd Ohio and Company D, 1st U.S. Light Artillery, and there he would receive additional instructions from General Gillmore. The troops were cautioned to hold down the noise as they moved out. The orderly, who delivered this dispatch, was to guide Hawley s column as far as Butler s headquarters. 12 Hawley (at 10:30 p.m.) passed the word to take up the march. Orders were given in whispers, and the column moved out. Leaving two staff officers with instructions to bring the brigade to Gillmore s headquarters, Hawley rode ahead and reported to Brig. Gen. Robert S. Foster, the X Corps Chief of Staff. The colonel asked about the roads, and Foster called for a cavalryman who as an orderly had made frequent rides from Gillmore s headquarters to Point of Rocks. This 10 Ibid., pt. 2, 297, 298; pt. 3, Plaisted commanded Terry s 3rd Brigade. 11 Ibid., pt. 2, 297, Ibid., pt. 3, 706, 707.

11 The Attack on Petersburg, June 9, man, the general said, would show the column the way to the crossing. The head of the brigade, within a few minutes, came tramping up the road. Hawley, accompanied by his staff and a guide, assumed his post and led the troops down the road toward Bermuda Hundred Landing. After following the roadway some distance, the guide turned to the right, following the telegraph line. Before the column had traveled far, mud and water to a depth of two feet was encountered, and the road became all but impassable. Accompanied by one of the guides, Colonel Hawley rode ahead and gained the open country near Point of Rocks. Not knowing what to do next, Hawley dispatched the guide to Butler with a plea for help. 13 Valuable time was lost while Hawley waited impatiently for the guide to return. Shortly thereafter, the head of the brigade marched up, accompanied by two members of Butler s staff, who had found the column floundering about in the swamp. Because of the rough going, entire units had straggled. While the column closed up, additional time was squandered. It was after 2:00 a.m. before the vanguard started crossing the Appomattox, and it was 3:00 a.m. before the last infantryman reached the south bank. Ascending the hill beyond, Hawley and his troops found the 62nd Ohio and the artillerists. The men took a break, while Hawley reported to General Gillmore s command post. 14 The aimless march through the swamp had taken its toll. If the column had followed the road it should have, it would have crossed the Appomattox by midnight, and the troops could have rested and caught their second wind before pushing on. 15 END OF TEXT EXCERPT. (SEE MAP ON NEXT PAGE) 13 Ibid., pt. 2, , 302, 305; Henry F. W. Little, The Seventh Regiment of the New Hampshire Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion (Concord, 1896), OR 36, pt. 2, 299, 302, 303, 305; Stephen Walkley, History of the Seventh Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, Hawley s Brigade, Terry s Division, Tenth Army Corps, (Southington, 1905), OR 36, pt. 2, 278.

12 12 The Petersburg Campaign: The Eastern Front Battles