 | Memoirs of the war of secession |  |
BATTLE OF PETERSBURG.
Richmond and Petersburg lie about twenty miles apart, one
due north of the other. In their original defences, prepared
before this campaign, each city was fortified independently, its
less complete, with a radius—Richmond of about eight miles and
Petersburg of about three and a half miles. In the subsequent
shape which these defences assumed, they were connected by a
line drawn from Drury's Bluff where the southern lines of Richmond
crossed the James down the western bank of the river to
Howlett's house, whence Beauregard's Bermuda Hundreds lines
completed the connection with the northern lines of Petersburg.
Petersburg now became the right flank of the defences of Richmond,
and covering, as it did, the communications of the latter
place with the rear, was the key to the position. When Grant's
siege operations here languished before the vigorous defence,
his efforts to turn this flank caused a gradual extension of the
Confederate lines for many miles in a southwesterly prong, from
Petersburg. It was at the extremity of this prong, in the spring
of 1865, when Lee's army with the sources of its recruitment
dried up and attenuated by the "attrition" of Grant to little more
than thirty thousand rifles, with which to confront a constantly
recruited foe one hundred and fifty thousand strong, that the
battle of Five Forks was fought which made an immediate necessity
the evacuation of the Confederate Capital. They had
previously been determined upon in consequence of operations
elsewhere. Lee's lines were thus eventually, from right to left,
between thirty-five and forty miles long, and during the whole
siege of Richmond, his army was dependent for supplies upon his
still open communications with the southwest. An investment
would at any time have terminated the siege.
After pushing languidly his approaches at Cold Harbor for a
few days, Grant determined to transfer his operations to the
south side of the Appomattox, against Petersburg, and, accordingly,
commenced the movement of his army to that point. By
the 13th, he was withdrawn from his entrenchments and in full
march. Lee followed, still intervening between him and Richmond
on the north side of the James, as it was still open to Grant
to turn while north of the James and advance up the river
directly against that city. When the passage of the James by
Grant at Harrison's Landing had developed his designs, Lee
hastened to throw himself across the James and the Appomattox
higher up and again confront him. He had delayed, however,
de main, as will be developed in the progress of the narrative.
Hagood's brigade marched with its division from the trenches at
Cold Harbor at 8 a. m., on the 13th, crossed the Chickahominy
at Federal Bridge, and proceeded in the direction of Malvern
Hill, passing in its march over the old field of battle at Seven
Pines. It bivouacked at night on the Darby Town road three
miles from Malvern Hill, Hoke's division being held in reserve
by Lee. During the day an action had occurred between Grant's
flanking column and our advance at Ridley's Shop. Hoke
remained quiet till 5 p. m., the 14th, when he was ordered to move
back some eight miles to the neighborhood of the pontoon bridge
over the James near Drury's Bluff and await orders. He was
then in position either to go to Lee or to Beauregard at Petersburg.
On the morning of the next day he was ordered to Beauregard
and marched at 11 a. m. Crossing the river, he proceeded
down the turnpike, but, when opposite Chester Station, he was
informed that partial transportation awaited him by rail and
ordered to hurry forward his command. Hagood was at once
dispatched by rail; Colquitt followed some time after, and the
remaining brigades continued their march by the pike.
At noon on the 15th, Smith's (Eighteenth) corps of Grant's
army, being his advance, was before the eastern defences of
Petersburg, manned by Wise's brigade and the local militia composed
of the boys and old men of the city. After consuming the
evening in making his reconnaisance and preparations, Smith
assaulted with a cloud of skirmishers and easily carried the works,
capturing some artillery and prisoners. Just after this success
Hancock's corps arrived, but the enemy instead of pressing on
and seizing the town which lay at his mercy, determined to await
the morning before making his advance.
Hagood's brigade reached Petersburg at dark, and while the
men were being got off the cars and formed in the streets, the
general proceeded to Beauregard's headquarters to report for
orders. General Beauregard was on the lines, and Colonel Harris
of his staff was instructing General Hagood to move out on the
Jerusalem plank road and take position, where it issued from the
fortifications, when a courier arrived announcing that the enemy
had carried our works from Battery No. 3 to Battery No. 7,
instructed to move out immediately upon the City Point Road
(the road uncovered by this success of the enemy) and take a
position to check his advance, and upon which a new defensive
line might be established. It was a critical moment. The routed
troops, such as they were, were pouring into the town, spreading
alarm on every hand, and there was no organized body of troops
that the writer has ever heard of available at the time to resist
the advance which the enemy were even then supposed to be
making, except this brigade and Colonel Tabb's Virginia regiment,
of Wise's brigade, which still held a portion of the lines
that had not been assailed. It would be daylight before Hoke's
division could all get up, and the main body of Lee's army was
miles away. In this emergency, Beauregard directed the withdrawal
of the troops from the Bermuda Hundreds lines and their
transfer during the night to the south side of the Appomattox.
Finding these abandoned, Butler next day took possession of
them, and even essayed another enterprise against the Richmond
and Petersburg Railroad. With the arrival, however, of the
main body of the Confederate Army, he was without much
trouble again "corked up" within his original limits.
It was after dark when General Hagood received his orders,
and being entirely ignorant of the localities as well as unable to
learn much from the confused and contradictory accounts of the
volunteer guides, who accompanied him, when he reached the
fork of the City Point and Prince George roads just beyond the
New Market race course, he halted his column, and leaving it
under Colonel Simonton, rode forward, accompanied by Captain
Moloney and Lieutenant Martin of the staff, to make a personal
reconnaisance. He encountered the enemy's picket on the latter
road at the ford where it crosses Harrison's Creek inside of the
original line of defences. The reconnoitering party had nearly
ridden into it, when they were warned by a wounded Confederate
by the road side. They were not fired upon. Turning across the
field toward the City Point road, General Hagood was opportunely
met by a courier from Colonel Harris with a map, who
had also the foresight to send a bit of tallow candle and matches.
With the aid of this, Hagood determined on the line of the creek
he was then on (Harrison's Creek), and put his men in position.
emptied into the Appomattox in rear of Battery No. 1, which was
the initial point of the defences and on the bank of the river.
Its west fork crossed the line of original defences near No. 15.
The line taken by Hagood was, therefore, a chord of the arc of
our captured or abandoned works, and ran along the west bank
of the main creek and its western fork, having very good command
over the cleared and cultivated valley in its front. The
old line from 1 to 2 was held by Tabb's regiment and they were
relieved by the Twenty-seventh South Carolina regiment.
Hagood's right did not extend to the Prince George road; his left
rested on the river. By the time Hagood was fairly in position,
Colquitt arrived, and took post, extending across the Prince
George road, having first brushed out with skirmishers the
enemy's picket at the ford. The next morning, the 16th June,
was the anniversary of the battle of Secessionville, and the first
shell fired by the enemy in the gloaming, and when it was yet
entirely too dark to know more than the general direction in
which to aim it, killed Captains Hopkins and Palmer and Lieutenant
Gelling, of the Twenty-seventh regiment, who had all
served with distinction in that battle, and the first of whom had
been there severely wounded. The same shell also wounded
several of the enlisted men of that regiment. General Hagood,
wearied out, had fallen asleep some half hour before, and this
shot waked him. Its successors from the same battery showed
him that the position of the Twenty-seventh was completely
enfiladed, and the morning light made evident to him, too, a fact
that had not been appreciated in the night—the Twenty-seventh
was advanced beyond his general line. This regiment was accordingly
at once drawn back to the west side of the creek. Two
field pieces, abandoned by our troops the day before on the City
Point road beyond our present lines, were also brought in. They
were found to be spiked and were, therefore, sent to the rear.
The enemy shelled Hagood furiously all day, and the skirmishers
on his front were constantly engaged. They several times
ostentatiously formed for battle beyond rifle range there being
no artillery on his portion of the line and about dark assailed his
center. They were repelled after keeping up the effort for an
hour, never having got nearer than seventy-five yards to his
was better sustained, and they suffered heavily. They met with
no success. Lieutenant Allemony of the Twenty-seventh was
killed today. On the 17th, the same heavy shelling and skirmishing
continued on our front. About half-past six in the evening
the enemy again assaulted heavily the brigade on our right. Colquitt
repelled them with considerable slaughter. Their officers
made a second attempt to get them on, but were unable to do so.
Still further to the right several assaults were made during the
day, one of which met with some success, but the Confederates
rallying drove them back. The loss in the Federal ranks today
was acknowledged to be four thousand. They claimed to have
captured four guns, and probably got in addition some two hundred
prisoners. Their long range artillery practice on Hagood's
front was accurate, as it always was when there was no artillery
to reply, and the brigade suffered several casualties.
In the meanwhile, General Beauregard (see Beauregard's Military
Operations, II Volume, p. 253,) had determined on taking a
more compact and shorter line of defence than the one now occupied,
and during these two days' fighting it had been partially
prepared for occupation. It was this last line which was held
during the siege that ensued. It was some 800 yards nearer the
city, and, like the line of the first taken, was the chord to an arc
of the original defences, still more of which were now abandoned.
This line was at first a simple trench with the parapet on the
farther side of it, and though it was afterwards amplified it
retained the general character of a trench, and was always known
as "The Trenches," in distinction from the portion of the original
works held by us. These last were artillery redoubts, connected
by infantry breastworks.
These "trenches" opposed Grant's front of attack, the remaining
portion of the enciente was not assailed until perhaps the
closing day of the siege of '65.
At 1:30 a. m., on the 18th, Hagood's brigade moved back on
the new line to the position assigned it, which was on the left
flank some 200 yards west of the house of the Younger Hare.
His left was on the Appomattox, thence running off southward,
nearly at right angles to the river, his line crossed the City Point
road and extended to the westward end of the eminence known as
Market race course was in front of the right of the brigade, and
the approach to its position was generally level. By daylight,
the Confederates were quietly in position and diligently strengthening
their incomplete works.
Shortly after daylight, the enemy advanced upon our old works,
and finding them abandoned, came on with vociferous cheers.
As soon as their skirmishers encountered ours in their new position,
their line of battle halted, and heavy skirmishing commenced.
This continued until about 2 p. m., the skirmishers
alternately driving each other. The brigade lost several killed
and wounded and a few prisoners, but inflicted an equal or greater
loss upon the enemy and captured between twenty-five and thirty
prisoners.
At 2 p. m., the enemy formed for assault upon the portion of
the brigade between the river and the City Point road, and a
little later moved forward. A regiment was pushed up along the
bank of the river under cover of the grove and buildings of the
Younger Hare. It came in column and, as soon as its head was
uncovered, endeavored to deploy. The rest of their force
attempted to come forward in line of battle. A rapid fire was
opened on the column, as soon as it showed itself, and upon those
in line at about 300 yards. The column never succeeded in
deploying and the line broke after advancing about fifty yards
under fire. They were rallied and again brought forward, but
were repulsed in confusion and with heavy loss. The voices of
the Federal officers in command could be plainly heard. The
Twenty-first, Twenty-seventh and Eleventh regiments repulsed
this attack.
South of the City Point road, the Seventh battalion and
Twenty-fifth regiment were not at this time attacked. Later in
the afternoon, when the enemy made a general assault upon the
Confederate lines to the right, the Twenty-fifth fired a few
volleys obliquely into the assaulting lines moving over Hare's
Hill upon Colquitt. The skirmishing here, however, in the morning
was particularly heavy and obstinate. Major Rion commanded
the brigade skirmishers and distinguished himself by his
usual gallantry and address. He was wounded in the arm, but
continued in the field till night. Lieutenant Felder, of the
Seventh battalion, was killed.
These three days' fighting was called the Battle of Petersburg.
It resulted on the part of the Confederates in taking a line of
defense which constructed, and from day to day strengthened
and developed, under fire, grew into formidable siege works
impregnable to all direct attack.
On the Federal side the loss of twelve thousand men in the
three days was proof that even in their present incomplete state,
held by such men as Lee commanded, they could not be carried
by assault. Grant, accordingly, sat down regularly before the
plan, and ordered siege operations begun.
Compared with the enemy's, the Confederate loss was inconsiderable.
In Hagood's brigade, the casualties of the three days
amounted to two hundred and twenty, of which thirty-six were
killed. The loss in the character of the officers killed was, however,
severely felt. Ward Hopkins was the senior captain of the
Twenty-seventh regiment, and, after Colonel Gaillard, commanded
the respect and confidence of the men and of his superiors
more perhaps than any officer in it. His loss was a calamity to
the regiment.
Captain Palmer was a graduate of the State Military Academy,
and an efficient officer. Lieutenants Allemony and Harvey were
also good officers and their loss was much deplored. Allemony
was before the war a young lawyer, rapidly rising at the
Charleston Bar, and a member of the State Legislature.
Adjutant Gelling was a young Scotch gentleman who had
emigrated to Charleston a short time before the war. On the
breaking out of hostilities, he had enlisted in one of the companies
raised in that city, and had been promoted to his present
position. General Hagood had occasion to notice and specially
commend his conduct at Cold Harbor.
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