South of the James.
Battles of Dinwiddie and Five Forks.
The Retreat.
We were hastened through Richmond and to the south of the James,
marching to the South Side railroad west of Petersburg, thence on to
Sutherland Station, reaching there at 9 P.M., Wednesday, March 29, and
going forward through an all night's rain, arriving at the White Oak
road at dawn, where a portion of General Bushrod Johnson's division was
in line of battle, with a brisk skirmish progressing in front. Three
brigades of Pickett's division, Corse's, Stuart's and Terry's, with
Ransom's and Wallace's--the last two now consolidated under General
Ransom--extended the battle line of Johnson's division to the right.
Here we remained until the middle of the afternoon, a heavy rain
falling during the greater part of the time, our skirmishers having an
occasional brush with the enemy. The column then moved forward along
the road in the direction of Five Forks, skirmishing front and flank,
reaching the Forks at sunset; without halting, Corse's brigade, and the
1st and 7th regiments of Terry's, advanced, driving the dismounted
cavalry of the enemy through and out of the woods and across the open
country beyond; then returning to the Forks, lay down under a pelting
rain upon the wet ground until morning, thus in line ready to fight or
march.
It was 10 A.M., Friday, March 31, that the advance began in the
direction of Dinwiddie Court House, the cavalry in our front fighting
at every step, crossing Chamberlain Run, and being driven back, as the
infantry was unable to afford them help on account of the swollen
condition of the stream. Finally, at the remains of an old mill on the
Run, the infantry succeeded in getting over, in the face of a sharp
fire from the enemy, with whom, as soon as across the stream, we kept
up a running fight until near sunset. When near the Court House we
encountered a large body of the enemy's dismounted cavalry formed
across the road prepared to oppose our further advance. A Federal
battery of artillery in their center commanded the ground over which
the advance had to be made, but we made a successful charge, sweeping
the field, the enemy retiring in confusion, leaving their dead and
wounded, we occupying the battlefield until nearly 1 o'clock next
morning.
In this engagement, known as the battle of Dinwiddie, the famous
cavalry officer, General Phil Sheridan, with all his brag, was scared
out of his boots--calling that night on General Grant for an army corps
of infantry to help him out of the scrape, although he already had more
men on the field than the Confederates who were assailing him.
Humanity, the crowning grace of the brave soldier, secured for the
wounded--the enemy's as well as our own--all the care and attention we
were able to give them. Our loss had not been heavy, especially was it
small in our regiment--none in Company D. General Terry's horse was
struck by a cannon shot, which caused it to fall with the General,
giving him quite a severe injury.[5]
[5] On account of Gen'l. Terry's injury, Col. Jo Mayo of the
Third Regiment was in command of the brigade at Five Forks.
Near midnight, or a little later, March 31, the Confederates retired to
Five Forks, five miles away, taking position in battle line, and
hastily throwing up temporary breastworks of logs. W. H. F. Lee's
cavalry was on the right, then the infantry brigades, Corse, Terry,
Steuart, Ransom-Wallace, in the order named, with a portion of Fitzhugh
Lee's cavalry under General Munford on the left. Terry's brigade held
the ground immediately on the right of the Forks, with the left of the
7th Virginia resting at the Forks, at which was posted three guns of
Colonel William Pegram's Virginia battalion of artillery. The enemy did
not appear in force in our front until nearly 10 A.M. next day.
Five Forks is situated in a thickly wooded, flat, wet country, and gets
its name from the crossing of two country roads at right angles, with
the deflection of another road bisecting one of these angles; the last
place that a general with a small force would desire to meet a large
force, or select his ground upon which to fight a defensive battle,
because it was in an open country. This position could be easily
turned, and a small force easily isolated from the main army at
Petersburg, which the enemy, in fact, did by throwing General Warren's
infantry corps, nearly 15,000 strong, against the Confederate left,
between it and the right wing of our army. This point could only have
been necessary to hold to protect the South Side railroad, and for this
reason may have been regarded strategic, but it could not be held by a
small force, if an enemy in superior numbers chose to turn it, who had
the advantage of approach from two or more of the five roads converging
there.
Privates Crawford and Dudley of Company D were on the skirmish line.
After several unsuccessful attempts by the Federal skirmishers to drive
in ours, they concluded to try something stronger. In the meantime
Crawford had his musket stock at the small part thereof severed and he
came back to the main line, procured another, and returned to his place
with the skirmishers. By this time the Federal battle line, composed
partly of dismounted cavalry, was advancing, and soon overran our
skirmishers, killing, wounding and capturing nearly the whole of them,
coming with a rush at our main line, by which they were severely
punished and repelled. These attacks were several times repeated along
our whole brigade front, each time being repulsed with loss to the
enemy and with little to us. Warren's infantry corps, having placed
itself near the middle of the afternoon around and beyond the
Confederate left, advancing boldly struck Ransom's and Wallace's
brigades in flank, doubling them up and pushing them to us in the
center. Steuart's and Terry's brigades now moved out of their
intrenched line and with a fierce, determined fight met the oncoming
battle against more than 15,000 with less than two thousand. In the
nature of things this could not and did not last long, but it did last
until the moon was up and the evening shades had fallen. This scribe,
it will be remembered, was still only a boy, and remembers distinctly
Colonel Flowerree saying, "Now, boys, in marching away follow that
moon." This because we were in a country unknown to us or to our
commander. Our brigade was in conflict with Ayers' Federal division,
which was massed in column, firing over each other and too high, thus
accounting for our small regimental and brigade loss in killed and
wounded.
Before being withdrawn from our intrenched line to meet the flank
attack of Warren's corps, Colonel Pegram of the artillery fell on the
left of our regiment, mortally wounded. The 7th regiment, numbering
less than 300 men, under the fearless Colonel Flowerree, was thrown
into the breach to stem the tide, but after a few minutes of close,
almost hand-to-hand struggle, it left the field, not however, before
being ordered three times by the Colonel to do so.
In the woods where we were fighting it was getting dark, the moon
beginning to shine. My position as Sergeant-Major was on the left of
the regiment, which I occupied during the fierce contest. Seeing the
regiment move rapidly by the right flank and to the rear, but in good
order, I stood for a moment reflecting whether I should leave or take
the chances of death or becoming a prisoner. Choosing the former, and
passing the road over which we had fought our way a few minutes before,
I found myself with two Confederates, who were a little in advance of
me, and proceeding but a short distance we found ourselves plump up
against the lines of Federal cavalry. A Sergeant demanded our
surrender, the Confederate nearest him threw down his gun; the one next
to me turned and said, "What shall we do?" I still had the carbine I
had picked up the day before in the battle near Dinwiddie, but no
ammunition, and without replying to the question or dropping my gun,
but keeping my eyes fixed on the sergeant, who was separated by a small
space from his comrades as well as from me, I observed that his cap had
been knocked off by the limb of a pine bush under which he had ridden,
and that his attention was fixed upon an effort to get his cap. Just
then seeing an opening where the Federal regiments joined, I darted
through, amidst a shower of bullets, the wind and heat of some of them
being felt distinctly in my face. The reader may easily imagine the
speed made just then by a Confederate Sergeant-Major. In less than two
hundred yards beyond, I overtook my command forming across the road.
Here Generals Pickett, Corse, Steuart, Ransom and Colonel Mayo were
urging the men to get quickly into line, Pickett in the midst of the
fire behaving with his usual gallantry and coolness. In the middle of
the road stood the ensign of the 1st Virginia regiment, with his colors
and guard, with Gentry and his Glee Club, singing, "Rally Round the
Flag, Boys, Rally Once Again"--and rally they did, although badly
mixed, but in a few minutes partial order was restored, not a moment
too soon, for the enemy was coming. The position now held was not more
than four hundred yards from the Forks. As yet, the enemy had gained
but little ground, though he had captured a large number of prisoners,
principally of Ransom's, Wallace's and Steuart's brigades, and of the
11th and the 24th Virginia of Terry's brigade. The enemy now bore down
heavily upon our right front, advancing through an open field, we being
in a skirt of woods, from which we sent into them a murderous volley.
The smoke clearing away, it was revealed that his whole line had been
shattered, large numbers of his dead and wounded on the ground, the
living fleeing in full haste. In the meantime the enemy had thrown a
heavy force around both the Confederate flanks, threatening to envelop
us between his columns, and cutting our line of retreat, forming
something of the shape of a horse-shoe, we being in the toe, having the
heel open, as the only chance to get out. This gap in the heel was much
broadened by a charge of the Confederate cavalry on the right. It was
now dark, the command badly scattered, and almost surrounded by the
enemy. We moved to the rear as rapidly as possible, and those remaining
not killed, wounded or captured, made their way across the South Side
railroad, where camp was made.
This was one of the most fiercely and best contested battles of the
war, disparity of numbers considered. It can be safely and truthfully
asserted by those present who witnessed what occurred that never were
troops placed in a more trying situation--outflanked on both wings,
attacked front flank and rear, by a force fully four times their
numbers, in a comparatively flat, open country, away from supports,
without shelter save rude log breastworks, hastily thrown up, occupied
for a short time during the fight, which was as close as fearless men
could make it. There was no panic, for the men rallied and fought again
and again, until dark, when the enemy desisted. Much of the fighting
was so close that there was a question as to who would be the victors.
General Grant in his Memoirs says of this battle: "It was dusk when our
troops under Sheridan went over the parapets of the enemy. The two
armies were mingled together there for a time in such manner that it
was almost a question which one was going to demand the surrender of
the other."
It now appears that the army of the enemy on the field numbered above
26,000, while I am satisfied we could not have had exceeding 8000 men
at the opening of the battle. We had the consolidated brigades of
Ransom and Wallace, about 1000; Steuart's brigade, about 1000; Corse's
brigade, about 1100; Terry's brigade, about 900; cavalry, 3500, and
artillerists 300; Rosser's cavalry division guarding the trains, not in
the battle.
The Federal loss was 124 killed and 706 wounded; the Confederate loss,
450 killed, 750 wounded. The Confederates lost four guns, eleven colors
and 3244 prisoners, a loss which the reader will see from statements
made was by us sorely felt.
I do not know the division, brigade or regimental losses, but they were
severe in the regiment, while Company D lost but six men--Crawford,
Dudley, Sumner and Mullins, as prisoners. John A. Hale and William D.
Peters severely wounded, both got off the field. Captain Bane,
Lieutenant Taylor and the following men: Bolton, Crawford, Darr,
Dudley, Eaton, Frazier, Fry, Gordon, Hale (J. A.), Henderson, Hurt (J.
J.), Meadows, Mullins, Minnich (C), Minnich (G. A.), Peters, Shannon,
Stafford, Sumner, Suthern, Wiley, Yager and the writer--25--were all
the men and officers of Company D in this battle of Five Forks.
In Warren's swing around our left he had killed, wounded and captured a
large part of our dismounted cavalry on that wing, practically the
whole of the brigades of Ransom and Wallace and a large part of
Steuart's. After this capture we could not have had more than 4500 men
left, who kept up and maintained the fight until 6 o'clock P.M. It was
simply a yielding to overwhelming numbers, and the strangest thing of
all is that we were not all captured or killed. It was within the
power of the Federals at any time after 4 o'clock P.M. to have made
prisoners of us all, and nothing but bad Federal generalship and the
protection of God saved us, for the Union army were brave enough. There
is no doubt about Sheridan's men fighting; they were men many of whom
for gallant conduct had been taken from other arms of the service and
placed in the cavalry. They were brave, reckless, and withal generous
foes.
In closing this account of the battle of Five Forks I here insert some
extracts from General Longstreet's book, "Bull Run to Appomattox."
Speaking of Warren's flank movement and after Ransom's and Wallace's
brigades had been broken up, he says: "The brigades of Steuart and
Terry changed front and received the rolling battle ... the Confederate
brigades were pushed back to their extreme right, where in turn Corse's
brigade changed front to receive the march." Again: "The position was
not of General Pickett's choosing, and from his orders he assumed he
would be reinforced. His execution was all that a skilful commander
could apply.... Though taken by surprise, there was no panic in any
part of the command; brigade after brigade changed front to the left
and received the overwhelming battle as it rolled on until it was
crushed back to the next, before it could deploy out to aid the
front--or flank attack, until the last brigade of the brave Corse
changed and stood alone on the left.... It is not claiming too much for
that grand division to say that, aided by the brigades of Ransom and
Wallace, they could not have been dislodged from their intrenched
position by parallel battle, even by the great odds against them. As it
was, Ayer's division, staggered under the pelting blows that it met,
and Crawford's drifted from the blows against it, until it thus found
the key of the battle away beyond the Confederate limits. In
generalship Pickett was not a bit below the 'gay rider.' His defensive
battle was better organized, and it is possible that he would have
gained the day if his cavalry had been diligent in giving information
of the movements of the enemy."