YELLOW TAVERN TO CHESTERFIELD STATION
Daylight, May 12, found the entire corps concentrated south of the
Meadow bridges, on the broad table-land between Richmond and the
Chickahominy river. Sheridan still kept his forces well together. Having
accomplished the main purpose of the expedition--the defeat of
Stuart--it remained for him to assure the safety of his command, to
husband its strength, to maneuver it so as to be at all times ready for
battle, offensive or defensive as the exigency might demand.
The next stage in the march of his ten thousand was Haxall's Landing, on
the James river, where supplies would be awaiting him. By all the
tokens, he was in a tight place, from which all his great dexterity and
daring were needed to escape with credit and without loss. His plan was
to pass between the fortifications and the river to Fair Oaks, moving
thence to his destination. Its futility was demonstrated when Wilson's
division attempted to move across the Mechanicsville road. It was found
that all the ground was completely swept by the heavy guns of the
defenses, while a strong force of infantry interposed. Reinforcements
had been poured into Richmond, where the alarm was genuine, and it was
clear that an attempt to enter the city or to obtain egress in the
direction of Fair Oaks would bring on a bloody battle of doubtful issue.
Either course would at least, invite discomfiture. To return by the
Brook turnpike or Telegraph road, even if that course could have been
considered as an alternative, was alike impracticable. The cavalry force
which had been trailing the command all the way from the North Anna
river still maintained a menacing attitude in that direction. The only
gateway out, either to advance or retreat, was by the Meadow Bridge,
over the Chickahominy, unless fords could be found. The river had to be
crossed and, owing to the recent rains it was swollen.
All the signs pointed to a sortie in force from the fortifications. The
defenders emboldened by the hope, if not belief, that they had Sheridan
in a trap; inspired by the feeling that they were fighting for their
homes, their capital and their cause; and encouraged by the presence at
the front of the president of the confederacy--Jefferson Davis--were
very bold and defiant, and even the lower officers and enlisted men knew
that it was a question of hours at most when they would march out in
warlike array and offer battle. Sheridan decided to await and accept it.
Indeed, he was forced to it whether he would or not, as the sequel
proved.
He sent for Custer and ordered him to take his brigade and open the way
across the Chickahominy at the Meadow bridges. Where work was to be done
that had to be done, and done quickly and surely, Custer was apt to be
called upon. The vital point of the entire affair was to make absolutely
sure of that crossing, and Sheridan turned confidently to the "boy
general" as he had done before and often would do again.
The Michigan men were just beginning to stretch their limbs for a little
rest--having fought all day the day before and ridden all night--when
called upon to mount. They had not had time to prepare their breakfast
or cook their coffee, but they rode cheerfully forward for the
performance of the duty assigned to them, appreciating highly the honor
of being chosen.
The road leading to Meadow bridge descended to low ground and across the
river bottoms. The wagon road and bridge were at the same level as the
bottoms. Some distance below was the railroad. The grade for the track
must have been at least twenty feet above the level where it reached the
bridge which spanned the river. So the approach by the railroad was
along the embankment.
When Custer reached the river he found that the bridge was gone. The
enemy had destroyed it. The railroad bridge alone remained. A force of
dismounted cavalry and artillery had taken a position on the other side
which commanded the crossing. Their position was not only strong but its
natural strength had been increased by breastworks. Two pieces of
artillery were posted on a slight hill less than half a mile back. In
front of the hill were the breastworks; in front of the breastworks
woods. A line of skirmishers firing from the edge of the woods kept the
pioneers from proceeding with the work.
But Custer could not be balked. His orders were imperative. He was to
make a crossing and secure a way for the entire corps to pass "at all
hazards." He ordered the Fifth and Sixth Michigan to dismount, cross by
the railroad bridge on foot and engage the enemy. The enemy's artillery
swept the bridge, and as soon as it was seen that the Michigan men were
climbing the railroad embankment to make the crossing they trained their
pieces upon it. Yet the two regiments succeeded. The Fifth led, the
Sixth followed. One man, or at most two or three, at a time, they
tip-toed from tie to tie, watching the chance to make it in the
intervals between the shells. Though these came perilously near to the
bridge none of them hit it, at least while we were crossing. They went
over and struck in the river or woods below. It looked perilous, and it
was not devoid of danger, but I do not remember that a single man was
killed or wounded while crossing. It may have been a case of poor
ammunition or poor marksmanship or both. The worst of it was the nature
of the ground was such that our artillerists could not bring their guns
to bear.
Once over, the two regiments deployed as skirmishers and advancing with
their 8-shotted Spencers, drove the confederate skirmishers back through
the woods and behind their breastworks, where we held them until a
bridge was built, which must have been for two or three hours. The
skirmishing in the woods was fierce at times, but the trees made good
cover. It was here that Lieutenant Thomas A. Edie, troop A, Sixth, was
killed by a bullet through the head. No attempt was made to assault the
breastworks. The confederates behind them, however, were kept so fully
occupied that they were unable to pay any attention to the bridge
builders, who were left unmolested to complete their work. This was the
work which the two Michigan regiments were sent over to do and they
accomplished it successfully--something for which they never received
full credit. At one stage of this fight my attention was attracted to
the coolness of a trooper, troop A, Sixth, who was having sort of a duel
with a confederate. The latter was lying down in his works, the former
behind a tree. When either one exposed any portion of his anatomy the
other would shoot. Some of the confederate's bullets grazed the tree.
The Michigan man would show his cap or something and when the other
fired, step out, take deliberate aim and return the shot, then jump
behind his natural fortress and repeat the maneuver. Finally the
confederate ceased firing and there was little doubt that a Spencer
bullet had found its mark. Making my way to the tree I asked my man his
name. His coolness and courage had much impressed me. "Charles Dean," he
replied. "Report to me when the fight is over," I said. He did so, and
from that day until the war ended he was my personal orderly. A better,
braver soldier, or a more faithful friend no man ever knew than Charles
Dean, troop A, Sixth Michigan cavalry.
After the completion of the bridge the entire division crossed over. The
Seventh Michigan, two regiments from Devin's brigade, two from
Gibbs's--which with the Fifth and Sixth Michigan made seven in all were
put on the line as reinforcements and an assault ordered. The entire
line advanced and even then it was no child's play. The confederates
fought well but were finally driven out of their works and routed.
Pursuit with dismounted men was useless. As soon as the horses could be
brought over the First Michigan and two of the Reserve brigade regiments
were sent in pursuit mounted, but were too late, most of the
confederates having made good their escape.
While this was going on, Gregg had a hard fight with the strong force of
infantry and artillery which came out full of confidence to crush
Sheridan. By a brilliant ruse he took them by surprise and whipped them
so thoroughly that they retreated within their inner fortifications,
completely discomfited, and Sheridan remained on the ground most of the
day with no one to molest or make him afraid. Gregg's fight was
characteristic of that fine officer who never failed to fill the full
measure of what was required of him. Indeed, it was one of the most
creditable actions of the war and one for which he never received full
credit. The feeling throughout the First division, at the time, I know,
was that the superb courage and steadiness of Gregg and his division
had extricated Sheridan from a grave peril. The same Gregg who, with the
help of Custer's Michigan brigade, saved the Union right at Gettysburg,
stood in the way and stopped a threatened disaster before Richmond.
[Illustration: FITZHUGH LEE AND STAFF (IN CUBA)]
After Gregg's repulse of the infantry, Custer's success in opening the
way across Meadow bridge and Merritt's rout of Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry,
the Second and Third divisions remained unmolested for the rest of the
day on the ground of the morning's operations, the First division going
to Gaines's Mills.
General Sheridan tells a story of two newsboys who came out after the
fight, with Richmond papers to sell. They did a thriving business and
when their papers were disposed of desired to return to the city. But
they were so bright and intelligent that he suspected their visit
involved other purposes than the mere selling of papers, and held them
until the command was across the river and then permitted them to go.
There is an interesting coincidence between this story and the one told
to the writer by St. George Tucker, of Richmond, and which appears on
page 259 of this volume.
Late in the afternoon the entire corps moved to Gaines's Mills and went
into camp for the night.
The march from Gaines's Mills to the James river was uneventful. When
the head of the column, on the 14th, debouched on Malvern Hill, a
gunboat in the river, mistaking us for confederate cavalry, commenced
firing with one of their big guns, and as the huge projectiles cut the
air overhead the men declared they were shooting "nail-kegs." The signal
corps intervened and stopped this dangerous pastime.
Three days were taken here for rest, recuperation, drawing and issuing
forage and rations, shoeing horses, caring for and sending away the sick
and wounded, and in every way putting the command on a field footing
again. It was a brief period of placid contentment. Satisfaction beamed
from every countenance. Complacency dwelt in every mind. The soldiers
smoked their pipes, cooked their meals, read the papers, wrote letters
to their homes, sang their songs and, around the evening camp fires,
recalled incidents, humorous, thrilling or pathetic, of the march and
battle-field. There was not a shadow on the scene.
On the 17th the camp was broken and we marched by way of Charles City
Courthouse, across the Chickahominy at Long bridge to Baltimore
Crossroads, arriving there on the evening of the 18th when another halt
was made. May 19, I was sent with the Sixth Michigan to destroy Bottom's
bridge and the railroad trestle work near it. My recollection is that
this was accomplished.
The next morning General Custer was ordered with his brigade to Hanover
Courthouse, the object being to destroy the railroad bridge across the
South Anna river, a few miles beyond. This necessitating a ride of more
than twenty miles, an early start was made. The Sixth was given the
advance and it proved to be one of the most pleasant experiences of the
campaign. The road led past Newcastle, Hanovertown and Price's; the day
was clear, there was diversity of scenery and sufficient of incident to
make it something worth remembering. No enemy was encountered until we
reached the courthouse. A small body of cavalry was there, prepared to
contest the approach of the advance guard. The officer in command of the
advance did not charge, but stopped to skirmish and the column halted.
Foght, Custer's bugler, rode up and offered to show me a way into the
station from which the confederates could be taken in flank. Accepting
his suggestion, I took the regiment and dashed through the fields to the
left and captured the station, which brought us in on the left and rear
of the force confronting the advance guard. Seeing this they took to
flight, the advance guard pursuing them for some distance. A quantity of
commissary stores were captured here, some of which were issued to the
men, the balance destroyed. The railroad track was torn up and two
trestles destroyed where the railroad crossed the creek near the
station. Custer moved his brigade back to Hanovertown and encamped for
the night. The next morning he returned to Hanover Courthouse and,
sending the First and Fifth ahead, left the Sixth and Seventh to guard
the rear. They advanced to near the South Anna river and found the
bridge guarded by infantry, cavalry and artillery, which, en route from
Richmond to Lee's army, had been stopped there for the exigency. Custer
decided not to take the risk, as he learned that a force was also moving
on his flank, and returned leisurely to Baltimore Crossroads.
One incident of the first day seems to me worth narrating. The brigade
bivouacked on a large plantation, where was a colonial house of generous
proportions. It fronted on a spacious lawn, which sloped from the house
to the highway and was fringed with handsome old spruce and Austrian
pines. In front and rear the house had broad porches. A wide hall ran
through the center of the house from one porch to the other and on
either side of the hall were well furnished rooms of ample size. In
rear, in an enclosure as broad as the house, was a well kept flower
garden. It was a typical southern home of refinement and comfort. There
were several ladies. The men were, of course, in the army. General
Custer with several of his officers called upon the ladies to pay his
respects and assure them of protection. He was received with quiet
dignity and refined courtesy and for an hour chatted with them about the
events then transpiring. They knew all the confederate cavalry leaders
and he was greatly interested in what they had to say about them. Before
his departure he left with one of the ladies a piquant and chivalric
message for his "friend Rosser," which she promised to deliver
faithfully. Custer and Rosser, in war and in peace, were animated by
the same knightly spirit. Their friendship antedated and outlived the
war. The message was received and provoked one of a similar tenor in
reply. He took especial care that no harm was done to the place and
marched away leaving it as good as he found it.
Upon our return it was found that the Second and Reserve brigades by the
most extraordinary activity and skill had succeeded in restoring the
bridge across the Pamunkey at White House on which the entire corps
crossed over May 22. May 24, Sheridan reported to General Meade at
Chesterfield station, on the Richmond and Fredericksburg railroad, north
of the North Anna river, opposite Hanover Station. The two days' march
from Aylett's was hot and dusty, and marked by nothing worth recalling,
unless it be that the road after the cavalry had passed over it was
dotted at regular intervals with the bodies of dead horses, the order
having been that when horses gave out and had to be abandoned they must
be shot.