PETERSBURGH.
The march to Petersburgh--Smith's successes--The battle of June
18th--The Sixth and Second corps sent to the left--Rebels
penetrate the line--Progress of the siege--Sixth corps proceeds
to Reams' Station--Kautz's and Wilson's raids.
At sunset on the 16th, the Sixth corps gathered upon the banks of the
James river, and while the First and Third divisions embarked on
steamers for City Point, the Second division crossed on the pontoon
bridge. The division marched all night toward Petersburgh, from which
direction we had heard cannonading all day. The column moved rapidly,
leaving scores of stragglers, who quietly rolled themselves in their
blankets and lay down behind the hedges to sleep till morning. The
following day was sultry, and the dust was very annoying. The men were
weary from want of sleep, and the march was a severe one; but at sunset
the division arrived at our lines before Petersburgh. Smith's corps had
preceded us, and by assaulting the rebel position on the evening of the
16th, had carried the lines northeast of the town for a distance of over
two and a half miles, capturing fifteen pieces of artillery and three
hundred prisoners. General Smith was then reinforced by Hancock's corps,
which had just arrived by land, but no further advance was made that
night. This neglect to take advantage of the absence of any large force
of rebels in the works about Petersburgh was severely censured by
General Grant, who could not understand why General Smith, now
reinforced by a large corps, had not at once taken possession of the
town. The day that the Second division, Sixth corps, arrived in front of
Petersburgh, the two divisions of that corps which had taken transports
up the river, were ordered to reinforce General Butler at Bermuda
Hundreds, where his command had gained some advantages, which were,
however, lost before night. All the corps having got up, attacks upon
the rebel positions were renewed on the 17th and 18th. The attack on the
17th was made by Smith's command, and resulted in the loss of a few men,
when the lines were withdrawn.
Our Second division now relieved Brooks' division of the Eighteenth
corps on the front line, the Seventy-seventh taking possession of a
powerful redoubt, the other regiments taking their places in close
proximity. The Vermont brigade was placed in rifle pits, as was also the
First brigade. In order to secure unity of action, General Neill,
commanding the division, was directed to receive orders from General
Martindale of the Eighteenth corps.
Standing in the redoubt occupied by the Seventy-seventh, which was upon
a high bluff, and commanded a fine prospect of the surrounding country,
we could trace the line of defenses which had already been captured, and
those yet in the hands of the enemy. The defenses of Petersburgh
consisted of a line of strong earthworks, in the form of a semicircle.
Immense redoubts, like the one we now occupied, were placed at frequent
intervals, upon commanding positions, and these were connected by a line
of rifle pits and high breastworks. At all advantageous points, also,
were well constructed rifle pits, in front (now in rear) of the main
works. Smith's corps had captured eleven of these forts and redoubts in
the first assault, and they were now occupied by our forces, and the
strong works which were intended for the defense of the town now
bristled with cannon pointing toward it.
The line of powerful forts and breastworks commenced about two and a
half miles below Petersburgh, on the Appomattox, and, circling the city,
terminated two or three miles above.
Before us stretched the valley of the Appomattox in all its beauty, the
level plain between us and the river clothed in the verdure of summer,
the green fields of corn yet untrodden by the troops of either side.
Below the heights, stretching far to the right and left, was the line of
rifle pits now occupied by our men, and beyond these could be traced the
outlines of the new works which the rebels were throwing up. Still
beyond all these, the spires of Petersburgh towered grandly, and by the
help of a glass the streets and houses were distinctly visible.
On the 18th, another advance was made by the divisions of Smith's corps,
a part of the Second corps, and our own Second division. Smith's troops
advanced spiritedly across the plain, facing a withering fire of grape
and canister, but were unable to come up to the rebel works.
They were ordered to lie down, and at once every man commenced to throw
up a little mound of earth in front of him, using his cup or plate, or
even his hands or jack-knife, in place of a spade.
Under this destructive fire the troops were forced to remain for some
time, but they at length retired, having lost several hundred of their
number. Neill's division was on the left of Smith's troops, and did not
advance as far. Our losses were therefore slight.
Owing to some unfortunate misunderstanding, the surgeons of the
Eighteenth corps were ordered to the right of the line to establish
field hospitals; consequently, when the wounded of that corps began to
come in, there were none of their surgeons at hand. The surgeons of our
own division, however, quickly proceeded to establish a hospital for
them, in which they were all received and cared for, their wounds
dressed, the shattered limbs removed, and all their wants attended to.
The medical officers of the Eighteenth corps expressed their warmest
gratitude for this act of kindness on the part of the Sixth corps
surgeons, this being the second time that we had found an opportunity of
assisting them in an emergency.
Our lines were daily drawn more closely around Petersburgh, but no other
general action was brought on for some time. There was constant firing
of artillery from both sides, and now and then the rattle of musketry
would pass along the lines.
On the 22d, Colonel Bidwell's brigade occupied the front line of rifle
pits. The sun was shining brightly, and our men, unprotected by shelter,
were striving to pass the time with as little discomfort as possible. A
group of men of the Seventy-seventh were behind the breastwork,
stretched out upon the sand, resting upon their elbows and amusing each
other with jokes, when a shell came shrieking into their midst. Its
explosion threw them in every direction. One went high in the air and
fell twenty feet from the spot where he was lying when the shell
exploded. Strange to tell, not a man was killed, yet three had each a
leg crushed to jelly, and two others were seriously wounded. The three
whose legs were crushed were Sergeant James Barnes, James Lawrence, and
James Allen, all of company A. The poor fellows were taken to the field
hospital completely prostrated from the shock, cold sweat stood upon
their pallid brows, and life seemed but to flicker before going out. The
surgeons were making haste to load the wounded and sick into ambulances
to send to City Point, for we were ordered to march at a moment's
notice. "You can do nothing for those men," said the wide awake,
enterprising Doctor Hall, who was superintending the loading of the
ambulances, as he saw the surgeon who had charge of the operations
prepare to remove the mangled members. "Better put them into ambulances
and let them have a chance for their lives! There is no time now to wait
for operations." "How long will it take you to load your ambulances,
doctor?" "Twenty minutes, at least." "Then I will have the men ready for
you." The surgeon gave to each of the unfortunate ones a glass of
brandy, then administered his chloroform, and in less than thirty
minutes had amputated the limbs, dressed the stumps, and placed the men
in ambulances. They were taken at once to City Point, where they were
placed together. Their cases excited great interest among the attendants
in the hospital and the visitors, for each had lost a leg just above the
knee, the name of each was James, they were all from one company, all
wounded by a single shell, and all as cheerful as were ever wounded men.
They were afterward removed to Washington and again placed side by side,
and here, also, they were subjects of great interest to visitors. The
writer has frequently heard the case of the three Jameses related by
persons in different States, who never mistrusted that they were men of
his own regiment. The boys are each well now, each walks with his
artificial limb, and each is a worthy member of society.
General Grant, finding that his expectation of taking Petersburgh by
surprise had failed, prepared for a systematic investment of the town.
Accordingly, the Sixth and Second corps were directed to proceed to the
left of the present line, so as to envelop the town, and also with the
view of striking the Weldon railroad, and thus cutting off an important
source of supplies for the rebel army.
On the 21st of May, the two corps marching in the rear of the rest of
the army went into position on the left flank, the Second corps on the
west of the Jerusalem plank road, and the Sixth to the left and rear of
that corps, its line nearly at right angles with that of the Second
corps. The cavalry divisions of Wilson and Kautz were, at the same time,
ordered to proceed still farther to the left, and, cutting the Weldon
road, continue the march across the country, until they should strike
the Southside railroad, which they were directed to destroy.
On the morning of the 22d, General Birney, who, during the temporary
absence of General Hancock, was in command of the Second corps, was
directed to move his corps forward, so as to press upon the left flank
of the enemy. This he proceeded to do, without giving notice of his
intention to General Wright. The result of the movement was to leave a
wide gap between the Second and Sixth corps.
To the great surprise of the Third division of our corps, which was just
getting into position, the rebels advanced in strong force upon the
flank and rear. A sharp skirmish occurred, in which that division and a
part of the Second division lost some prisoners; but the principal loss
fell upon the Second corps, for that corps, having thrown its left far
in advance, was greatly exposed. The principal attack fell upon Barlow's
division, which occupied the left. That division was driven in confusion
upon the other divisions of the corps. The whole corps was forced back,
but after some spirited fighting the rebels were forced back, carrying
with them a battery belonging to the Second corps, and more than two
thousand prisoners. From our own corps they had captured about six
hundred men and a stand of colors.
The responsibility for this unfortunate surprise rests with the
commander of the Second corps; for General Wright, being entirely
ignorant of any design to advance that corps, had, of course, made no
disposition to keep the line intact. The men of the Third division did
all that men could do under the circumstances, and are entitled to much
credit for the repulse which they gave the enemy.
From that day, except that at times the roar of artillery shook the
earth for miles about, we remained quiet until the 29th of June. The
light sandy soil soon became reduced to powder, and the continual
passing of mules and army wagons raised huge clouds of dust, which
completely enveloped the army. At sunset this cloud would settle down
and become so dense that one could not see objects twenty yards from
him. The heat was almost intolerable, yet the health of the men was
better than usual for the summer months.
The surgeons had their hospitals neatly fitted up, and nurses and
attendants took great pride in adorning the hospital tents with the
boughs of the magnolia and other beautiful shrubs and flowers. The
government and the agents of the Sanitary Commission supplied us
liberally with lemons and vegetables, so, notwithstanding the intense
heat, and the constant watchfulness of the men behind the earthworks,
there was comparatively little illness.
In the afternoon of the 29th of June orders came for the Sixth corps to
march at once to Reams' Station, far to the left, where the cavalry of
Kautz and Wilson, which had been on an extensive raid, was expected to
arrive. At four o'clock we left camp, marched all the remainder of the
day and all night. We found ourselves in the morning at Reams' Station,
on the Weldon Railroad. The men at once commenced tearing up the track
and burning the ties. Thus they toiled all the morning, but no cavalry
made its appearance. Late in the day the corps retraced their steps, and
arrived that night within two and a half miles of the position we had
left the day before. We made our bivouac on the Jerusalem plank road,
and in the morning rejoined the main army before Petersburgh and resumed
our old position.
The story of the great raid of Kautz and Wilson, which we now learned in
detail, was one of thrilling interest, full of wild adventure, untold
hardship and great peril. The two divisions had penetrated far to the
rear of Lee's army, had destroyed miles of the Weldon railroad, and
then, reaching the Southside road, the great artery for the supply of
the rebel army, had torn up the track and burned the ties for dozens of
miles. In their return they had fallen in with the cavalry of the enemy,
and, when near Reams' Station, had come upon a strong force of cavalry
and infantry. An engagement ensued, which resulted in the Union cavalry
being driven, and hundreds from the immense throng of colored refugees,
which was following the cavalry towards the Union lines, were ridden
down by the rebel cavalry and killed. The cavalry at length succeeded in
reaching our lines by making a circuit farther south, and many of the
negroes also succeeded in escaping from rebeldom.