Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 2.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

The battle of Reams' Station,

August 25th, in which 12 stands of colors, 9 pieces of artillery, 10 caissons, 2,150 prisoners, and 3,100 stands of small arms fell into the hands of the victors, who suffered a total loss of but 720 men.¹ This brilliant stroke was delivered by Heth, under the immediate eye of A. P. Hill, and was mainly due to the steadiness of the North Carolina troops, for these constituted nearly the whole of the assaulting column, and the first colors planted on the hostile works were borne by Sergeant Roscoe Richards, Twenty-seventh North Carolina, Cooke's brigade, Heth's division. General Lee, writing to Governor Vance under date of August 29th, says: “I have been frequently called upon to mention the services of North Carolina troops in this army, but their gallantry and conduct were never more deserving of admiration than in the engagement at Reams' Station on the 25th instant.” Heth, with a generosity as characteristic of the man as his taciturn pluck, declared that he did not believe that the works would have been “practicable” for any troops, had not Pegram first shaken the position by the terrific fire of his guns, and surely, so long as there is left a survivor of that memorable day, the superb conduct of the cavalry is not likely to be forgotten. Lee, who weighed his words if ever general did, bears emphatic testimony to their gallantry in [297] his official dispatch, and states that Hampton “contributed largely to the success of the day.” ²

In these four engagements, the enemy acknowledge a loss of above 7,000 men, and there is reason to believe that the occupation of the Weldon road during this month cost them between 8,000 and 9,000 men. The Confederate loss was not above one-fourth of that number.³

Then followed the severe combats of September 30th and October 1st--known as “the Battles of the Jones House,” in which the enemy again lost heavily in prisoners⁴--after which succeeded a period of quiet, broken by several minor “affairs” brought on by continuous extension of the Federal left. The Presidential election in the North was now near at hand,⁵ and before settling down into winter-quarters, General Grant determined to make one more vigorous effort to turn Lee's right, seize the Southside road, and compel the evacuation of Petersburg. For this purpose the Federal commander concentrated on his left the greater portion of three army corps,⁶ and on October 27th, was fought