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Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Commencement of the Grand campaign-general Butler's position-sheridan's first raid (search)
Potomac at Spottsylvania, but did not know where either this or Lee's army now was. Great caution therefore had to be exercised in getting back. On the 17th, after resting his command for three days, he started on his return. He moved by the way of White House. The bridge over the Pamunkey had been burned by the enemy, but a new one was speedily improvised and the cavalry crossed over it. On the 22d he was at Aylett's on the Matapony, where he learned the position of the two armies. On the 24th he joined us on the march from North Anna to Cold Harbor, in the vicinity of Chesterfield. Sheridan in this memorable raid passed entirely around Lee's army: encountered his cavalry in four engagements, and defeated them in all; recaptured four hundred Union prisoners and killed and captured many of the enemy; destroyed and used many supplies and munitions of war; destroyed miles of railroad and telegraph, and freed us from annoyance by the cavalry of the enemy for more than two weeks.
General James Longstreet, From Manassas to Appomattox, Chapter 39: again in front of Richmond. (search)
eerfully accept service in the Trans-Mississippi Department. The doctors give me little reason to hope to recover the use of my arm even within a year; hence my desire to be assigned for duty, or to have an extended leave of absence. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. Longstreet, Lieutenant-General. An order came assigning me to command on the north side of James River and Drury's Bluff, and Pickett's division on the south side, along Bermuda Hundred front as far as Swift Creek. On the north side were the local defence troops under Lieutenant-General Ewell, and Hoke's and Field's divisions and Gary's brigade of one thousand cavalry. There had been severe fighting on that side a few days previous, in an attack of the Federals upon Fort Harrison of our line, which resulted in the capture of the fort; then a more desperate fight of the Confederates to recover it, which was not successful. The loss of Fort Harrison broke our line off a little near the river, a
ts, on the Mattapony River, the same right. Here I learned from citizens, and from prisoners taken during the day by scouting parties sent toward Hanover Court House, that Lee had been forced from his position near Spottsylvania Court House and compelled to retire to the line of the North Anna. I then determined to rejoin the Army of the Potomac at the earliest moment, which I did by making for Chesterfield Station, where I reported to General Meade on the 24th of May. Our return to Chesterfield ended the first independent expedition the Cavalry Corps had undertaken since coming under my command, and our success was commended highly by Generals Grant and Meade, both realizing that our operations in the rear of Lee had disconcerted and alarmed that general so much as to aid materially in forcing his retrograde march, and both acknowledged that, by drawing off the en- Map: first expedition: the Richmond raid. emy's cavalry during the past fortnight, we had enabled them to move t
Robert Stiles, Four years under Marse Robert, Chapter 21: Cold Harbor of 1864. (search)
r-captain sprang to his side, and placing his hand on the poor lad's shoulder, said confidently: No, my child; you are not alone, for the Bible says: When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up; and Allen was both father and mother to you; besides, I am going to take you up, too; you shall sleep under my blanket to-night. There was not a dry eye in the group; and when, months afterwards, the whole battalion gathered on a quiet sabbath evening, on the banks of Swift Creek, to witness a baptism, and Calloway, at the water's edge, tenderly handed this child to the officiating minister, and receiving him again when the ceremony was over, threw a blanket about the little shivering form, carried him into a thicket, changed his clothing, and then reappeared, carrying the bundle of wet clothes, and he and the child walked away, hand in hand, to camp-then there were more tears, manly, ennobling tears, and the sergeant laid his hand on my shoulder and said, Faith,
Robert Stiles, Four years under Marse Robert, Chapter 23: the retreat from Chaffin's Bluff to Sailor's Creek (search)
on arcs of fire and burst as if bombarding heaven. I distinctly remember feeling that after this I could never more be startled-no, not by the catastrophes of the last great day. I walked in rear of the battalion to prevent straggling, and as the successive flashes illumined the darkness the blanched faces and staring eyes turned backward upon me spoke volumes of nervous demoralization. I felt that a hare might shatter the column. We halted at daylight at a country cross-road in Chesterfield to allow other bodies of troops to pass, the bulk of my men lying down and falling asleep in a grove; but seeing others about a well in the yard of a farm house over the way, I deemed it best to go there to see that nothing was unnecessarily disturbed. I sat in the porch, where were also sitting an old couple, evidently the joint head of the establishment, and a young woman dressed in black, apparently their daughter, and, as I soon learned, a soldier's widow. My coat was badly torn
Robert Stiles, Four years under Marse Robert, Index. (search)
athaniel, 149 Semmes, Paul Jones, 174 Seven Days Campaign, 89, 91-118, 191 Seven Pines, 18, 88-91, 109 Seward, William Henry, 26, 288 Sharpsburg Campaign, 66, 118, 124- 27, 198 Sharpshooting, 76-77, 290, 295-301. Sheldon, Winthrop Dudley, 175 Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, Stonewall Brigade, 324-27. Stuart, Alexander Hugh Holmes, 31-32. Stuart, James Ewell Brown, 106-108, 190,208,216,248 Suffolk Campaign, 339-40. Swearing, 155, 185, 187, 189, 204 Swift Creek, Va., 298 Swinton, William, 211, 214, 287-88, 303 Symington, W. Stuart, 272 Talcott, Thomas Mann Randolph, 187-88. Talmage, Thomas DeWitt, 367 Taylor, Walter Herron, 92, 102-103, 105-107, 125-27, 132, 164-66, 208, 214-15, 226, 228, 231, 237, 239, 262-63, 267, 287, 304, 341, 350 Taylor, Zachary, 32 Tennyson, Alfred, 62, 132 Texas Brigade, 76-77, 124, 134,136, 192, 254-55, 257-58, 291 Texas Infantry: 1st Regiment, 254-55. Thompson, Charles A., 197 Three months in the sout
Varina Davis, Jefferson Davis: Ex-President of the Confederate States of America, A Memoir by his Wife, Volume 2, Chapter 53: battle of Drury's Bluff, May 16, 1864. (search)
arter. General Whiting, with some force, was holding a defensive position at Petersburg. General Beauregard proposed that the main part of it should advance and unite with him in an attack upon Butler, wherever he should be found between Drury's and Petersburg. To this I offered distinct objection, because of the hazard, during a battle, of attempting to make a junction of troops moving from opposite sides of the enemy, and proposed that Whiting's command should move at night by the Chesterfield road, where they would not probably be observed by Butler's advance. This march I supposed they could make so as to arrive at Drury's soon after daylight. The next day being Sunday, they could rest, and all the troops being assigned to their positions, they could move to make a concerted attack at daylight on Monday. On Monday morning, I rode down to Drury's, where I found that the enemy had seized our line of intrenchments, it being unoccupied, and that a severe action had occurre
Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Volume 4., chapter 4.14 (search)
caution therefore had to be exercised in getting back. On the 17th, after resting his command for three days, he started on his return. He moved by the way of White House. The bridge over the Pamunkey had been burned by the enemy, but a new one was speedily improvised, and the cavalry crossed over it. On the 22d he was at Aylett's on the Mattapony, where he learned the position of the two armies. On the 24th he joined us on the march from North Anna to Cold Harbor, in the vicinity of Chesterfield. Sheridan in this memorable raid passed entirely around Lee's army; encountered his cavalry in four engagements and defeated them in all; recaptured four hundred Union prisoners and killed and captured many of the enemy; destroyed and used many supplies and munitions of war; destroyed miles of railroad and telegraph, and freed us from annoyance by the cavalry for more than two weeks. I fixed the day for Sherman to start when the season should be far enough advanced, it was hoped,
Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Volume 4., chapter 4.27 (search)
pits about Drewry's Bluff, I saw how important it was to attack Butler the very next morning; and, in pursuance of my original plan, after informing the President of the fact, on the 15th, at 10:45 A. M., I sent a telegram to General Whiting directing him. to march to Port Walthall and join in the attack. The text of the orders is as follows: I shall attack enemy to-morrow at daylight by river road, to cut him off from his Bermuda base. You will take up your position to-night on Swift Creek, with Wise's, Martin's, Dearing's, and two regiments of Colquitt's brigade, with about twenty pieces under Colonel Jones. At day-break you will march to Port Walthall Junction; and when you hear an engagement in your front you will advance boldly and rapidly, by the shortest road, in direction of heaviest firing, to attack enemy in rear or flank. You will protect your advance and flanks with Dearing's cavalry, taking necessary precautions to distinguish friends from foes. Please commun
Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Volume 4., Butler's attack on Drewry's Bluff. (search)
twenty-one miles. From the center of the lines to the turnpike was about two miles, and from there to Petersburg about seven miles, with two unfordable streams, Swift Creek and the Appomattox, intervening. Richmond, the objective of the army, was covered by the works at Drewry's Bluff, a little over four miles from our lines, and d the ability to take advantage of it. On the 9th of May the two corps were ordered out in the direction of Petersburg. The enemy were easily driven back to Swift Creek, a distance of four and a half miles, and the railroad and turnpike bridges were reached. The stream was very narrow and with steep banks, and no crossing was ticism was of such a character as to check voluntary advice during the remainder of the campaign. [See p. 206.] The army remained that night in its position on Swift Creek. On the 10th rumors were current of a large force coming from Richmond, and under General Butler's orders the troops fell back to the shelter of the intrenchme
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