June, 1864. |
June. |
 |
| Grant's Headquarters, City Point.3 |
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hundred.
He inflicted a loss of men upon the Confederates quite equal to his own. Among their killed was the active General Rosser.
Grant continued moving slowly to the left, and keeping up the appearance of an intention to cross the Chickahominy and march on Richmond, until the evening of the 12th,
when every thing was in readiness for the army to move to the James.
White House was abandoned as a base of supplies; the rails and ties of the York River railway leading from it to Richmond were taken up and sent in barges to City Point, and the command of General Smith was re-embarked at the head of the York, and sent back by water to Bermuda Hundred.
Then the Army of the Potomac moved.
Warren's corps, preceded by Wilson's cavalry,. forced the passage of the Chickahominy at Long Bridge with very little trouble, and made demonstrations in the direction of Richmond, to mask the real movements of the army.
Hancock followed Warren across the stream, and marched directly to Wilcox's Wharf, on the James, below Harrison's Landing, between Charles City Court-House and Westover,1 where he was ferried across.
Wright and Burnside crossed the Chickahominy at Jones's. bridge, lower down; while the trains, for greater safety, took a route still further east, and crossed at Coles's Ferry.
Lee discovered the withdrawal of his antagonist from his front on the morning of the 13th; but finding Warren across the Chickahominy, and on the road leading through White Oak Swamp to Richmond, he concluded that Grant was about to march by that route upon the Confederate capital.
With this impression, he retired to the fortifications of that city, while Grant's army was making a rapid journey in another direction.
Warren quickly followed the Nationals, and on the night of the 14th,
a pontoon bridge, more than two thousand feet in length, was thrown across the James River, at Douthard's,2 a little below Wilcox's, over which the entire remainder of the army had passed before noon of the 16th, with very little molestation by the enemy, and was moving sin the direction of Petersburg.
Grand meanwhile, had gone up to City Point, and there, upon the beautiful
elevated grounds of Dr. Eppes, near the junction of the Appomatox and the James, he established his Headquarters.
1 See page 455, volume II.
2 This bridge was laid in the space of about fifteen hours, under the immediate supervision of General Benham. Its site was selected and the general directions for its construction were given by General Weitzel, chief engineer of Butler's Department of Virginia and North Carolina.
3 this was the appearance of Grant's Headquarters when the writer visited City Point, at the close of 1864. the building seen in the center was the General's quarters. It was very neatly built of small hewn logs, excepting the front, which was of planed pine timber, the bark left on the edges, and the whole well “chinked” with cement. It had two wings, making the whole quite spacious. A building at the left of it, was occupied by General Rawlins, Grants' chief of staff; and one on the right was the quarters of General Barnard, the engineer-in-chief. Grant's house was presented by the Lieutenant-General, at the close of the war, to George H. Stuart, President of the U. S. Christian Commission, who caused it to be taken to Philadelphia. By permission of the City authorities he re-erected it in Fairmount Par, where it yet (1868) remains.
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