Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 3.

[337] which advanced to within a mile and a half of the City, and held a position from which shells could be thrown into the town. This menacing projection of Burnside's line was furiously attacked that night, and the National troops were driven back with great loss. At other points they were repulsed. Their loss much exceeded that of the Confederates.

the danger threatening the Petersburg lines having drawn a large portion of the troops from Butler's front, that officer sent out General Terry on the same day,

June 16, 1864.

to force Beauregard's lines, and destroy and hold, if possible, the railway in that vicinity. Terry easily passed through those lines, and reached the road without much opposition, and was proceeding to destroy the track, when he was attacked by Pickett's division of Longstreet's Corps, then on its way from the Virginia capital to the beleaguered City.¹ Smith's Corps (Eighteenth) having been relieved by the Sixth, was sent by Grant to aid Butler, in the event of an exigency such as had now occurred; but it arrived too late to assist Terry, and the latter, after a sharp engagement, was driven back to the defenses of Bermuda hundred, when the Confederate works in front of them were at once heavily garrisoned.

on the morning of the 17th, the Second and Ninth Corps renewed the attack upon the works before Petersburg, when the Hill upon which Fort Steadman was afterward built, was carried and held by the former Corps. Another attack was made by the Ninth in the afternoon, when the battle that ensued continued until night, with great slaughter, in which Barlow's division suffered most severely. Crawford was sent to Burnside's support. He became entangled in the ravines, and could do but little. He penetrated the Confederate lines, however, and brought away a number of prisoners. Several times during the day, desperate but unsuccessful attempts were made to recapture what the Nationals had seized, and that night a heavy force drove back the Ninth Corps.

impressed with the belief that much of Lee's Army yet remained near Richmond, and hoping to capture Petersburg before that Army should all be upon his front, Grant ordered a General assault along the entire chain of works before him, on the morning of the 18th.² at dawn it was discovered that the Confederates had abandoned their broken and imperiled line at their front, and had taken a new and stronger position on an inner line, which had been constructed with the best engineering skill (and none was better) that Lee could command. This change compelled Grant to readjust his own lines for attack, which delayed an advance until afternoon. The attack which followed resulted in disaster to the Nationals, who were repulsed at every Point. Only Martindale's division gained any success. That carried the Confederate skirmish line on its front, and made a few prisoners.