Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[640] thousand men. The colored troops (part of the Eighteenth Corps), about fifty-five hundred men, under command of Brig.-Gen. E. W. Hincks, embarked at Fortress Monroe. At sunrise of the 5th, General Kautz, with three thousand cavalry, moved from Suffolk to cut the Weldon Railroad at Hicksford, and thence to join us at City Point. Col. Robert West, with eighteen hundred colored cavalry, moved at the same time from Williamsburg to meet us at Turkey Bend, opposite City Point.

The armed transports, under the command of Brig.-Gen. Charles K. Graham, moved at night on the 4th up James River, destroyed the enemy's signal stations, and arrived at City Point at 11 A. M., of the 5th, finding no torpedoes. This service was most gallantly and skilfully performed.

At daylight of the 5th the whole transport fleet was assembled at Newport News, and ascended the river, led by the iron-clads and the vessels of the fleet, under Acting Rear-Admiral Lee. Wilson's Wharf was seized and occupied by two regiments of colored troops. Fort Powhatan, seven miles above, was also occupied by a regiment of the same troops, all under the immediate command of Brig.-Gen. E. A. Wilde, who had remained in the service although he lost an arm at the battle of Gettysburg.

General Hincks, with the remainder of his division, seized City Point and began fortifying it, while the white troops of the two corps pushed on to Bermuda Hundred, and by eight o'clock ten thousand men, with their artillery, were landed. The colored troops thus took the first possession of the James, and were intrusted with the duty of keeping open the water communications of the army, which duty was ever after fully done by them, although they were several times attacked by the enemy.

We arrived about five o'clock in the evening. As soon as my boat had come to anchor one of my confidential scouts came off to it. He had been at Richmond some weeks, and he brought me a letter from my correspondent there, Miss Van Lieu. He stated that quite all the troops had gone from Richmond to Lee's army, relying upon that city being garrisoned by troops which had shortly before been sent down to North Carolina from there, and were expected back. But they had not yet returned, and if I would send up at once before it was known that I was there, Richmond could be