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

Lee appreciated the great importance of recovering his line, and. on the following morning, with two of his best divisions, as we were informed, he made a very energetic attempt to carry our position. His troops were formed between us and the river so that his advance, was over a substantially open field. Fort Harrison and the intrenchments nearest it, captured by the gallant officers and men of the Eighteenth Corps the day before, were most bravely and inflexibly held by them. Our loss was very considerable, and especially in officers, who I suspect were too proud and courageous to shelter themselves, as they did their men, behind the reversed intrenchments. We lost there the very efficient General Burnham, in memory of whose gallantry Fort Harrison was afterwards named Fort Burnham. We lost many others of our higher field officers, so that before the battle was ended majors were in command of brigades, and captains of regiments. Every man was a hero on that day.

Gen. Hiram Burnham.

Three times our line was charged by the rebel North Carolina troops Gen. Hiram Burnham. with the most persevering energy.

But our troops held their intrenchments and in comparative shelter swept the field. The North Carolina division was substantially destroyed. Nineteen battle-flags and several hundred prisoners were captured. The day was a very rainy one, but the rebels kept up the attack until nearly night, when they withdrew. No attack was ever afterwards made on that line, but we occupied it from that time until our negro troops marched from it to take possession of Richmond.

Further up to our right about a mile from our line I bivouacked with my staff and some dozen orderlies in a grove of stunted pines. My headquarters guard had not come from Bermuda with me, and I