General Butler thus describes the result of his first movement, in a dispatch to General Grant, from City Point:
“We have seized Wilson’s Wharf Landing. A brigade of Wild’s colored troops are there. At Fort Powhatan Landing two regiments of the same brigade have landed. At City Point, Hink’s division, with the remaining troops and battery, have landed. The remainder of both the Eighteenth and Tenth Army Corps are being landed at Bermuda Hundred, above the Appomattox.
“No opposition experienced thus far. The movement was apparently a complete surprise. Both army corps left Yorktown during last night. The monitors are all over the bar at Harrison’s Landing and above City Point. The operations of the fleet have been conducted to-day with energy and success. Generals Smith and Gillmore are pushing the landing of the men. General Graham with the army gunboats, led the advance during the night, capturing the signal stations of the rebels.”
Simultaneous with the departure of the transports, in order to embarrass the enemy, a party of nineteen hundred cavalry, led by Colonel West, started from Williamsburgh, to proceed up the Peninsula by land—supported by infantry—who drove the rebels before them, whenever encountered. At the same time, also, another expedition, consisting of the Eleventh Pennsylvania cavalry, Third New York cavalry, and First Delaware cavalry, and led by General Kautz, started up the James river. The design of this three-fold movement was to cut railroad communications between Richmond and Petersburg, and between Petersburg and Weldon, and thus to prevent reinforcements and supplies from coming to Lee’s army. In this they were partially successful. Within twenty hours after the transports sailed, the National forces were at City Point, with not a rebel behind them. Colonel West was completely successful in his Peninsula advance. On the 5th he dashed across the Chickahominy, and attacked the camp of the Fourth Virginia cavalry, in which thirty of the enemy were killed and wounded and thirty-five horses captured.
General Kautz’s party, proceeding up the south bank of the James, as if to cover the movement of the transports, wheeled off at Surrey Court-House, on the road for Sussex Court-House. Thence they proceeded to Hicksford, forty-five miles below Petersburg, where they cut the Petersburg road by destroying the bridge over the Meherrin river.
Colonel Spear, with a detachment of Kautz’s cavalry, pushed on to Jarrett’s Station, by the county road, where he destroyed the depot and a quantity of grain and supplies, after having put to flight a body of the enemy who opposed him.
Meantime General Kautz proceeded to Nottaway river, with the main body of his command, where he encountered fifteen hundred of the enemy entrenched in a square redoubt. After a spirited contest the rebels were hemmed up in the fort by a portion of the Federal force, while the remainder proceeded to destroy the public stores and burn the bridge. After advancing to Sussex Court House, they encamped until Monday following, the 8th, when they went on to Littleton, and taking the Petersburg plank-road, they marched within seven miles of that place. Reaching the Norfolk and Petersburg railroad, they burnt several bridges and destroyed the telegraph and railroad, advancing thirteen miles on that road. The next morning they returned to City Point. About three hundred prisoners were captured on this expedition.
On the 7th of May five brigades, under General Brooks, advanced toward the Petersburg and Richmond railroad, where they encountered a large force of the enemy, and engaged them at intervals for six hours. The railroad bridge across one of the tributaries of the Appomattox, seven miles from Petersburg, was destroyed, when the troops were withdrawn to their former position.
On the 9th there was a general advance of General Butler’s troops in the same direction. The enemy were discovered near Bakeman’s Creek, where severe skirmishing ensued, the brunt of which was borne by General Heckman’s brigade. A furious charge of the rebels was met and bravely repelled by the 27th Massachusetts. The rebel rifle-pits were finally carried by a simultaneous charge of the brigade; but the Federal[ were checked by a strong earthwork near Swift creek, that commanded the forks of the road. General Terry with the right of the Union forces, destroyed the railroad track about Chester Court House Junction, when the troops were withdrawn. The Federal loss was about four hundred and fifty in killed and wounded, principally in Heckman’s brigade. Many rebel prisoners were taken, chiefly from South Carolina regiments. They were a portion of Beauregard’s troops, who had just arrived in Virginia.