An attempt was made on the 22d of June, to cut the Weldon railroad below Petersburg, in order to cut off the rebel supplies through that important line of communication. The expedition was simultaneous in departure with a cavalry force under General Wilson, whose design was to also cut the railroad at a point several miles below.
The Sixth corps, in conjunction with the Second, were dispatched early in the morning, but had not advanced far before they were discovered by the rebels, who boldly came out to meet them, in order to check the movement on the railroad. Great advantage occurred to the rebel forces from a more accurate knowledge of the topography of the country. Hill’s rebel corps first made their appearance on the flank of Barlow’s division, gradually worked round towards his rear, and he eventually succeeded in throwing a division of his troops between the Second and Sixth corps, thus creating confusion in the Union ranks. A desultory combat ensued for a short time, in which the Federals were driven some distance, and several hundred of Barlow’s men were captured. The left flank of Mott’s division now became involved in a similar misfortune, when he too was compelled to retire with the loss of three or four hundred prisoners. The rebel troops following up their advantage, soon became strongly reinforced, and assailed Gibbon’s division in front and rear. His brigades on the right boldly withstood the enemy; while those on the left, though slightly entrenched, were obliged to yield ground under pressure of the immense force which was brought against them. A four-gun battery now opened on the enemy, but being without infantry supports, it was soon captured, and the rebel troops pressed forward in dense masses, throwing the Federal lines into inextricable confusion. Several regiments were captured at this time, which had become so disorganized as to be able to oppose little if any resistance. At this point a change of front was effected by a small force, the centre of which was the Twentieth Massachusetts, and the enemy were soon checked by a determined resistance. A want of good discipline and generalship, exposed the Federals to a heavy loss and severe defeat on this occasion by an inferior force of the enemy. The ground was partly recovered on the succeeding day by an advance of the Sixth and Second corps; but it soon became apparent that the main object of the expedition was unattainable, as the enemy were strongly intrenched on the northern side of the Weldon railroad and an assault was not deemed advisable. The Union loss was five hundred in killed and wounded, and two thousand prisoners.
ENGAGEMENTS AT REAMS’S STATION, STONY CREEK, ETC.
June 22–29, 1864.
The cavalry expedition which left the Federal camps at the same time with the infantry force described in the previous section, was successful in its results. It was composed of General Wilson’s division of the Army of the Potomac, and General Kautz’s division of the Army of the James, both under the command of the former officer. The entire force comprised about seven thousand men, and was accompanied by three batteries of four guns each. This force was also designed to operate on the railroads south of Petersburg, and the results of their raid were such as to deprive the rebels of their accustomed supplies for several weeks by the ordinary roads, which occasioned them great inconvenience and actual want. They first struck the Weldon railroad at Reams’s Station, where they destroyed all the public buildings, and several miles of the road. They then struck boldly across the country by way of Dinwiddie Court House to Sutherland’s Station, destroying several miles of the Sutherland railroad, fifteen miles from Petersburg; also at Ford’s Station on the Lynchburg railroad, twenty-two miles from Petersburg, Kautz’s troops being in advance, where sixteen cars, two locomotives, and the depot were destroyed, and several miles of the track rendered useless.
On the morning of the 23rd, Kautz’s troops again pursued their march, and on reaching Nottoway Station a rebel force of two brigades made their appearance, and an engagement ensued, in which the enemy were defeated. General Kautz’s troops moved on to Burkesville in the afternoon, where the work of destruction was continued. General Wilson’s command proceeded from Nottoway Court House to Medler’s Station, and destroyed the Danville railroad to Roanoke bridge, a distance of twenty-five miles, where he found the enemy in force, and in a position from which he could not dislodge him. The entire force then moved in a southeasterly direction toward Williamsburg, which they reached on the morning of the 26th. General Wilson then commenced his return march, and on the 28th he met the enemy’s cavalry in force at the Weldon railroad crossing of Stony creek. The rebels made some show of resistance while the Federals were crossing the bridge, but were speedily driven back, and the crossing effected. The enemy were soon encountered in force and a fierce contest ensued. Under a severe fire a portion of the Federal cavalry dismounted and formed a slight breastwork, where they resisted several charges of the rebels. After five hours’ fighting, General Wilson relinquished the design of forcing a passage at that point, and sent General Kautz’s force up a left-hand road to Reams’s Station, supposing that place to be in the possession of Federal troops. General Kautz there encountered a body of Confederate cavalry, supported by infantry, and after a short engagement was compelled to retire, with the loss of his artillery and trains. In this encounter General Kautz and a part of his force became separated from the body of the Federal cavalry, but succeeded in making his way into the Union lines. General Wilson, with the remainder of the force, succeeding in crossing the Nottoway river, and coming in safely on the left and rear.
SHERMAN’S MARCH FROM ATLANTA TO SAVANNAH
November 16 to December 22, 1804.
“On the 12th of November,” says General Sherman’s report, “my army stood detached and cut off from all communication with the rear.” On the 16th, General Sherman himself left Atlanta, and the march may be said to have fairly commenced. It covered a period of five weeks, and terminated in the capture of Savannah. In many respects this was the most brilliant operation of the entire war. The sensation which the great march occasioned throughout the North and in Europe, is almost unexampled in history. One effective element was its mystery. In leaving Atlanta, Sherman cut himself off from all communication with the North, and utterly disappeared—no one knew whither, except such as enjoyed the confidence of the government. The rebel authorities and press were uncommonly reticent of all information of his movements. Rumors were hunted up from day to day, but it was not until the army emerged upon the Atlantic coast, that its history became known, and the importance and the brilliancy of Sherman’s campaign was adequately realized. The story of the great march has been many times told—very curtly and concisely by General Sherman himself, in his report; very profusely by war-correspondents who accompanied the army, and have since put forth their narratives of its adventures. It was not attended by any important battles, but was, of course, marked by a great variety of lively and picturesque incidents.
The army, consisting of sixty thousand infantry and five thousand five hundred cavalry, with one cannon to each thousand men, was divided into two wings, the right being entrusted to Major-General O. O. Howard, commanding the Fifteenth and Seventeenth corps, and the left to Major-General H. W. Slocum, commanding the Fourteenth and Twentieth corps. The right wing, under General Howard, preceded by Brigadier-General J. Kilpatrick’s cavalry division, was put in motion in the direction of Jonesboro’ and McDonough, with orders to make an imposing feint on Macon, “to cross the Ocmulgee about Planter’s Mills, and rendezvous in the neighborhood of Gordon in seven days, exclusive of the day of march.” The cavalry moved out in columns of fours, filing past the right wing, their splendid appearance eliciting shouts of applause from the infantry. The latter suspected rightly that to Kilpatrick was assigned the glorious task of releasing the Union prisoners confined at Millen, and they consequently wished him God-speed with all their hearts.
On the same day, General Slocum moved by Decatur and Stone Mountain. The progress of the corps was at first slow, but the spirits of the men were buoyant. They had been told all it was necessary for them to know, that the base was to be changed, that a long and difficult march was before them, and that a fatal blow was, by such means, to be dealt the rebel Confederacy. The ensuing night proved pleasant; the road was broad and good, and brilliantly illuminated by the conflagration of Atlanta.
The army was to move in four columns. The two constituting the left wing, under General Slocum, were to take the more northerly route, and the two forming the right, under Howard, were to pursue the more southerly one, but all were to keep within supporting distance of each other, with the cavalry operating on the flanks. The troops were provided with good wagon trains, loaded with ammunition and forty days’ edible supplies, and were instructed to maintain this order of things as long as possible by foraging liberally, and “living chiefly, if not solely, upon the country.” Orders were issued to prevent the infliction of any unnecessary loss and suffering upon the inhabitants, and “to leave each family a reasonable portion for its maintenance but of course such instructions were often disregarded and too frequently converted into a license for indiscriminate plunder, so that the Georgians were at last compelled to endure the full penalty of the fratricidal war they had assisted in provoking.