On the 18th of August, Warren's corps seized a portion of the Weldon Railroad near Petersburg, when we were withdrawn from our position in front of the city and moved to this point. On the 25th, this success was followed up by an attempt under Gen. Hancock to take possession of Ream's Station, farther south, on the same road. A. P. Hill's corps was selected to drive him from this position. On our arrival we were deployed in line, and ordered to go forward. The undergrowth and fallen trees over which we had to climb our way retarded our advance, and Gen. Cooke ordered the 27th and 48th regiments forward first. When they had gotten sufficiently advanced, he directed the other two regiments of our brigade, the 46th and 15th, to advance. When we reached the enemy's works, we found them heavily manned with infantry and artillery. Nothing daunted, however, we still advanced through shot and shell until we came to a hand-to-hand fight across the breastworks. The two other regiments now came up and in a few moments the enemy broke and fled in confusion, leaving their guns. The colors of the 27th, carried by Sergeant Richards, of the Orange Guards, were the first seen on their works. We pursued them, and turned their own guns upon them; but having no friction primers, we could not use them to advantage. We captured over two thousand prisoners and twelve pieces of artillery.
Our loss in this brilliant dash was very heavy, and North Carolina's troops alone, consisting of Cooke's, McRea's, and Lane's brigades, were engaged. The 27th regiment came out of the fight with less than seventy-five men!
The Grays lost in killed, private John Coltrain; in wounded, Sergeants William U. Steiner and A. C. Cheely, privates Hardy Ayers, James S. Scott, Emsley W. Stratford, and Wash. Williams.
Warren had now made good his hold upon the railroad, and these events did not materially affect the general result. The enemy's left gradually reached farther westward, until, in October, it was established on the left bank of Hatcher's Run, eight miles southwest of Petersburg.
CHAPTER XX.
On the 26th of August, we returned to our position in the trenches, where we remained until the latter part of September.
On the 16th, Robert T. Heath and James Hacket joined the Grays.
The casualties in the campaign so far had sadly reduced our ranks. At the battle of Ream's Station, Capt. Herring, senior officer of the regiment, was wounded, when Capt. J. A. Sloan, next in rank, took command of the regiment, and Sergeant Thomas J. Rhodes commanded the Grays. Our muster-roll on the 31st of August contained sixty names rank and file. One captain, one sergeant, two corporals, and sixteen privates were reported for duty. One officer and thirty-five men absent, wounded, and prisoners; four men on detached service.
On the 18th of September, private Geo. H. Woolen died while a prisoner of war at Point Lookout, Md. On the 13th, Samuel E. B. Gray was killed in the trenches before Petersburg, and on the 27th, private Wm. N. Kirkman. About the same time, Sergeant Daniel McConnell, while lying sick in the field hospital in rear of our lines, was seriously injured by a shell passing through the hospital and so near to him as to cause a paralysis of his limbs, from which he died.
On the night of the 28th of September, Butler, with the corps of Birney and Ord, crossed to the north side of the James, and moved up the river, with the view of attacking Fort Harrison, near Chapin's Farm. A portion of his force made a feint upon the Newmarket road, and while this engagement was in process, a column moved on the fort and captured it. This resulted in giving to the enemy a secret lodgment on the north side of the James, and a position very menacing to Richmond.