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Capt. Harlock -> RE: Civil War 150th (5/6/2014 2:59:00 AM)
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150 Years Ago Today:
Other parts of Grant's strategy began to roll. In northern Georgia, Sherman sent the Army of the Tennessee under James McPherson through Snake Creek Gap, ready to strike at the supply line of the Rebel Army of Tennessee. The Federals encountered no resistance; Joseph Johnston had not risked dividing his force in the presence of an enemy outnumbering him two to one. On the Virginia Peninsula, Benjamin Butler advanced the Army of the James up its namesake river, moving towards Richmond from the southeast. The Yankee advance probes were stopped by a Confederate brigade, but this would clearly be no match for the Union main body.
But all eyes were now on the Virginia wilderness. Grant and Lee both had the same idea: attack as early as practicable. In the northwest sector along the Orange Turnpike, things went badly for the Northerners:
Early on the morning of the 6th, the fighting was resumed, and a very heavy attack was made on the front occupied by Pegram's brigade (now under the command of Colonel Hoffman of the 31st Virginia Regiment); but it was handsomely repulsed, as were several subsequent attacks on the same point.
These attacks were so persistent, that two regiments of Johnson's division were moved to the rear of Pegram's brigade, for the purpose of supporting it; and when an offer was made to relieve it, under the apprehension that its ammunition might be exhausted, the men of that gallant brigade begged that they might be allowed to retain their position, stating that they were getting along very well indeed and wanted no help.
During the morning, the fact was communicated to General Ewell, by our cavalry scouts, that a column of the enemy's infantry was moving between our left and the river, with the apparent purpose of turning our left flank; and information was also received that Burnside's corps had crossed the river, and was in rear of the enemy's right. I received directions to watch this column, and take steps to prevent its getting to our rear; and Johnston's brigade, of Rodes' division, which had just arrived from Hanover Junction, was sent to me for that purpose. This brigade, with some artillery, was put in position, some distance to my left, so as to command some by-roads coming in from the river. In the meantime General Gordon had sent out a scouting party on foot, which discovered what was supposed to be the enemy's right flank resting in the woods, in front of my division; and, during my absence while posting Johnston's brigade, he reported the fact to General Ewell, and suggested the propriety of attacking this flank of the enemy with his brigade, which was not engaged ...
As soon as Gordon started, which was a very short time before sunset, I rode to my line and threw forward Pegram's brigade in a position to move when required. In the meantime Gordon had become engaged, and, while Pegram's brigade was being formed in line, I saw some of Gordon's men coming back in confusion, and Colonel Evans, of the 31st Georgia Regiment, endeavoring to rally them...
...Notwithstanding the confusion in part of his brigade, Gordon succeeded in throwing the enemy's right flank into great confusion, capturing two brigadier generals (Seymour and Shaler), and several hundred prisoners, all of the 6th corps, under Sedgwick. The advance of Pegram's brigade, and the demonstration of Johnston's brigade in the rear, where it encountered a part of the enemy's force and captured some prisoners, contributed materially to the result. It was fortunate, however, that darkness came to close this affair, as the enemy, if he had been able to discover the disorder on our side, might have brought up fresh troops and availed himself of our condition. As it was, doubtless, the lateness of the hour caused him to be surprised, and the approaching darkness increased the confusion in his ranks, as he could not see the strength of the attacking force...
--Jubal Early, Autobiographical Sketch and Narrative of the War Between the States
To the southeast, along the Orange Plank Road, the Northern attack under Hankock went so well at first that it seemed it might score a decisive breakthrough. But after an hour of Confederate retreating, a brigade of Texans arrived, the vanguard of James longstreet's Corps. Anxious to stabilize his lines, Lee himself showed up and started to accompany the Texans into battle. At this, however, the men halted and demanded that their commanding general retire to the rear. They knew well that if Lee were to be lost, it would mean the collapse of the Army of Northern Virginia.
They were wise: their charge halted the Union advance for a time, but 550 of the 800 men became casualties. The time they had bought, however, was enough for Longstreet to bring up the rest of his Corps, and deliver a punishing counter-attack -- at a cost to Longstreet himself:
As soon as the troops struck Hancock his line began to break, first slowly, then rapidly. Somehow, as they retreated, a fire was accidentally started in the dry leaves, and began to spread as the Confederates advanced. Mahone’s brigade approached the burning leaves and part of it broke off a little to get around, but the Twelfth Virginia was not obstructed by the blaze and moved directly on. At the Plank road Colonel Sorrel rode back to join us. All of the enemy’s battle on the right of the Plank road was broken up, and General Field was fighting severely with his three brigades on the left against Wadsworth and Stevenson, pushing them a little. The Twelfth Virginia Regiment got to the Plank road some little time before the other regiments of the brigade, and, viewing the contention on the farther side between Field’s and Wadsworth’s divisions, dashed across and struck the left of Wadsworth’s line. This relieved Field a little, and, under this concentrating push and fire, Wadsworth fell mortally wounded. In a little while followed the general break of the Union battle.
[...]
As the Twelfth Regiment marched back to find its place on the other side of the Plank road, it was mistaken, in the wood, for an advance of the enemy, and fire was opened on it from the other regiments of the brigade. The men threw themselves to the ground to let the fire pass. Just then our party of officers was up and rode under the fire. General Jenkins had not finished the expressions of joyful congratulations which I have quoted when he fell mortally wounded. Captain Doby and the orderly, Bowen, of Kershaw’s staff, were killed. General Kershaw turned to quiet the troops, when Jenkins’s brigade with levelled guns were in the act of returning the fire of the supposed enemy concealed in the wood, but as Kershaw’s clear voice called out “F-r-i-e-n-d-s!” the arms were recovered, without a shot in return, and the men threw themselves down upon their faces. At the moment that Jenkins fell I received a severe shock from a minie ball passing through my throat and right shoulder. The blow lifted me from the saddle, and my right arm dropped to my side, but I settled back to my seat, and started to ride on, when in a minute the flow of blood admonished me that my work for the day was done. As I turned to ride back, members of the staff, seeing me about to fall, dismounted and lifted me to the ground.
--James Longstreet, From Manassas to Appomattox: Memoirs of The Civil War in America
And now, to the horror of both sides, fires which had caused inconvenient smoke the day before became a lethal force:
The ground fought over had varied in width, but averaged three-quarters of a mile. The killed, and many of the severely wounded, of both armies, lay within this belt where it was impossible to reach them. The woods were set on fire by the bursting shells, and the conflagration raged. The wounded who had not strength to move themselves were either suffocated or burned to death. Finally the fire communicated with our breastworks, in places. Being constructed of wood, they burned with great fury. But the battle still raged, our men firing through the flames until it became too hot to remain longer.
--The Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant
Night again brought the fighting to a halt. The Confederates had inflicted considerably more casualties than they had received, but how many more is not clear. The most detailed breakdown lists Union losses as 2,246 killed, 12,037 wounded, 3,383 missing or captured, with Confederate losses as 1,495 killed, 7,928 wounded, and 1,702 missing or captured. The National Park Service estimates nearly a thousand more Union casualties.
Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com
[image]local://upfiles/4250/331410FC1AB1425B9C775FD9E1DD8C2B.jpg[/image]
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