PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



723 



Anna until the night of the 21st, when it was com- 

 menced. But the enemjr again having the shorter 

 line, and being in possession of the main roads, was 

 enabled to reach the North Anna in advance of us, 

 and took position behind it. The Fifth Corps reached 

 the North Anna on the afternoon of the 23d, closely 

 followed by the Sixth Corps. The Second and Ninth 

 Corps got up about the same time, the Second hold- 

 ing the railroad bridge and the Ninth lying between 

 that and Jericho Ford. General Warren effected a 

 crossing the same afternoon, and got a position with- 

 out much opposition. Soon after getting into posi- 

 tion he was violently attacked, but repulsed the 

 enemy with great slaughter. On the 25th, General 

 Sheridan rejoined the Army of the Potomac from the 

 raid on which he started from Spottsylvania, having 

 destroyed the depots at Beaver Dam and Ashland 

 Stations, four trains of cars, large supplies of rations, 

 and many miles of railroad track ; recaptured about 

 four hundred of our men on their way to Richmond 

 as prisoners of war; met and defeated the enemy's 

 cavalry at Yellow Tavern ; carried the first line of 

 works around Richmond (but finding the second line 

 too strong to be carried by assault), Tecrossed to the 

 north bank of the Chickahominy at Meadow's Bridge, 

 under heavy fire, and moved by a detour to HaxalTs 

 landing, on the James River, where he communicated 

 with General Butler. This raid had the effect of 

 drawing off the whole of the eeemy's cavalry force, 

 and making it comparatively easy to guard our trains. 

 General Butler moved his main force up the James 

 River, in pursuance of instructions, on the 4th of 

 May, General Gillmore having joined with the Tenth 

 Corps. At the same time he sent a force of 1,800 

 cavalry, by way of "West Point, to form a junction 

 with him wherever he might get a foothold, and a 

 force of 3,000 cavalry,* under General Kautz, from 

 Suffolk, to operate against the road south of Peters- 

 burg and Richmond. On the 5th he occupied, with- 

 out opposition, both City Point and Bermuda Hun- 

 dred, his movement being a complete surprise. On 

 the 6th he was in position with his main army, and 

 commenced intrenching. On the Tth he made a 

 reconnoissance against the Petersburg and Rich- 

 mond Railroad, destroying a portion of it after some 

 fighting. On the 9th he telegraphed as follows : 



HEADQUARTERS NEAR BERMUDA LANDING, May 9, 1864. 



Our operations may be summed up in a few words. With 

 1,700 cavalry we have advanced up the Peninsula, forced the 

 Chickahominy, and have safely brought them to our present 

 position. These were colored cavalry, and are now holding 

 our advance pickets toward Richmond. 



General Kautz, with 8,000 cavalry from Suffolk, on the 

 same day with our movement up James River, forced the 

 Blackwater, burned the railroad bridge at Stony Creek, be- 

 low Petersburg, cutting in two Beauregard's force at that 

 point. 



We have landed here, intrenched ourselves, destroyed 

 many miles of railroad, and got a position which, with proper 

 supplies, we can hold out against the whole of Lee's army. 

 I have ordered up the supplies. 



Beaurejrard, with a large portion of his force, was left 

 South by the cutting of the railroads by Kautz. That por- 

 tion which reached Petersburg under Hill I have whipped 

 to-day, killing and wounding many and taking many prison- 

 ers, after a severe and well-contested fight. 



General Grant will not be troubled with any further reGn- 

 forcements to Lee from Beauregard's force. 



BENJAMIN F. BUTLER, Major-General. 

 Hon. E. M. STAUTON, Secretary of War. 



On the evening of the 13th and morning of the 14th 

 he carried a portion of the enemy's first line of de- 

 fence at Drury's Bluff, or Fort Darling, with small 

 loss. The time thus consumed from the 6th lost to us 

 the benefit of the surprise and capture of Richmond 

 and Petersburg, enabling, as it did, Beauregard to 

 collect his loose forces in North and South Carolina 

 and bring them to the defence of those places. On 

 the 16th the enemy attacked General Butler in his 

 position in front of Drunr's Bluff. He was forced 

 back, or drew back, into his intrenchments between 

 the forks of the James and Appomattox Rivers, the 



enemy intrenching strongly in his front, thus cover- 

 ing his railroads, the city, and all that was valuable 

 to him. His army, therefore, though ip a position 

 of great security, was as completely shut off from 

 further operations directly against Richmond as if it 

 had been in a bottle strongly corked. It required 

 but a comparatively small force of the enemy to hold 

 it there. 



On the 12th General Kautz with his cavalry was 

 started on a raid against the Danville Railroad, which 

 he struck at Coalfield, Powhatan, and Cbola Stations, 

 destroying them, the railroad track, two freight 

 trains, and one locomotive, together with large 

 quantities of commissary and other stores ; thence 

 crossing to the South Side road, struck it at Wil- 

 son's, Wellsville, and Black and White Stations, 

 destroying the road and station-houses ; thence he 

 proceeded to City Point, which he reached on the 

 18th. 



On the 19th of April, and prior to the movement 

 of General Butler, the enemy with a land force under 

 General Hoke and an iron-clad ram, attacked Plym- 

 outh, N. C., commanded by General H. W. Wessels, 

 and our gunboats there, and after severe fighting the 

 place was carried by assault and the entire garrison 

 and armament captured. The gunboat Smithfield 

 was sunk and the Miami disabled. 



The army sent to operate against Richmond hav- 

 ing hermetically sealed itself up at Bermuda Hun- 

 dred, the enemy was enabled to bring the most if not 

 all the reenforcements brought from the South bv 

 Beauregard against the Army of the Potomac. In 

 addition to this reenforcement, a very considerable 

 one, probably not less than 15,000 men, was obtained 

 by calling in the scattered troops under Breckin- 

 ridge from the western part of Virginia. 



The position at Bermuda Hundred was as easy to 

 defend as it was difficult to operate from against" the 

 enemy. I determined, therefore, to bring from it all 

 available forces, leaving enough only to secure what 

 had been gained; and accordingly, on the 22d, I 

 directed that they be "sent forward, under command 

 of Major-General W. F. Smith, to join the Army of 

 the Potomac. 



On the 24th of May the Ninth ArmyCorps, com- 

 manded by Major-General A. E. Burnside, was as- 

 signed to the Army of the Potomac, and from this 

 time forward constituted a portion of Major-General 

 Meade's command. 



Finding the enemy's position on the North Anna 

 stronger than either of his previous ones, I withdrew 

 on the night of the 26th to the north bank of the 

 North Anna, and moved via Hanovertown to turn 

 the enemy's position by his right. 



Generals Torbert and' Merritt's divisions of cavalry, 

 under Sheridan, and the Sixth Corps led the ad- 

 vance ; crossed the Pamunkey River at Hanovertown 

 after considerable fighting, and on the 28th the two 

 divisions o f cavalry had a severe but successful en- 

 gagement with the enemy at Haw's shop. On the 

 29th and 30th we advanced, with heavy skirmishing, 

 to the Hanover Court-House and Cold Harbor road, 

 and developed the enemy's position north of the 

 Chichahommy. Late on the evening of the last day 

 the enemy came out and attacked our left, but was 

 repulsed with very considerable loss. An attack was 

 immediately ordered by General Meade along his 

 whole line, which resulted in driving the enemy'from 

 a part of his intrenched skirmish line. 



On the 31st General Wilson's division of cavalry 

 destroyed the railroad bridges over the South Anna 

 River, after defeating the enemy's cavalry. General 

 Sheridan, on the same day, reached Cold Harbor, 

 and held it until relieved "by the Sixth Corps and 

 General Smith's command, which had just arrived, 

 Tt'ir White House, from General Butler's army. 



On the 1st day of June an attack was made at 5 

 p. M., by the Sixth Corps and the troops under Gen- 

 eral Smith, the other corps being held in readiness 

 to advance on the receipt of orders. This resuKed 



