726 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



The result of this expedition was that General Sher- 

 idan met the enemy's cavalry near Trevillian Station, 

 on the morning of the llth of June, whom he at- 

 tacked, and after an obstinate contest drove from the 

 field in complete rout. He left his dead and nearly 

 all his wounded in our hands, and about four hun- 

 dred prisoners and several hundred horses. On the 

 12th he destroyed the railroad from Trevillian Station 

 to Louisa Court-House. This occupied until 3 o' clock 

 p. M., when he advanced in the direction of Gordons- 

 ville. He found the enemy reenforced by infantry, 

 behind well-constructed rifle-pits, about five miles 

 from the latter place, and too strong to successfully 

 assault. On the extreme right, however, his reserve 

 brigade carried the enemy's works twice, and was 

 twice driven therefrom by infantry. Night closed 

 the contest. Not having sufficient ammunition to 

 continue the engagement, and his animals being with- 

 out forage (the country furnishing but inferior 

 grazing), and Waring nothing from General Hunter, 

 he withdrew his command to the north side of the 

 Xorth Anna, and commenced his return march, 

 reaching the White House at the time before stated. 

 After breaking up the depot at that place he moved 

 to the James River, which he reached safely after 

 heavy fighting. He commenced crossing on th'e 25th, 

 near "Fort Powhatan, without further molestation, 

 and rejoined the Army of the Potomac. 



On the 22d, General Wilson, with his own division 

 of cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, and General 

 Kautz's division of cavalry of the Army of the James, 

 moved against the enemy's railroads -south of Rich- 

 mond. Striking the Weldon Railroad at 'Ream's 

 Station, destroying the depot and several miles of 

 the road and the Southside road about fifteen miles 

 from Petersburg, to near Nottaway Station, where he 

 met and defeated a force of the enemy's cavalry, he 

 reached Burkesville Station on the afternoon of the 

 ,23d, and from there 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. He then 

 commenced his return march, and on the 28th met 

 the enemy's cavalry in force at the Weldon Railroad 

 crossing of Stony Creek, where he had a severe but 

 not decisive engagement. Thence he made a detour 

 from his left, with a view of reaching Ream's Station 

 (supposing it to be in our possession). At this place 

 he was met by the enemy's cavalry, supported by in- 

 fantry, and forced to retire, with the loss of his artil- 

 lery and trains. In this last encounter, General 

 Kautz, with a part of his command, became separated, 

 and made his way into our lines. General Wilson, 

 with the remainder of his force, succeeded in cross- 

 ing the Nottaway River and coming in safety on our 

 left and rear. The damage to the enemv in tfiis expe- 

 dition more than compensated for the losses we sus- 

 tained. It severed all connection by railroad with 

 Richmond for several weeks. 



With ;i view of cutting the enemy's railroad from 

 near Richmond to the Anna Rivers and making him 

 wary of the situation of his army in the Shenandoah, 

 and, in tb.e event of failure in this, to take advantage 

 of his necessary withdrawal of troops from Peters- 

 burg, to explode a mine that had been prepared in 

 front of the Ninth Corps and assault the enemy's 

 lines at that place, on tne night of the 2P>thof July 

 the Second Corps and two divisions of the Cavalry 

 corps and Kautz's cavalry were crossed to the north 

 bank of the James River and joined the force General 

 Butler had there. On the 27th the enemy was driven 

 from his intrenched position, with the loss of four 

 pieces of artillery. On the 28th our lines were ex- 

 tended from Deep Bottom to New Market road, but 

 in getting this position were attacked by the enemy 

 in heavy force. The fighting lasted for several hours, 

 resulting in considerable loss on both sides. The 

 first object of this move having failed, by reason of 

 the very large force thrown there by the enemy, I 

 determined to take advantage of the "diversion made 



by assaulting Petersburg before he could get hil 

 force back there. One division of the Second Corps 

 was withdrawn on the night of the 28th, and moved 

 during the night to the rear of the Eighteenth Corps, 

 to relieve that corps in the line, that it might be foot 

 loose in the assault to be made. The other two divi- 

 sions of the Second Corps and Sheridan's cavalry 

 were crossed over on the night of the 29th and moved 

 in front of Petersburg. On the morning of the 30th, 

 between four and five o'clock, the mine was sprung, 

 blowing up a battery and most of a regiment, and the 

 advance of the assaulting column, formed of the 

 Ninth Corps, immediately took possession of the crater 

 made by the explosion, and the line for some dis- 

 tance to the right and left of it, and a detached line 

 in front of it, but for some cause failed to advance 

 promptly to the ridge beyond. Had they done this, 

 I have every reason to believe that Petersburg would 

 have fallen. Other troops were immediately pushed 

 forward, but the time consumed in getting them up 

 enabled the enemy to rally from his surprise (which 

 had been complete), and get forces to this point for 

 its defence. The captured line thus held being un- 

 tenable, and of no advantage to us, the troops were 

 withdrawn, but not without heavy loss. Thus termi- 

 nated in disaster what promised to be the most suc- 

 cessful assault of the campaign. 



Immediately upon the enemy's ascertaining that 

 General Hunter was retreating from Lynchburg by 

 way of the Kanawha River, thus laying the Shenan- 

 doah Valley opjen for raids into Maryland and Penn- 

 sylvania, he returned northward and moved down 

 that valley. As soon as this movement of the enemy 

 was ascertained, General Hunter, who had reached 

 the Kanawha River, was directed to move his troops 

 without delay, by river and railroad, to Harper's 

 Ferry ; but owing to the difficulty of navigation by 

 reason of low water and breaks in the railroad, grea't 

 delay was experienced in getting there. It became 

 necessary, therefore, to find other troops to check 

 this movement of the enemy. For this purpose the 

 Sixth Corps was taken from the armies operating 

 against Richmond, to which was added the Nine- 

 teenth Corps, then fortunately beginning to arrive 

 in Hampton Roads from the Gulf Department, under 

 orders issued immediately after the ascertainment 

 of the result of the Red Bf ver expedition. The gar- 

 risons of Baltimore and Washington were at this 

 time made up of heavy artillery regiments, hundred- 

 days' men, and detachments- from the invalid corps. 

 One division under command of General Ricketts, 

 of the Sixth Corps, was sent to Baltimore, and the 

 remaining two divisions of the Sixth Corps, under 

 General Wright, were subsequently sent to Washing- 

 ton. On the 3d of July the enemy approached Mar- 

 tinsburg; General Sigel, who was in command of 

 our forces there, retreated across the Potomac at 

 Shephardstown ; and General Weber, commanding 

 at Harper's Ferry, crossed the river, and occupied 

 Maryland Heights. On the 6th the enemy occupied 

 Hagerstown, moving in a strong column toward 

 Frederick City. General Wallace with Ricketts' divi- 

 sion and his own command, the latter mostlv new 

 and undisciplined troops, pushed out from Baltimore 

 with great promptness, and met the enemy in force 

 on the Monocacy, near the crossing of the railroad 

 bridge. His force was not sufficient to insure suc- 

 cess, but he fought the enemy nevertheless, and al- 

 though it resulted in a defeat to our arms, yet it 

 detained the enemy and thereby served to enable 

 General Wright to reach Washington with two divi- 

 sions of the Sixth Corps, and the advance of the 

 Nineteenth Corps, before him. From Monocacy the 

 enemy moved on Washington, his cavalry advance 

 reaching Rockville on the evening of the 10th. On 

 the 12th a reconnoissance was thrown out in front 

 of Fort Stevens, to ascertain the enemy's posi- 

 tion and force. A severe skirmish ensued, in which 

 we lost about 280 in killed and wounded. The 

 enemy's loss was probably greater. He commenced 



