106 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



ginia cavalry and 34th Ohio infantry established a 

 fine which the enemy had reason to respect and re- 

 member. Great credit is due to the brigade com- 

 manders, Brig.-Gen. Duffie and Col. Schoonmaker, 

 for the energy and skill they displayed. Y^hile the 

 conductt)f all was admirable and deserving the praise 

 of the Brigadier-General commanding, he desires, 

 without making invidious distinction, to express his 

 high appreciation of the steady and skilful evolutions 

 of the 2d Virginia cavalry, under Col. Powell, upon 

 the field of battle. It was a dress parade, which con- 

 tinued without disorder, under a heavy fire, during 

 four hours. 



The purposes of the enemy were foiled by the en- 

 gagement. The railroad was reached and destroyed, 

 JN'ew River crossed, and the baffled columns of the 

 enemy arrived in time to witness the destruction 

 which all the energies of their superior force, even 

 with artillery, failed to prevent. 



(Signed) W. W. AVERILL, 



Brigadier-General Commanding. 



WILL RUMSET, A. A. G 



Gen. Crook moved from Charleston, Va., at 

 the same time with Gen. Averill. His object 

 was to strike the Virginia and Tennessee Bail- 

 road at Dublin Station. His force consisted 

 .of the 23d, 34th, and 3Gth Ohio, forming the 

 first brigade ; the 12th, 91st Ohio, 9th and 14th 

 Virginia, forming the second brigade ; the 3d 

 and 4th Pennsylvania Reserves, llth and loth 

 Virginia, forming the 3d brigade. He pro- 

 ceeded without opposition nearly to Princeton, 

 where two companies of the enemy, one of 

 cavalry and one of infantry, were encountered 

 and driven off. Near the southwestern base 

 of Lloyd's Mountain, about four miles from 

 Dublin depot, a more considerable force of the 

 enemy was found. These were under the com- 

 mand of Gen. Jenkins. When he was killed, 

 Gen. McCausland took the command. 



After some skirmishing and manoeuvring for 

 a position, the enemy were attacked in front 

 and flank and driven through Dublin to New 

 River bridge. The Union loss was one hun- 

 dred and twenty-six killed and five hundred 

 and eighty-five wounded ; and that of the enemy 

 was severe, but unknown. On the next day 

 an attack was made on the enemy's position 

 near the bridge, and it was destroyed. The 

 expedition proceeded as far as Newberne, on 

 the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, ninety- 

 nine miles from Bristol, destroying the railroad 

 for some distance. The resistance of the enemy, 

 with the approach of a strong force under Gen. 

 Morgan, caused Gen. Crook to abandon the de- 

 sign of the expedition against Lynchburg and 

 withdraw to Meadow Bluff, in Greeubrier 

 County. 



The force in the Shenandoah valley, num- 

 bering about fifteen thousand men, was placed 

 under the command of Gen. Sigel. He advanced 

 to the vicinity of New Market, about fifty miles 

 from Winchester, on the west side of the Mas- 

 anuttan range of mountains, and nearly midway 

 between Mount Jackson and Harrisonburg. 

 His command was designed to cooperate with 

 Gen. Grant, as before mentioned, up the She- 

 nandoah valley, and occupy Gordonsville and 

 Lynchburg, and thus destroy the western com- 



munication of Gen. Lee s army, and aid te 

 isolate Richmond. 



On the 13th of May Gen. Sigel's advance 

 encountered the advance of Gen. Breckinridge 

 Some skirmishing ensued, which was renewed 

 on the next day, and also on Sunday. Gen. 

 Sigel, however, continued to advance, and 

 brought a part of his forces into position, one 

 division still being in the rear. About 3 p. M. 

 the enemy moved to attack. A hot contest 

 ensued, which resulted in the defeat of Gen. 

 Sigel, with a loss of a thousand stand of small 

 arms, six pieces of artillery, and seven hundred 

 men. The loss of the enemy was also large. 

 Gen. Sigel fell back in disorder, abandoning his 

 hospitals, and destroying a portion of his train, 

 and retreated to Cedar Creek, near Strasburg. 

 The enemy failed to pursue in force. These 

 results to Gens. Averill, Crook, and Sigel, 

 caused a suspension of that part of the plan of 

 Gen. Grant which consisted in destroying the 

 Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, and the occu- 

 pation of Lynchburg. 



The next important movement in coopera- 

 tion with Gen. Grant, was made on the south- 

 east side of Richmond, from Fortress Monroe 

 up the James River. The 18th corps, under 

 Maj.-Gen. M. F. Smith, and the 10th corps, 

 under Maj.-Gen. Q. A. Gilmore, composed the 

 military force of the movement, under the com- 

 mand of Maj.-Gen. B. F. Butler. These forces 

 were concentrated at Yorktown and Glouces- 

 ter as if designed for a movement up the York 

 River. At the same time a brigade under Col. 

 S. F. Alford, 3d New York, landed at West 

 Point, up the York River, and commenced 

 building the wharves, &c. On the*4th of May 

 orders to move were issued, and the troops 

 embarked on board the transports. After 

 dark on the 5th, the vessels began to move 

 down the York River, and up the James River, 

 preceded by three army gunboats under com- 

 mand of Brig.-Gen. Graham ; by the double- 

 enders Eutaw, Mackinaw, and Osceola; four 

 monitors, the Tecumseh, Canonicus, Saugus, 

 Onondaga, and the iron-clad Atlanta, and 

 by the smaller gunboats Commodore Morris, 

 Hunchback, Commodore Jones, Dawn, Dela- 

 ware, Putnam, and Sheshonee. 



As the fleet proceeded up the James River, 

 a regiment of negro troops, under Gen. Wild, 

 were landed at Wilson's Wharf, on the north 

 bank, below Charles City Court House. This 

 was done for the purpose of preventing the 

 interruption of water communication. At 

 Fort Powhatan Landing, a little above on the 

 south bank of the river, two regiments of the 

 same brigade were landed for the same object. 

 At City Point, the division of Gen. Hinks, with 

 some other troops, and a battery were landed. 

 At this place the flag of truce boat was lying 

 with four hundred and fifty prisoners brought 

 up on the previous day for exchange. The 

 remainder of the force proceeded up the river, 

 and landed on the south bank at Bermuda 

 Hundred, which is three or four mila above 



