108 



AliMY OPEEATIONS. 



the mouth of the Appomattox River. Imme- 

 diately upon landing, the troops intrenched 

 themselves, with the gunboats covering their 

 flank on the water. On the same day, Gen. 

 Butler sent the following despatch relative to 

 his proceedings to Gen. Grant : 



OFF CITY POINT, ^ r A., May 5, 1SC4 

 Lieutenant-General Grant, Commanding Armies of 

 the United States, Washington, D. C'. : 



We have seized Wilson's \Vharf Landing. A bri- 

 gade of Wild's colored troops are there. At Fort 

 Powhatan Landing two regiments of the same bri- 

 gade have landed. At City Point Hinks' division, 

 with the remaining troops and battery, have landed. 

 The remainder of Doth the 18th and 10th army corps 

 are being landed at Bermuda Hundred, above the 

 Appomattox. 



No opposition experienced thus far. The move- 

 ment was apparently a complete surprise. Both army 

 corps left Yorktown during last night. The Monitors 

 are all over the bar at Harrison's Landing and above 

 City Point. The operations of the fleet have been 

 conducted to-day with energy and success. Gens. 

 Smith and Gilmore are pushing the landing of the 

 men. Gen. Graham, with the 'army gunboats, led 

 the advance during the night, capturing the signal 

 station of the rebels. 



Col. West, with eighteen hundred cavalry, made 

 several demonstrations from Williamsburg yesterday 

 morning. Gen. Kautz left Suffolk this morning, 

 with his cavalry, for the service indicated during the 

 conference with the Lieutenant-General. 



The New York, flag of truce boat, was found lying 

 at the wharf, with four hundred prisoners, whom she 

 had not time to deliver. She went up yesterday 

 morning. 



We are landing troops during the night a hazard- 

 ous service in the face of the enemy. 



BENJ. F. BUTLER, Maj.-Gen. Commanding. 



A. F. PUFFER, Captain and A. D. C. 



Gen. Kautz, ahove mentioned, left Suffolk 

 on the 5th, and forcing a passage over the 

 Black Water, advanced to Stony Creek, on the 

 Weldon and Petersburg Railroad, and burned 

 the bridge over that stream. A part of the 

 force of Gen. Beauregard moving from Charles- 

 ton to Richmond, had previously crossed over, 

 and contested the further progress of Gen. 

 Kautz, who then moved through Surry and 

 Prince George counties to City Point, Avhich 

 he reached on the 8th. 



On the 5th, also, Col. West, with two regi- 

 ments of cavalry the 1st and 2d colored made 

 a demonstration on Williamsburg, above York- 

 town, on the Peninsula. He advanced to the 

 Pamunkey River, stopping at the White House, 

 and returned to Williamsburg on the next night. 

 On the 7th he advanced over nearly the same 

 ground again, but met with more opposition, 

 than on his previous expedition. Subsequently 

 his force was embarked on transports, and land- 

 ed at Bermuda Hundred. 



On the 6th, Gen. Butler caused reconnois- 

 sances to be made of the position of the enemy. 

 On the 7th, an expedition consisting of five 

 brigades under Brig.-Gen. Brooks was sent 

 forward for the purpose of cutting the Peters- 

 burg and Richmond Railroad. When within 

 two miles of the railroad, the cavalry advance 

 came on the enemy in a strong position, from 

 which they opened fire upon the mounted rifles. 



The cavalry fell back to the infantry line 

 which deployed as skirmishers, and slowly ad- 

 vanced with a strong support in line of battle. 

 The enemy were now steadily driven, with 

 some loss to both sides, back to their main 

 line in front of the railroad. Here a sharp 

 contest took place, during which some of the 

 railroad was torn up, and a railroad bridge, 

 crossing one of the tributaries of the Appomat- 

 tox, was set on fire and totally consumed. The 

 increase of the force of the enemy finally 

 compelled Gen. Brooks to retire, leaving some 

 of his dead and wounded on the field, and with 

 an estimated loss of two hundred and fifty. 



At the same time when Gen. Brooks' main 

 column started, a brigade under Gen. Heck- 

 man, with Belger's Rhode Island battery, moved 

 out on another road, and meeting a force of 

 the enemy, drove them back on the railroad, 

 but were unable to penetrate for. 



The Petersburg and "Weldon Railroad was 

 supposed to be an important route by which 

 supplies were brought to Richmond. For the 

 purpose of disabling this line more effectually, 

 another advance was made on the 9th. 



Three divisions from the 10th corps, under 

 Gens. Terry, Ames, and Turner, and two from 

 the 18th, under Gens. Weitzel and "Wistar, 

 moved from camp at daylight, and reached the 

 railroad at four points without opposition. Gen. 

 Terry's division occupied Chester station, about 

 fourteen miles from Richmond, and destroyed 

 the track. Gen. Turner moved on his left 

 toward Petersburg, until he came up with Gen. 

 Ames' division, each destroying the road. Four 

 miles was thus finished before noon, and the 

 column began to move toward Petersburg, 

 the division of Gen. Weitzel leading the ad- 

 vance. The enemy were met near Swift Creek. 

 A desultory skirmish began, which was con- 

 tinued until the line of battle was formed and 

 pushed forward. The fire on both sides then 

 increased, and artillery was brought into ac- 

 tion. Gen. Ames' division formed on the left, 

 then Gens. "VVeitzel's, Turner, and Terry in the 

 order named. The enemy were steadily driven 

 back, with considerable loss on both sides. At 

 night the enemy had fallen back to their bat- 

 teries across the creek, and the skirmishers con- 

 fronted each other on opposite sides. During 

 the night the enemy formed in a column, and 

 advanced about one o'clock, either to test the 

 strength of the pickets, and to determine if the 

 force had been withdrawn, or to capture a 

 battery. The pickets on their approach fell 

 back to the main line ; and as they came well 

 up, a destructive fire of musketry was opened 

 upon them. Three charges were thus made 

 in the dark, and repulsed, when the enemy 

 withdrew, leaving sixty dead on the field. In 

 the morning they made an attack upon the 

 right flank, for the purpose of turning it, but 

 without success. In the afternoon a simi- 

 lar attack was made on the left, which was 

 repulsed with some loss on both sides. At 

 night the forces had returned to their original 



