ARMY OPERATIONS. 



121 



guns, sixteen officers, and four hundred men, 

 with a loss of about five hundred men. A 

 pause now ensued, but skirmishing was kept 

 up by the picket lines, and there was a moder- 

 ate fire of artillery. In the afternoon Gen. 

 Patten's division was relieved by that of Gen. 

 Ledlie. An advance of this latter division was 

 ordered, under cover of artillery, upon the 

 enemy's breastworks, from which, after a des- 

 perate contest, they were driven, and the posi- 

 tion carried, with the capture of some prison- 

 ers. Gen. Burnside was now about a mile and 

 a half from the city and threw some shells into 

 it. Several attempts were made by the ene- 

 my to recover the intrenchments during the 

 day, but without success. About 9 o'clock at 

 night^ however, a desperate attempt to retake 

 them was made and succeeded. In this affair 

 about two hundred prisoners were made on 

 each side. The loss of the division was esti- 

 mated'at a thousand. The rest of the line dur- 

 ing the day was engaged in skirmishing, with- 

 out any attempt at decisive assault. On the 

 right the 18th corps had been withdrawn and 

 returned to the intrenchments at Bermuda Hun- 

 dred. The 5th corps, under Gen. "Warren, had 

 come and massed on the left in the rear of Gen. 

 Burnside's 9th corps. The 2d corps was com- 

 manded by Gen. Birney, as Gen. Hancock was 

 suffering from an old wound. 



The proper dispositions were now made for 

 a vigorous assault early on Saturday morning 

 the 18th. The line was formed by the divisions 

 of Gens. Martindale and Hinks, of the 18th 

 corps, on the right, extended by the 6th, 2d, 

 9th, and 5th, in the order named, to the left. 

 On sending out skirmishers preparatory to the 

 assault, at 4 A. M., it was found that the enemy 

 had withdrawn to an inner series of defences. 

 New arrangements, therefore, became neces- 

 sary. At noon a general advance of the 2d, 

 9th, and 5th corps was ordered. From the 

 2d corns an assaulting column of three brigades 

 was sent forward, while the rest of the corps 

 threw out double lines of skirmishers to divert 

 the attention of the enemy. The men moved 

 promptly up to the works to be assaulted, 

 which were situated near the Petersburg and 

 City Point Railroad. As they came out from 

 cover, they were received by such a desperate 

 enfilading fire from the left, that they retired 

 without reaching the breastworks, leaving their 

 dead and wounded on the field. In the after- 

 noon a second storming party was organized to 

 commence the attack from Gen. Mott's posi- 

 tion. His division, with detachments from the 

 other two of the corps, advanced in two 

 columns about 5 P. M., but were received with 

 such a destructive fire from concentrated bat- 

 teries and musketry, as to force them back with 

 terrible loss, in spite of the greatest bravery on 

 their part. 



The 9th corps, on the left of the 2d, was 

 prompt to act during the day. There was 

 brisk skirmishing, but no decisive advantage 

 was gained. The line was established during 



the afternoon across the Petersburg and Nor- 

 folk Railroad. 



On the left of the 9th, the 5th corps, at the 

 time of the attack of the 2d, made a determined 

 and vigorous advance against the south side of 

 the Norfolk Railroad, and was partially suc- 

 cessful. In the evening their efforts were again 

 renewed, but were foiled by the enemy. The 

 division of the 18th, on the extreme right, ex- 

 perienced the same results as the other troops. 

 The operations of the day had been unsuccess- 

 ful. The loss of the four days' operations was 

 estimated above ten thousand men. 



On Sunday, June 19th, there was skirmish- 

 ing and considerable artillery fire, but no de- 

 cisive movement. The loss was estimated at a 

 hundred men. The 6th corps, heretofore on 

 the north side of the Appomattox, now took a 

 position on the right, and the colored division 

 of Gen. Ferrero, of the 9th corps, arrived, and 

 was posted in front. At night the enemy 

 made an attack on the centre of the line, but 

 were driven back. During the afternoon an 

 attack with infantry and artillery was made 

 on Gen. Butler's lines at Bermuda Hundred 

 by a division of Gen. Longstreet's corps under 

 Gen. Pickett. At the same time, three iron- 

 clads from Richmond made their appearance 

 near Dutch Gap, but retired before the fleet 

 of Admiral Lee. During the same night, 

 squads of the enemy made their appearance 

 along the James River and destroyed the wharfs 

 at Wilcox's and Westover landings. 



Monday, the 20th, was unusually quiet near 

 Petersburg. Some demonstrations of the ene- 

 my's cavalry were near the "White House, but 

 without any serious result to the convalescents 

 there. 



On Tuesday, the 21st, a movement was made 

 to occupy and destroy the railroad from Peters- 

 burg to Weldon. On the previous evening the 

 2d corps moved from its entrenchments on the 

 right centre to the left, and its position was 

 occupied by the 9th and a part of the 18th. 

 In the morning, crossing the Petersburg and 

 Norfolk Railroad, it marched as rapidly as pos- 

 sible in a southerly direction. A division of 

 the 5th and one of the 6th corps moved out in 

 support. Before noon, the 2d corps halted, and 

 in the afternoon a division, under Gen. Barlow, 

 with sharpshooters skirmishing in advance, 

 was sent forward and found the enemy's lines 

 in the neighborhood of the Jerusalem road, 

 which bisects the region between the Norfolk 

 and the Weldon Railroad. The position was 

 known as Davis Farm, about three miles below 

 Petersburg, and a mile from the railroad. The 

 enemy proved to be in force, with artillery 

 planted in earthworks. They advanced to at- 

 tack, and a severe skirmish ensued, and the 

 advance line of Gen. Barlow was withdrawn, 

 and rejoined the column. The loss was about 

 a hundred men. A reconnoissance toward 

 Petersburg, at the same time, was attended 

 with no results. So threatening was the as- 

 pect of the enemy on the left, that a squadrop 



