tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32138472344428202362024-03-05T06:01:08.928-08:00Civil War BattlesCivil War BattlesPeace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comBlogger369125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-69098503617057211752011-09-04T06:56:00.000-07:002011-09-04T07:01:08.279-07:00Battle of Palmito Ranch<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Palmito Ranch</b>, also known as the <b>Battle of Palmito Hill</b> and the <b>Battle of Palmetto Ranch</b>, was fought on May 12–13, 1865, during the American Civil War. It was the last major clash of arms in the war. Many historians, as well as the <i>Official Record of the Civil War</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> consider the Battle of Palmito Ranch to be a post-Civil War encounter, with the Battle of Columbus in April being the recognized last battle of the Civil War.</p> <p>The battle was fought on the banks of the Rio Grande about twelve miles east of Brownsville, Texas. In the kaleidoscope of events following the surrender of Robert E. Lee's army on April 9, Palmito Ranch was nearly ignored.</p><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Battle of Palmito Ranch Background</span></h2> <p>Early in 1865, both sides in south Texas honored a gentlemen's agreement that there was no point to further hostilities.<sup id="cite_ref-Marvel.2C_p._69_1-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> After July 28, 1864, most of the 6,500 Union troops pulled out of the <span class="mw-redirect">Lower Rio Grande Valley</span>, including Brownsville, which they had occupied on November 2, 1863, for other campaigns. The Confederates sought to protect their remaining ports for cotton sales to Europe, as well as importation of supplies. Mexicans tended to side with the Confederates due to a lucrative smuggling trade.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace proposed a negotiated end of hostilities in Texas between his forces and those of Confederate Brig-Gen. James E. Slaughter, and met with Slaughter's subordinate Col. John Salmon Ford at <span class="mw-redirect">Port Isabel</span> in March 1865. Despite Slaughter's and Ford's concurrence that further combat would prove tragic, the negotiations were repudiated by their superior, Confederate Gen. John G. Walker, in a scathing exchange of letters with Wallace. Despite this, both sides appeared to honor a tacit agreement not to advance on the other without prior notice in writing.</p> <p>A brigade of 1,900 Union troops commanded by Col. Robert B. Jones of the 34th Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry garrisoned <span class="mw-redirect">Brazos Santiago</span> island at the mouth of the Rio Grande River. The 34th Indiana, 400 strong, was an experienced infantry regiment that had seen combat in the <span class="mw-redirect">Vicksburg campaign</span> and had been reorganized in December 1863 as a "Veteran" regiment, re-enlisting veteran troops of several regiments whose original enlistments had expired. It deployed to Brazos Santiago on December 22, 1864, replacing the 91st Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which returned to New Orleans. The brigade also included the 87th and 62nd United States Colored Infantry Regiments ("United States Colored Troops", or U.S.C.T.), with a combined strength of approximately 1,100. Shortly after Walker rejected the armistice proposal, Jones resigned his commission to return to Indiana, replaced in command of the 34th Indiana by its lieutenant colonel, Robert G. Morrison, and at Brazos Santiago by Colonel Theodore H. Barrett, commander of the 62nd U.S.C.T.</p> <p>Barrett, 30, had been an officer since 1862, but was without combat experience. Eager to advance in rank, he had volunteered to command one of the newly raised "colored" regiments in 1863 and was appointed colonel of the 1st Missouri Colored Infantry, which in March 1864 was federalized in Louisiana as the 62nd U.S.C.T. Barrett contracted malaria in the summer of 1864, and while he was on convalescent leave, the 62nd was posted to Brazos Santiago, where Barrett rejoined it in February 1865.</p> <p>Why the battle happened remains something of a mystery. Barrett's detractors among the brigade suggested soon after the battle that he had desired "a little battlefield glory before the war ended altogether."<sup id="cite_ref-Marvel.2C_p._69_1-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Others theorized that Barrett needed horses for the 300 dismounted cavalry in his brigade and for other purposes.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Historian Louis J. Schuler, in a 1960 pamphlet entitled <i>The last battle in the War Between the States, May 13, 1865: Confederate Force of 300 defeats 1,700 Federals near Brownsville, Texas</i>, asserts that Brig-Gen. Egbert B. Brown of the U.S. Volunteers ordered the expedition with the object of seizing for sale as contraband 2,000 bales of cotton stored in Brownsville.<sup id="cite_ref-bville_4-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> However, Brown was not appointed to command at Brazos Santiago until later in May.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <p>On May 11, Barrett instructed his <span class="mw-redirect">lieutenant colonel</span>, David Branson, to attack the Confederate encampments commanded by Ford at White and Palmito Ranches near Fort Brown, outside Brownsville. Branson's Union forces consisted of 250 men of the 62nd U.S.C.T. in eight companies and two companies of the (U.S.) 2nd Texas Cavalry Battalion,<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> 50 men without mounts. They crossed from Brazos Santiago to the mainland across the Boca Chica Pass during a storm on the evening of May 11 and made a night march upriver to attack the Confederate encampment. At first Branson's expedition was successful, capturing three prisoners and some supplies, although it failed to achieve the desired surprise.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><span></span></sup> During the afternoon, Confederate forces under Captain William N. Robinson counterattacked with less than 100 cavalry, driving Branson back to White's Ranch, where the fighting stopped for the night. Both sides sent for reinforcements: Ford arrived with the remainder of his cavalry force and six guns (for a total of 300 men), while Barrett came with 200 troops of the 34th Indiana in nine understrength companies.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><span></span></sup></p> <p>The next day, Barrett started advancing westward, passing a half mile to the west of Palmito Ranch, with skirmishers from the 34th Indiana deployed in front.<sup id="cite_ref-Kurtz.2C_p._33_10-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Ford attacked Barrett's force as it was skirmishing with an advance Confederate force along the Rio Grande about 4 p.m. Ford sent a couple of companies with artillery to attack the Union right flank, sending the remainder of his force into a frontal attack. After some confusion and fierce fighting, the Union forces retreated back towards Boca Chica. Barrett attempted to form a rearguard but Confederate artillery prevented him from rallying a significant force to do so.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><span></span></sup> During the retreat, which lasted until the 14th, 50 members of the 34th Indiana's rear guard company, 30 stragglers, and 20 of the dismounted cavalry were surrounded in a bend of the Rio Grande and captured.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Battle of Palmito Ranch Aftermath</span></h2> <p>In Barrett's official report of August 10, 1865, he reported 115 Union casualties: one killed, nine wounded, and 105 captured.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Confederate casualties were reported as five or six wounded, with none killed. Historian and Ford biographer Stephen B. Oates, however, concludes that Union deaths were much higher, numbering approximately 30, many of whom drowned in the Rio Grande or were attacked and killed by French border guards on the Mexican side. He likewise estimated Confederate casualties at approximately the same number.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><span></span></sup> However, using court-martial testimony and post returns from Brazos Santiago, Texas A&M International University historian Jerry D. Thompson determined that:</p> <ul><li>the 62nd U.S.C.T. incurred two killed and four wounded;</li><li>the 34th Indiana one killed, one wounded, and 79 captured; and</li><li>the 2nd Texas Cavalry Battalion one killed, seven wounded, and 22 captured,</li><li>totalling four killed, 12 wounded, and 101 captured.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></li></ul> <p>Like the war's first big battle at <span class="mw-redirect">First Bull Run</span>, which also yielded little gain for either side, the battle is recorded as a Confederate victory.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Two weeks later, Texan forces surrendered formally on May 26, 1865; Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered his forces in the Trans-Mississippi Department on June 2. Most senior Confederate commanders in Texas (including Smith, Walker, Slaughter, and Ford) and many troops and equipment fled across the border to Mexico, possibly to ally with Imperial Mexican forces.</p> <p>The Military Division of the Southwest (after June 27 the Division of the Gulf), commanded by Maj-Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Phillip H. Sheridan</span>, occupied Texas between June and August. Consisting of the IV Corps, XIII Corps, the <span class="mw-redirect">African-American</span> XXV Corps, and two 4,000-man cavalry divisions commanded by Brig-Gen. Wesley Merritt and Maj-Gen. George A. Custer, it aggregated a 50,000 man force on the Gulf Coast and along the Rio Grande River to pressure the French intervention in Mexico and garrison the Reconstruction Department of Texas.</p> <p>In July 1865, Barrett preferred charges of disobedience of orders, neglect of duty, abandoning his colors, and conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline against Morrison for actions in the battle, resulting in the latter's <span class="mw-redirect">court martial</span>. Confederate Col. Ford, who had returned from Mexico at the request of Union Gen. Frederick Steele to act as parole commissioner for disbanding Confederate forces, appeared as a defense witness and assisted in absolving Morrison for responsibility for the defeat.<sup id="cite_ref-bville_4-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>The following material is from first-hand and published sources. They are recounts of the role of Hispanic Confederate veterans and the treatment of black POWs in South Texas.</p> <p>There were Hispanic Confederate veterans at Fort Brown in Brownsville and on the field of Palmito Ranch. Col. Santos Benavides, who was the highest ranking Hispanic in either army, led between one hundred and one hundred and fifty Mexicans in the Brownsville Campaign in May 1865.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>"Some of the Sixty-Second Colored Regiment were also taken. They had been led to believe that if captured they would either be shot or returned to slavery. They were agreeably surprised when they were paroled and permitted to depart with the white prisoners. Several of the prisoners were from Austin and vicinity. They were assured they would be treated as prisoners of war. There was no disposition to visit upon them a mean spirit of revenge."-Colonel John Salmon Ford, May 1865.<sup id="cite_ref-RIP_Ford.27s_Texas_1987_19-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>When Colonel Ford surrendered his command following the campaign of Palmito Ranch he urged his men to honor their paroles. He insisted that, "The negro had a right to vote."<sup id="cite_ref-RIP_Ford.27s_Texas_1987_19-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup></p> <p>Private John J. Williams<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> of the 34th Indiana was the last fatality during the Battle at Palmito Ranch, making him likely the final combat death of the war.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Fighting in the battle involved Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and Native American troops. Reports of shots from the Mexican side, the sounding of a warning to the Confederates of the Union approach, the crossing of Imperial cavalry into Texas, and the participation by several among Ford's troops are unverified, despite many witnesses reporting shooting from the Mexican shore.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Palmito Ranch</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>May 12–14, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Cameron County, Texas</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Confederate victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="new">Theodore H. Barrett</span></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">John "Rip" Ford</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Units involved</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><b>Detachments from the:</b>
<br />2nd Texas Cavalry Battalion (US)
<br />62nd U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment
<br />34th Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><b>Detachments from:</b>
<br />2nd Texas Cavalry Regiment (CSA) "Mounted Rifles"
<br />Gidding's Regiment
<br />Anderson's Battalion
<br />Benavides' Regiment and other Confederate units and Southern sympathizers</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">4 killed
<br />12 wounded
<br />101 captured</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">5-6 wounded
<br />3 captured</td></tr></tbody></table><p>
<br /><sup id="cite_ref-Kurtz.2C_p._33_10-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Palmito_Ranch#cite_note-Kurtz.2C_p._33-10"><span></span></a></sup></p></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-67486721517567048492011-09-04T06:55:00.000-07:002011-09-04T06:56:38.345-07:00Battle of Anderson<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of Anderson</b> was a minor skirmish during the American Civil War, fought in Anderson County, South Carolina, on May 1, 1865.<sup id="cite_ref-Smith-Miles1_0-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The battle was one of the final conflicts of the war, taking place three weeks after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.
<br />
<br /><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Anderson</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>May 1, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Anderson, South Carolina</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Inconclusive</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/US_flag_36_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_36_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">2</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">0</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-48550467362658028562011-09-04T06:50:00.000-07:002011-09-04T06:55:21.569-07:00Battle of Columbus (1865)<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Columbus</b>, Georgia (April 16, 1865), also known as the <b>Battle of Girard, Alabama</b> (now Phenix City, Alabama) is widely regarded to be the last battle of the American Civil War.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><span></span></sup> The Georgia State government has officially declared this battle the "last battle of the war between the states."<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> The Battle of Palmito Ranch occurred after the Battle of Columbus, but the engagement at Palmito Ranch occurred after Johnston's surrender to Sherman (April 26, 1865) and after the Confederacy dissolved on May 5. In the <i>Official Records</i> of the Civil War, the Battle of Columbus is referred to as the "closing conflict of the war."
<br /><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Events_Leading_to_the_Battle">Events Leading to the Battle</span></h2> <p>After the Union victory in the Battle of Nashville (December 15–16, 1864), Union General <span class="mw-redirect">George H. Thomas</span> gave orders to General James H. Wilson to march into the heart of the Deep South to bring the <span class="mw-redirect">Confederacy</span> to its knees by destroying all of their supply centers such as Selma, Alabama, and Columbus, Georgia.</p> <p>Wilson left Gravelly Springs, Alabama, on March 22, 1865, aiming for Selma, Alabama, a major manufacturing and supply center for the <span class="mw-redirect">Confederacy</span>. The Battle of Selma took place on April 2, 1865, against the highly skilled leadership of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. This engagement occurred the same day that the Confederate capital of Richmond fell into the hands of General Ulysses S. Grant. Despite inflicting significant casualties on Wilson's raiders, Selma fell to Wilson by 7 p.m. on April 2.</p> <p>On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to U.S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, but Confederate General Johnston's army had not yet conceded defeat. Additionally, as a result of the disruption of the telegraph lines and all other modes of expeditious communication, General Wilson's raiders were not aware of the surrender of Lee. They continued their raid as if the Confederacy was still intact.</p> <p>On April 12, 1865, Wilson's men marched into Montgomery, Alabama, without major resistance from the Confederates.</p> <p>Wilson's next principal target was the manufacturing city of Columbus, Georgia. Columbus stood as the largest-surviving supply city in the South. It had been second only to Richmond, Virginia, as providing the industrial support for the war effort, and Richmond was no longer a factor. Columbus was also situated on the Chattahoochee River where a major Naval Construction facility was located. The new ironclad CSS Muscogee was constructed in Columbus and it was docked there waiting to be launched into service.</p> <p>Although it was unknown to Wilson and his men, the <span class="mw-redirect">President of the United States was shot</span> in Washington on Good Friday, April 14, and died the next morning.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Columbus_Alerted_to_the_Attack">Columbus Alerted to the Attack</span></h2> <p>Confederates in Columbus were preparing for the fact that Wilson's 13,000 men were heading their direction in the days leading up to the battle. Confederate Major General Howell Cobb was in charge of the forces located in Columbus, and he began to prepare to defend the city of Columbus "to the last ditch."<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Cobb commanded a force of about 3,500 men, a few of whom were battle-worn, but most of whom were Georgia and Alabama Reserve units and civilians. On April 16, 1865, the local newspapers warned the citizens of Columbus that they should evacuate the town as an attack was imminent.</p> <blockquote> <p>The public is hereby notified of the rapid approach of the enemy, but assured that the city of Columbus will be defended to the last. Judging from experience it is believed that the city will be shelled. Notice is, therefore, given to all non-combatants to move away immediately.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> </blockquote> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="General_Howell_Cobb.27s_Defense_Strategy">General Howell Cobb's Defense Strategy</span></h2> <p>Cobb decided to defend the city on the Alabama side of the Chattahoochee, in the town of Girard, Alabama. There the Confederates utilized trenches, breastworks and earthen forts that had partially existed since earlier in the war; now their completion became imperative.</p> <p>The main objective was to defend the two covered bridges that connected Girard to Columbus. Cobb had the advantage of knowing that Wilson would have to concentrate on these two narrow locations in order to capture Columbus. Cobb also wanted to keep the high ground in Girard out of Wilson's clutch, lest he have a convenient perch to siege Columbus with bombardment.</p> <p>In addition to preparing strong fortified positions on the high ground in Girard on the west side of the Chattahoochee River, Cobb ordered the base of the bridges to be wrapped in cotton and doused with turpentine in the event that the Confederates were unable to fend off Wilson's raiders from the bridges. This would allow the Confederates, as a last resort, to burn the bridges to prevent Wilson's troops from easy access to Columbus.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="The_Battle">The Battle</span></h2> <p>Between 1:30 and 2 p.m. on Easter, April 16, 1865, Wilson's raiders arrived at Girard, Alabama, and the fighting began. Wilson also sent a detachment north of Columbus to West Point, Georgia, to cross the Chattahoochee River there. West Point was defended by the garrison at <span class="external text">Fort Tyler</span>. The Battle of West Point and the Battle of Columbus took place on the same day.</p> <p>At about 2 p.m. Union General Emory Upton's division launched an attack on the lower (southern) bridge. Meeting very little resistance, it appeared as if Alexander's brigade would cross the bridge and take Columbus almost as easily as they took Montgomery, Alabama. But this was a trap. Confederates removed the planks on the East side of the bridge that would halt the Federals and allow the Confederates to burn the bridge filled with soldiers.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Recognizing the peril Upton was forced to retreat and for a short time it appeared as if the Confederates might enjoy some degree of success in defending Columbus.</p> <p>Wilson was compelled to turn his attention to the upper bridge. He planned an assault on the bridge at 8 p.m., after nightfall, and to have General Winslow's<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><span></span></sup> brigade lead the attack. A tremendous clash occurred near the entrance of the upper bridge. It was here that Confederate John Pemberton was slashed by a sabre which would lead him, after the war, to become preoccupied with formulas for pain killers and remedies, ultimately inspiring him to develop the recipe for Coca-Cola.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><span></span></sup></p> <p>Around 10 p.m. the Confederate defenses in Girard had collapsed and frantically attempted a retreat back across the Chattahoochee River into Georgia. At the same time, Winslow's brigade were also eager to get across the upper bridge before it too might be set afire by the Confederates. Side by side, both Union and Confederate soldiers raced across the bridge to Columbus. It was too dark, however, for either to see who was who. Though attempts were made at firing the bridge, circumstances prevented it. The upper bridge was not burned.</p> <p>At 11 p.m. Wilson made his way across the bridge and on the Columbus side of the bridge, Wilson took up headquarters in the house nearest to the bridge: the Mott House. There on "Mott's Green" Colonel C.A. Lamar, one of the last of the international slave-traders, led a cavalry charge. Lamar was killed after refusing to surrender to a dismounted Union Cavalryman. <sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Lamar was identified by General William Tecumseh Sherman, probably in error, as the last Confederate to die in the Civil War.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="The_Day_After">The Day After</span></h2> <p>On the morning of April 17, 1865, General Wilson ordered the destruction of all resources in Columbus that could extenuate the Confederate war effort. Most significantly, the Ironclad CSS Muscogee (also known as the CSS Jackson) was burned and sunk. A large number of Confederate prisoners were captured. The CSS Chattahoochee was scuttled to prevent it from falling into Union hands.</p> <p>The number of casualties in the battle is unknown, but there were a minimum of 145. Additionally, the local Linwood cemetery has a significant section dedicated to the graves of Confederate soldiers. By the end of the day on April 17, 1865, much of the city of Columbus had been reduced to ashes.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="The_Last_Battle_of_the_Civil_War">The Last Battle of the Civil War</span></h2> <p>Insofar as the bulk of Confederates surrendered on April 26, 1865, at Bennett Place, North Carolina, marking the effectual end of the war, the Battle at Columbus was the last battle of the civil war. The Battle of Palmito Ranch took place on May 13, long after the Confederate government was entirely vanquished, its president (Jefferson Davis) in prison, and its organized military extinct. The Battle of Palmito Ranch was a "post-war" encounter.</p> <p>That the Battle of Columbus, Georgia, was the last battle of the war was confirmed by two of the U.S. generals who led the battle. In 1913 General Wilson wrote that there is, "no grounds left for doubting that 'Columbus was the last battle of the war.'" General Edward F. Winslow wrote, "I have always considered that engagement, by the number present and the results achieved, to be the final battle of the war." Other officers echoed these assertions as well. A movement to preserve the battlefield as a national park ensued from the 1890s through the 1930s. An employee of the National Park Service, Arno Cammerer, rejected the proposal in 1934, but in spite of Cammerer's opinion, the Georgia State Government maintained that the last battle of the civil war took place there.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><span></span></sup> A renewed effort to commemorate the battlefield as a park has been revived.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Columbus</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>April 16, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Columbus, Georgia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Union victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">James H. Wilson</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Howell Cobb</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Two cavalry divisions
<br />(13,500 cavalry)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">3,000</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">60</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">80</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-23257484064545115262011-09-04T06:49:00.000-07:002011-09-04T06:50:18.719-07:00Battle of West Point<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of West Point</b> was fought on April 16, 1865 in West Point, Georgia, during General James H. Wilson's raid of the south during the American Civil War. This battle was fought at <span class="mw-redirect">Fort Tyler</span> seven days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, making it one of the last battles of the Civil War east of the Mississippi and Fort Tyler the last Confederate fort captured by the Union. The same day just 30 miles to the south, the <span class="mw-redirect">Battle of Columbus, Georgia</span> was fought by Upton's division of Wilson's Raiders.
<br />
<br /><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of West Point</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>April 16, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">West Point, Georgia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Union victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">James H. Wilson,
<br /><span class="new">Oscar H. LaGrange</span></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Robert C. Tyler†</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Two cavalry divisions
<br />(13,500 cavalry)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">120-265 men</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">36</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">47</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-5757237894339543632011-09-02T16:39:00.000-07:002011-09-02T16:47:10.802-07:00Battle of Appomattox Court House<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of Appomattox Court House</b>, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final engagement of Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and one of the last battles of the American Civil War. Lee, having abandoned the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, after the Siege of Petersburg, retreated west, hoping to join his army with the Confederate forces in North Carolina. Union forces pursued and cut off the Confederate retreat. Lee's final stand was at Appomattox Court House, where he launched an attack to break through the Union force to his front, assuming the Union force consisted entirely of cavalry. When he realized that the cavalry was backed up by two corps of Union infantry, he had no choice but to surrender. The signing of the surrender documents occurred in the parlor of the house owned by Wilmer McLean on the afternoon of April 9. On April 12, a formal ceremony marked the disbandment of the Army of Northern Virginia and the parole of its officers and men, effectively ending the war in Virginia.
<br /><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Battle of Appomattox Court House Background</span></h2> <p>The final campaign for Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America, began when the Federal Army of the Potomac crossed the <span class="mw-redirect">James River</span> in June 1864. The armies under the command of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant laid siege to Petersburg and Richmond, intending to cut the two cities' supply lines and force the Confederates to evacuate. Confederate <span class="mw-redirect">Gen.</span> Robert E. Lee waited for an opportunity to leave the Petersburg lines, aware that the position was untenable, but Union troops made the first move. On April 1, 1865, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's cavalry turned Lee's flank at the Battle of Five Forks. The next day Grant's army achieved a decisive breakthrough, effectively ending the Petersburg siege. With supply lines cut, Lee's men abandoned the trenches they had held for ten months and evacuated on the night of 2nd to the 3rd of April.<sup id="cite_ref-williams_1-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Lee's first objective was to reassemble and supply his men at Amelia Courthouse. His plan was to link up with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee and go on the offensive after establishing defenses on the Roanoke River. When the troops arrived at Amelia on April 4, however, they found no provisions. Lee sent wagons out to the surrounding country to forage, but as a result lost a day's worth of marching time.<sup id="cite_ref-williams_1-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The army then headed west to Appomattox Station, where a supply train awaited him. Lee's army was now composed of the cavalry corps and two small infantry corps.</p> <p>En route to the station, on April 6 at Sayler's Creek, nearly one fourth of the retreating Confederate army was cut off by Sheridan's cavalry and elements of the II and VI Corps. Two Confederate divisions fought the VI Corps along the creek. The Confederates attacked but were driven back, and soon after the Union cavalry cut through the right of the Confederate lines. Most of the 7,700 Confederates surrendered, including Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell and eight other generals.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The delay prevented Lee from reaching the station by late afternoon on April 8, allowing Sheridan to reach the station that evening, where he captured Lee's supplies and obstructed his path.<sup id="cite_ref-lee387_3-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Following the minor battles of Cumberland Church and High Bridge, on April 7 Grant sent a note to Lee suggesting that it was time to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia. In a return note, Lee refused the request, but asked Grant what terms he had in mind.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> On April 8, Union cavalry under <span class="mw-redirect">Brig. Gen.</span> and Brevet <span class="mw-redirect">Maj. Gen.</span> George Armstrong Custer captured and burned three supply trains waiting for Lee's army at the Battle of Appomattox Station. Now both the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James were converging on Appomattox.</p> <p>With his supplies at Appomattox destroyed, Lee now looked west, to the railway at Lynchburg, where more supplies awaited him. While the Union Army was closing in on Lee, all that lay between Lee and Lynchburg was Union cavalry. Lee hoped to break through the cavalry before infantry arrived. He sent a note to Grant saying that he did not wish to surrender his army just yet but was willing to discuss how Grant's terms would affect the Confederacy. Grant, with a throbbing headache, stated that "It looks as if Lee still means to fight."<sup id="cite_ref-korn137_5-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The Union infantry was close, but the only unit near enough to support Sheridan's cavalry was Maj. Gen. John Gibbon's XXIV Corps of the Army of the James. This corps traveled 30 miles (50 km) in 21 hours to reach the cavalry. Maj. Gen. Edward O. C. Ord, commander of the Army of the James, arrived with the XXIV Corps around 4:00 a.m. while the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac was close behind. Sheridan deployed three divisions of cavalry along a low ridge to the southwest of Appomattox Court House.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="April_9">April 9</span></h3> <p>At dawn on April 9, the Confederate Second Corps under Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John B. Gordon</span> attacked Sheridan's cavalry and quickly forced back the first line under Brevet Brig. Gen. Charles H. Smith. The next line, held by Brig. Gens. Ranald S. Mackenzie and George Crook, slowed the Confederate advance.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Gordon's troops charged through the Union lines and took the ridge, but as they reached the crest they saw the entire Union XXIV Corps in line of battle with the Union V Corps to their right. Lee's cavalry saw these Union forces and immediately withdrew and rode off towards Lynchburg.<sup id="cite_ref-korn139_7-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Ord's troops began advancing against Gordon's corps while the Union II Corps began moving against Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's corps to the northeast. Colonel Charles Venable of Lee's staff rode in at this time and asked for an assessment, and Gordon gave him a reply he knew Lee did not want to hear: "Tell General Lee I have fought my corps to a frazzle, and I fear I can do nothing unless I am heavily supported by Longstreet's corps." Upon hearing it Lee finally stated the inevitable: "Then there is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant and I would rather die a thousand deaths."<sup id="cite_ref-williams_1-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Many of Lee's officers, including Longstreet, agreed that surrendering the army was the only option left. The only notable officer opposed to surrender was Longstreet's chief of artillery, Brig. Gen. Edward Porter Alexander, who predicted that if Lee surrendered then "every other [Confederate] army will follow suit."</p> <p>At 8:00 a.m., Lee rode out to meet Grant, accompanied by three of his aides.</p> <p>Grant received Lee's first letter on the morning of April 9 as he was traveling to meet Sheridan. Grant recalled his migraine seemed to disappear when he read Lee's letter,<sup id="cite_ref-winik181_8-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> and he handed it to his assistant Rawlins to read aloud before composing his reply:</p> <blockquote class="templatequote"> <div>General, Your note of this date is but this moment, 11:50 A.M. rec'd., in consequence of my having passed from the Richmond and Lynchburg road. I am at this writing about four miles West of Walker's Church and will push forward to the front for the purpose of meeting you. Notice sent to me on this road where you wish the interview to take place.<sup id="cite_ref-winik182_9-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></div> </blockquote> <p>Grant's response was remarkable in that it let the defeated Lee choose the place of his surrender.<sup id="cite_ref-winik182_9-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Lee received the reply within an hour and dispatched an aide, Charles Marshall, to find a suitable location for the occasion. Marshall scrutinized Appomattox Court House, a small village of roughly twenty buildings that served as a waystation for travelers on the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road.<sup id="cite_ref-winik183_10-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Marshall rejected the first house he saw as too dilapidated, instead settling on the 1848 brick home of Wilmer McLean. McLean had lived near Manassas Junction during the First Battle of Bull Run, and had retired to Appomattox to escape the war.<sup id="cite_ref-winik184_11-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>With gunshots still being heard on Gordon's front and Union skirmishers still advancing on Longstreet's front, Lee received a message from Grant. After several hours of correspondence between Grant and Lee, a cease-fire was enacted and Grant received Lee's request to discuss surrender terms.</p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Surrender">Surrender</span></h3> <p>Dressed in an immaculate uniform, Lee waited for Grant to arrive. Grant, whose headache had ended when he received Lee's note, arrived in a mud-spattered uniform—a government-issue flannel shirt with trousers tucked into muddy boots, no sidearms, and with only his tarnished shoulder straps showing his rank.<sup id="cite_ref-smith403_12-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> It was the first time the two men had seen each other face-to-face in almost two decades.<sup id="cite_ref-winik-184_13-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Suddenly overcome with sadness, Grant found it hard to get to the point of the meeting and instead the two generals briefly discussed their only previous encounter, during the <span class="mw-redirect">Mexican-American War</span>. Lee brought the attention back to the issue at hand, and Grant offered the same terms he had before:</p> <blockquote class="templatequote"> <div>In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of N. Va. on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate. One copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officer appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside.<sup id="cite_ref-winik-186_14-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></div> </blockquote> <p>The terms were as generous as Lee could hope for; his men would not be imprisoned or prosecuted for treason.<sup id="cite_ref-winik-188_15-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> In addition to his terms, Grant also allowed the defeated men to take home their horses and mules to carry out the spring planting and provided Lee with a supply of food rations for his starving army; Lee said it would have a very happy effect among the men and do much toward reconciling the country.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The terms of the surrender were recorded in a document completed around 4 p.m., April 9. As Lee left the house and rode away, Grant's men began cheering in celebration, but Grant ordered an immediate stop. "I at once sent word, however, to have it stopped," he said. "The Confederates were now our countrymen, and we did not want to exult over their downfall."<sup id="cite_ref-winik-191_17-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Custer and other Union officers purchased from McLean the furnishings of the room Lee and Grant met in as souvenirs, emptying it of furniture. Grant soon visited the Confederate army, then he and Lee sat on the McLean home's porch and met with visitors such as Longstreet and George Pickett before the two men left for their capitals.</p> <p>On April 10, Lee gave his farewell address to his army. The same day a six-man commission gathered to discuss a formal ceremony of surrender, even though no Confederate officer wished to go through with such an event. Brig. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Joshua L. Chamberlain</span> was the Union officer selected to lead the ceremony, and later he reflected on what he witnessed on April 12, 1865, and wrote a moving tribute:</p> <blockquote class="toccolours" style="float:none; padding: 10px 15px 10px 15px; display:table;"> <p>The momentous meaning of this occasion impressed me deeply. I resolved to mark it by some token of recognition, which could be no other than a salute of arms. Well aware of the responsibility assumed, and of the criticisms that would follow, as the sequel proved, nothing of that kind could move me in the least. The act could be defended, if needful, by the suggestion that such a salute was not to the cause for which the flag of the Confederacy stood, but to its going down before the flag of the Union. My main reason, however, was one for which I sought no authority nor asked forgiveness. Before us in proud humiliation stood the embodiment of manhood: men whom neither toils and sufferings, nor the fact of death, nor disaster, nor hopelessness could bend from their resolve; standing before us now, thin, worn, and famished, but erect, and with eyes looking level into ours, waking memories that bound us together as no other bond;—was not such manhood to be welcomed back into a Union so tested and assured? Instructions had been given; and when the head of each division column comes opposite our group, our bugle sounds the signal and instantly our whole line from right to left, regiment by regiment in succession, gives the soldier's salutation, from the "order arms" to the old "carry"—the marching salute. Gordon at the head of the column, riding with heavy spirit and downcast face, catches the sound of shifting arms, looks up, and, taking the meaning, wheels superbly, making with himself and his horse one uplifted figure, with profound salutation as he drops the point of his sword to the boot toe; then facing to his own command, gives word for his successive brigades to pass us with the same position of the manual,—honor answering honor. On our part not a sound of trumpet more, nor roll of drum; not a cheer, nor word nor whisper of vain-glorying, nor motion of man standing again at the order, but an awed stillness rather, and breath-holding, as if it were the passing of the dead!</p> <p style="text-align: right;">— <cite>Joshua L. Chamberlain, <i>Passing of the Armies, pp. 260-61</i></cite></p> </blockquote> <p>That day, 27,805 Confederate soldiers passed by and stacked their arms.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;"></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span></h2><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Battle of Appomattox Court House</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Aftermath</span></h2> <p>While General George Meade reportedly shouted that "it's all over" upon hearing the surrender was signed, Grant was aware that only a single army had given up. Roughly 175,000 Confederates remained in the field. Many of these were scattered throughout the South in garrisons while the rest were concentrated in three major Confederate commands.<sup id="cite_ref-winik-191_17-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-korn155_19-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Just as Porter Alexander had predicted, it was only a matter of time before the other Confederate armies began to surrender. As news spread of Lee's surrender, other Confederate commanders realized that the strength of the Confederacy was fading, and decided to lay down their own arms. Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina, the most threatening of the remaining Confederate armies, surrendered to Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">William T. Sherman</span> on April 26. General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department in May and Brig. Gen. Stand Watie surrendered the last sizable organized Confederate force on June 23, 1865.</p> <p>There were several more small battles after the surrender, with the Battle of Palmito Ranch commonly regarded as the final military action of the Confederacy.</p> <p>Lee never forgot Grant's magnanimity during the surrender, and for the rest of his life would not tolerate an unkind word about Grant in his presence. Likewise, General Gordon cherished Chamberlain's simple act of saluting his surrendered army, calling Chamberlain "one of the knightliest soldiers of the Federal army."</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Appomattox Court House</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td><span class="mw-formatted-date" title="1865-04-09">April 9, 1865</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Appomattox Court House, Virginia</span>
<br /><span class="plainlinks nourlexpansion"><span style="white-space: nowrap;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="coordinates"><span class="plainlinks nourlexpansion"><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span class="external text" style="white-space: nowrap;"><span class="geo-default"><span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"><span class="longitude"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Union victory; surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Ulysses S. Grant</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Robert E. Lee</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Units involved</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Army of the Potomac,
<br />Army of the James</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Army of Northern Virginia</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">164<sup id="cite_ref-salmon492_0-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">~500 killed and wounded<sup id="cite_ref-salmon492_0-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup>
<br />27,805 surrendered and paroled</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-49770921469696836682011-09-02T16:38:00.000-07:002011-09-02T16:39:53.089-07:00Battle of Fort Blakely<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Fort Blakely</b> took place from April 2-April 9, 1865 in Baldwin County, Alabama, as part of the Mobile Campaign of the American Civil War.</p> <p>Maj. Gen. Edward Canby's Union forces, the <span class="mw-redirect">XVI</span> and <span class="mw-redirect">XIII Corps</span>, moved along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, forcing the Confederates back into their defenses. <span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> forces then concentrated on Spanish Fort, Alabama and nearby Fort Blakely. By April 1, Union forces had enveloped Spanish Fort, thereby releasing more troops to focus on Fort Blakely. Confederate Brig. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">St. John R. Liddell</span>, with about 4,000 men, held out against the much larger Union force until Spanish Fort fell on April 8 in the Battle of Spanish Fort. This allowed Canby to concentrate 16,000 men for the attack on April 9, led by Brig. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John P. Hawkins</span>. Sheer numbers breached the Confederate earthworks, compelling the Confederates, including Liddell, to surrender. The siege and capture of Fort Blakely was basically the last combined-force battle of the war. Yet, it is criticized by some (such as Ulysses S. Grant) as an ineffective contribution to Union war effort due to Canby's lateness in engaging his troops. African-American forces played a major role in the successful Union assault.</p> <p>The site of the battle is now a historical park, Historic Blakeley State Park.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Fort Blakely</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>April 2, 1865–April 9, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Baldwin County, Alabama</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> victory, Fort Blakely surrendered</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/US_flag_36_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_36_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Edward Canby</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="mw-redirect">St. John R. Liddell</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Army of West Mississippi</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Fort Blakely Garrison</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">629 men</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">2,900 men</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-6763569418386647672011-09-01T20:30:00.000-07:002011-09-01T21:30:21.927-07:00Battle of Appomattox Station<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Appomattox Station</b> was fought April 8, 1865, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George Armstrong Custer's Union cavalry, en route to Appomattox Station, clashed with the reserve artillery of the Confederate Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, under Colonel Lindsay Walker.<sup id="cite_ref-NPS_0-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>The Union army was ordered to take control of the four supply trains that awaited General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The trains carried medical supplies, ammunition, and food vital to the under-equipped Confederate army.<sup id="cite_ref-Schroeder_2-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The Confederate soldiers were vastly outnumbered, and fought to repulse the Union attack. Many of the Confederates were artillerymen and engineers who were acting as infantry, and had little hand to hand battle experience. The Union army was far better trained and much better organized, all of which led to the Confederate defeat.<sup id="cite_ref-Williams2004_3-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>The Confederates failed to hold the oncoming Army of the Potomac back, and as a result, Custer's division captured a supply train and twenty-five guns, driving off and scattering the Confederate defenders.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> This unique action pitted artillery without infantry support against cavalry. Custer then proceeded to burn three of the captured trains.</p><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Battle of Appomattox Station Background</span></h2> <p>In late 1864, Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">William T. Sherman</span>'s army began a march with an unknown destination, laying waste to about 20% of the farms in Georgia in his "March to the Sea". Lee's army, thinned by desertion and casualties, was now much smaller than Grant's. Union forces won a decisive victory at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865, forcing Lee to evacuate Petersburg and Richmond. The Confederate capital fell to the <span class="mw-redirect">Union XXV Corps</span>, composed of black troops.</p> <p>On the afternoon of April 8, 1865, four supply <span class="mw-redirect">trains</span> awaited Lee's army at Appomattox Station.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The news reached Federal Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">George A. Custer</span> and he then pushed his division forward with the 2nd New York Cavalry in the lead. The trains were loaded with supplies—clothes, blankets, equipment, ordnance, medical supplies, and food.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> After moving along the wagon road beside the railroad, Custer's men approached Appomattox Station from the southeast. The Station consisted of only a few houses with a squad of Confederate cavalry guarding the trains. The Confederates then surrendered to the large Union force. Just as the Union army was preparing to leave in the trains, artillery shells began to fall on their forces.<sup id="cite_ref-Howe_7-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>These shells were fired by Confederate Brig. Gen. Rueben Lindsay Walker's Reserve Artillery, which had advanced to the head of Lee's column in order not to impede the movement of the Army of Northern Virginia. With Walker was an approximate force of 100 cannons, 200 baggage wagons, and the army hospital wagons. These forces were unprepared and were not expecting to meet any Union resistance.</p> <p>A fourth train, which had just arrived, started back for Lynchburg in such a rush that it broke some of the couplings and left most of its cars behind. Walker drew his men into a semicircle and was supported by the only troops in the area, Talcott's Engineers (acting as infantry),<sup id="cite_ref-Williams2004_3-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Brig. Gen. Martin Gary's Cavalry Brigade, and 75 to 100 artillerymen also acting as infantry. Encounters developed as Federal skirmishers pushed northeast from the Station.<sup id="cite_ref-NPS_0-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>The Confederates were hampered by the surprise of the attack, lack of organization, and no central command, which resulted in mass confusion.<sup id="cite_ref-Schroeder_2-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Custer's men were not sure what lay ahead and were ordered by him to charge, but the advance became disjointed probes and pushes through the unfriendly terrain toward the opposing force.<sup id="cite_ref-Blue.26Gray_9-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Preparations_for_battle">Preparations for battle</span></h2> <p>Lee directed Maj. Gen. John Brown Gordon to set up a line to the south of Appomattox Court House and <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Gen.</span> James Longstreet to the north of the Confederate bivouac.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Gordon was expected to capture Appomattox Station and capture the supplies that had been lost the day before and create a gap in Union lines for the Army of Northern Virginia to break through.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Longstreet, providing rear guard cover for the remaining Army of Northern Virginia, would advance in support after Gordon had created the hole in the Union line.<sup id="cite_ref-Williams2004_3-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>With Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry on his right, Gordon's men lined up at 2:00 a.m., waiting to attack Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's Union cavalry at dawn, shortly before the final advance of the Army of Northern Virginia began. During the night a Union infantry column under Maj. Gen. Edward O. C. Ord began a forced march from Farmville, reaching Appomattox Station just as Gordon's men left their trenches. Directing his men from a knoll at the rear of the formation, Sheridan moved them to appear to be in serious trouble, fortifying their line while they were retreating. The cavalry moving as if to fortify the center line then took a position behind Union infantry lines.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <p>Martin's battery fought aggressively on the Confederate left, continuously firing while moving forward.<sup id="cite_ref-Schroeder_2-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Custer's men made two or three assaults, none very aggressive, as the Union soldiers did not want to get too close to the discharges of canister rounds from the Confederate lines.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Meanwhile, the Confederate batteries that were not engaged did their best to escape west towards Lynchburg or north towards Oakville. As darkness was coming on, a final concerted charge was made.<sup id="cite_ref-Howe_7-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup></p> <p>Custer's men captured 25 or 30 guns.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><span></span></sup> There are no Confederate casualty reports, so the exact total will never be known—perhaps 100 men killed and wounded in some manner, but nearly 1,000 Confederate soldiers captured, including Brig. Gen. Young Moody, and about 100 wagons.<sup id="cite_ref-Kelly_14-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Federal casualties were 48,<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> but Union surgeons commented that they "had never treated so many extreme cases in so short a fight. The wounds were chiefly made by artillery, and were serious; many patients being badly mangled."</p> <p>As the fighting at Appomattox Station subsided, elements of the 15th New York Cavalry, under the direction of <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Col.</span> Augustus Root, leaped the fence and gained the Lynchburg-Richmond Stage Road and charged into the village of Appomattox Court House, capturing wagons and teamsters along the way.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><span></span></sup> The New Yorkers retreated back along the stage road, gathering prisoners and shooting mules as they went, thus concluding the engagements on April 8.</p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Retreat">Retreat</span></h3> <p>The Battle of Appomattox Station continued steadily four hours<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> after it had started and lasted until dusk with varying intensity, although more fighting continued in the direction of Appomattox Court House for another five hours.<sup id="cite_ref-Schroeder_2-3" class="reference"><span></span></sup> The success of Custer's troopers on the evening of April 8, dispersing and capturing Walker's artillery and securing the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road, was vital—the Federals now held the high ground west of Appomattox Court House, squarely across Lee's line of march. With Lee's line of retreat blocked, his only options on April 9, 1865, were to attack or surrender. Lee elected to attack. He held a council of war the night of April 8, and determined that an assault would be made to open the road, believing that only Federal cavalry blocked the way. However, during the night parts of three Federal Corps made a forced march and were close at hand to support the Federal cavalry in the morning.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Appomattox Station</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>April 8, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Appomattox Station, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Union victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Maj. General George Armstrong Custer</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Brig. General Reuben Lindsay Walker</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">XXV Corps</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">30,000 infantry</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">200 KIA or WIA
<br />Unknown captured</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><b>Estimated:</b> 500 killed or wounded
<br />~1,000 captured (including Brig. Gen. <span class="new">Young Moody</span>)
<br />25–30 guns, 3 trains and 100 wagons captured</td></tr></tbody></table><p>
<br /><sup id="cite_ref-Blue.26Gray_9-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Appomattox_Station#cite_note-Blue.26Gray-9"><span></span></a></sup></p></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-78849258932233482412011-09-01T20:28:00.000-07:002011-09-01T20:29:49.130-07:00Battle of Spanish Fort<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Spanish Fort</b> took place from March 27 to April 8, 1865 in Baldwin County, Alabama, as part of the Mobile Campaign of the Western Theater of the American Civil War.</p> <p>After the Union victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Mobile nevertheless remained in Confederate hands. Spanish Fort was heavily fortified as an eastern defense to the city of Mobile. Fort Huger, Fort (Battery) Tracey, Fort (Battery) McDermott, Fort Alexis, Red Fort, and Old Spanish Fort were all part of the Mobile defenses at Spanish Fort.</p> <p>Union forces embarked on a land campaign in early 1865 to take Mobile from the east. Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">E.R.S. Canby</span>'s XIII and XVI corps moved along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay forcing the Confederates back into their defenses. Union forces then concentrated on Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, five miles to the north. On March 27, 1865, Canby’s forces rendezvoused at Danley's Ferry and immediately undertook a siege of Spanish Fort. The Union had enveloped the fort by April 1, and on April 8 captured it. Most of the Confederate forces, under the command of Brig. Gen. Randall L. Gibson, escaped and fled to Mobile, but Spanish Fort was no longer a threat.</p> <p>With Spanish Fort's fall on April 8 and Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House the next day (unrelated to the fall of Spanish Fort, as Lee’s forces were in Virginia), Fort Blakely remained the last organized resistance to the Union east of the Mississippi River. However, as early as April 1, when Spanish Fort's fall became inevitable, Union forces had begun moving north in order to concentrate on Fort Blakely, which eventually succumbed late on April 9 in the Battle of Fort Blakely.</p> <p>The falls of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely permitted Union troops to subsequently enter Mobile unopposed after the conclusion of the Civil War.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Spanish Fort</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>March 27, 1865–April 8, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Baldwin County, Alabama</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/US_flag_36_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_36_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="mw-redirect">E.R.S. Canby</span></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Randall L. Gibson<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Units involved</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Army of West Mississippi</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Spanish Fort Garrison</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">657 men</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">744 men</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-38509084789739492722011-08-31T17:12:00.000-07:002011-08-31T17:13:18.441-07:00Battle of Cumberland Church<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Cumberland Church</b> was fought on April 7, 1865, as part of the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War.</p> <p>Near 2 p.m. on April 7, the advance of the Union II Corps encountered Confederate forces entrenched on high ground near Cumberland Church. The Union forces attacked twice but were repulsed, and darkness halted the conflict. Union Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Smyth was mortally wounded nearby, and Brig. Gen. John Irvin Gregg was captured north of Farmville, Virginia.</p> <p>This clash is sometimes characterized as the final victory of the Army of Northern Virginia.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Cumberland Church</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td><span class="mw-formatted-date" title="1865-04-07">April 7, 1865</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Cumberland County</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Confederate victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/US_flag_34_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_34_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Andrew A. Humphreys</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Robert E. Lee</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Units involved</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">II Corps</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="mw-redirect">Army of North Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">655</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">255</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-79306039612042797222011-08-31T17:08:00.000-07:002011-08-31T17:12:02.147-07:00Battle of High Bridge<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of High Bridge</b> was fought on April 6–7, 1865, near the end of the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. On April 6, the Confederate cavalry fought stubbornly to secure the Appomattox River bridges. On April 7, elements of the Union II Corps came up against <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Gen.</span> James Longstreet's rear guard attempting to fire the High Bridge and wagon bridge. Union forces were able to save the wagon bridge over which the II Corps crossed in pursuit of Gen. Robert E. Lee's army. Failure to destroy this bridge enabled Union forces to catch up with the Confederates at Farmville.
<br /><h2><span class="editsection">Battle of High Bridge</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Background</span></h2> <p>High Bridge, 2,500 feet (760 m) long and 126 feet (38 m) high, was the crossing of the South Side Railroad over the Appomattox River and its flood plain, 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Farmville, Virginia.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> A wooden bridge for wagons was located below the railroad bridge. During the retreat of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, they had moved north of the river, except for a rear guard provided by Longstreet's corps at Rice's Station on the southern bank. The bridges had to be protected and then destroyed to delay the pursuit of the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.</p> <p>On April 6, Longstreet dispatched 1,200 Confederate cavalry under Major General (CSA) Thomas L. Rosser to protect the bridges from Union raiders. Union Maj. Gen. Edward O. C. Ord, commanding the Army of the James, sent about 900 men under Bvt. Brig. Gen. <span class="new">Theodore Read</span> (Ord's chief of staff) to take the bridge. The force consisted of the 123rd Ohio Infantry and the 54th Pennsylvania Infantry, commanded by <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Col.</span> Horace Kellogg of the 123rd, and three companies (80 troopers) of the 4th Massachusetts Cavalry under Col. <span class="new">Francis Washburn</span>. The cavalry reached the bridge before the main Confederate force, chased away some home guards, and secured the south end of the bridge.<sup id="cite_ref-Kennedy_4-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <p>While Washburn prepared to set fire to the bridge, three brigades of Confederate cavalrymen arrived and conducted a dismounted attack against the Union infantry, which was waiting near the Watson farmhouse, about half mile to the south. Hearing sounds of battle, Washburn and his men rejoined the infantry, and unaware that he was facing two divisions of cavalry, Read ordered a mounted charge by the 4th Massachusetts. The ferocious charge forced through the Confederate line of <span class="mw-redirect">Brig. Gen.</span> Thomas T. Munford and the dissolved into hand-to-hand combat. Read exchanged gunfire with Confederate James Dearing during the fighting and was killed. Dearing was mortally wounded and died on April 22. (Dearing is often cited as the last Confederate general to die in the war, but his appointment to brigadier general in April 1864 was never confirmed.)<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><span> </span></sup>Washburn was also mortally wounded. The Confederates counterattacked and separated the cavalry from their supporting infantry. After another attack, the Union troopers were surrounded, and almost all were killed, wounded, or captured. Col. Rubin Boston of the 6th Virginia Cavalry was killed in the attack.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Commanding Officer's: Union: Brevet Gen. Theodore Read A.A.G. Army of the James, Colonel Francis Washburn 4th Massachusetts Cavalry, Colonel Horace Kellogg 123rd Ohio Infantry. Confederate: Army of Northern Virginia Cavalry Corps: Rosser's Division: Gen. Thomas L. Rosser, Gen. James Dearing, Gen. John McCausland, Fitz Lee's Division: Gen. Thomas T. Munford, Col. Reuben Boston(Paynes Brigade).<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>The Confederate Second Corps, under Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John B. Gordon</span>, escaped from their defeat at the Battle of Sayler's Creek and crossed the High Bridge to the north side of the river while Maj. Gen. William Mahone's division secured the bridge. The rest of Lee's army moved on to Farmville and a rendezvous with trains of rations.</p> <p>Early on April 7, while Mahone's men were attempting to fire the High Bridge and wagon bridge, the Union II Corps under Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys arrived on the scene. The division of Brig. Gen. Francis C. Barlow, including the 19th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, charged the burning structure and saved a large section of the railroad bridge, preventing major damage. They crossed the lower wagon bridge to move on Lee's flank and forced the hungry Confederates to resume their retreat before re-provisioning themselves.<sup id="cite_ref-Kennedy_4-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection">Battle of High Bridge </span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Aftermath</span></h2> <p>Together, the battles at High Bridge were tactically inconclusive, despite the 847 Union casualties (including 800 captured) versus only about 100 Confederate,<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon483_2-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> but Lee was forced to continue his march to the west under pressure, depriving his men the opportunity to eat the Farmville rations they had waited so long to receive. Their next stop would be Appomattox Station, 25 miles (40 km) west, where a ration train was waiting. On the night of April 7, Lee received from Grant a letter proposing that the Army of Northern Virginia should surrender. Lee demurred, retaining one last hope that his army could get to Appomattox Station before he was trapped. He returned a noncommittal letter asking about the surrender terms "Unconditional Surrender" Grant might propose.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of High Bridge</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>April 6–7, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Prince Edward & Cumberland County, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Inconclusive<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">April 6: <span class="new">Theodore Read</span>
<br />April 7: Andrew A. Humphreys</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">April 6: Thomas L. Rosser
<br />April 7: William Mahone</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">880<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon482_1-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">1,200<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon482_1-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">847 (including ~800 captured)<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon483_2-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">~100<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon483_2-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-86375298210118345732011-08-30T16:00:00.000-07:002011-08-30T16:03:40.214-07:00Battle of Sayler's Creek<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of Sayler's Creek</b> (also known as <b>Sailor's Creek</b>, <b>Hillsman Farm</b>, or <b>Lockett Farm</b>) was fought April 6, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, as part of the Appomattox Campaign, in the final days of the American Civil War.
<br /><h2><span class="editsection">Battle of Sayler's Creek</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Background</span></h2> <p>After <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Gen.</span> Ulysses S. Grant broke the Confederate defenses at the Siege of Petersburg, Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia evacuated Petersburg and Richmond on the night of April 2–3 and began a retreat in hopes of linking up with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina. As the Union Army pursued, and engaged the Confederates in the Battle of Namozine Church (April 3) and the Battle of Amelia Springs (April 5), Lee discovered that his route to Danville was blocked by fast-moving Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan. His only remaining option was to move west on a long march, without food, to Lynchburg. But the Confederate Commissary General promised Lee that he would send 80,000 rations to Farmville, 25 miles (40 km) to the west.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <p>On April 6 at Sayler's Creek, nearly one fourth of the retreating Confederate army was cut off by Sheridan's cavalry and elements of the II and VI Corps. Two Confederate divisions, led by Maj. Gens. Custis Lee and Joseph B. Kershaw, under the command of Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell, fought the VI Corps along the creek. VI Corps attacked after an artillery bombardment. The Confederates counter attacked but were driven back at last. Union artillery under Maj. Andrew Cowan deployed at the Hillsman Farm played a key role in their repulse. Soon after the Union cavalry cut through the right of the Confederate lines. Most Confederates surrendered, including generals Ewell, Lee, Kershaw, <span class="mw-redirect">Seth M. Barton</span>, <span class="new">James P. Simms</span>, Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr., Dudley M. Du Bose, Eppa Hunton, and <span class="mw-redirect">Montgomery D. Corse</span>. Col. Stapleton Crutchfield was killed leading a detachment of artillery personnel formerly in the defenses of Richmond. Also present at this battle was Confederate Commander <span class="mw-redirect">John Randolph Tucker</span> and his naval squadron (300–400 strong), and so sailors were fighting at Sayler's Creek. Farther away, II Corps pushed back Maj. Gen. John Brown Gordon, who had mistakenly been on a different road.</p> <h2><span class="editsection">Battle of Sayler's Creek </span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Aftermath</span></h2> <p>Upon seeing the survivors streaming along the road, Lee exclaimed in front of Maj. Gen. William Mahone, "My God, has the army dissolved?" to which he replied, "No, General, here are troops ready to do their duty." Touched by the faithful duty of his men, Lee told Mahone, "Yes, there are still some true men left ... Will you please keep those people back?"<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Naming_the_battle">Naming the battle</span></h2> <p>The National Park Service and the Commonwealth of Virginia both use the more recent name "Sailor's Creek" for this battle, but the historic name was "Sayler's", presumably named for a local property owner. Many prominent Civil War historians (James M. McPherson, Shelby Foote, Bruce Catton, <span class="mw-redirect">Douglas Southall Freeman</span>, etc.) use the historic spelling. Published in the early 1900s, the <i>New International Encyclopedia</i> calls the battle "Sailor's Creek".</p> <p>The Sayler's Creek Battlefield was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Sayler's Creek</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>April 6, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Amelia, Prince Edward & Nottoway Counties, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Union victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Philip H. Sheridan</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Richard S. Ewell
<br />Richard H. Anderson</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">15–16,000<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon479_0-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">11,500<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon479_0-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">1,148<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon480_1-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">7,700 captured; killed/wounded unknown</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-77426699470118671612011-08-30T15:51:00.000-07:002011-08-30T16:04:05.357-07:00Battle of Namozine Church<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Namozine Church,</b> Virginia was a minor engagement that occurred on April 3, 1865 during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle was the first engagement between units of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under the command of <span class="mw-redirect">General</span> Robert E. Lee after that army's evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia on April 2, 1865 and units of the Union Army of the Potomac under the command of Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">George G. Meade</span> and the overall direction of Union General-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. The pursuit of Lee's army was led by the Union Army Cavalry Corps and associated infantry corps under Cavalry Corps commander, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan. The forces immediately engaged in the battle were brigades of the cavalry division of Union Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer, especially the brigade of Colonel William Wells, and the Confederate rear guard cavalry brigades of Brig. Gen. William P. Roberts and Brig. Gen. Rufus Barringer.</p> <p>The engagement signaled the beginning of the Union Army's relentless pursuit of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia after the fall of Petersburg and Richmond, which led to the near disintegration of Lee's forces within 6 days and the Confederate army's surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia on April 9, 1865. Captain Tom Custer, the general's brother, won the first of two <span class="mw-redirect">Congressional Medals of Honor</span> which he won within four days at this battle.</p><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Battle of Namozine Church Background</span></h2> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Overland_campaign">Overland campaign</span></h3> <p>In early May 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Union Army General-in-Chief, directed the Union Armies to make coordinated advances against Confederate forces on several fronts. Grant ordered the Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George G. Meade to destroy the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and take the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. Grant accompanied Meade's army on the campaign which began on May 4, 1864.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth236_2-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> At the same time, the Union Army of the James under Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler was directed to march on Richmond from south of the James River. Butler's plan was to move up the James River by boat, land at the lightly defended <span class="mw-redirect">Bermuda Hundred</span> Plantation near Richmond and cut the railroad lines between Petersburg and Richmond.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><span></span></sup></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Siege_of_Petersburg">Siege of Petersburg</span></h3> <p>After a series of bloody but inconclusive battles later known as the Overland Campaign, the Army of the Potomac had pushed the Army of Northern Virginia south from the Rapidan River and Rappahannock River line to the outskirts of Richmond.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth216_1-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> After the failure of the disastrous Union attack on the entrenched Confederates at the Battle of Cold Harbor<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth250_5-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> on June 3, 1864, Grant directed the Army of the Potomac to break contact with the Confederate Army, cross the James River and attack the small Confederate force defending the important railroad center of Petersburg, Virginia, just to the south of Richmond.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth216_1-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Union forces nearly overwhelmed this small force but the Confederates were soon reinforced and were able to repulse the Union attack.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth216_1-3" class="reference"><span></span></sup> If Petersburg had fallen, the Confederates would have been unable to supply and hold Richmond, as later events showed.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth326_6-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> At this time, however, the small force of Confederate defenders held Petersburg against the poorly directed attack of Meade's ineffective subordinates until those defenders could be reinforced by Lee's army.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth216_1-4" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Grant's brilliant tactical improvisation had been thwarted not only by a stout Confederate defense, but also mainly by the inability of subordinates to carry it out.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth254_7-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Nonetheless, in mid-June 1864, the Army of the Potomac had the Army of Northern Virginia in a position that required the Confederate army to defend Richmond and Petersburg or to see the Confederacy's capital and a key railroad center fall under Union control. The Army of the Potomac settled into a Siege of Petersburg which was to last until April 2, 1865.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth254_7-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Throughout the siege, the Union forces conducted attacks and maneuvers which required the Confederates to spread their weakening army over longer and thinner lines. Finally, the far right western end of the Confederate line broke at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth302_8-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Confederate_lines_collapse">Confederate lines collapse</span></h3> <p>The Confederate Army had to hold Five Forks in order to protect the Southside Railroad, their last supply line.<sup id="cite_ref-Kagan231_9-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> On April 1, 1865, at the end of the Siege of Petersburg, Union Army cavalry forces and V Corps infantry forces of the Army of the Potomac under the command of cavalry corps commander, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan, defeated a large force of Confederates from the Army of Northern Virginia under the command of <span class="mw-redirect">Maj. Gen.</span> George Pickett at the Battle of Five Forks, Virginia at the western end of the Confederate lines.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth302_8-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> General Lee had sent this large force to the end of the line to prevent a suspected attempt by the Union forces to attack and turn this segment of the line in order to get behind the Confederate defenses in general. After sustaining about 800 casualties and losing over 5,000 men who were captured, the remaining Confederates retreated from the strategic Five Forks crossroads to Ford's Station or Ford's Meeting House on the Southside Railroad.<sup id="cite_ref-Livermore489_10-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth325_11-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup></p> <p>On April 2, 1865, Grant ordered a general advance all along the Confederate lines, which broke in several places, leading to what is now known as the Fall of Petersburg or Breakthrough at Petersburg or occasionally the Third Battle of Petersburg.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth302_8-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Four Confederate brigades stood west of Hatcher's Run and due east of Five Forks along White Oak Road where it is met by Claiborne Road.<sup id="cite_ref-Livermore487_12-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The attack against these brigades by II Corps of the Army of the Potomac under the command of Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys sent the Confederates into retreat to Sutherland's Station or Sutherland's Depot on the Southside Railroad.<sup id="cite_ref-Humphreys_13-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Confederate Maj. Gen. Henry Heth, who succeeded to corps command upon the death in action of Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill on April 1, organized a defense with these brigades but left them under the command of Brig. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John R. Cooke</span> as Heth returned to Petersburg.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon471_14-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> In the ensuing Battle of Sutherland's Station advanced brigades of the Union infantry division commanded by Brig. Gen. Nelson A. Miles of Maj. Gen. Humphreys's corps attacked the hastily fortified positions of the Confederate brigades.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon471_14-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The Union attackers initially were repulsed with heavy losses.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon471_14-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> After a second futile attempt to take the Confederate position by two Union brigades, Miles attacked again with his entire force in mid-afternoon and overwhelmed the Confederates. The Union victory at Sutherland's Station started with the collapse of the brigade of Brig. Gen. Samuel McGowan on the Confederate left flank.<sup id="cite_ref-Kennedy423_15-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> As a result of the Confederate defeat, the Southside Railroad, the Confederates' last supply line, was cut and General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had to abandon Petersburg and Richmond and flee westward.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon471_14-5" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Confederate_army_flight">Confederate army flight</span></h3> <p>Much of the Army of Northern Virginia as well as Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet, were able to escape from Petersburg and Richmond just in advance of the Union troops entering those cities on April 3 because Confederate rear guard forces, especially at Forts Gregg and Whitworth, and Fort Mahone and Sutherland's Station, fought desperate delaying actions on April 2 to give most of the Confederates a head start on Union Army pursuers.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth322_16-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> General Lee's ultimate intention was to proceed through Danville and then to unite with General Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate army, which was attempting to slow the advance of Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">William T. Sherman's</span> Union army in North Carolina.<sup id="cite_ref-Woodworth326_6-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><span></span></sup> First, he planned to reunite the four columns of his army that left Petersburg and Richmond and to resupply at <span class="mw-redirect">Amelia Court House, Virginia</span>, 39 miles (63 km) southwest of Richmond.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Lee's men left their positions in Petersburg and Richmond with only one day's rations.<sup id="cite_ref-Winik127_19-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Lee expected to find a supply train of rations that he had ordered brought to Amelia Court House to meet the army at that location.<sup id="cite_ref-Winik127_19-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Kinzer36_20-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle_of_Namozine_Church">Battle of Namozine Church</span></h2> <p>Most of Lee's army marched west on routes north of the Appomattox River but the remnants of the divisions of Maj. Gen. George Pickett and of Maj. Gen. Bushrod Johnson, the latter of which included Moody's Brigage, Wallace's Brigade and Wise's Brigade, along with the cavalry divisions of Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, who was cavalry corps commander, and Maj. Gen. W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee following as a rear guard moved on the Namozine Road, south of the river.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon473_22-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> While most of Lee's army had an effective one day head start on their flight from Richmond and Petersburg, the advance Union Army cavalry and infantry corps under the command of Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan were able to keep Lee's forces to their north by pursuing them on a parallel course to their south.<sup id="cite_ref-Long665_23-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Kennedy424_24-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Union cavalry harassed and skirmished with Confederate units almost from the outset of the Confederate army's march from Petersburg.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Confederate rear guard dismounted cavalry units often paused to block the roads from pursuing Union cavalry. As early as the evening of April 2, Confederate cavalry under Fitzhugh Lee detected units of the Union cavalry division of Brig. Gen. Thomas Devin in pursuit and had Bushrod Johnson's infantry throw up a series of breastworks along the Namozine Road in order to repulse the Union riders.<sup id="cite_ref-2002Longacre329_26-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>On April 3, 1865, advance units of the Union cavalry fought with rear guard Confederate cavalry at Willicomack Creek and the Battle of Namozine Church.<sup id="cite_ref-Long665_23-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> In the early morning of April 3, at a ford on Namozine Creek, regiments from the 2d brigade, under the command of Colonel William Wells, of Custer's 3rd cavalry division, which had taken over the advance pursuit, threatened the rear guard of Rooney Lee's column. That rear guard was the cavalry brigade of Brig. Gen. William P. Roberts and a few infantry units.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Roberts had dismounted the 4th North Carolina Cavalry Regiment and the 16th North Carolina Cavalry Battalion and had them entrench on the west side of the creek.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Custer brought up artillery to blast the North Carolina cavalrymen with canister and had the 1st Vermont Volunteer Cavalry Regiment ford the creek out of sight of the Confederates in order to outflank them.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-3" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> When the Confederates discovered this maneuver, they fled their position in order to try to regroup further down the road.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin_29-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Custer's division then crossed the creek and headed for Namozine Church, about 5 miles (8.0 km) away.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-4" class="reference"><span></span></sup> The leading Union cavalry brigade of Custer's 3rd Division, the 2d Brigade under Col. William Wells, who had attacked the Confederate cavalrymen of Brig. Gen. Rufus Barringer along the creek, fought a running battle along the road until they reached Namozine Church.<sup id="cite_ref-Eicher813_27-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup></p> <p>Barringer's Confederates, the 1st and 2d North Carolina Volunteer Cavalry Regiments with a single artillery piece, with the 5th North Carolina Volunteer Cavalry Regiment in reserve<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><span></span></sup>, counterattacked the 8th New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment of Wells's brigade, commanded by Maj. James Bliss, as they reached the Namozine Church<sup id="cite_ref-Eicher813_27-2" class="reference"><span></span></sup> After sharp fighting, the Confederate cavalry were turned away by the 8th New York Cavalry and reinforcements from the 15th New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, commanded by Col. John J. Coppinger' and the 1st Vermont Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. Josiah Hall. About 9 a.m., as Wells's brigade began their attack, Brig. Gen. Custer's younger brother, Captain Tom Custer, spurred his horse over a hastily thrown up barricade of the still deploying Confederate cavalry and captured 3 Confederate officers and 11 enlisted men, as well as the battle flag of the 2nd North Carolina Cavalry.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-7" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> For his actions, the younger Custer would eventually be awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor, one of two he would earn within four days.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-8" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Barringer's Confederate cavalry had bought enough time for Bushrod Johnson's infantry division to pass nearby Namozine Church around 8 a.m. Unfortunately for Johnson, his forces took a wrong turn at a fork in the road and had to halt when his command reached a bridge over Deep Creek that was underwater from recent flooding. Although the Union cavalry drove off the Confederate cavalry, the North Carolina cavalry regiments had secured the Namozine Church road intersection long enough for Johnson to return and take the correct fork. When General Johnson approached with his infantry division, Custer's forces were forced to retire, allowing the Confederate forces to proceed across Deep Creek, an Appomattox River tributary.<sup id="cite_ref-2002Longacre330_31-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Then, Fitzhugh Lee and his cousin, "Rooney" Lee, second son of Gen. Robert E. Lee, separated their cavalry commands and continued their retreat.<sup id="cite_ref-Eicher813_27-4" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Custer later chased the fleeing Confederates but near dark he ran into substantial infantry opposition from Johnson's division at Sweathouse Creek and halted for the night.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-9" class="reference"><span></span></sup> After dark, however, Wells's brigade continued to attack Fitzhugh Lee's force along Deep Creek. Brig. Gen. Barringer and many of his men were captured by Sheridan's scouts who were wearing gray uniforms and who led Barringer and his remaining men into a trap.<sup id="cite_ref-2002Longacre330_31-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Rooney Lee's adjutant general, Maj. J. D. Ferguson, also was captured.<sup id="cite_ref-Eicher813_27-6" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Sheridan's forces camped for the night along the road from Namozine Church to Deep Creek while the Confederate infantry and remaining cavalry continued to march to their designated consolidation point of Amelia Court House, where they expected to receive much needed supplies and rations.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-10" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Colonel Wells<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> lost 95 Federal cavalrymen killed and wounded in the engagement. Total Confederate losses are not known, but Custer's men were able to capture many of the Confederates. They took 350 prisoners, 100 horses and an artillery piece while initially clearing the road as far as the Namozine Church.<sup id="cite_ref-Urwin1383_28-11" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Johnson reported 15 wounded from his division. After the battle, Namozine Church served as a field hospital and later as Maj. Gen. Sheridan's temporary headquarters.</p> <h2><span class="editsection">Battle of Namozine Church </span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Aftermath</span></h2> <p>On April 4, 1865, the opposing forces skirmished at Tabernacle Church or Beaver Pond Creek and at Amelia Court House.<sup id="cite_ref-Long666_33-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Meanwhile, Sheridan's forces occupied Jetersville, Virginia and Burkeville, Virginia which blocked Lee's access to the Richmond and Danville Railroad and to the direct route southwestward.<sup id="cite_ref-Kinzer36_20-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Salmon474_34-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Lee had hoped to find a supply train at Amelia Court House, Virginia, 39 miles (63 km) southwest of Richmond, but when he and his forces arrived there on April 4, 1865, he found that the train contained only ordnance, ammunition, caissons and harnesses.<sup id="cite_ref-Winik127_19-2" class="reference"><span></span></sup> After a delay for unsuccessful foraging efforts, or as some historians have argued, primarily because of the delay in bringing up a pontoon bridge needed to cross rain-swollen rivers, Lee had to order his hungry men to resume their march in the hope that they could find rations at Farmville, Virginia.<sup id="cite_ref-Kinzer36_20-3" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>On April 5, 1865, Sheridan ordered Crook to send cavalry patrols north of Jetersville to reconnoiter his left flank.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon475_37-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Between 4 miles (6.4 km) and 7 miles (11 km) out of Jetersville, Union Brig. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Henry E. Davies, Jr.</span> attacked and destroyed about 200 wagons of a Confederate army wagon train and took at least 300 prisoners.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon476_38-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Confederate cavalry engaged Davies's rear guard in a running combat through Amelia Springs but Davies's force linked up with reinforcements near Jetersville which permitted Davies to limit his losses and keep his prisoners.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon476_38-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Longacre329_39-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>On the morning of April 6, Meade thought that the Confederate army remained concentrated at Amelia Court House and, despite the suspicions of Grant and Sheridan that the Confederates had moved on<sup id="cite_ref-Livermore496_40-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup>, Meade sent the Army of the Potomac infantry in the direction of Amelia Court House on that morning.<sup id="cite_ref-Kiefer204_42-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> The Union forces soon discovered that Lee had started moving west and changed their direction of march to continue their pursuit.<sup id="cite_ref-Kiefer204_42-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup> In the afternoon of April 6, 1865, approximately one-fifth<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference"><span></span></sup> of the remaining soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia were cut off from the main body of Confederate troops at the Battle of Sailor's Creek (or Battle of Sayler's Creek) and killed or (mainly) captured.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon477_44-0" class="reference"><span></span></sup> The killed and captured were about 8,000 men, including Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell and eight other generals.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon477_44-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup> This in turn was about one-sixth of the number of men who had left Richmond and Petersburg with Lee's forces.<sup id="cite_ref-Salmon477_44-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>After about five more small engagements over the next three days, with the Army of Northern Virginia melting away and Union forces surrounding them, Lee surrendered his army to Grant on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, about 90 miles (140 km) west of Richmond.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Namozine Church</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td><span class="mw-formatted-date" title="1865-04-03">3 April 1865</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Amelia County, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Inconclusive</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /> </span>United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /> </span>CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">George Armstrong Custer
<br />William Wells</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Fitzhugh Lee
<br />William P. Roberts
<br />Rufus Barringer
<br />Bushrod Johnson</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">95 killed and wounded</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">partial: 15 wounded, 350 captured</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-26466151693582794842011-08-29T10:16:00.000-07:002011-08-29T10:18:12.477-07:00Battle of Sutherland's Station<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Sutherland's Station</b> was an American Civil War conflict fought on April 2, 1865, in Dinwiddie, Virginia during the Appomattox Campaign.</p> <p>Union columns converged on Petersburg on April 2, pushing through a large section of the Confederate defensive entrenchments. As Robert E. Lee desperately sought to buy time to allow his army to withdraw, Ulysses S. Grant launched several other attacks. Stubborn Confederate resistance at Fort Gregg delayed Grant's progress. Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Nelson A. Miles's Union division battered Henry Heth's Confederates near Sutherland's Station and drove them off the field. The Confederate defenders were scattered and driven northwestward. With this victory, the Federals possessed the South Side Railroad, Gen. Robert E. Lee's last supply line into Petersburg. However, the lengthy defense of Fort Gregg and Grant's hesitation in aggressively following up on his success at Sutherland's Station permitted Lee to evacuate his army that night.</p><p>Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had besieged Petersburg for ten long months, but as April 1865 opened, the Army of the Potomac under its commander, <span class="mw-redirect">George G. Meade</span>, was finally in a position to break through the entrenchments of the Army of Northern Virginia. At 4:30 on the morning of April 2 on the Confederate earthworks west of Petersburg. Meade sent forward four Union corps, with the <span class="mw-redirect">VI Corps</span> succeeding in breaking through the thinly manned Confederate lines. Flushed with success, the Union troops poured through the breech and turned the Southern flanks, eventually gaining control of the entrenchments from Hatcher's Run to Boydton Plank Road.</p> <p>Robert E. Lee, realizing that the loss of so much of his defensive perimeter had now doomed the city, issued orders to evacuate Petersburg. He sent word to his remaining commanders to hold as long as they could to allow an orderly retreat. Federal troops repeatedly attacked <span class="mw-redirect">Fort Gregg</span> (held by only 500 Confederate defenders), but failed to quickly seize the vital fort, allowing Lee time to establish an inner defensive line to protect his army's rear as it retired.</p> <p>Grant turned his attention to the west, where the South Side Railroad had provided a vital last supply line for Lee's beleaguered troops. Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys's <span class="mw-redirect">II Corps</span> faced the forces of Maj. Gen. Henry Heth running from Hatcher's Run to White Oak Road. Heth's men constituted the extreme right flank of Lee's army. Nelson Miles's division had been sent to reinforce Philip Sheridan on the Union flank. Not needing the infantry support, Sheridan sent Miles back. Once the <span class="mw-redirect">VI Corps</span> had broken through, Humphreys was ordered to attack along his front. When the order came for Humphreys to attack, Heth had already begun to fall back to a secondary line. Humphreys only had one division available to attack. Not far from the battlefield of Battle of Five Forks, his only available division easily pushed forward through light resistance and seized a salient in the Confederate line. When Miles' division of three brigades returned, it faced abandoned trenches. Humphreys wanted to immediately move against Heth, but Meade had ordered all the Union infantry to turn and face Petersburg. Humphreys responded by turning to the north, but left Miles behind to deal with Heth.</p> <p>Miles pursued the retiring Confederates up the Claiborne Road as far as Sutherland's Station (nineteen miles from Petersburg). There, Heth had regrouped four Confederate brigades in an attempt to defend the South Side Railroad, their left flank anchored at Ocran Methodist Church. By now, Heth had learned that Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill had been killed earlier in the day, and now he was in command of the Third Army Corps as its senior division commander. Dodging Federal patrols, he hastened to Petersburg, where he found that Lee had instead decided to disband the corps and give its units to James Longstreet.</p> <p>At 3:00 p.m., Miles struck north from White Oak Road and launched his initial attack under orders from Grant to follow-up on Humphreys's initial breakthrough. Heth's division repulsed two Federal attacks before Miles sent for reinforcements. As had been the case for the II Corps all morning, Humphreys backtracked to Sutherland Station to reinforce Miles. However, Miles launched a third assault and Heth's weary Confederates finally buckled, then broke. <span class="mw-redirect">John R. Cooke</span>'s brigade stubbornly held up the Federals as the remainder of Heth's troops headed west. Miles's victorious men pushed ahead and captured nearly 1,000 prisoners and 2 artillery pieces. In the meantime, Grant had delayed the final attack on Fort Gregg while he awaited news regarding Miles' outcome, another delay that helped Lee evacuate more troops from Petersburg. By the time that the fort finally fell, Lee had bought enough time to successfully extricate the vast majority of his army.</p> <p>In the savage fighting around Sutherland's Station, Miles reported 370 casualties, while the Confederates lost approximately 600 men killed or wounded, plus 1,000 taken as <span class="mw-redirect">prisoners of war</span>. Humphreys's II Corps had been made to wander back and forth all morning and the general later contended that, had his whole corps been allowed to move against the Confederates, Heth's whole command would have been destroyed.</p></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-36507679438141282352011-08-29T10:14:00.000-07:002011-08-29T10:16:49.382-07:00Third Battle of Petersburg<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Third Battle of Petersburg</b>, also known as the <b>Breakthrough at Petersburg</b> or the <b>Fall of Petersburg</b>, was a decisive Union assault on the Confederate trenches, ending the ten-month Siege of Petersburg and leading to the fall of Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia.
<br /><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Fort_Mahone">Fort Mahone</span></h2><p>The Union <span class="mw-redirect">IX Corps</span> under Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John G. Parke</span> occupied the original trenches captured by the Union army in June 1864. Facing Parke was a strong Confederate position dominated by Fort Mahone (named after Maj. Gen. William Mahone) and manned by the forces of Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John B. Gordon</span>. Since much of the recent actions had been occurring west of Petersburg, in particular the Battle of Five Forks, the Confederate strength east of Petersburg was considerably weakened. On April 1, 1865, Parke chose to assault Fort Mahone directly. The attack carried the fortress and the trenches around the Jerusalem Plank Road. The attack slowed down once the Federals occupied the captured trenches. Gordon rallied the troops and planned a counterattack to drive Parke out of his lost trenches. With the complete disintegration of the Confederate army around Petersburg just hours away, Parke sent word to Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">George G. Meade</span> for reinforcements to simply hold his current position. Late in the afternoon in the midst of all other Confederate fronts collapsing, Gordon launched his counterattack and nearly drove Parke out. The Federals held their position and Union reinforcements began to arrive.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Boydton_Line">Boydton Line</span></h2> <p>Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Horatio G. Wright</span> was forming his <span class="mw-redirect">VI Corps</span> for a massive assault against the Boydton Line held by <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Gen.</span> <span class="mw-redirect">A.P. Hill</span>. Wright massed his entire corps in a wedge with Brig. Gen. George W. Getty's division at the point with Brig. Gens. Truman Seymour and Frank Wheaton behind. The entire assault against the Boydton Line was carefully planned, and at 4:40 a.m. the <span class="mw-redirect">Vermont Brigade</span>, led by Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Grant, spearheaded the assault. Twenty minutes later the Confederate lines were broken and a decisive breakthrough had been achieved. Wright turned his corps to the south as the Union <span class="mw-redirect">XXIV Corps</span> exploited the breakthrough. Stragglers from the initial breakthrough continued heading straight forward as the rest of the VI Corps turned to the left. At 9:00 Hill and Robert E. Lee both learned of the breakthrough. Hill immediately mounted his horse and rode to the Boydton Line. Two stragglers from a Pennsylvania regiment ambushed Hill and his aide. Hill demanded their surrender, but the Union soldiers took aim and killed him. His aide rode back to Lee and reported Hill's death. Hill had once vowed he would never leave the Petersburg defenses.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Forts_Gregg_and_Whitworth">Forts Gregg and Whitworth</span></h2> <p>Exploiting the breakthrough was the <span class="mw-redirect">XXIV Corps</span> under Maj. Gen. John Gibbon. Crossing the Boydton Plank Road, Gibbon turned north and moved towards the city itself. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet was bringing troops down from the Richmond defenses as quickly as possible. To buy time for these troops to take up a position, <span class="mw-redirect">Nathaniel Harris</span> made a stand at Forts Gregg and Whitworth. Gibbon was leading his new corps into action for the first time. Led by the division of Brig. Gen. Robert S. Foster, the Federals moved on Fort Gregg. The garrison could not turn back the assault, but once the attackers reached the fort it proved difficult to overrun by sheer momentum. Cannon fire from Fort Whitworth plagued the Federals, but eventually by superior manpower Fort Gregg was overrun. Nearby Fort Whitworth soon followed. Gibbon's troops had spent themselves on taking the two forts and now Longstreet's corps began to arrive.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Hatcher.27s_Run_Line">Hatcher's Run Line</span></h2> <p>The IX Corps was pinned down in Fort Mahone, the VI Corps had run out of momentum after breaking the Boydton Line, and the XXIV Corps had been used up taking Fort Gregg. The only Union Corps left for any further movement was the <span class="mw-redirect">II Corps</span> under Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys. Humphreys' corps faced the forces of Maj. Gen. Henry Heth running from Hatcher's Run to White Oak Road. Maj. Gen. Nelson A. Miles's division had been sent to reinforce Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan on the Union flank. Not needing the infantry support, Sheridan sent Miles back. Once the VI Corps had broken through, Humphreys was ordered to attack along his front. When the order came for Humphreys to attack, Heth had already begun to fall back to a secondary line. Humphreys only had one division available to attack and pushed forward engaging with a few Confederate pickets. When Miles' Division returned, he faced abandoned trenches. Humphreys wanted to move against Heth, but Meade ordered all the Union infantry to turn and face Petersburg. Humphreys turned to the north, but left Miles behind to deal with Heth. Miles struck Heth at Sutherland's Station. Heth, now in command of Hill's Third Corps, repulsed two attacks from Miles before the latter sent for reinforcements. As had been the case for the II Corps all morning, Humphreys backtracked to Sutherland Station. However, Miles launched a third assault and broke Heth's line. A stand made by a brigade under Brig. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John R. Cooke</span> held up the Federals as the rest of Heth's troops headed west. The II Corps had been made to wander back and forth all morning and Humphreys contended that, had his whole corps been allowed to move against the Confederates, Heth's whole command would have been destroyed.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Aftermath</span></h2> <p>The breakthrough at Petersburg ended the Siege of Petersburg and began Lee's retreat to the west, where he hoped to obtain supplies and link up with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina. On April 3, 1865, Richmond, now uncovered by Lee's army, fell to Union forces. The major objective of the war since 1861 had finally been achieved. A week later Gen. Robert E. Lee would surrender to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Third Battle of Petersburg</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>April 2, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Petersburg, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Ulysses S. Grant</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Robert E. Lee</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">97,000</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">45,000</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">3,500</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">4,250</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-22419541863149561902011-08-28T07:31:00.000-07:002011-08-28T07:33:43.702-07:00Battle of Selma<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Selma</b> was a military engagement near the end of the American Civil War. It was fought in Selma, Alabama, on April 2, 1865. Union Army forces under Major General James H. Wilson defeated a smaller Confederate Army force under Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest.</p> <p>On March 22, 1865, Wilson led three divisions of Union cavalry, totalling 13,500 men, on a raid from <span class="new">Gravelly Springs</span>, deep into largely untouched southern Alabama. He was opposed by Confederate General Forrest, whose soldiers numbered only 2,000, and half of these were old men and boys. Wilson met and defeated Forrest in a running battle on April 1, 1865, at Ebenezer Church. Continuing towards Selma, Wilson divided his command into three columns. Although Selma's defenses were strong, there were not enough Confederates to man them effectively. Wilson's columns broke through the defenses at separate points, forcing the Confederates to surrender the city. Many of the officers and men, including Forrest and Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor, escaped before the surrender. Selma demonstrated that even Forrest, who had been considered almost invincible, could not stop the overpowering unrelenting Union moves into what still remained of the Confederacy.</p><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background_to_battle">Background to battle</span></h2> <p>On March 30, 1865, General Wilson detached Brig. Gen. John T. Croxton's brigade to destroy all Confederate property at Tuscaloosa, Alabama. After capturing a Confederate courier who carried dispatches from Forrest describing the strength and disposition of his scattered forces, Wilson sent a brigade to destroy the bridge across the Cahaba River at Centreville. This effectively cut off Forrest from reinforcement. It also began a running fight that did not end until after the fall of Selma.</p> <p>On the afternoon of April 1, following skirmishing in the morning, Wilson's advanced guard ran into Forrest's line of battle at Ebenezer Church, where the Randolph Road intersected the main Selma road. Forrest had hoped to bring his entire force to bear on Wilson. However, because of delays caused by flooding, plus earlier contacts with the enemy, Forrest could only muster less than 2,000 men, many of whom were not veterans but poorly trained militia consisting of old men and young boys.</p> <p>The outnumbered Confederates fought bravely for over an hour, as Wilson deployed more Union cavalry and artillery on the field. Forrest himself was wounded by a saber-wielding Union captain, whom he killed with his revolver. Finally, a Union cavalry charge broke the Confederate militia, causing Forrest to be flanked on his right. He was forced to retreat under severe pressure.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Struggle_for_Selma">Struggle for Selma</span></h2> <p>Early the next morning Forrest arrived at Selma, "horse and rider covered in blood." He advised Gen. Richard Taylor, departmental commander, to leave the city. Taylor did so after giving Forrest command of the defense.</p> <p>Selma was protected by three miles of fortifications, which ran in a semicircle around the city. They were anchored on the north and south by the Alabama River. The works had been built two years earlier and, while neglected since then, they were still formidable. The defenses were from 8 to 12 feet high, 15 feet thick at the base, and had a ditch 4 feet wide and 5 feet deep along the front. Before this was a picket fence of heavy posts planted in the ground, 5 feet high, and sharpened at the top. At prominent positions, earthen forts were built with artillery in position to cover the ground over which an assault would have to be made.</p> <p>Forrest's defenders consisted of his Tennessee escort company, McCullough's Missouri Regiment, Edward Crossland's Kentucky Brigade, <span class="mw-redirect">Phillip Dale Roddey</span>'s Alabama Brigade, Frank Armstrong's Mississippi Brigade, the Pointe Coupee Artillery, General <span class="mw-redirect">Daniel W. Adams</span>' state reserves, and citizens of Selma who volunteered to man the defenses. The total force numbered less than 4,000, barely half of whom were soldiers. Selma's fortifications had been designed to be defended by 20,000 men, and Forrest's outnumbered defenders had to stand 10 to 12 feet apart to cover their sectors.</p> <p>Wilson's force arrived at the Selma fortifications at 2 p.m. He placed Gen. Eli Long's division across the Summerfield Road, with the Chicago Board of Trade Battery in support. Maj. Gen. Emory Upton's division was placed across the Range Line Road with Battery I, 4th U.S. Artillery in support. Wilson had 9,000 well armed and well trained troops available to make the assault.</p> <p>Wilson's plan was for Upton to send in a 300-man detachment after dark to cross the swamp on the Confederate right, enter the works, and begin a flanking movement toward the center moving along the line of fortifications. Then a single gun from Upton's artillery would fire the signal for an attack by the entire Federal Corps.</p> <p>At 5 p.m., however, the ammunition train in Wilson's rear was attacked by advance elements of Forrest's scattered forces who were moving toward Selma. Long and Upton had both positioned significant numbers of the troops in their rear to guard against such an event. However, Long decided on his own to began an assault against the Selma fortifications to neutralize the attack in his rear.</p> <p>Long's men attacked in a single rank in three main lines, dismounted and firing their 7-shot Spencer repeating carbines. They were supported by their own artillery. The Confederates defenders replied with heavy small arms and artillery fire. In one of the many ironies of the Civil War, the Confederate artillery had only solid shot on hand, while just a short distance away was an arsenal which produced tons of canister, a highly effective anti-personnel ammunition.</p> <p>The attackers suffered many casualties, including General Long himself, but the attack continued. Once the Union troops reached the works, vicious hand-to-hand fighting broke out. Many on both sides were struck down with clubbed muskets. Still, Union troops kept pouring into the works. In less than 30 minutes, Long's men had captured the works protecting the Summerfield Road from the hopelessly outnumbered defenders.</p> <p>Meanwhile, General Upton, observing Long's success, ordered his own division forward. Soon, U.S. flags could be seen waving over the works from Range Line Road to Summerfield Road.</p> <p>Once the outer works had fallen, General Wilson himself led the <span class="mw-redirect">4th U.S. Cavalry</span> Regiment in a mounted charge down the Range Line Road toward the unfinished inner line of works. The retreating Confederate forces, having reached the inner works, rallied and poured a devastating fire into the charging Union column. This stopped the charge, and sent General Wilson sprawling to the ground when his favorite horse was wounded. Wilson quickly remounted his injured horse and ordered a dismounted assault by several regiments.</p> <p>Mixed units of Confederate troops at the Selma railroad depot and the adjoining banks of the railroad bed tried to make a stand next to the Plantersville Road (present day Broad Street). Fighting there was heavy, but by 7 p.m. the superior numbers of Union troops had allowed them to flank the Southern positions, causing the defenders to abandon the depot as well as the inner line of works.</p> <p>Union troops rounded up hundreds of prisoners, but hundreds more escaped in the darkness down the Burnsville Road. These included Generals Forrest, Armstrong, and Roddey. To the west, many Confederate soldiers continued to fight the pursuing Union soldiers all the way to the eastern side of Valley Creek. They then escaped in the darkness by swimming the Alabama River near the mouth of Valley Creek (where the present day Battle of Selma Reenactment is held.)</p> <p>Jubilant Union troops looted the city that night, and many businesses and private residences were burned. Wilson's men spent the next week destroying the arsenal and naval foundry. Finally, they left Selma and moved on to Montgomery and fought the <span class="mw-redirect">Battle of Columbus, Georgia</span> on Easter Sunday, and finally marched to Macon, Georgia, when they learned of the war's end. On May 10, they captured Jefferson Davis in Irwinsville, Georgia.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Selma</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>April 2, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Selma, Alabama</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Union victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/US_flag_36_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_36_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">James H. Wilson</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Nathan Bedford Forrest</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">13,500 cavalry</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">5,000 men</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">319</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">2,700</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-73888818572951262252011-08-28T07:26:00.000-07:002011-08-28T07:31:13.319-07:00Battle of Five Forks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygR6eB5MDnlfgopESDBOhrd1CxFIM6mukkC55egAYVNAB9ZJULIqpDlhdw3rZZR_LBSrwO5dwfCu46-JA79W6ORo1k-bI-URRu1_Rp9k3IAm-wJ2oKu_vgCqRbBh_IMTCTS_tWeLoG40/s1600/0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygR6eB5MDnlfgopESDBOhrd1CxFIM6mukkC55egAYVNAB9ZJULIqpDlhdw3rZZR_LBSrwO5dwfCu46-JA79W6ORo1k-bI-URRu1_Rp9k3IAm-wJ2oKu_vgCqRbBh_IMTCTS_tWeLoG40/s320/0.jpg" alt="Battle of Five Forks" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645914284433759442" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of Five Forks</b> was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, in <span class="mw-redirect">Dinwiddie County</span>, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle, sometimes referred to as the "Waterloo of the Confederacy," pitted Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan against Confederate Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Pickett's loss at Five Forks triggered Lee's decision to abandon his entrenchments around Petersburg and begin the retreat that led to his surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9.
<br /><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Battle of Five Forks Background</span></h2> <p>Following the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House on March 31, Pickett learned of reinforcements arriving from the Federal V Corps and wanted to pull back to a position behind Hatcher's Run. However, Lee ordered Pickett to stop short of Hatcher's Run and hold the crossroads of Five Forks with his infantry division and three cavalry divisions. "Five Forks" referred to the intersection of the White Oak Road, Scott's Road, Ford's (or Church) Road, and the Dinwiddie Court House Road. Lee's dispatch stated:</p> <blockquote class="templatequote"> <div>Hold Five Forks at all hazards. Protect road to Ford's Depot and prevent Union forces from striking the Southside Railroad. Regret exceedingly your forces' withdrawal, and your inability to hold the advantage you had gained.</div> </blockquote> <p>Pickett's troops built a log and dirt defensive line about 1.75 miles (2.8 km) long on the White Oak Road, guarding the two flanks with cavalry. Sheridan's plan of attack was to pressure the entire line lightly with his cavalry troopers, pinning it in position, while he massed all of the V Corps, under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, on the Confederate left flank. Faulty maps and intelligence led Sheridan to believe that the enemy's left flank was much farther east than it actually was.</p> <p>Muddy roads and tangled underbrush slowed the Union approach, and Warren was not ready to attack until about 4 p.m. Sheridan blamed Warren's personal leadership for the delay. (Sheridan had a poor opinion of Warren from earlier in the campaign and had received confidential permission from Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to relieve Warren if he saw fit.) But Sheridan's own cavalry had similar problems and ended up with little action in the battle.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <p>Sheridan's attack planned for Warren to advance in a two-division front with the third division following in reserve. The right front division, under Maj. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford, was to strike at an angle near the end of the enemy's works, and the left front, under Maj. Gen. Romeyn B. Ayres, was to strike the line head-on. But because of the faulty intelligence, the real flank was well to the west of where Sheridan thought, so Crawford's division missed the line completely as it moved forward, and Ayres's men were subjected to enfilade fire from the left as they brushed past it.</p> <p>The two Union divisions floundered in confusion as they frantically attempted to reorient themselves through the heavy thickets of underbrush. The reserve division, under Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Charles Griffin</span>, halted rather than add to the confusion. Warren, who chose to remain in a central location, sent all of his aides galloping off with messages to reorient the attack, but they were ineffective, so he rode out to take personal command. Meanwhile, Sheridan, riding with Ayres's vanguard, personally led the charge that breached the left flank of Pickett's line, an exploit that has been depicted heroically in paintings and lithographs of the era.</p> <p>As the Confederates attempted to organize a new defensive line, Griffin's division moved in on Ayres's right and attacked. Then Warren ordered Crawford's division to join the fight from the north. Sheridan's cavalry swept around Pickett's right flank but was unable to prevent several Confederates from escaping. However, it was a decisive Union victory, in which nearly a third of Pickett's 9,200 men were casualties.</p><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);" class=" down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link"></span></span><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Battle of Five Forks</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath"> Aftermath</span> </h2><p>Pickett's unfortunate military career suffered another humiliation—he was two miles (3 km) away from his troops at the time of the attack, enjoying a shad bake north of Hatcher's Run with Maj. Gens. Fitzhugh Lee and Thomas L. Rosser. He had neglected to inform his men of the generals' absence, leaving them leaderless. Atmospheric conditions muffled the sounds of battle sufficiently that Pickett was unaware of the fighting. By the time he returned to the battlefield, it was too late.</p> <p>The loss of Five Forks threatened Lee's best escape route, the South Side Railroad. The next morning, Lee informed Confederate President Jefferson Davis that Petersburg and Richmond must be evacuated, and Grant launched an all-out assault (the <span class="mw-redirect">Third Battle of Petersburg</span>) on the thinly manned Confederate entrenchments.</p> <p>Union Brig. Gen. <span class="new">Frederick Winthrop</span> was killed at Five Forks, and Col. <span class="mw-redirect">Willie Pegram</span>, a highly regarded Confederate artillery officer, was mortally wounded. Sheridan was dissatisfied with the performance of the V Corps in the approach to Five Forks, and he relieved Warren of his command.</p> <p>The battlefield is preserved as a unit of Petersburg National Battlefield.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Five Forks</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td><span class="mw-formatted-date" title="1865-04-01">April 1, 1865</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location"><span class="mw-redirect">Dinwiddie County</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> victory<sup id="cite_ref-NPS_0-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/US_flag_36_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_36_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Philip H. Sheridan</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">George E. Pickett</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Units involved</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">V Corps</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">
<br /></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">1 infantry division
<br />3 cavalry divisions</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">5,000</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">830<sup id="cite_ref-NPS_0-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">2,950</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-56004753164269029672011-08-26T08:13:00.000-07:002011-08-26T08:14:24.468-07:00Battle of Dinwiddie Court House<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of Dinwiddie Court House</b> was a minor engagement in the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War that was the immediate prelude to the decisive Battle of Five Forks. On March 29, 1865, with the Cavalry Corps and the <span class="mw-redirect">II</span> and <span class="mw-redirect">V Corps</span> of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan undertook a flank march to turn Gen. Robert E. Lee's Petersburg defenses. A steady downpour turned the roads to mud, slowing the advance. On March 31, Maj. Gen. W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee's cavalry and Maj. Gen. George Pickett's infantry division met the Union vanguard north and northwest of Dinwiddie Court House and drove it back, collapsing the Union lines into a tight perimeter around the village, and temporarily stalling Sheridan's movement. With Union infantry approaching from the east, Pickett withdrew before daybreak to entrench at the vital road junction at Five Forks. Lee ordered Pickett to hold this intersection at all hazard.
<br />
<br /><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Dinwiddie Court House</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>March 31, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Dinwiddie County, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Confederate victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Philip H. Sheridan</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">George E. Pickett
<br />Fitzhugh Lee</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">45,247<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">20,030</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">354<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">760</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-82175096224298714942011-08-26T08:10:00.000-07:002011-08-26T08:12:45.602-07:00Battle of White Oak Road<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of White Oak Road</b>, or <b>The Battle of Hatcher’s Run, Gravelly Run, Boydton Plank Road, White Oak Ridge</b><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><span></span></sup> was fought on March 31, 1865, during the American Civil War. It set the stage for the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Five Forks the following day.</p> On March 30, 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee shifted reinforcements to meet the Federal movement to turn his right flank, placing Maj. Gen. W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee's cavalry divisions at Five Forks and transferring Maj. Gen. George Pickett's division from the Bermuda Hundred front to the extreme right. Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren pushed the <span class="mw-redirect">V Corps</span> forward and entrenched a line to cover the Boydton Plank Road from its intersection with Dabney Mill Road south to Gravelly Run. Maj. Gen. Romeyn B. Ayres division advanced northwest toward White Oak Road. On March 31, in combination with Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's thrust via Dinwiddie Court House, Warren directed his corps against the Confederate entrenchments along White Oak Road, hoping to cut Lee's communications with Pickett at Five Forks. The Union advance was stalled by a crushing counterattack directed by Maj. Gen. Bushrod Johnson, but Warren's position stabilized and his soldiers closed on the road by day's end. This battle set the stage for the Confederate defeat at Five Forks on April 1.
<br />
<br /><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of White Oak Road</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>March 31, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Dinwiddie County, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Gouverneur K. Warren<sup id="cite_ref-CivilWarTrust_0-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Robert E. Lee<sup id="cite_ref-CivilWarTrust_0-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup>
<br />Richard H. Anderson<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><span></span></sup></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="mw-redirect">V Corps</span></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Anderson's Corps</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">1,870<sup id="cite_ref-CivilWarTrust_0-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">800<sup id="cite_ref-CivilWarTrust_0-3" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_White_Oak_Road#cite_note-CivilWarTrust-0"><span></span></a></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-16291975228636458782011-08-25T06:30:00.000-07:002011-08-25T06:31:54.606-07:00Battle of Lewis's Farm<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of Lewis's Farm</b> or <b>Quaker Road</b>, <b>Military Road</b>, or <b>Gravelly Road</b> was fought on March 29, 1865, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It was the opening of the Appomattox Campaign, in which Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army was dislodged from their besieged lines around Petersburg, Virginia, and began a retreat that would lead them to surrender at Appomattox Court House.
<br /><p>On March 29, 1865, in the opening moves of <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Gen.</span> Ulysses S. Grant's spring offensive, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan marched with the army's cavalry followed by the <span class="mw-redirect">V Corps</span> toward Dinwiddie Court House, to turn the right flank of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Petersburg defenses. The Union V Corps under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren crossed Rowanty Creek, moved up Quaker Road towards the Boydton Plank Road intersection, and encountered Maj. Gen. Bushrod Johnson's Confederate brigades. A sharp firefight forced the Confederates back to their entrenchments on the White Oak Road.</p> <p>The brigade of Brig. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain was conspicuous in the engagement, leading the main advance. Lt. Gen. Richard H. Anderson ordered two brigades that had dug in to move forward to intercept Chamberlain, who, although wounded, rallied his troops with the help of a four-gun battery. Reinforced, Chamberlain counterattacked and captured the enemy's earthworks.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Lewis's Farm</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>March 29, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Dinwiddie County, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Gouverneur K. Warren
<br />Joshua Chamberlain</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Bushrod Johnson</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">381<sup id="cite_ref-casualties_0-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">371<sup id="cite_ref-casualties_0-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-71006672067799046462011-08-25T06:14:00.000-07:002011-08-25T06:30:35.088-07:00Battle of Fort Stedman<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of Fort Stedman</b> was fought on March 25, 1865, during the final days of the American Civil War. The Union Army fortification in the siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia, was attacked in a pre-dawn Confederate assault by troops led by <span class="mw-redirect">Maj. Gen.</span> <span class="mw-redirect">John B. Gordon</span>. The attack was the last serious attempt by Confederate troops to break the Siege of Petersburg. After an initial success, Gordon's men were driven back by Union troops of the IX Corps commanded by Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John G. Parke</span>.
<br /><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Battle of Fort Stedman Background</span></h2> <p>In March 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee continued defending his positions around Petersburg, but his Army was weakened by desertion, disease, and shortage of supplies and he was outnumbered by his Union counterpart, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, by about 125,000 to 50,000. After the defeat of his subordinate, Lt. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Jubal A. Early</span>, at the Battle of Waynesboro in the Shenandoah Valley, Lee realized that an additional 50,000 men under Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Philip H. Sheridan</span> would probably join Grant's army at Petersburg. Furthermore, Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">William T. Sherman</span> was marching north through the Carolinas to join Grant as well. Lee had to avoid being outnumbered almost 4 to 1 by these arriving forces and he asked Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John B. Gordon</span> for advice. Gordon replied that he had three recommendations, in decreasing order of preference: first, offer peace terms to the enemy; second, retreat from Richmond and Petersburg, link up with the Confederate army in North Carolina under General Joseph E. Johnston, jointly defeat Sherman, and then go after Grant; third, fight without delay. An argument ensued, with Lee rejecting the political implications of the first choice and indicating the difficulty of the second, but Gordon left the meeting with the impression that Lee was considering those options. On March 6, however, Gordon was summoned back to headquarters and Lee told him that "there seemed to be but one thing that we could do—fight. To stand still was death. It could only be death if we fought and failed."<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Gordon later wrote in his memoirs that he "labored day and night at this exceedingly grave and discouraging problem, on the proper solution of which depended the commander's decision as to when and where he would deliver his last blow for the life of the Confederacy." He worked on his plans until March 23 and decided to recommend a surprise attack on the Union lines that would force Grant to contract his lines and disrupt his plans to assault the Confederate works (which, unbeknownst to Lee and Gordon, Grant had already ordered for March 29).</p> <p>Gordon planned a pre-dawn assault from the Confederate stronghold known as Colquitt's Salient against Fort Stedman, one of the fortifications in Union lines that encircled Petersburg, named for Griffin A. Stedman, a Union colonel from Connecticut who had been killed in the vicinity in August 1864. It was one of the closest spots to the Confederate works, there were fewer wooden <i><span class="mw-redirect">chevaux de frise</span></i> obstructions protecting it, and a supply depot on the U.S. Military Railroad was less than a mile behind the fort. Directly after capturing Fort Stedman and its artillery, Confederate soldiers would move north and south along the Union lines to clear the neighboring fortifications and make way for the main attack, which would lead to the main Union supply base of City Point (also Grant's headquarters), ten miles (16 km) northeast on the Appomattox River.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>The assault force was three divisions of Gordon's Second Corps (under Brig. Gen. Clement A. Evans, Maj. Gen. Bryan Grimes, and Brig. Gen. James A. Walker), two brigades from the Fourth Corps division of Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Bushrod R. Johnson</span> (under Brig. Gens. Matt W. Ransom and <span class="new">William H. Wallace</span>) in close support, and two brigades from Maj. Gen. Cadmus M. Wilcox's Third Corps division in reserve. Lee had also ordered the division of Maj. Gen. George Pickett of the First Corps to move from its position north of the James River in time to join the action. This represented almost half of Lee's infantry of the Army of Northern Virginia: 11,500 men from Gordon's corps and Bushrod Johnson's division, 1,700 of Wilcox's men nearby, and 6,500 from Pickett moving up. Maj. Gen. W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee's cavalry division was designated to exploit the expected infantry breakthrough. Opposing them were the Union IX Corps commanded by Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John G. Parke</span>, defending the first 7 miles (11 km) south from the Appomattox River, and manning in Gordon's front (from north to south) artillery Batteries IX and X, Fort Stedman, and Batteries XI and XII. Parke's 3rd Division, under Brig. Gen. John F. Hartranft, was in reserve behind the lines. While Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">George G. Meade</span> was away at City Point with Grant, Parke was the acting commander of the Army of the Potomac, although he would not realize that until after Gordon's attack started.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Confederate_attack">Confederate attack</span></h3> <p>Gordon's attack started at 4:15 a.m. Lead parties of sharpshooters and engineers masquerading as deserting soldiers headed out to overwhelm Union pickets and to remove obstructions that would delay the infantry advance. They were followed by three groups of 100 men assigned to storm the Union works and stream back into the Union rear area. These men relied on surprise and speed—they carried unloaded muskets so that no one could accidentally fire and alert the enemy. The main thrust was between Batteries XI and X, with one group moving north for Battery XI and the other two for X and Stedman. The movement achieved complete surprise.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Brevet Brig. Gen. <span class="new">Napoleon B. McLaughlen</span>, the officer responsible for the Fort Stedman sector, heard the sounds of the attack, dressed quickly in the predawn darkness, and rode to Fort Haskell, just to the south of Battery XII, which he found to be ready to defend itself. As he moved north, McLaughlen ordered Battery XII to open fire on Battery XI and ordered a reserve infantry regiment, the 59th Massachusetts, to counterattack, which they did with fixed bayonets, briefly re-capturing Battery XI. Assuming that he had sealed the only breach in the line, McLaughlen rode into Fort Stedman. He recalled, "I crossed the parapet and meeting some men coming over the curtains, whom in the darkness I supposed to be part of the picket, I established them inside the work, giving directions with regard to position and firing, all of which were instantly obeyed." He suddenly realized that the men he was ordering were Confederates and they realized he was a Union general, capturing him. He was taken back across no man's land and surrendered his sword personally to Gordon.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Gordon soon arrived at Fort Stedman and found his attack had so far exceeded his "most sanguine expectations." Within minutes, Batteries X, XI, and XII and Fort Stedman had been seized, opening a gap nearly 1,000 feet (300 m) long in the Union line. Confederate artillerists under Lt. Col. Robert M. Stribling used the captured guns in Stedman and Battery X to open up enfilading fire on the entrenchments to the north and south. The attack began having difficulty at Battery IX to the north, where the Union troops formed a battle line and the Confederates were too confused by the maze of trenches to attack it effectively. Gordon turned his attention to the southern flank of his attack and Fort Haskell, against which he launched his division under Clement Evans. The defenders successfully employed canister rounds from three cannons, halting the assault. The Confederate artillery from Colquitt's Salient began bombarding Fort Haskell and the Federal field artillery returned fire, along with the massive siege guns in the rear. When the Union flag was knocked down, the Union gunners assumed that it had fallen to the Confederates and opened fire on their own men. Volunteers were found to raise the flag again and four of them were killed before the Federal artillery ceased fire.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Gordon sent a message back to Lee that the attack was going well, but he was unaware of the trouble developing. His three 100-man detachments were wandering around the rear area in confusion and many had stopped to satisfy their hunger with captured Federal rations. The cavalry had not found an avenue through which to advance into the rear. Pickett's Division had such difficulty with rail transportation that only three of its four brigades departed on schedule, and they did not arrive until midday, too late to take part in the battle. And the main Union defense force was beginning to mobilize. Parke acted decisively, ordering Hartranft's reserve division to close the gap while his reserve artillery under Col. John C. Tidball took up positions on a ridge east of Fort Stedman and began shelling the Confederates.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h3><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Union_counterattack">Union counterattack</span></h3> <p>Hartranft, in the words of historian <span class="new">Noah Andre Trudeau</span>, "was a man possessed. From the instant he received word that Fort Stedman had fallen, Hartranft worked furiously to limit the Confederate penetration and, once that objective has been achieved, to eliminate the pocket." Finding that Maj. Gen. Orlando B. Willcox, Parke's 1st Division commander and a more senior officer, was preparing his headquarters to withdraw, Hartranft was able to convince Willcox to yield tactical command and he organized defensive forces that completely ringed the Confederate penetration by 7:30 a.m., stopping it just short of the military railroad depot, Meade Station. The Union artillery, aware that Confederates occupied the batteries and Fort Stedman, launched punishing fire against them.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Gordon, who was in Fort Stedman, realized his plan had failed when his lead men started returning and reported remarkable Union resistance. With permission from Lee, who had arrived to watch the battle, Gordon scrambled to get his forces back to safety. By 7:45 a.m., 4,000 Union troops under Hartranft were positioned in a semicircle of a mile and a half, ready to counterattack. A messenger arrived with word from Parke to delay the attack while reinforcements came up from the VI Corps, but Hartranft ordered his line to charge, writing afterward that "I saw that the enemy had already commenced to waver, and that success was certain. I, therefore, allowed the line to charge; besides this, it was doubtful whether I could have communicated with the regiments on the flanks in time to countermand the movement." The retreating Confederates came under Union crossfire, suffering heavy casualties. Their attack had failed. Fort Stedman was recaptured by a squad from the 208th Pennsylvania.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection">Battle of Fort Stedman </span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Aftermath</span></h2> <p>A distinguished visitor came close to witnessing the action on March 25. President Abraham Lincoln was conferring with General Grant and a division-size review parade was scheduled nearby for that morning. Because of the Confederate attack, the review was postponed until that afternoon. A Confederate prisoner was amazed to see the general and president so soon after what he considered a massive attack, riding "by us seemingly not the least concerned and as if nothing had happened." He and his fellow prisoners took note of this self-confidence and "with one accord agreed that our cause was lost." Lincoln had telegraphed to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton that morning, "Arrived here all safe about 9 P.M. yesterday. No war news ... Robert [Lincoln's son, serving as an aide to Grant] just now tells me there was a little rumpus up the line this morning, ending about where it began."<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>The attack on Fort Stedman turned out to be a four-hour action with no impact on the Union lines. The Confederate Army was forced to set back its own lines, as the Union attacked further down the front line. To give Gordon's attack enough strength to be successful, Lee had weakened his own right flank. The II Corps and VI Corps seized much of the entrenched Confederate picket line southwest of Petersburg, but found the main line still well manned. This Union advance prepared the ground for Grant's breakthrough attack in the Third Battle of Petersburg on April 2, 1865.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>Union casualties in the Battle of Fort Stedman were 1,044 (72 killed, 450 wounded, 522 missing or captured), Confederate casualties a considerably heavier 4,000 (600 killed, 2,400 wounded, 1,000 missing or captured).<sup id="cite_ref-casualties_0-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> But more seriously, the Confederate positions were weakened. After the battle, Lee's defeat was only a matter of time. His final opportunity to break the Union lines and regain the momentum was gone. The Battle of Fort Stedman was the final episode of the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign. Immediately following was the Appomattox Campaign, including the Battle of Five Forks, the fall of Richmond and Petersburg, and the final surrender of Lee's army on April 9, 1865.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Steadman#cite_note-12"><span></span></a></sup></p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Fort Stedman</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>March 25, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Petersburg, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">John G. Parke</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">John B. Gordon</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">1,044 (72 killed, 450 wounded, 522 missing/captured).<sup id="cite_ref-casualties_0-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">4,000 (600 killed, 2,400 wounded, 1,000 missing/captured)<sup id="cite_ref-casualties_0-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-54008069203842664382011-08-24T06:33:00.000-07:002011-08-24T06:43:07.156-07:00Battle of Bentonville<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Bentonville</b> was fought March 19–21, 1865, in Bentonville, North Carolina, near the current town of Four Oaks, as part of the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the last major battle to occur between the armies of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and <span class="mw-redirect">Gen.</span> Joseph E. Johnston.</p> On the first day of the battle, the Confederate army attacked one Union wing and was able to rout two divisions, but was unable to drive the rest of the wing off the field. The next day, the other Federal wing arrived and for the next two days, the armies skirmished with each other before Johnston retreated.<sup id="cite_ref-Barrett.2C_p._411_2-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> In light of overwhelming enemy strength and the relatively heavy casualties his army suffered in the battle, Johnston surrendered to Sherman little more than a month later at Bennett Place, near Durham Station. Coupled with Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender earlier in April, Johnston's surrender represented the effective end of the war.
<br /><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Battle of Bentonville Background</span></h2> <p>Following his March to the Sea, Major General William T. Sherman, commanding the Military Division of the Mississippi, turned his army northward through the Carolinas. The Union general in chief, Lieutenant General U. S. Grant, had planned to bring Sherman's troops north to Virginia in order to help with the defeat of the Army of Northern Virginia but Sherman successfully argued that it would take too long to transport his troops and that he could cut Confederate supply lines to Petersburg and damage Confederate morale by marching through North and South Carolina. During the late winter and early spring of 1865, Sherman's Union army cut a swath of destruction through South Carolina.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> On March 8, Union soldiers crossed into North Carolina as a collection of Confederate units attempted to concentrate and block their path. Sherman divided his command into two parts, a Left Wing (the Army of Georgia) commanded by Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Henry W. Slocum</span> and a Right Wing (the Army of the Tennessee) commanded by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard. The two wings marched separately toward Goldsboro beginning on March 13, with no one in the Union command expecting major resistance from Johnston.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>On February 23, Confederate general-in-chief Robert E. Lee ordered Johnston to take command of the Army of Tennessee and other Confederate units in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, and to "concentrate all available forces and drive back Sherman."<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Johnston managed to concentrate in North Carolina the Army of Tennessee commanded by <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Gen.</span> Alexander P. Stewart, Maj. Gen. Robert Hoke's division from the Army of Northern Virginia,<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><span></span></sup> troops from the <span class="new">Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida</span> commanded by Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee, and cavalry under the command of Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton,<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><span></span></sup> calling the united force the <span class="new">Army of the South</span>.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Confederate maps erroneously showed that the two Union wings were twelve miles (19 km) apart, which meant each would take a day to reach the other.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Johnston planned to concentrate his entire army on Slocum's wing to defeat it and to destroy its trains before it reunited with the rest of the Union column.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><span></span></sup> The Confederate attack commenced on March 19, as Slocum's men marched on the Goldsboro Road, one mile (1.6 km) south of Bentonville.<sup id="cite_ref-Barrett.2C_p._408_11-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <p>Slocum was convinced he faced only enemy cavalry and artillery, not an entire army. In addition, Sherman did not believe that Johnston would fight with the Neuse River to his rear. Therefore, Slocum initially notified Sherman that he was facing only cursory resistance near Bentonville and did not require aid.<sup id="cite_ref-Barrett.2C_p._408_11-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Believing he faced only cavalry, Slocum attempted to brush aside the Confederates by attacking with the 1st Division of Brig. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">William P. Carlin</span> with support from the 3rd Division of Brig. Gen. Absalom Baird, both from the XIV Corps but this attack was driven back. Slocum then deployed his divisions in a defensive line, with Brig. Gen. James D. Morgan's 2nd Division on the right and a XX Corps division in support, in order to delay the Confederates long enough to allow the rest of his wing to arrive.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> None of the divisions, except for Morgan's, constructed strong <span class="mw-redirect">breastworks</span>, which were further compromised by a gap in the center of the Union line.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <div class="quotebox" style="float: right; clear: right; margin: 0.5em 0 0.8em 1.4em; width: 30%; padding: 6px; border: 1px solid #aaa; font-size: 88%; background-color: #F9F9F9;"> <div style="position: relative; text-align: left;"> <div> <p>... It looked like a picture and at our distance was truly beautiful ... But it was a painful sight to see how close their battle flags were together, regiments being scarcely larger than companies and a division not much larger than a regiment should be.</p> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;">Col. Charles W. Broadfoot, 1st North Carolina Junior Reserves, describing the attack by the Army of Tennessee<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></div> </div> <p>At 3 p.m., Confederate infantry from the Army of Tennessee launched an attack and drove the Union left flank back in confusion, nearly capturing Carlin in the process and overrunning the XIV Corps field hospital.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><span></span></sup> Confederates under Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill filled the vacuum left by the retreating Federals and began enfilading the Union troops remaining along the front. Morgan's division was nearly surrounded and was being attacked from three sides, but the Confederate attacks were uncoordinated and therefore unsuccessful in driving them from the position.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Other units under the command of Hardee attacked the Union positions near the Harper house but were repulsed after multiple assaults. After a heated engagement, Union reinforcements arrived and checked Hill's assault. Fighting continued after nightfall as the Confederates tried without success to drive back the Union line. About midnight, the Confederates withdrew to their original positions and started entrenching.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><span></span></sup></p> <p>Slocum had called for aid from Sherman during the afternoon attacks, and Howard's wing arrived on the field late on the afternoon of March 20, deploying on Slocum's right flank and extending the Union line towards Mill Creek. Johnston responded to Howard's arrival by pulling back Hoke's division so it ran at a right angle to Stewart's left flank, and deploying one of Hardee's divisions on Hoke's left. Confederate cavalry protected the Confederate flank to Mill Creek in a weak skirmish line.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Only light skirmishing occurred on this day. Johnston remained on the field, claiming that he stayed to remove his wounded, but perhaps also in hope of enticing Sherman to attack again, as had happened at Kennesaw Mountain.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>On March 21, Union Maj. Gen. Joseph A. Mower, commanding the division on the Union right flank, requested permission from his corps commander to launch a "little reconnaissance" to his front, which was granted.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Mower instead launched an attack with two brigades on the Confederate left flank, which was defending Mill Creek Bridge. Mower's men managed to come within one mile (1.6 km) of the crossing before Sherman peremptorily ordered them to pull back. In his memoirs, Sherman admitted that this was a mistake and that he missed an opportunity to end the campaign then and there, perhaps capturing Johnston's army entirely. Among the Confederate casualties was Hardee's 16-year-old son, Willie. Hardee had reluctantly allowed his son to attach himself to the 8th Texas Cavalry just hours before Mower's attack.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Battle of Bentonville Aftermath</span></h2> <p>During the night of March 21 until the following dawn, Johnston withdrew his army across Mill Creek and burned the bridge behind him, leaving behind a cavalry detachment as a rearguard. The Union army failed to detect the Confederate retreat until it was over.<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Sherman took little notice and did not pursue the Confederates, but continued his march to Goldsboro, where he joined the Union forces under Terry and Schofield.<sup id="cite_ref-Bradley407_23-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The Confederate army had failed in its last chance to achieve a decisive victory over the Union army in North Carolina.<sup id="cite_ref-Barrett.2C_p._411_2-2" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <div class="quotebox" style="float: right; clear: right; margin: 0.5em 0 0.8em 1.4em; width: 30%; padding: 6px; border: 1px solid #aaa; font-size: 88%; background-color: #F9F9F9;"> <div style="position: relative; text-align: left;"> <div> <p>I can do no more than annoy him. I respectfully suggest that it is no longer a question whether you leave present position; you have only to decide where to meet Sherman. I will be near him.</p> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: left;">Joseph Johnston to Robert E. Lee<sup id="cite_ref-Bradley407_23-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span><span></span></sup></div> </div> <p>Sherman was criticized after the war for not attacking and capturing most, if not all, of Johnston's army when he had the chance. According to his critics, this might have shortened the war by several weeks.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> Others (such as Nathaniel C. Hughes, Jr.) suggest that he knew that the war was rapidly drawing to a close, and that any further bloodshed at that point was pointless. Once he joined with the Union forces at Goldsboro, he would vastly outnumber Johnston and would be able to "lever Johnston easily from any position he chose. North Carolina, indeed Virginia, would be his."<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battlefield_today">Battlefield today</span></h2> <p>The site of the battle is preserved as the Bentonville Battleground State Historic Site, which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996. The park, founded in 1965, includes 130 acres (0.53 km<sup>2</sup>) of the battlefield and runs a visitor's center adjacent to the restored Harper House, which served as a hospital for Union soldiers during the battle.<sup id="cite_ref-Barrett.2C_p._411_2-3" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup> The <span class="new">Bentonville Battlefield Historical Association</span> and the <span class="mw-redirect">Civil War Preservation Trust</span> also own portions of the battlefield not included in the state park, including 909 acres (3.68 km<sup>2</sup>) by the CWPT alone.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Bentonville</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>March 19–21, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Bentonville, North Carolina</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /> </span>United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /> </span>CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">William T. Sherman
<br />Henry W. Slocum</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Joseph E. Johnston
<br />P.G.T. Beauregard
<br />Braxton Bragg
<br />William J. Hardee
<br />D.H. Hill</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">60,000<sup id="cite_ref-Barrett.2C_p._409_0-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">21,000<sup id="cite_ref-Barrett.2C_p._409_0-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">1,527 (194 killed, 1,112 wounded, 221 missing/captured)<sup id="cite_ref-Bradley.2C_p._404_1-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">2,606 (239 killed, 1,694 wounded, 673 missing/captured)<sup id="cite_ref-Bradley.2C_p._404_1-1" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-208250165433549092011-08-24T06:32:00.000-07:002011-08-24T06:33:17.025-07:00Battle of Averasborough<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>The <b>Battle of Averasborough</b> or The Battle of Averasboro, fought March 16, 1865, in Harnett and Cumberland counties, North Carolina, as part of the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War, was a prelude to the climactic Battle of Bentonville, which began three days later.</p> <p>Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman was moving his army north towards Goldsboro in two columns. The right column (Army of the Tennessee) was under the command of Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard and the left column (Army of Georgia) was under Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum.</p> <p>Confederate <span class="mw-redirect">Gen.</span> Joseph E. Johnston sent <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Gen.</span> William J. Hardee's corps to attack Slocum's left wing while it was separated from the rest of Sherman's forces. Slocum's troops crossed the Cape Fear River near Averasborough, where they encountered Hardee's corps. On the morning of the March 16, troops of the Union <span class="mw-redirect">XX Corps</span> under Maj. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams were driven back by a Confederate assault. When reinforcements arrived, the Union forces counterattacked and drove back two lines of Confederates, but were repulsed by a third line. By this time, units from Maj. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis's <span class="mw-redirect">XIV Corps</span> began to arrive on the field. Outnumbered and in danger of being flanked, Hardee's troops withdrew.</p> <p>The Confederates had not held up the Union Army as long as they had hoped. Each side suffered just under 700 casualties; however, these were losses the Federals could afford while the Confederates could not.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Averasborough</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td><span class="mw-formatted-date" title="1865-03-16">March 16, 1865</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Harnett and Cumberland counties, North Carolina</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Inconclusive</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /> </span>United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /> </span>CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Henry Warner Slocum</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">William J. Hardee</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Units involved</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Army of Georgia</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Hardee's Corps</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">682</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">865</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-74022984143240552312011-08-24T06:30:00.000-07:002011-08-24T06:32:06.936-07:00Battle of Wyse Fork<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of Wyse Fork</b> was a battle fought in the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War, resulting in a Union Army victory.
<br /><h2><span class="editsection">Battle of Wyse Fork</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Background</span></h2> <p>At the end of February 1865 the port city of Wilmington had fallen to Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">John M. Schofield</span>. Schofield was then to move his forces inland from the coast and join with Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">William T. Sherman</span>'s forces at Goldsboro, North Carolina, where three Union armies would move against a Confederate army being gathered under Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston. Schofield, with the units from Alfred Terry's Expeditionary Corps, moved north from Wilmington, while Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Jacob D. Cox</span> took his <span class="mw-redirect">XXIII Corps</span> division and sailed up the coast and landed at New Bern, North Carolina.</p> <p>At New Bern, the Union forces were increased to three divisions and formed into a Provisional Corps with Cox in command. Moving towards Goldsboro, the Union forces repaired the railroad which was to function as a supply route for Sherman's Army Group. Johnston's army was too far away to move against Schofield's divided forces, but General Braxton Bragg's forces, falling back from Wilmington, were within striking distance. Bragg moved against Cox near Kinston.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <p>On March 7, Federal advance units encountered Bragg's entrenched forces along Southwest Creek east of Kinston. Bragg's position not only blocked Cox's path but threatened a vital cross road and the New Bern-Goldsboro Railroad. Cox saw the importance of this position and moved forward the divisions of Brig. Gen. Innis N. Palmer to protect the railroad and Maj. Gen. Samuel P. Carter to protect the roads. Bragg's forces were also reinforced by veterans from the <span class="mw-redirect">Army of Tennessee</span> and the North Carolina Junior Reserves, all under the command of General D.H. Hill. Reinforced, Bragg went on the offensive and sent a division under North Carolina native Robert Hoke into the Union left flank. Hoke's attack hit a New England brigade in Carter's division, capturing an entire regiment. Hill joined the advance with the Junior Reserves but they panicked and refused to go any further. Hill left them behind and moved on with his veterans, hitting the Union brigade and defeating it. Disaster threatened the Union flank when Bragg stopped Hill's advance and sent him far to the north to counterattack a Union threat. When Hill arrived he found no Federals in sight. At this time Cox, who had been away from the front lines, returned and moved up his reserve division under Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Ruger to plug the gap between Palmer and Carter.</p> <p>Skirmishing continued for the next few days until Hoke tried again to turn the Federal left flank on March 10. The Federal position had been strongly fortified by artillery and repulsed Hoke's attack within an hour. Hill then moved against the Union center but again Federal artillery proved decisive and the attackers were repulsed. The remaining elements from the Federal XXIII Corps, which had just arrived in New Bern from Tennessee, were moving on Kinston. Facing five Union divisions, Bragg withdrew.</p> <h2><span class="editsection">Battle of Wyse Fork </span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Aftermath</span></h2> <p>Bragg had only momentarily been able to check Cox's advance. Schofield's forces reached two full corps and were organized into the Army of the Ohio. Sherman's armies, which had just defeated Johnston's army at Bentonville, joined with Schofield at Goldsboro on March 23. Facing three Union armies, Johnston retreated to the north and on April 26 Johnston surrendered to Sherman.</p> <table class="infobox vevent" style="float: right; clear: right; width: 315px; border-spacing: 2px; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"><tbody><tr> <th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Wyse Fork</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>March 7 – March 10, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Kinston, North Carolina</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td><span class="mw-redirect">Union</span> victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="mw-redirect">Jacob D. Cox</span></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Braxton Bragg</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">12,000</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">8,500</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">1,101</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">1,500</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-35048947386530126932011-08-23T07:07:00.000-07:002011-08-23T07:10:09.840-07:00Battle of Natural Bridge<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Battle of Natural Bridge</b> was a battle during the American Civil War, fought in what is now Woodville, Florida, near Tallahassee, on March 6, 1865. A small band of Confederate troops and volunteers, mostly composed of teenagers from the nearby Florida Military and Collegiate Institute that would later become Florida State University, and the elderly, protected by breastworks, prevented Union forces (consisting of African-American soldiers of the United States Colored Troops) from crossing the Natural Bridge on the St. Marks River. This action prevented the Union from capturing the Florida capital and made Tallahassee the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi River not to be captured by Union forces during the war.
<br /><p>The Union's Brig. Gen. John Newton had undertaken a joint force expedition to engage and destroy Confederate troops that had attacked at <span class="mw-redirect">Cedar Keys</span>, Florida and <span class="mw-redirect">Fort Myers</span> and were allegedly encamped somewhere around St. Marks. The Union Navy had trouble getting its ships up the St. Marks River. The Army force, however, had advanced and, after finding one bridge destroyed, started before dawn on March 6 to attempt to cross the river at Natural Bridge. The troops initially pushed Rebel forces back, but not away from the bridge.</p> <p>Confederate forces under Brig. Gen. William Miller, protected by breastworks, guarded all of the approaches and the bridge itself. The action at Natural Bridge lasted most of the day, but, unable to take the bridge in three separate charges, the Union troops retreated to the protection of the fleet.</p> To this day the cadets of the Florida State University are 1 of 4 Army ROTC programs to have a battle streamer for their actions in the civil war.
<br /><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Monument">Monument</span></h2> <p>The site of the battle is now <span class="mw-redirect">Natural Bridge Battlefield State Historic Site</span>, a Florida <span class="mw-redirect">State Park</span>, and contains a monument with the inscription:</p> <table style="margin:auto; border-collapse:collapse; border-style:none; background-color:transparent; width:auto;" class="cquote"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color:#B2B7F2;font-size:35px;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;text-align:left;padding:10px 10px;" valign="top" width="20">“</td> <td style="padding:4px 10px;" valign="top">This monument erected under authority of an act of the legislature of Florida of 1921 as a just tribute of the people of Florida to commemorate the victory of the battle of Natural Bridge. March 6, 1865. And to keep in cherished memory those brave men and boys who, in the hour of sudden danger, rushed from home desk and field and from the West Florida Seminary and joining a few disciplined troops by their united valor and patriotism saved their capital from the invaders. Tallahassee being the only capital of the South not captured by the enemy during the War between the States.</td> <td style="color:#B2B7F2;font-size:35px;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-weight:bold;text-align:right;padding:10px 10px;" valign="bottom" width="20">”</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Annual_Memorial_Service_and_Battle_Reenactment">Annual Memorial Service and Battle Reenactment</span></h2> <p>A ceremony honoring the combatants on both sides of the Battle of Natural Bridge, followed by a reenactment of the battle featuring authentically-costumed Confederate and Union military and civilian reenactors, is held at the park the first weekend of March every year. The event is free and open to the public.<sup id="cite_ref-floridastateparks.org_1-0" class="reference"><span></span><span></span></sup></p> <p>The site is now called Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park.<sup id="cite_ref-floridastateparks.org_1-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Natural_Bridge#cite_note-floridastateparks.org-1"><span></span></a></sup></p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Natural Bridge</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>March 6, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Leon County, Florida</span><span class="plainlinks nourlexpansion"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">
<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="coordinates"><span class="plainlinks nourlexpansion"><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span class="external text" style="white-space: nowrap;"><span class="geo-default"><span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"><span class="longitude"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Confederate victory</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/US_flag_35_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_35_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> United States (Union)</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> CSA (Confederacy)</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">John Newton</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Sam Jones
<br />William Miller</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">2nd U.S. Colored Infantry and 99th U.S. Colored Infantry</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">Kilcrease Artillery; Dunham’s Battery; Abell's Battery; 5th Florida Cavalry; 1st Florida Militia; Barwick’s Company Reserves; Hodges Company Reserves; Company A, Milton Light Artillery; Companies A, B, and F, Reserves and reinforcements from Georgia amounting to approx. 1,000 men</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Casualties and losses</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">21 killed 89 wounded 38 captured</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">3 killed 23 wounded</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3213847234442820236.post-31530311599162453362011-08-23T07:04:00.000-07:002011-08-23T07:07:15.606-07:00Battle of Waynesboro<div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>Battle of Waynesboro</b> was fought on March 2, 1865, in Augusta County, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It was the final battle for Confederate <span class="mw-redirect">Lt. Gen.</span> <span class="mw-redirect">Jubal Early</span>, whose force was destroyed.
<br /><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Battle of Waynesboro</span> <span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Background</span></h2> <p>On February 27, 1865, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan rode with two cavalry divisions from Winchester "up" the Shenandoah Valley toward Staunton. He had orders to take his cavalry south to join Maj. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">William T. Sherman</span>'s army in the Carolinas Campaign. After crossing the North Fork of the Shenandoah River on March 28, Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer's division encountered some 300 Confederate cavalrymen under Brig. Gen. <span class="mw-redirect">Thomas Rosser</span> guarding the Middle River near the village of Mount Crawford. Rosser set a long covered bridge on fire, hoping to delay the Federals. Custer ordered two of his regiments to swim across the river and strike Rosser's flank, while additional regiments stormed the bridge. Custer successfully drove off Rosser's meager force, extinguished the fire, and rode on to Staunton, where they were joined by the bulk of Sheridan's force the next day.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Battle">Battle</span></h2> <p>Desiring to eliminate Early's small force as a threat to his rear and perhaps wanting to remain in Virginia to help finish off Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia near Richmond and Petersburg<sup class="Template-Fact" title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from April 2010" style="white-space:nowrap;"></sup>, Sheridan turned east instead of proceeding to Sherman. Custer's Union division slogged through muddy roads in cold downpour, and on March 2 encountered the last remnant of Early's Army of the Valley at Waynesboro. Aligned in a defensive position along a ridge in front of the South River , Early had placed his artillery (11 to 14 guns) in a good position to contest any Federal advance. However, he left his left flank exposed, supposing (incorrectly) that a dense woods would impede any Union thrust in that direction. After a brief stand-off, a determined Federal attack rolled up Early's left flank and scattered his small force.</p> <h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath">Battle of Waynesboro Aftermath</span></h2> <p>More than 1,500 Confederates surrendered, while Early and a few of his staff evaded capture. Sheridan crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains to Charlottesville and then raided south, destroying the <span class="mw-redirect">James River Canal</span> locks near Goochland Court House. He joined forces with the Army of the Potomac near Petersburg on March 26 for the opening of the Appomattox Campaign.</p><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Battle of Waynesboro</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Part of the American Civil War</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table style="width:100%; margin:0; padding:0; border:0"> <tbody><tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th> <td>March 2, 1865</td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th> <td><span class="location">Augusta County, Virginia</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th> <td>Union victory, destruction of CSA General <span class="mw-redirect">Jubal Early's</span> forces.</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Belligerents</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="United States" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/US_flag_36_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_36_stars.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="12" width="22" /></span> <span class="mw-redirect">United States of America</span></td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="flagicon"><img alt="Confederate States of America" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg/22px-Confederate_National_Flag_since_Mar_4_1865.svg.png" class="thumbborder" height="15" width="22" /></span> Confederate States of America</td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Commanders and leaders</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">Philip Sheridan
<br />George Armstrong Custer</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em"><span class="mw-redirect">Jubal Early</span></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Strength</th> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:50%; border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">2500</td> <td style="width:50%; padding-left:0.25em">1600</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Peace Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14874022469012069282noreply@blogger.com