Battle Second Battle of Petersburg

1 battle

1.1 june 15
1.2 june 16
1.3 june 17
1.4 june 18

battle
june 15

siege of petersburg, assaults on june 15–18, 1864






national park service marker depicting capture of batteries 5 , 7



national park service marker depicting capture of batteries 8-10

baldy smith , men crossed appomattox shortly after dawn on june 15. force consisted of infantry divisions of brig. gens. william t. h. brooks, john h. martindale, , edward w. hinks, , cavalry division of brig. gen. august kautz. transport vessels delivered these divisions @ random landing sites on opposite shore, confusing smith s plans , wasting time reorganizing. kautz s cavalry division ordered clear line of advance infantry, brooks , martindale march down city point railroad, , hinks s u.s. colored troops approach on jordan point road.

delays in advance continued after landing. cavalry encountered unexpected stronghold @ baylor s farm northeast of petersburg. hinks s men launched 2 attacks on confederates , captured cannon, overall advance delayed until afternoon. smith performed reconnaissance and, despite sense of nervousness strength of enemy position, planned carry defensive works strong skirmish line. delayed again when artillery commander allowed of horses watered simultaneously, making impossible bring guns until 7 p.m.

while smith delaying, kautz reached railroad near redan number 20 on right flank of confederate line around noon. approximately 600 confederates under brig. gen. james dearing bombarded kautz artillery , union cavalrymen got no closer 500 yards (460 m) line. in manner similar july 9 battle, kautz listened evidence smith attacking right and, hearing none, gave , withdrew.

when smith started attack, skirmishers swept on earthworks on 3.5-mile (5.6 km) front, capturing batteries 3 , 5–11, causing confederates retreat weaker defensive line on harrison s creek. despite initial success , prospect of virtually undefended city front, smith decided wait until dawn resume attack. time winfield hancock had arrived @ smith s headquarters. decisive , pugnacious hancock, outranked smith, uncertain of orders , disposition of forces, , uncharacteristically deferred smith s judgment wait. smith s timid service on june 15 turn out last combat command. butler indirectly accused smith of dilatoriness , dispute escalated grant. although grant contemplated replacing butler smith commander of army of james, retained butler , reassigned smith new york await further orders, never issued.

beauregard wrote later petersburg @ hour @ mercy of federal commander, had captured it. used time had been granted advantage. receiving no guidance richmond in response urgent requests, unilaterally decided strip defenses howlett line, bottling butler s army in bermuda hundred, making divisions of maj. gens. robert hoke , bushrod johnson available new petersburg defensive line. butler might have used opportunity move army between petersburg , richmond, have doomed confederate capital, once again failed act.

june 16

by morning of june 16, beauregard had concentrated 14,000 men in defensive line, paled in comparison 50,000 federals faced him. grant had arrived maj. gen. ambrose burnside s ix corps, addressed confusion of hancock s orders, , ordered reconnaissance weak points in defensive line. hancock, in temporary command of army of potomac until maj. gen. george g. meade arrived, prepared smith s xviii corps on right, own ii corps in center, , burnside s ix corps on left.

hancock s assault began around 5:30 p.m. 3 corps moved forward. beauregard s men fought fiercely, erecting new breastworks rear breakthroughs occurred. upon arrival of general meade, second attack ordered , brig. gen. francis c. barlow led division against redans 13, 14, , 15. confederate artillery fire caused significant union casualties, including death of col. patrick kelly, commander of famous irish brigade. although barlow s men managed capture objectives, counterattack drove them back, taking numerous union prisoners. survivors dug in close enemy works.

june 17

june 17 day of uncoordinated union attacks, starting on left flank 2 brigades of burnside s ix corps under brig. gen. robert b. potter stealthily approached confederate line , launched surprise attack @ dawn. successful, captured mile of confederate fortifications , 600 prisoners, effort failed when potter s men moved forward find line of entrenchments. mobility limited because of tangled logs in ravine behind them , confederate guns able strike them enfilade fire.

at 2 p.m., ix corps launched second attack, led brigade of brig. gen. john f. hartranft. somehow sent forward @ right angle confederate line, left them vulnerable enfilading fire. in evening, brig. gen. james h. ledlie s division failed in assault, during ledlie observed drunk (a behavioral pattern repeat notoriously @ battle of crater).

maj. gen. george g. meade, letter wife, june 17

during day, beauregard s engineers had laid out new defensive positions mile west of dimmock line, running along creek named taylor s branch appomattox. late night confederates pulled new position. beauregard expressed frustration lack of support or concern robert e. lee, writing years after war, army of northern virginia yet far distant, , had failed convince distinguished commander of fact fighting grant s whole army less eleven thousand men. lee had systematically ignored of beauregard s pleas , not until own son, cavalry maj. gen. w.h.f. rooney lee, had verified grant s movements across river, acknowledged current perilous situation @ petersburg. dispatched 2 divisions of men, exhausted overland campaign, petersburg, beginning @ 3 a.m. on june 18.

june 18

with arrival of lee s 2 divisions, under maj. gen. joseph b. kershaw , charles w. field, beauregard had on 20,000 men defend city, grant s force had been augmented arrival of maj. gen. gouverneur k. warren s v corps , 67,000 federals present. first union attack began @ dawn, started ii , xviii corps on union right. hancock began suffer effects lingering gettysburg wound , turned on command of ii corps maj. gen. david b. birney. men of ii corps surprised make rapid progress against confederate line, not realizing beauregard had moved night before. when encountered second line, attack ground halt , corps suffered under heavy confederate fire hours.

by noon, ix , v corps, had longer distance march join attack, came alongside ii corps. maj. gen. orlando b. willcox s division of ix corps led renewed attack suffered significant losses in marsh , open fields crossed taylor s branch. willcox s division emerged 1,000 men standing. warren s v corps halted murderous fire rives s salient (also known battery 27, position dimmock line crossed jerusalem plank road, present-day u.s. route 301), attack in colonel joshua lawrence chamberlain, commanding first brigade, first division, v corps, severely wounded. wound believed mortal , chamberlain granted battlefield promotion brigadier general general grant. @ 6:30 p.m., meade ordered final assault, failed more horrendous losses. 1 of leading regiments 1st maine

heavy artillery regiment, 900 men had been converted garrison duty manning artillery infantrymen @ start of overland campaign. regiment lost 632 men in assault, heaviest single-battle loss of regiment during entire war.