Petersburg Campaign: ruins of Richmond General Ledlie was not alone in the bunker he was joined by Brigadier General Edward Ferrero commander of the African American Fourth Division who also did very little while his troops were bravely fighting in the crater. Butler's men returned to their positions in Bermuda Hundred. On the night of April 2, Lee evacuated Petersburg. Encyclopedia Virginia, Virginia Humanities. It would be 291 days before the American flag would fly over Petersburg again. I have always said that I wished the enemy would bring some negroes against this army, he wrote. Pleasants got the go-ahead anyway, and on June 25 his men started digging, using improvised tools. Mrz 1865 stlich, sdlich und westlich von Petersburg, Virginia stattfand. During the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grants Army of the Potomac and Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia collide for the last time as the first wave of Union troops attacks Petersburg, a vital Southern rail center 23 miles south of the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Advancing with their men, Major Generals David Birney and Horatio Wright encountered Confederate troops on June 21. Virginia: Petersburg National Battlefield - U.S. National Park Service Wise in the northeastern sector, between Redan number 1 on the Appomattox River and Redan number 23, protecting the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad to the southeast. General Meade becoming more agitated told Burnside that if the mine had failed he was to order his men to attack anyway. City of Petersburg, VA | Jun 15 - 18, 1864 Ulysses S. Grant 's assault on Robert E. Lee 's armies at Petersburg failed to capture the Confederacy's vital supply center and resulted in the longest siege in American warfare. They were driven back by heavy Confederate fire. Following Gregg's return the following day, Warren pushed up the road and was assaulted near Dabney's Mill. Initially successful, it captured nearly a mile of the Confederate fortifications and about 600 prisoners, but the effort eventually failed when Potter's men moved forward to find another line of entrenchments. In short order, the Confederates surrendered. Every purchase supports the mission. Soldiers in the trenches. One New York soldier tripped over the naked bodies of the South Carolinians originally blown up by the explosion on his way to what appeared to be a large body of Union soldiers lying as though in line of battle waiting for the command to move forward. To his horror, they were all dead. The miners had cut and installed their own lumber to keep it stable and instituted drainage and ventilation systems that worked regardless of what the West Pointtrained engineers had claimed. [3] Grant's opportunity to take Petersburg easily had been lost, but Lee, who arrived at Petersburg around noon on June 18, was unable to prevent the Union army from laying siege to the city. The final surrender at Appomattox Court House was but a week away. The Home Guards retreated to the city with heavy losses, but by this time Beauregard had been able to bring reinforcements from Richmond to bear: the 4th North Carolina Cavalry, part of the 7th Confederate States Cavalry from the Bermuda Hundred line, and an artillery battery. Willcox's division emerged with only 1,000 men standing. Smith's timid service on June 15 would turn out to be his last combat command. To the south, Wright's VI Corps shattered the Boydton Line allowing Major General John Gibbon's XXIV Corps to exploit the breach. General Burnside was the commander of the Ninth Corps in the Army of the Potomac. His objective was the South Side Railroad, the last rail line into Petersburg. Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. For more information please see our, First Division Commanded by Brigadier General James H. Ledlie, Second Divison Commanded by Brigadier General Robert B. Potter, Third Divison commanded by Brigadier General Orlando B. Willcox, Fourth Divison commanded by Brigadier General Edward Ferrero. The Battle of the Crater, part of the Petersburg Campaign, was the result of an unusual attempt, on the part of Union forces, to break through the Confederate defenses just south of the critical railroad hub of Petersburg, Virginia, during the American Civil War (18611865). The next day, more Federal troops arrived, but Beauregard was reinforced by Lee, and the Confederate line remained unbroken during several Union attacks occurring over the next two days. Retreating west, Lee hoped to resupply and join with General Joseph Johnston's forces in North Carolina. [10], When Smith finally started his attack, his skirmishers swept over the earthworks on a 3.5-mile (5.6km) front, capturing Batteries 3 and 511, causing the Confederates to retreat to a weaker defensive line on Harrison's Creek. It is slaughter to leave them here, he said. The rebel held town of Petersburg was on the road to the Confederate capital of Richmond Virginia, it was also a major Confederate railroad depot for supplies that went into the city of Richmond. By this time Winfield Hancock had arrived at Smith's headquarters. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Davis, pp. We invite you to learn more about Indians in Virginia in our Encyclopedia Virginia. Shortly thereafter, Batteries 3 through 8 also fell. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. The column of Gillmore's infantry got lost in the dark. The Battle of the Crater, part of the Petersburg Campaign, was the result of an unusual attempt, on the part of Union forces, to break through the Confederate defenses just south of the critical railroad hub of Petersburg, Virginia, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). In late June Brigadier General Robert B. Potter commander of the Second Division of the Ninth Corps and Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pleasants commander of the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry regiment, which consisted mainly of coal miners from Schuylkill County Pennsylvania presented an innovative idea to the commander of the Ninth Corps Major General Ambrose Burnside. As Union forces were failing in their efforts to seize the Weldon Railroad, a cavalry force led by Brigadier Generals James H. Wilson and August Kautz circled south of Petersburg to strike at the railroads. As Union forces operated against the railroads, efforts of a different sort were underway to break the deadlock in front of Petersburg. Davis, pp. Plagued by disease, desertion, and a chronic lack of supplies, his force had dropped to around 50,000. One of the leading regiments was the 1st Maine Here he would be able to oversee and command the assault. After the explosion, the black soldiers would immediately dash to the Confederate gap that had opened up. On the crest they would form a defensive line and wait for reinforcements. Having already completed the main shaft of a long tunnel to the Confederate lines in front of Petersburg, members of the 48th Pennsylvania dig a T-shaped explosives chamber. On March 31, Sheridan's force encountered Pickett's lines and moved to attack. Moving out on August 18, they reached the railroad at Globe Tavern around 9:00 AM. It caused some confusion and anxiety in the line resulting in a delay in the attack. The assault would have to take place very rapidly, if there was any delay the Confederates would recover from the initial shock of the explosion and be able to rush troops into the breach, reform their line and counterattack. 5253. Members of the 48th Pennsylvania finish digging the main shaft of a long tunnel to the Confederate lines in front of Petersburg. Fighting the Battle of Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Butler faired no better than Lee earlier in the month. Davis, pp. He was safe behind the lines in a bomb proof shelter and did virtually nothing during the attack except send a few orders saying they need to advance and take the crest. Burnside, however, was more magnanimous, describing the Fourth Division as having marched gallantly under the first fire and until their ranks were broken.. Black troops who tried to surrender were not always spared, and those who were captured were sometimes murdered. The battle of the crater took place on July 30th 1864. The Union Army made several assaults against Petersburg but could not break through the heavily entrenched Confederates. If you cannot reach us by phone - please e-mail questions to the address listed. Among the units in the Union trenches was the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry of Major General Ambrose Burnside's IX Corps. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-petersburg-2360923. At around 11:00 am the order to withdraw was received by the men in the crater. At the other end of the line, Hancock moved west with a mixed force in an attempt to cut the Boydton Plank Road. Meanwhile, the Confederates who manned that damned fort were a brigade of South Carolina infantrymen under Stephen Elliott, along with some Virginia artillerymen under Richard Pegram. Their casualty count was 1,327, which included 450 men captured, a number of whom were killed after surrendering. Knowing that the fall of Petersburg would mean the fall of Richmond, Lee raced to reinforce the citys defenses. It was believed that a large explosion would open a breach in the Confederate line. On June 15, the first day of the Battle of Petersburg, some 10,000 Union troops under General William F. Smith moved against the Confederate defenders of Petersburg, made up of only a few thousand armed old men and boys commanded by General P.G.T. General Meade was ordering a night attack against heavily entrenched Confederate lines. The crater area is a stop along the auto tour route and has an interpretive walking trail that runs around the site. For instance, while disaster threatened, Meade and Burnside were trading intemperate telegrams, with Meade implying that Burnside was not telling him the truth and Burnside accusing Meade of insulting his honor. It was the saddest affair I have witnessed in war, Grant telegraphed the Army chief of staff Henry W. Halleck. As a result, the Wilson-Kautz raiders were forced to burn their wagons and destroy their guns before fleeing north. The advance would be covered by Union artillery that would fire on the Confederate positions as they made their run toward the Confederate line. At 6:30p.m., Meade ordered a final assault, which also failed with more horrendous losses. 4849. Hancock began to suffer effects from his lingering Gettysburg wound and he turned over command of the II Corps to Major General David B. Birney. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Grant knew that Lee could not protect Richmond if Petersburg fell and he would be forced to battle Grant in the open. Meade said the black troops were untested, which they were, but there was another, more political, reason. Grant and Meade focused their fury on Burnside and Ledlie, who were given leave with no orders to return. The matter was settled and General Meade ordered Burnside to select a white division to lead the assault while the black troops would be in a supporting role. Sensitive to his failure in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign, Butler sought to achieve a success to vindicate his generalship. At least 278 menmostly South Carolinians and Virginiansare killed instantly. Although Hinks arrived on time, he was ordered to wait for Gillmore so that all of the infantry could cross before the cavalry. As Lee's army was significantly smaller, any need lengthen his lines correspondingly weakened the whole. Why Did the Battle of the Crater Happen - Civil War Academy Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has given what appears to be his first interview since his aborted mutiny; Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline have been spotted using "seized" North Korean rockets . At around 2:00 pm as the men in the crater were preparing to fall back the Confederates launched an attack against the crater forcing the Union troops to flee in confusion back to their lines. He also said he wanted Burnsides best troops with the most combat experience to make the initial assault. The mine exploded at 4:44 am and Union troops retreated at 2:00 pm. Not surprisingly, the United States Colored Troops bore the brunt of these numbers. 3940; Trudeau, pp. Between May and mid-June of 1864, the United States army, under General Ulysses S. Grant, and the Confederate army, under General Robert E. Lee, engaged in a series of hard-fought battles in what is now called the Overland Campaign. The men refused to leave the protection of the crater. The result was a Confederate loss at Fort Stedman, which would be Lee's last grand offensive of the war. [2] Butler was furious with Gillmore's timidity and incompetence and arrested him. Although the Overland Campaign's objective had been to defeat Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in a decisive battle, Grant changed his objective to be the city of Petersburg, an important rail junction that controlled the supplies leading to the Confederate capital of Richmond. Although Congress later blamed Meade for the loss, it was Ledlie and Burnside who lost their commands. This coincided with Grant ordering a massive offensive against the majority of the Confederate lines. Davis, pp. Burnsides three white divisions which consisted of 9,023 men had been in the trenches on the front line for almost a month since arriving near Petersburg on June 18th. 100 Charlottesville, VA 22903 (434) 924-3296. Fighting continued on 17th with the Confederates defending tenaciously and preventing a Union breakthrough. Attacks on June 18 gained some ground but were halted at the new line with heavy losses. Such opportunity for carrying fortifications I have never seen and do not expect again to have., There was plenty of blame to go around. Hancock, in temporary command of the Army of the Potomac until Major General George G. Meade arrived, prepared Smith's XVIII Corps on the right, his own II Corps in the center, and Burnside's IX Corps on the left. Trudeau, pp. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Christian Zapata. The Battle of Five Forks, fought on April 1, 1865 near Petersburg The combined slaughter of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna River, and, especially, Cold Harbor (collectively known as the Overland Campaign) might be redeemed if his army managed to cut the Confederate supply and communication lines through Petersburg. By then, the T-shaped tunnel was a 586-foot-long marvel. Petersburg, Men of the United States Colored Troops, from Ferreros Fourth Division, were in there, too. Union general George G. Meade and general Ambrose E. Burnside discuss their plans ahead of the Battle of the Crater. Lee finally arrives on June 18, and after four days of combat with no success, Grant begins siege operations. Beauregard. Grant wrote in his post-war memoirs, "I believed then, and still believe, that Petersburg could have been easily captured at that time. Petersburg Campaign | Civil War, Map, Significance, & Facts Other historians (and Marvel in particular) point out that more-competent generals than Ledlie were nearer the action; in fact, it is possible that the inebriated general, if he had been up at the front, would have hurt the Union cause more than he helped it. Warren's V Corps was halted by murderous fire from Rives's Salient (also known as Battery 27, the position where the Dimmock Line crossed the Jerusalem Plank Road, present-day U.S. Route 301), an attack in which Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, commanding the First Brigade, First Division, V Corps, was severely wounded. The first and second consisted of infantry from Maj. Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore's X Corps and U.S. Butler originally designated Hinks to command the operation, but Gillmore insisted that he was the senior officer and Butler later complained, "I was fool enough to yield to him. Returning, Grant mounted another operation in later September intending to strike at both ends of Lee's position. The Confederate commanders hoped to break the Federal stranglehold on Petersburg by a surprise attack on Grant. Anticipating the attack to occur on July 30, Grant ordered Major General Winfield S. Hancock's II Corps and two divisions of Major General Philip Sheridan's Cavalry Corps north across the James to the Union position at Deep Bottom. In the wake of this last fight, they found themselves unable to breakthrough to return to the Union lines. 1539 Hickory Hill Road General Ulysses S. Grant's failure to capture Richmond or destroy the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the Overland Campaign (May 4-June 12, 1864) caused him to cast his glance toward Petersburg. Butler indirectly accused Smith of "dilatoriness" and the dispute escalated to Grant. Speed was essential to Grant's plan, requiring success before Lee realized Grant's objective and could reinforce Petersburg. [15], At 2 p.m., the IX Corps launched a second attack, led by the brigade of Brigadier General John F. Hartranft. Marvel, to his credit, has been more dispassionate than most scholars: The principal reason for the failure of Ledlies division to capture Cemetery Hillthe heights that served as the goal of the mornings actionmay be that Ledlie never told his brigade commanders they were expected to do so. This hardly lets Ledlie off the hook, but when congressmen later investigated the fiasco, they focused on Meades refusal to send the trained and rested black soldiers in first. At one point, Grant himself visited the front, took a look around, and ordered Burnside to pull everyone back. On August 3, 1864 it was decided that a court of inquiry was to be convened in front of Petersburg on August 5, 1864 to determine the facts and circumstances that led to the unsuccessful assault on the Confederate line during the battle of the crater. Davis, pp. He should never have reversed Burnsides plan to send Ferreros men in first, they said. Colston retreated under pressure as the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry, the 1st District of Columbia Cavalry, and the 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry began to flank him. On September 16, while Grant was absent meeting with Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, Major General Wade Hampton led the Confederate cavalry on a successful raid against the Union rear. Lee was not in fact fully cognizant of Grant's moves until June 18, assuming until then that Grant would target Richmond. An inconclusive engagement, it saw the Confederates retain possession of the railroad, but Union forces extend their siege lines. Gen. Edward W. Hinks's 3rd Division of XVIII Corps, which would attack the Dimmock Line east of the city. The troops in the three white divisions had received no training or information about the assault, this short notice only gave these officers and men about 12 hours to prepare for the attack. Mistakenly believing that this movement had greatly weakened the Richmond defenses, Grant ordered II and X Corps to attack again at Deep Bottom on August 14. The black division on the other hand had weeks of training and drills in preparation for the attack. When Ledlies troops reached it, rather than march around it they marched into it. Desperately needing to change the equation before Grant assaulted his lines, Lee asked Major General John B. Gordon to plan an attack on the Union lines with the goal of reaching Grant's headquarters area at City Point. This fifteen minute delay gave the Confederates time to recover and begin to respond to the Union advance. Siege of Petersburg - Wikipedia The court concluded that Major General Ambrose Burnside, Brigadier General James H. Ledlie, Brigadier General Edward Ferrero, Colonel Bliss and Brigadier General Orlando B. Willcox were at fault, and were all responsible in one way or another for the failure during the Battle of the Crater. Gillmore requested a court of inquiry, which was never convened, but Grant later reassigned him and the incident was dropped. The Battle of the Crater - Historic Petersburg (The delay had actually been to the artillerymens benefit; by now it was light out and they could see what they were shooting at.) And as Petersburg went, so did Richmond. Gen. Henry A. Battle of Petersburg - HistoryNet Beauregard, however, had been loudly warning of the danger to Petersburg since June 9. Unaware of this, Butler remained idle rather than threatening Richmond. He protested the order still believing his troops could take the crest. He telegraphed Burnside: The commanding general directs that if your mine has failed that you make an assault at once, opening your [artillery] batteries. This idea did not much impress Burnside, so someone called for a volunteer to take a lantern into the mine shaft and check on the fuse. Observing that the closest Confederate fortification, Elliott's Salient, was a mere 400 feet from their position, the men of the 48th believed that a mine could be run from their lines under the enemy earthworks. Robertson, James I., Jr. The Boy Artillerist: Letters of Colonel William Pegram, C.S.A.. The four days included repeated Union assaults against substantially smaller forces commanded by General P. G. T. Beauregard. Unable to escape, and followed by Burnsides other three divisions, they turned into what one New Hampshire soldier described as a mass of worms crawling over each othereasy targets for Confederates. The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the siege of Petersburg. His remaining 3,200 men were facing Butler's army at Bermuda Hundred. Located south of Richmond, Petersburg was a strategic crossroads and railroad hub which supplied the capital and Lee's army. The Battle of PetersburgAssault onPetersburg. Together they discovered that the fuse had gone out because of a break in the line, and after fixing it, they raced for the tunnel entrance in time to avoid being crushed by the impact of the explosion. Battle Of Petersburg Summary: The Battle of Petersburg (aka Siege of Petersburg) was a series of battles around the cities of Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 15, 1864, to April 2, 1865, during the civil war. With all of this action was taking place, Ledlie and Ferreros remaining in the rear drinking rum rather than going in with their troops underlines their gross lack of leadership. His leadership style was hands-off to a fault, and at the Crater, it contributed to his undoing. After some initial confusion, Sheridan's men routed the Confederates at the Battle of Five Forks, inflicting 2,950 casualties. Davis, pp. The explosion digs a crater more than 170 feet long, 60 feet across, and 30 feet deep. Departing Cold Harbor on June 12, his men stole a march on General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and crossed the James River on a large pontoon bridge. Burnside not knowing why it was delayed sent a message to Colonel Pleasants at the mine to find out what was causing the delay. Capturing this important transportation hub would isolate the Confederate capital and . Union casualties were 11,386 (1,688 killed, 8,513 wounded, 1,185 missing or captured), Confederate 4,000 (200 killed, 2,900 wounded, 900 missing or captured). Receiving no guidance from Richmond in response to his urgent requests, he unilaterally decided to strip his defenses from the Howlett Line, which was bottling up Butler's army in Bermuda Hundred, making the divisions of Major Generals Robert Hoke and Bushrod Johnson available for the new Petersburg defensive line. Suffering around 4,000 casualties, the failure of the Confederate effort at Fort Stedman effectively doomed Lee's ability to hold the city. In the wake of his defeat at the Battle of Cold Harbor in early June 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant continued pressing south towards the Confederate capital at Richmond. The Petersburg National Battlefield covers only part of the battlegrounds around Petersburg. Capturing this important transportation hub would isolate the Confederate capital and force General Robert E. Lee to either evacuate Richmond or fight the numerically superior Grant on open ground. They quickly spliced it back together and re-lit the fuse. We captured 250 Negroes, all of whom were wounded in some way: Bayoneted, knocked on the head by the butts of muskets. one fellow in our Brigade killed several. His wound was believed to be mortal and Chamberlain was granted a battlefield promotion to brigadier general by General Grant. Its loss would make would Richmond indefensible (Map). All of this caused great confusion in the Union ranks. "American Civil War: Battle of Petersburg." They were somehow sent forward at a right angle to the Confederate line, which left them vulnerable to enfilading fire. The cavalry encountered an unexpected stronghold at Baylor's farm northeast of Petersburg. This would present a great opportunity for Union troops to immediately attack the gap in the Confederate line and overwhelm the defenders. [11] On June 1417, Grant and the Army of the Potomac slipped away from Lee and crossed the James River. But by then, darkness had enveloped the battlefield. Burnside asks his remaining commanders to draw straws. Small and lean as a starvation year, in the words of Douglas Southall Freeman, Little Billy Mahone was a Virginia Military Institute graduate and a veteran of all the major Army of Northern Virginia campaigns since the Seven Days Battles (1862). Beauregard, commander of the Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia. It was essential for the Union to capture Petersburg, it was just as critical for the Confederates to keep it. The scene inside the Crater was hellish. 25% of the command). Davis, p. 33; Kennedy, p. 352; Salmon, p. 403. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Battle_of_Petersburg&oldid=1161094202, This page was last edited on 20 June 2023, at 15:58. Said one Virginia officer: Boys, you have hot work ahead; they are negroes and show no quarter., Even as the battle turned in the Confederates favor and Meade and Burnside squabbled over when and how to retreat, the fightingwhich had spread across a square mile, centered on the Cratertook on a new and savage intensity. It was at the end of the nine and a half month Siege of Petersburg. On June 21, the Richmond Examineralready weary of the siegepresciently encouraged Grant to plunge with his whole force into the crater of the volcano and make an end of itLet not the campaign linger. Petersburg National Battlefield Administration Office The rebel held town of Petersburg was on the road to the Confederate capital of Richmond Virginia, it was also a major Confederate railroad depot for supplies that went into the city of Richmond. By June 18, the arrival of significant reinforcements from Lee's army made further assaults impractical. In other words, perhaps Ledlies men did not have the time to prepare for their new role, thrust upon them just hours before the battle. Burnside could not decide which division would lead the attack. But for some reason Burnside ignored the order. Battle of Petersburg in the Civil War - ThoughtCo In the evening, Brigadier General James H. Ledlie's division also failed in its assault, during which Ledlie was observed to be drunk (a behavioral pattern that would repeat itself notoriously at the Battle of the Crater).[16]. In early June, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. Robert E. Lee were engaged in the Overland Campaign, facing each other in their trenches after the bloody Battle of Cold Harbor.
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