The Sesquicentennial Commemoration
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Issue 23, summer 2014 THE SESQUICENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION In June, July and August of 1864, with less than ten months left in the War, fierce and deadly battles continued. There were a myriad of “smaller” engagements throughout the South as well as the major conflicts at Cold Harbor, Atlanta and the Marietta Operations, Kennesaw Mountain and the slaughter at Petersburg. One bright spot for Confederate Prisoners the South was Forrest’s performance at Brice’s Crossroads but one inspired victory Prisoner exchange had virtually ceased and could not offset the continued critical loss of this further added to the Southern woes. As men and materiel by the Confederacy. we now know the lack of exchange also Sherman had designs on Atlanta and Grant created places like Andersonville. wanted to attack Richmond and the armies of the South were dwindling. It was a time of The summaries of the summer Battles begin crisis but Lee, Johnson, Hood and the others on the next page. fought on. 1 The Summer Battles Grant continued his Overland Campaign and Accepting his loss and abandoning the well- on May 31 the bloody Battle of Cold Harbor defended approaches to Richmond, Grant began. This included the Cavalry engagement sought to shift his army quickly south of the at Trevilian Station and a concluding battle river to threaten Petersburg. known as Saint Mary’s Church. Summaries of these three combats follow. Cold Harbor Location: Hanover County VA Campaign: Grant’s Overland Campaign (May-June 1864) Dates: May 31-June 12, 1864 Principal Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS] Artist Concept of Cold Harbor Battle Forces Engaged: 170,000 total (US 108,000; CS 62,000) Estimated Casualties: 15,500 total (US 13,000; CS 2,500) Description: On May 31, Sheridan’s cavalry seized the vital crossroads of Old Cold Harbor. Early on June 1, relying heavily on their new repeating carbines and shallow entrenchments, Sheridan’s troopers threw back an attack by Confederate infantry. Confederate reinforcements arrived from Richmond and from the Totopotomoy Creek lines. Late on June 1, the Union VI and XVIII Cold Harbor Battle Lines Corps reached Cold Harbor and assaulted the Confederate works with some success. By June 2, both armies were on the field, forming on a seven-mile front that extended from Bethesda Church to the Chickahominy River. At dawn June 3, the II and XVIII Corps, followed later by the IX Corps, assaulted along the Bethesda Church-Cold Harbor line and were slaughtered at all points. Grant commented in his memoirs that this was the only attack he wished he had never ordered. The armies confronted each other on these lines until the night of June 12, Recovering Bodies at Cold Harbor when Grant again advanced by his left flank, marching to the James River. On June 14, the II Corps was ferried across the river at Wilcox’s Landing by transports. On June 15, the rest of the army began crossing on a 2,200-foot long pontoon bridge at Weyanoke. 2 Trevilian Station Saint Mary’s Church Location: Gordonsville VA Location: Charles City VA Campaign: Grant’s Overland Campaign Campaign: Grant’s Overland Campaign (May-June 1864) (May-June 1864) Dates: June 11-12 1864 Date: June 24, 1864 The Battle of Trevilian Station was the Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Philip largest all-cavalry battle of the Civil War. In Sheridan [US]; Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton June 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant ordered [CS] Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan to make a raid Forces Engaged: Divisions along the Virginia Central Railroad, destroy Estimated Casualties: 630 total the road at the crucial junction town of Description: On June 24, Maj. Gen. Wade Gordonsville, and then march to Hampton’s cavalry attempted to cut off Charlottesville, destroy the supply depot Sheridan’s cavalry returning from their raid there, and rendezvous with the army of Maj. to Trevilian Station. Sheridan fought a Gen. David Hunter. The combined force delaying action to protect a long supply train would then march east, where it would join under his protection, then rejoined the Union the Army of the Potomac at Petersburg. army at Bermuda Hundred. Sheridan marched on June 7, taking two divisions of cavalry and four batteries of horse artillery, about 9,000 men. Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton, leading two divisions of Confederate cavalry pursued the next day, and by utilizing shorter, interior routes of march, Hampton, along with the division of Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, got across Sheridan's route of march at Trevilian Station, a stop on the Virginia Central six miles west of Louisa and six miles southeast of Gordonsville, on June 10. The battle, ranging over 7,000 acres, raged for two days. Saint Mary’s Church This ended Grant’s Overland Campaign and Union forces withdrew to regroup and resupply before the upcoming Richmond- Battle of Trevilian Station Petersburg Campaign. In the meantime Sherman had initiated his attempts to attack, surround and capture Atlanta. He and Joe Johnson were now beginning their cat and mouse game of seeing who could trap who! General Johnson was relieved by John Bell Hood during this time and Sherman changed some of his plans because of that but continued his overall Battlefield Marker strategy. The map on the following page indicates the location of the many battle sites in the Atlanta Campaign. 3 The Atlanta Campaign Marietta Operations Operations in the Atlanta Campaign began in The Battle of Marietta was a series of military May of 1864 and lasted through September. operations from June 9 through July 3, 1864, The summer battles are covered in this issue in Cobb County, Georgia. The Union forces, of the newsletter. From June 10 until July 4 led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh there were continuous battles and skirmishes Sherman, encountered the Confederate Army in and around Marietta. Battle lines would be of Tennessee, led by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, formed by the Confederates only to be entrenched near Marietta, Georgia. A series broken or circumvented by Union troops and of engagements were fought during this four- vice-versa. The battle field was unstable as week period, including the battles of Brushy each Commander tried to outwit the other. Mountain, Pine Mountain, Gilgal Church, Not a lot of detail is available for some of Lost Mountain, Mcafee’s Cross Roads, Mud these engagements simply because of the Creek, Neal Dow Station, Noonday Creek, continually fluctuating state of the Battlefield. Pine Knob, Rottenwood Creek, Ruff’s Mill, Kolb's Farm and Kennesaw Mountain. 4 Battle Summaries: On June 15th, the Federal 23th Corps Forces Engaged: Military Division of the struck Hardees line at Pine Knob. The Mississippi [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS] attack did not succeed in driving the confederates from their main Description: During the Atlanta Campaign, entrenchments, but they did force the instead of frontally attacking Johnston’s confederate skirmishers to fall back and army which would cause too many casualties, allowed the Federal troop to gain a Sherman usually attempted to maneuver the foothold near the Confederate lines. enemy out of defensive positions. Thus, when During the night of the 15th Hardee pulled Sherman first found Johnston entrenched in back to Mud Creek. the Marietta area on June 9, he began extending his lines beyond the Confederate lines, causing some Rebel withdrawal to new positions. On June 18-19, Johnston withdrew to an arc-shaped position centered on Kennesaw Mountain. Sherman made some unsuccessful attacks on this position but eventually extended the line on his right and forced Johnston to withdraw from the Marietta area on July 2-3. From 4 June to 18 June 1864, the Confederates occupied a 10-mile long line from Lost Mountain to Brushy Mountain. From 4 June to 15 June, they also occupied an advance position on Pine Mountain. On June 14, 1864, Confederate General Leonidas Polk became a casualty of the war. He was scouting enemy positions near Marietta, Georgia with his staff when he was killed in action by a Federal 3-inch (76 mm) shell at Pine Mountain. The artillery fire was initiated when Sherman spotted a cluster of Confederate officers— Polk, Hardee, Johnston, and their staffs—in an exposed area. He pointed them out to Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, commander of the IV Corps, and ordered him to fire on them. The 5th Indiana Battery, commanded by Capt. Peter Simonson, obeyed the order within minutes. The first round came close and a second even closer, causing the men to The Mud Creek Line was occupied 17-18 disperse. The third shell struck Polk's left June, during which time Lieutenant General arm, went through the chest, and exited Leonidas Polk’s nephew, Brigadier General hitting his right arm then exploded against a Lucius Polk, was wounded in the knee, tree, cutting Polk nearly in two. rendering him incapable of field service for the rest of the war. 5 Mud Creek on June 17. Sherman moved Hooker to the south to join Schofield in a maneuver designed to potentially outflank Kennesaw Mountain. Noonday Creek/McAFee’s Crossroads General Garrard was ordered by General Sherman to interpose between General Joseph Wheeler's cavalry and detached infantry at Noonday Creek, which was just a few miles from Sherman's headquarters at Big Shanty. When, after a week, Garrard failed to do so, two brigades of infantry and three brigades of cavalry with artillery support were advanced against the Confederate positions on June 9. Two charges failed, and the Union Army retired from the Federal infantry probed the Lost Mountain- field, however, Wheeler's cavalry was moved Brushy Mountain Line at several points on to a position between Bell's Ferry and Canton several occasions, while cavalry operations Road.