HDQRS. DEPT. OF
VIRGINIA, SEVENTH ARMY CORPS,
Fort Monroe, Va.,
July –, 1863.
(Received July 18.)
GENERAL: On the 14th of June, I received from you the
following dispatch by telegraph:
Lee's army is in motion toward the
Shenandoah Valley. All your available force should be concentrated to threaten
Richmond by seizing and destroying their railroad bridges over the South and
North Anna Rivers, and do them all the damage possible. If you cannot
accomplish this, you can at least occupy a large force of the enemy. There can
be no serious danger of an attack on Norfolk now.
I had at the time this dispatch was received a force of
about 5,000 men moving up the Peninsula. The advance was near the left bank of
the Chickahominy, above Diascund Bridge. I had also a considerable force on the
Blackwater. These movements had been made to prevent the enemy from sending
re-enforcements to General Lee from this department:
At the same time all the transports in the department had
been ordered to Aquia Creek, to remove the sick and convalescent of the Army of
the Potomac and the public property to Washington. On the 15th, I had not a
single transport left. I went on the evening of the 14th to Suffolk, and
ordered General Peck to have his command in readiness to move.
On the 17th, transports returned, and were sent to Norfolk
to receive Wistar's brigade, which had been ordered there from Suffolk. I
advised you on the 18th that part of this brigade went up the York River that
morning. The transports came in very slowly, and when they were all here, they
were only sufficient to move Colonel Spears regiment of cavalry from Norfolk to
the White House.
From my inability to move a larger force at once, General
Getty's division, Terry's and Wistar's brigades, were landed at Yorktown.
It was not until the 24th that I could send Colonel Spear
with the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry and about 200 men, mounted, of different
regiments, under Lieutenant-Colonel Davis, of the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, to
destroy the Virginia Central Railroad bridge over the South Anna. He landed at
the White House on the 25th, after constructing a wharf, for which I had
ordered up materials from Fort Monroe. The same evening, on the return of the
transports to Yorktown, I sent General Wistar with a part of his brigade and a
battery of artillery to West Point. He pulled down two small buildings, built a
wharf, and landed during the night.
On the 26th, in the evening, I reached the White House,
General Getty having arrived immediately before me, and being then engaged in
landing his division. Major-General Keyes, with Gordon's division and Terry's
brigade, and some other troops, amounting to about 9,000 men, arrived at
Cumberland on the same evening, and at the White House on the 27th.
Brigadier-General Foster's brigade arrived on the 28th,
making an aggregate force at the White House for duty of 18,730.
Brigadier-General Spinola arrived two days afterward from
North Carolina with 1,718 drafted Pennsylvania militia, whose term of service
was about to expire, with directions that they be sent to Washington, if they
would consent to serve until the insurgent forces were driven out of
Pennsylvania and Maryland. They gave the requisite consent, and were embarked
for Washington on the 7th July.
On the 27th June, in the morning, Colonel Spear returned
from the South Anna, having destroyed the bridge of the Virginia Central
Railroad over that river and the quartermaster's depot at Hanover Court-House,
secured and brought away 700 animals, 35 army wagons, $15,000 in Confederate
bonds, and other property, and captured Brig. Gen. W. H. F. Lee, a son Of the
general-in-chief of the insurgent army. A detailed report of the movement was
forwarded from the White House.
To facilitate anticipated movements at the White House, I
ordered a light locomotive and half a dozen platform cars to be sent from
Norfolk. They arrived on the 28th, and were landed on the 29th, and put in
operation on the railroad. The railroad bridge over the Pamunkey at the White
House was left uninjured, but the rails from that point to West Point had been
taken up, probably to be laid down on other roads in the seceded States, where
there was urgent need for them.
On Colonel Spear's return, I organized an expedition, under
General Getty, to seize and destroy the bridge of the Fredericksburg and
Richmond Railroad over the South Anna. It consisted of his division, excepting
a regiment retained for provost duty at the White House, General Foster's
brigade, a provisional brigade (part of Wistar's), under Colonel Wardrop, of
the Ninety-ninth New York Volunteers, and the cavalry under Colonel Spear; in
all, about 10,000 men. His artillery and wagons were passed over the river on
platform cars, the time occupied for the passage of the entire column being
fifteen hours – from 5 p.m. on the 30th June to 8 a.m. on the 1st of July.
A copy of my instructions to General Getty is annexed.* I
advised you of the movement on the 29th June and 1st July.
On the day General Getty commenced his march (the 1st July),
I received a dispatch from you, directing me, as soon as my forces returned
from their present expedition, to report before sending out any more; and, on
the 3d, another, with the following directions:
As soon as the expedition now out
terminates, you will draw in all your forces to Yorktown, Fort Monroe, and the
defenses of Norfolk, and send to this place (Washington) all the troops not
absolutely required for the defense of those places.
To cover General Getty's movement and insure its success, I
ordered Major-General Keyes, with Terry's and West's brigades and one of the
brigades of Gordon's division, to advance on the Richmond road, and attack the
enemy, who was understood to be in considerable force on the right bank of the
Chickahominy, a short distance from Bottoms Bridge. General Keyes was to post
his artillery in position so as to command the bridge, and open fire on the
enemy. He was also directed to hold his position for two or three days, until
there was reason to believe that General Getty had accomplished his object.
Major-General Keyes was chosen to command the troops by which this
demonstration was to be made on account of his rank, and more especially on
account of his supposed familiar acquaintance with the country, gained with the
Army of the Potomac during the campaign on the Chickahominy.
GENERAL GETTY'S EXPEDITION.
General Getty moved from the left bank of the Pamunkey,
opposite the White House, at 8 a.m. on the 1st July. The weather was intensely
hot, and, on his arrival at Littlepage's Bridge, near the junction of the South
Anna with the Pamunkey, on the 4th of July, a large number of his men were
found unfit for active duty. The road from Taylor's Ferry is very narrow, and
difficult for artillery and heavy wagons. It passes over high hills, and is
very unfavorable to the movements of troops.
Colonel Spear, agreeably to my orders, had destroyed all the
bridges and ferry-boats below Littlepage's Bridge.
The column was crossed on the evening of the 4th, and the
advance was immediately made to the bridge of the Richmond and Fredericksburg
Railroad across the South Anna. It was found to be held by a very large force,
covered by earthworks. From the best information, this force was believed to be
about 8,000 men, with fourteen pieces of artillery. Three regiments had been
brought down from Fredericksburg. From the evening of the 1st to the evening of
the 4th, cars were coming from Richmond with troops inside and outside. Three
trains passed up on the morning of the 4th with troops and with eight pieces of
artillery. Believing that his own force would not justify an attack on the
bridge, that he would sustain very heavy loss, and that success would be
doubtful, he decided to destroy as much of the track as possible, and render
the railroad unserviceable. General Foster was, therefore, directed to remove
the rails, bend them, and burn the ties. This was accomplished from a point
near the bridge to a road some 3 miles below.
Major Stratton was sent with a detachment of cavalry to
Ashland Station, on the same railroad, about 11 miles from Richmond, where he
destroyed the railroad depot, brought off the telegraph instrument, and tore up
the track above and below the place, burning the ties and bending the rails. He
also destroyed a trestle bridge a mile below Ashland, and a number of cars
loaded with materials for the reconstruction of the railroad bridge over the
South Anna destroyed by Colonel Spear. He also tore up the track and disabled
the rails.
It is the opinion of Major Stratton, who is a very judicious
man, and who was a railroad engineer before the rebellion, that the injury he
did could not be repaired in less than a week, and it is the opinion of General
Getty that, considering all the injuries done to the road, a fortnight will be
necessary to put it in running order.
The position of General Getty on the right bank of the
Pamunkey, with Richmond in his front, a large force on his right, and a narrow
bridge to recross the river, was a critical one, and if he had been attacked by
a superior force he would have been in great danger.
Having substantially accomplished the object of breaking up
the direct railroad connection between Richmond and General Lee's army in
Pennsylvania, he recrossed the Pamunkey, destroyed Littlepage's Bridge, and
returned to the White House, bringing with him 21 prisoners, one a commissioned
officer, and having lost 2 killed and 7 wounded. The information in regard to
the strength of the enemy at the bridge is fully confirmed by the prisoners.
GENERAL KEYES' DEMONSTRATION.
General Keyes, agreeably to his orders to attack Bottom's
Bridge, advanced on the 1st of July to Baltimore, or Crump's, Cross-Roads,
where he halted for the night, sending his advance, under Colonel West, 3 or 4
miles farther on. Bottom's Bridge is but 13 miles from the White House, and it
was expected that General Keyes would take, on the evening of the 1st, a
position which should command it, and prevent the enemy from crossing. The
correspondence forwarded to you on the 12th instant shows that he proposed to
me the same night to fall back to the White House; that I directed him to hold
his position, unless the enemy showed himself in such force as to make it
necessary to fall back, and that at daybreak on the 2d he fell back to
Baltimore Store, or Talley's, though no enemy had appeared, with the exception
of some skirmishers on the 1st. His letter, No. 5,** advising me of his
intention, did not reach me till after daylight, when it was too late to arrest
the movement.
On the afternoon of the 2d, the enemy advanced, with eight
pieces of artillery and an infantry force, on Baltimore Cross-Roads, and
Colonel West, who had been left there with the advance, fell back, to avoid
being outflanked. The enemy's field pieces were brought within a mile of
Baltimore Store, to which General Keyes had retired, and fired from 100 to 150
shots during the night, without doing any injury whatever. From information
derived from Colonel West, who is an experienced officer and a man of cool
judgment, the enemy's whole force could not at any time have exceeded 3,000
men. General Keyes had 6,000, and fourteen pieces of artillery.
After the night firing, which was manifestly intended for
intimidation, the enemy withdrew nearly his whole force before daybreak, and
there is little doubt that it was hurried back to Richmond, and sent up to the
South Anna by railroad, to oppose General Getty.
From the morning of the 3d to the 7th, when General Getty
returned, I am now satisfied that there was at no time more than a regiment of
infantry and some small parties of cavalry between the Chickahominy and the
White House.
On the correspondence between General Keyes and myself, I
make no comment, but leave it to speak for itself. I desire, however, to say,
that after the letter, No. 24,† showing a concurrence of opinion and
feeling on the part of General Keyes and his brigade commanders, I deemed it
most prudent to suspend the movement, and leave his command where it was in no
danger of molestation.
It is my opinion that if a prompt and vigorous attack had
been made on the 1st July on Bottom's Bridge, it would have been regarded as a
real movement and not a mere demonstration; that the enemy's troops would have
been retained in Richmond, and that General Getty would have succeeded in
destroying the railroad bridge over the South Anna. But when General Keyes fell
back on the morning of the 2d without being attacked, and it became manifest
that the movement was a mere feint, a large portion of the force in Richmond
was sent against General Getty.
THE ENEMY'S FORCE IN RICHMOND.
On the 28th of June, the day the last of my force arrived at
the White House, Jeff. Davis wrote to General Lee that there were three
brigades in Richmond, and part of Hill's division, besides Wise's brigade, on
the east side of the city. These different corps could not well have numbered
less than 12,000 men. There were, in addition, a body of trained artillerists
in the intrenchments, which are very strong; the Home Guard, embracing all
males capable of bearing arms, a convalescent brigade, and the Home Guard
called in from Petersburg. My information, corroborated from a variety of
sources, is, that there were in Richmond on the 1st July not less than 20,000
persons under arms, a majority of whom were regularly organized and trained
troops.
On the 2d July, Mr. Ould declared 1,800 paroled prisoners of
war at Richmond exchanged, and they were no doubt immediately put in service
there. My information that there were about 8,000 men at the South Anna,
prepared for General Getty's attack, is, therefore, perfectly consistent with
the letter of Jefferson Davis and corroborating intelligence from other
sources.
In review, I beg leave to say that the objects in
contemplation of your order of the 14th June were substantially accomplished;
that the railroad connection between General Lee and Richmond was effectually
broken; that a large force of the enemy was occupied, and that very severe
injury was inflicted on him.
My position at the White House was one from which the enemy
could have been greatly annoyed had the public necessities elsewhere allowed me
to retain it. The time required to pass General Getty's column across the river
led me to plank over the railroad for the passage of supply trains and
artillery, and by means of this facility the whole country could have been
controlled from the Pamunkey to the Rappahannock, either by holding the bridge
and operating from the White House, or by crossing my whole force, destroying
the bridge, making West Point the base of my movement, and avoiding the long
and circuitous navigation of the Pamunkey below the White House. With the aid
of a pontoon bridge, the Pamunkey can be crossed at New Castle Ferry or
Hanovertown, each about 15 or 16 miles from Richmond, 8 or 9 miles nearer than
the White House.
I inclose herewith the reports of Major-General Keyes and
Brigadier-General Getty, giving a detailed account of their movements.
The loss of General Keyes was 25 killed, wounded, and
missing, and of General Getty, 2 killed and 7 wounded.
I desire to acknowledge the zeal and promptitude of the
officers and men under my command in the performance of all their duties.
I am, very
respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN A. DIX,
Major-General.
General H. W.
HALLECK, General-in-Chief.
_______________
* See Addenda to Getty’s report, p. 840.
** See p. 826.
† See p. 832.
SOURCES: Morgan Dix, Memoirs of John Adams Dix,
Volume 2, p. 57; The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 27,
Part 2 (Serial No. 44), p. 820-4
