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Volume XXIII Issue #5 • An Excerpt From: Action in the Petersburg Campaign The Battle of Weldon Railroad Click Here to view a free sample map from this article |
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Corps’ left flank was to keep its connection with the right flank of Wright’s VI Corps. Because of the entangled nature of the terrain through which the two corps had to advance, they became separated, thus allowing a gap to form between them. Petersburg’s Confederate defenders, learning of this movement, withdrew undetected from their fortifications south of Petersburg and moved to attack the unsuspecting Federals. This Confederate column, led by Brig. Gen. William Mahone, broke through the opening left by the two corps and began rolling up the left flank of Birney’s men. At the same time, Brig. Gen. Cadmus Wilcox attacked the VI Corps in his front. When the day ended, the Union army had suffered 2,500 casualties and was stopped from reaching its objective. The Confederates suffered 570 casualties. The following day, members of the Vermont Brigade from the VI Corps moved out again and this time reached the railroad. Inflicting some damage upon the line, they were eventually captured by Mahone’s men near Globe Tavern. While the “First Battle of Weldon Railroad” was unsuccessful for Grant’s men, they did manage to gain more land to the west of the Jerusalem Plank Road and began extending their siege lines in that direction. Grant’s attention was now directed toward tunneling under Lee’s lines east of Petersburg. After a month of excavating to a point underneath the Confederate position known as “Elliott’s Salient,” soldiers from the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry loaded the end of the 510-foot tunnel with 8,000 pounds of black powder. On July 30, the mine was blown and the Federal soldiers began their assault. By the end of the day, through a series of bungling moves by Grant’s commanders and a strong Confederate counterattack by troops under General Mahone, the onslaught failed. The Union army had nothing to show for its efforts but another 4,000 casualties. Mahone was promoted to major general for his performance. Globe Tavern THE SETTING: As the hot, humid summer weather progressively moves into the “dog days” of August, the men of both armies continue to dig into the soil around Petersburg, adding to or strengthening their earthworks around the city. Grant once more turns his attention to cutting Lee’s supply lines. On August 17, Grant issues the following orders to Meade: The report of prisoners captured north of the James indicate that all the cavalry, or nearly so, south of Petersburg has been withdrawn, and also three brigades of infantry have been sent north of the river. There may have been a further reduction of infantry force, but there is no evidence to show it. Under these circumstances no decisive result could be expected from moving a single corps by our left; but they might get to the Weldon road and, with the aid of a little cavalry, cut and destroy a few miles of it. You may, therefore, start Warren in the morning. I do not want him to fight any unequal battles nor to assault fortifications. His movements should be more a reconnaissance in force. . . . Grant concludes: “I want, if possible, to make such demonstrations as will force Lee to withdraw a portion of his troops from the Valley, so that [Maj. Gen. Philip H.] Sheridan can strike a blow against the balance.”1 The Federals make a second grab for the line on a hot summer day, the 18th of August. Moving at 4 a.m., and intercepting the railroad in the area of Globe Tavern, Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren turns two divisions of his corps north toward the Confederate defenses located south of the city. His “reconnaissance in force” is actually made up of four divisions under Brig. Gens. Charles Griffin, Samuel Crawford, Romeyn Ayres, and Lysander Cutler. Warren is supported by General Kautz’s brigade of cavalry, two regiments of about 800-900 effectives. Being informed of this movement, Confederate Gen. P. G. T. Beaureguard sends out infantry and cavalry under Maj. Gen. Henry Heth and Brig. Gen. James Dearing to oppose the enemy advance. Heth’s two brigades, those of Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis and Col. Robert M. Mayo (Archer’s and Walker’s remnants combined), collide with Ayres’ and Crawford’s divisions about a mile north of Globe Tavern. In the open fields and woods surrounding the Wells and W. P. Davis farms, the two armies fight to a standstill, both giving and taking ground. |
