Page images
PDF
EPUB

The means I should adopt would be to send to ask Ould to meet Major Mulford at Port Walthall. They will explain to you if you desire it, or will inform me before they go, the subject of their mission.

Major-General BUTLER,

Commanding, &c.:

BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major-General, Commanding.

CITY POINT, VA., July 11, 1864.

Hill's corps was moved from its position at 5 p. m. yesterday, citizens say, to go North. Have your scouts or men from the observatory discovered any movement of troops between Petersburg and Richmond? Please make an effort to ascertain about this. I am not willing to let Mr. Gilmore and Colonel Jaquess go through our lines until I know the object of their going.

U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,

Lieutenant-General GRANT,

In the Field, July 11, 1864–4.20 p. m.

Commanding Armies of the United States:

I have caused the matter in relation to the moving of Hill's corps to be investigated. I cannot hear of any movement of any troops either over the turnpike or railroad or over Chaffin's farm. It is certain that none have been moved by daylight and that none have been moved at night over the railroad, because we can hear them. They might go over the turnpike at night without our hearing them. Five deserters are just in from our front from Pickett's division, but they have heard nothing of any movement of any troops. I will take every pains to keep you informed upon this and kindred subjects.

Major-General BUTLER,

Commanding, &c.:

BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major-General, Commanding.

CITY POINT, VA., July 11, 1864.

I have seen and heard Mr. Gilmore and Colonel Jaquess. You may effect an interview between them and Commissioner Ould, and permit them to pass through our lines if they will be received by the other party. U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

Captain NORTON:

RIVER-BANK SIGNAL STATION,

Spring Hill, July 11, 1864-3.40 p. m.

A train of seven passenger and two freight cars loaded with troops has just passed the Junction toward Richmond.

A. G. SIMONS, Lieutenant and Signal Officer.

HDQRS, DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER,

Brigadier-General WEITZEL,

Chief of Staff:

July 11, 1861.

GENERAL: The following dispatch has just been received and is respectfully forwarded:

Captain NORTON:

RIVER-BANK SIGNAL STATION, Spring Hill, July 11, 1864–6.30 p. m.

A train of thirteen cars partly loaded with troops just passed the Junction toward Petersburg.

A. G. SIMONS, Lieutenant and Signal Officer.

L. B. NORTON,

Very respectfully, &c.,

Captain and Chief Signal Officer.

Brig. Gen. H. J. HUNT,

HEADQUARTERS SIEGE TRAIN, Broadway Landing, Va., July 11, 1864.

Chief of Artillery, Army of the Potomac:

GENERAL: In compliance with your request I have the honor to make the following statement as to the organization of my siege train proper: My headquarters are at this landing, where I have two wharves and room for more if required. My ordnance is all afloat, being landed only as called for. I have a tug and a train of fifty wagons placed at my disposal by General Ingalls, and four 8-horse artillery teams, harness, &c., belonging to Captain Korte's (Third Pennsylvania) battery, in my command, as commander of siege artillery of General Butler's army. I have a telegraph at my headquarters. I have four companies, under command of Major Trumbull, First Connecticut Artillery, with Eighteenth Army Corps. They serve ten 30-pounder Parrotts, ten 8-inch mortars, and ten Coehorn mortars, and one 13-inch mortar. I have one company and a half, under command of Captain Brooker, First Connecticut Artillery, with Ninth Army Corps, with another company awaiting orders. They serve six Rodman guns and four 8-inch mortars, with six Rodman guns ready parked for forwarding at an hour's notice. The remaining five and a half companies of my regiment serve the heavy and some of the light guns, in position on the Bermuda Hundred lines, where, as commander of the siege artillery for General Butler's forces, I also command Company M, Third Pennsylvania Artillery, and Companies A and H, Thirteenth New York Artillery (both heavy); total, thirty-one guns and two heavy mortars. For unloading ammunition I have a permanent detail of two companies (125 men) of One hundred and thirty-eighth Ohio National Guard (100-days' men). They are in camp near my headquarters. By this statement you will see that my command is now fully employed.

Should it be decided to place more siege artillery in position, I would respectfully request that Colonel Tidball's regiment, Fourth New York, be assigned to my command until the return of the Second Connecticut Artillery. With one battalion of this regiment I should propose to relieve four of my companies in the Bermuda Hundred lines, which, with the other two battalions of the Fourth New York Artillery, would then

be available for siege operations on Burnside's and Warren's fronts. I have made arrangements to draw my ordnance supplies direct from the depot, Capt. S. P. Hatfield, First Connecticut Artillery, being my ordnance officer. I have a laboratory on my wharf barge where I am alling 500 cartridges a day, with any other work required to be done. My batteries are supplied with ammunition by the following plan: Each battery commander reports at 6 p. m. to his battalion commander his expenditure during the preceding twenty-four hours and his supply on hand. By my mounted orderlies these reports are brought to my headquarters by 11 a. m. on following day. A supply train is at once started in time to arrive at battalion headquarters by dark, when foot orderlies from the different batteries are ready to conduct the teams to their destinations. This system works perfectly. I keep 100 rounds on hand per gun or mortar at the batteries. I require a record kept of all projectiles which fail to take the grooves and all fuses which work badly. Although my line is over thirteen miles in length, and my command over 2,000 men, I find no difficulty and no confusion, so perfect is the working of the above system.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

HENRY L. ABBOT,

Colonel First Connecticut Artillery, Commanding.

P. S.-My train afloat at landing consists of six 100-pounder Parrotts, fifteen 30-pounder Parrotts, twelve Rodman guns, ten 10-inch mortars, six 8-inch mortars, sixteen Coehorns, ten 8-inch siege howitzers. I have made requisition for twenty more 8-inch mortars.

H. L. A.

Col. H. L. ABBOT:

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
July 11, 1864.

Will you please send an officer as soon as possible to General Buruside's headquarters to report to Captain Turnbull, U. S. Engineers, to superintend the construction of the battery at the Taylor house.

Brigadier-General BROOKS:

H. J. HUNT,
Brigadier-General.

JULY 11, 1864.

GENERAL: No paper was handed the lieutenant-general by General Butler that he has any recollection of.

JNO. A. RAWLINS, Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

General WEITZEL:

HEADQUARTERS TENTH ARMY CORPS,

July 11, 1864.

General Rawlins telegraphs that no paper was handed the lieutenantgeneral by General Butler that he had any recollection of in answer to me for me urging prompt action. Please ask the general about it. W. T. H. BROOKS.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
In the Field, July 11, 1864.

General W. T. II. BROOKS:

General Butler says he sent you yesterday a note on this whole subject, and is now awaiting an answer from you.

G. WEITZEL,
Brigadier-General.

HEADQUARTERS TENTH ARMY CORPS,

July 11, 1864.

General WEITZEL:

No note of any kind has been received from General Butler.

W. T. H. BROOKS,

Brigadier-General.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,

Brigadier-General BROOKS,

Tenth Army Corps:

In the Field, July 11, 1864.

Have any prisoners or deserters come in to-day? Please answer, and, if so, forward them at once, as I wish some information touching an important matter.

By command of Major-General Butler:

JOHN I. DAVENPORT, Lieutenant and Acting Aide-de-Camp.

(Copies to Generals Terry and Foster.)

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
In the Field, July 11, 1864-12.30 p. m.

Brigadier-General FOSTER,

Commanding at Deep Bottom:

Please call for fifty volunteers for an arduous and difficult but serviceable expedition, with two commissioned officers of the rank of second lieutenant, to report to Lieutenant Chambers, Third Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, at 4 o'clock, at your pontoon bridge. Telegraph me when you have the men.

BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major-General, Commanding.

[Memorandum.]

JULY 11, 1864.

Second Lieutenants Sharp and Linsley and fifty men, of the Tenth Connecticut Volunteers, volunteered for the within duty, and left pontoon bridge on Tug No. 4 at 5 p. m.

P. A. DAVIS,

Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

Major-General BUTLER:

JONES' NECK, July 11, 1864.

I have the men from the Tenth Connecticut Volunteers under Second Lieutenants Sharp and Linsley. I directed them to take two days' rations and sixty rounds of ammunition per man. If there are any other instructions for them please telegraph.

R. S. FOSTER,
Brigadier-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS, HDQRS. ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES,

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

I. Lieut. Col. J. B. Howard is hereby relieved from duty as acting chief quartermaster of the Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, and will report to Maj. Gen. W. F. Smith, commanding Eighteenth Army Corps, for duty as chief quartermaster of that corps.

II. Capt. R. P. Johnson, assistant quartermaster of volunteers, is hereby relieved from duty in the Second Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, and will report to Maj. Gen. W. F. Smith, commanding Eighteenth Army Corps, for assignment to duty in the quartermaster's department of that corps.

III. Capt. Hemy Page, assistant quartermaster, is hereby appointed acting chief quartermaster of the Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, and will report as such to Maj. Gen. P. H. Sheridan, commanding Cavalry Corps.

By command of Lieutenant-General Grant:

E. S. PARKER, Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES,
July 11, 1864.

Col. J. W. SHAFFER,

Chief of Staff:

How many vessels with the Nineteenth Corps from New Orleans have passed Fort Monroe for Washington up to this time? Please keep these headquarters advised of the vessels as they pass, that the Lieutenant-General commanding may be informed of the probable time they will reach Washington.

By command of Lieutenant-General Grant:

JNO. A. RAWLINS, Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,

Major MULFORD,

Fort Monroe:

In the Field, July 11, 1864.

You will come up to-morrow in the New York if she is at your disposal; if not, come in the mail-boat.

B. F. BUTLER,
Major-General.

« PreviousContinue »