HEADQUARTERS EIGHTEENTH CORPS, Commanding Third Division: GENERAL: General Neill's division, of the Sixth Corps, has been ordered to relieve your division. As fast as he relieves your line you will form in line in rear of General Brooks, so far back of the edge of the woods and between it and the road as to be entirely out of artillery fire. Please report when formed in this new line. Respectfully, &c., General AMES: N. BOWEN, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS EIGHTEENTH CORPS, GENERAL: The general commanding desires you to send forward as soon as possible all wagons, supplies, ambulances, &c., and beefcattle on the hoof, belonging to this command. You will please join us, with all troops of this corps, as soon as you can leave the White House, according to your first orders from General Smith. Respectfully, &c., N. BOWEN, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES, White House Landing, Va., June 2, 1864. A. AMES, Brigadier-General, Commanding. The Fourth Infantry, U. S. Army, and One hundred and thirtysecond Ohio Volunteers are not included in this report, having been ordered to report direct to Brig. Gen. J. J. Abercrombie, commanding post. Men. Officers. Men. HDQRS. CAV. CORPS, ARMY OF POTOMAC, June 2, 1864. Major-General HUMPHREYS, Chief of Staff, Army of the Potomac: GENERAL: I have the honor to state, for the information of the general commanding, that my advance is at Sumner's (upper) Bridge. Find the bridge destroyed; the enemy's cavalry on the opposite side in some force. There are two parallel roads leading to the bridge; between these roads the enemy are strongly intrenched with artillery in position. The enemy have a small pond and swamp on their left. I have directed General Gregg to try and work around it and join on to General Wright's left. My pickets connect with General Wright's left flank and extend out on some parallel road, crossing the country to the east of Cold Harbor and General Wright's left. P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS THIRD DIVISION, CAVALRY CORPS, Major-General HUMPHREYS, Chief of Staff: I have directed Colonel Chapman, commanding Second Brigade, to establish a courier-line on the shortest route to the right of the army. The destruction of the South Anna bridges is complete. Wehave also damaged the roads all that was possible with the means at my disposal. In order to reach the bridges over Little River a couple of regiments might be sent by Taylor's Ford and Chesterfield. I will send them if you wish it. I will send through the regular channels a report of casualties. Our loss, however, will not be large for the amount of fighting we have done since crossing Crump's Creek. I have just received information from Colonel Harhaus, Second New York, on picket at Hanover Court-House, that column of re-enforcements-cavalry, infantry-from the north is just arriving at Hanover Court-House, having crossed the Pamunkey at Taylor's. J. H. WILSON," Brigadier-General. P. S. was compelled to leave 30 or 40 wounded at Ashland-2 officers-for the lack of ambulances. Would it be proper to send a flag of truce, with a train of ambulances, for permission to bring them in? J. H. WILSON, Brigadier-General. HDQRS. THIRD DIVISION, CAVALRY CORPS, Maj. Gen. A. A. HUMPHREYS, Chief of Staff, Army of the Potomac:" GENERAL: In the absence of orders, I shall move as soon as Colonel Cesnola's command shall have passed through my lines to Crump's Creek, or beyond, so as to re-establish communication with the right of the army. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. H. WILSON, Brigadier-General, Commanding Division. Major-General HALLECK, Chief of Staff: HEADQUARTERS, White House, June 2, 1864. GENERAL: I have the honor to report my arrival here on the 1st instant, when I found General Ames' brigade, of the Eighteenth Corps d'Armée, and whom I relieved to-day. I also found instructions from General Grant to retain such troops as I might deem necessary [for the defense] of the depot until the engineers, who reported to me to day, could throw up such earth-works as were needed for the safety of the supplies, &c. Owing, however, to the want of intrenching tools but little has yet been done. The telegraph operator thinks he will have the line in working order some time to-morrow. I presume you have been apprised the rails have been taken up and the ties destroyed between West Point and the Chickahominy. There are over 600 rebel prisoners at this place, but no blanks to enroll them. Heavy firing in front until dark all day. J. J. ABERCROMBIE, Brigadier-General, Commanding. P. S.-I have a force of 6,057 men, 762 of which are three-months' men, 720 Invalid Battalion, 200 dismounted cavalry, 226 mounted men, leaving about 4,300 who will be sent forward guarding trains. GENERAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS, No. 6. White House, Va., June 2, 1864. The undersigned assumes command of all the troops at this place and vicinity. All communications will be addressed to Capt. R. L. Orr, acting assistant adjutant-general. General Ames' command will remain at White House until relieved. J. J. ABERCROMBIE, Brigadier-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS ENGINEER BRIGADE, Camp off Fortress Monroe, Va., June 2, 1864-10.40 a. m. General S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-General, Army of the Potomac: SIR: As I have not received any reply as yet to the telegrams I have sent you from Washington and this place, I of course understand (if they have been received) that the action I have taken has been approved. Yet fearing that these telegrams may have miscarried or been delayed, I herewith report again in writing, as I am still waiting orders, according to your orders in duplicate of 27th and 28th ultimo. The first received at about 11 p. m. of the 27th, was at once acted upon and my men set to work during the night to make up the bridge rafts and barges and steamers called for from the quartermaster's department, as, according to my first reply of 6 a. m. of 28th (copy of which I inclose).* I judged that I ought to take the special material ordered in April. As soon as barges were received, the loading of this material commenced, and by continuing the work through the whole of the night of the 28th, we were ready before noon of the next day, at which time with the limited steamers obtained from the quartermaster's department we started for this place. The men with the barges of special material arrived here about noon and near midnight of the 30th, and the pontoon rafts, which had to lay over each night, about 1 to 2 a. m. June 1. I reported immediately on arriving, as per copy of telegram dated 30th ultimo at 11 p. m. On the 31st at near sunset a telegram to commanding officer here was received from General Halleck, of which copyt and indorsement of General Butler's assistant adjutantgeneral are inclosed, also copy of my telegramt to you, sent up York River, in relation to this. As I have not been certain that this telegram of General Halleck's was known to you, I have been greatly embarrassed to decide whether you would have wished all my men and the special material to go also without your direct order. I have complied literally with General Halleck's order, and sent the bridges and men to lay them up to General Butler, and have been on the point of taking everything else up for fear that might be what was desired, and I have even telegraphed General Butler, as per copy inclosed, t to ask for information on the subject, [sic] though sent at 9 a. m. yesterday. My best judgment from the reports here of operations lead me to the conviction that you may be as likely to need these men and material up the York as up the James River, and that it is my duty to await your orders here with my transportation, unless an imperative call should reach me from General Butler. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. BENHAM, Brigadier-General, Commanding. FLAG-SHIP AGAWAM, Farrar's Island, June 2, 1864. (Received 11 a. m. 5th.) Hon. GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy: No change in the naval situation, except that I have received here from General Butler the vessels he had provided at City Point as part of his plan of campaign for obstructing James River. S. P. LEE, Acting Rear-Admiral. *See Benham to Williams, May 28, p. 274. Ante, pp. 366, 416, 472. 33 R R-VOL XXXVI, PT III |