59. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Brig. Gen. S. WILLIAMS, August 5, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General, Army of the Potomac : SIR: In compliance with directions received from you to-day, I have the honor to make the following report of the duty performed by the engineer officers during the assault of July 30: In compliance with directions from the chief of staff, I detailed an officer of engineers for duty with each corps that was ordered to take part in the attack on the 30th of July. Major Michler, who was charged with selecting the position of the column on the right, after having reconnoitered the position, reported to General Ord and was informed that his subordinate generals had already examined the position, were thoroughly acquainted with the ground, and required no further assistance. They had already determined to take the same position indicated by Major Michler. Two engineer officers belonging to the Eighteenth Corps accompanied the movement. Lieutenant Benyaurd (Engineers), who has been on duty on the Ninth Corps front, reported to General Burnside and remained with him during the whole affair. After having consulted with the commanding general of the Fifth Corps as to the direction his column would take, I proceeded to the batteries in front of that corps and assisted Colonel Abbot in directing their fire so as to silence that of the enemy against the assaulting columns. I then repaired to the right of this line. By this time, however, the attack had been abandoned, and my services were no longer required. Very respectfully, 60. J. C. DUANE, CIRCULAR.] HEADQUARTERS NINTH ARMY CORPS, I. The mine will be exploded to-morrow morning at 3.30 by Colonel Pleasants. General Potter will issue the necessary orders to the colonel for the explosion. II. General Ledlie will immediately upon the explosion of the mine move his division forward as directed by verbal orders this day, and if possible crown the crest at the point known as Cemetery Hill, occupying, if possible, the cemetery. III. General Willcox will move his division forward as soon as possible after General Ledlie has passed through the first line of the enemy's works, bearing off to the left so as to effectually protect the left flank of General Ledlie's column, and make a lodgment, if possible, on the Jerusalem plank road to the left of General Ledlie's division. IV. General Potter will move his division forward to the right of General Ledlie's division as soon as it is apparent that he will not interfere with the movements of General Willcox's division, and will as near as possible protect the right flank of General Ledlie from any attack on that quarter and establish a line on the crest of a ravine which seems to run from the Cemetery Hill nearly at right angles to the enemy's main line directly in our front. V. General Ferrero will move his division immediately after General Willcox's until he reaches our present advance line, where he will remain until the ground in his front is entirely cleared by the other three divisions, when he will move forward over the same ground that General Ledlie moved over; will pass through our line and, if possible, move down and occupy the village to the right. VI. The formations and movements of all these divisions, together with their places of rendezvous, will be as near as possible in accordance with tbe understanding during the personal interviews with the division commanders. The headquarters of the corps during the movement will be at the fourteen-gun battery in rear of the Taylor house. If further instructions are desired by division commanders they will please ask for them at once. By order of Major-General Burnside: ORDERS.] 61. W. H. HARRIS, Captain Ordnance, U. S. Army. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, 1. The operations of this army against the intrenched position of the enemy defending Petersburg will be by regular approaches on the fronts opposed to General Burnside's and General Warren's-corps. 2. The siege-works will be constructed under the direction of the acting chief engineer of the army, Maj. J. C. Duane, Corps of Engineers, upon plans prepared by him and approved by the commanding general. Those plans that relate to the employment of the artillery will be prepared jointly by the acting chief engineer and the chief of artillery of the army, Brig. Gen. H. J. Hunt, U. S. Volunteers. Duplicates of the plan of siege will be furnished the commanders of the Ninth and Fifth Corps. 3. The engineer officers and troops of the army will receive their orders from the chief engineer, who will regulate the hours at which they will go on duty. 4. The siege artillery will be served under the direction of the chief of artillery of the army, who will prescribe the hours at whieh artillery officers and troops go on duty. 5. A general of the trenches will be detailed daily for each of the two fronts designated, where the siege operations are carried on by the commanders of the Ninth and Fifth Corps, respectively. Guards of the trenches will in like manner be detailed daily from those corps. The strength of the guàrd will be determined by the commander of the corps furnishing it. The general of the trenches is responsible for the security of the siege operations, and the police and discipline of the trenches, and will dispose the guard so as to protect the working parties and repel sorties. For armed purposes, as well as for police and discipline, he commands all in the trenches. He will report for instructions at the headquarters of his corps on the day previous to going on duty, and will confer with the officers of engineers and artillery in charge of the trenches and batteries, and visit the localities of the siege-works, so as to make himself familiar with the ground and determine upon the best disposition of the guard. He will go on duty at 8 a. m., and, upon being relieved, will turn over to his successor, all orders and instructions and information that he is possessed of pertaining to the duties specified. The commander of the guard of the trenches will report to him for instructions at 8 a. m. The guard of the trenches will go on duty at dark. Previous to the commencement of his tour of service the commander will report for instructions to the general of the trenches. The commander of the guard will report hourly to the general of the trenches what is transpiring in front and immediately anything of importance. The general of the trenches will make similar reports to the corps commander, who will transmit anything important to the commander of the army. Upon being relieved the general of the trenches will make a written report to his corps commander of the operations carried on during his tour, which will be forwarded to the commanding general of the army. 6. For the work of the trenches details from the two corps named will be made upon the requisitions of the chiefs of engineers and artillery. These requisitions will specify the character and locality of the work to be performed. An officer of high rank will be detailed daily to take charge of the working parties of each corps. He will be responsible for the faithful and energetic performance of duty by the working parties, and will see that they conform to the directions of the engineer and artillery officers in charge of the works. In the event of an attack he will command the working parties under the orders of the general of the trenches, and as soon after the commencement of his tour of duty as practicable he will report to that officer the manner in which the working parties are distributed. He will report for instructions at the headquarters of his corps on the day before he goes on duty, and I will confer with the engineer and artillery officers in charge of the trenches, and receive information from them as to the manner of performing the work, and visit the localities before dark, so as to make himself familiar with the same. He will go on duty at 8 a. m. Upon being relieved he will turn over to his successor all orders, instructions, and information pertaining to the duty that he may be possessed of. Working parties will go on duty just before daylight. They will be equipped for action. Upon being relieved he will make a written report to his corps commander of the work executed by the working parties under his charge, which will be forwarded to the major-general commanding the army. 7. Materials for the siege will be prepared by working parties detailed from the corps not in the trenches, upon requisitions of the acting chief engineer and chief of artillery. S. The corps will relieve each other in the duties of the trenches should it be found necessary. 9. The acting chief engineer and chief of artillery will report every. twelve hours to the commanding general the progress made in the operations. The morning report will include a statement of the work proposed to be executed in the next twenty-four hours following the tour of working duty then going on. These reports will be accompanied by drawings exhibiting the same. Duplicates of these reports will be furnished to the commanders of the corps on whose fronts the operations are conducted. By command of Major-General Meade: S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-General. 62. Major-General MEADE, HEADQUARTERS NINTH ARMY CORPS, Commanding Army of the Potomac: July 3, 1864. I have delayed answering your dispatch until I could get the opinion of my division commanders and have another reconnaissance of the lines made by one of my staff. If my opinion is required as to whether now is the best time to make an assault (it being understood that if not made the siege is to continue) I should unhesitatingly say wait until the mine is finished. If the question is between making the assault now and a change of plan looking to operations in other quarters I should unhesitatingly say assault now. If the assault be delayed until the com-. pletion of the mine I think we should have a more than even chance of success. If the assault be made now I think we have a fair chance of success, provided my corps can make the attack and it is left to me to say when and how the other two corps shall come in to my support. I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. E. BURNSIDE, Major-General, Commanding Ninth Army Corps. 63. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, July 3, 1864. Major-General BURNSIDE, Commanding Ninth Corps: GENERAL: Your note by Major Lydig has been received. As you are of the opinion there is a reasonable degree of probability of success from an assault in your front I shall so report to the lieutenant-general commanding and await his instructions. The recent operations in your front, as you are aware, though sanctioned by me, did not originate in any orders from these headquarters. Should, however, it he determined to employ the army under my command in offensive operations on your front I shall exercise the prerogative of my position to control and direct the same, receiving gladly at all times such suggestions as you may think proper to make. I consider these remarks necessary in consequence of certain conditions which you have thought proper to attach to your opinion, acceding to which in advance would not in my judgment be consistent with my position as commanding general of this army. I have accordingly directed Major Duane, chief engineer, and Brigadier-General Hunt, chief of artillery, to make an examination of your lines, and to confer with you as to the operations to be carried on-the running of the mine now in progress and the posting of artillery. It is desirable as many guns as possible bearing on the point to be assaulted should be placed in position. I agree with you in opinion the assault should be deferred till the mine is completed, provided that can be done in a reasonably short period-say a week. Roads should be opened to the rear to facilitate the movements of the other corps sent to take part in the action and all the preliminary arrangements possible should be made. Upon the reports of my engineer and artillery officers the necessary orders will be given. Respectfully, yours, 11 R R-VOL XL, PT I GEO. G. MEADE, Major-General, Commanding. 64.* CONFIDENTIAL.] Major-General MEADE, HEADQUARTERS NINTH ARMY CORPS, Commanding Army of the Potomac : GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of last evening. I am very sorry that I should have been so unfortunate in expressing myself in my letter. It was written in haste, just after receiving the necessary data upon which to strengthen an opinion already pretty well formed. I assure you in all candor that I never dreamed of implying any lack of confidence in your ability to do all that is necessary in any grand movement which may be undertaken by your army. Were you to personally direct an attack from my front I would feel the utmost confidence, and were I called upon to support an attack from the front of the Second or Sixth Corps, directed by yourself or by either of the commanders of those corps, I would do it with confidence and cheerfulness. It is hardly necessary for me to say that I have had the utmost faith in your ability to handle troops ever since my acquaintance with you in the Army of the Potomac, and certainly accord to you a much higher position in the art of war than I possess, and I at the same time entertain the greatest respect for the skill of the two gentlemen commanding the Second and Sixth Corps; so that my duty to the country, to you, and to myself, forbids that I should for a moment assume to embarrass you or them by an assumption of position or authority. I simply desired to ask the privilege of calling upon them for support, at such times and at such points as I thought advisable. I would gladly accord to either of them the same support, and would be glad to have either of them lead the attack; but it would have been obviously improper for me to have suggested that any other corps than my own should make the attack in my front. What I asked in reference to calling upon the other corps for support is only what I have been called upon to do and have cheerfully done myself in regard to other corps commanders. If a copy of my letter has been forwarded to the General-in-Chief, which I take for granted has been done, that he may be possessed of my full opinion, it may make the same impression upon him as upon yourself, and I beg that you will correct it; in fact I beg that such impression may be as far as possible removed wherever it has made a lodgment. My desire is to support you, and in doing that I am serving the country. With ordinary good fortune we can pretty safely promise to finish the mine in a week-I hope in less time. I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Maj. J. C. DUANE, A. E. BURNSIDE, Major-General, Commanding Ninth Army Corps. 67. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, July 24, 1864. Acting Chief Engineer, Army of the Potomac : MAJOR: Please give me, with as little delay as practicable, your views on the expediency of an assault on the enemy's works after a suc *Nos. 65 and 66 are maps to appear in the Atlas. |