get them out of the galling fire which was at that time concentrated upon my piece. Before I could get it off the wheel and swing horses were killed. The enemy by this time were around the gun, and hence I was obliged to abandon it. I neglected to mention that I rallied a few cavalrymen, and attempted to unlimber the gun and drag it off by hand, but they were all either killed or wounded. My battery during the entire action had no support whatever. The enemy took the gun from the field by the prolonge, leaving the limber, which I succeeded in retaking. I lost, as follows: Lieutenant Littlefield, wounded in two places, slightly; Private Bell, wounded; 8 horses killed and 6 horses wounded. Most all of the horses wounded have since died.

Too much credit cannot be given to my officers, Lieutenants Cameron and Littlefield, and to my men, for their conduct. All obeyed orders promptly and did everything that man could do in working the gun.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. NEIL DENNISON,

First Lieutenant, Second Artillery, Comdg. Horse Battery A.

Lieut. JAMES CHESTER,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General..

No. 243.

Report of Lieut. Charles L. Fitzhugh, Battery E, Fourth U. S. Artillery, of operations June 22-29.

CAMP HORSE BATTERIES C AND E, FOURTH U. S. ARTY.,

July 3, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to make the following report of the operations of the battery under my command during the recent cavalry expedition under Brigadier-General Wilson:

The battery started from Bryant's house, near Mount Zion Church, with the First Brigade, Third Division, on the 22d of June, 1864, at 3 a. m., crossed the Weldon railroad at Reams' Station, and proceeded toward Burkeville. The battery was engaged near Nottoway CourtHouse on the 24th, and the enemy defeated. Marched on the 25th along the Richmond and Danville Railroad, the cavalry destroying the road effectually, and came into position at Roanoke Station on the 26th of June, engaging a rebel battery of six guns across the river, and silencing three of the guns in less than half an hour. The destruction of the road as far as the Roanoke River having been completed the expedition started on the return trip, the battery accompanying it through Christianville, Oak Grove, and Smoky Ordinary, and reached Stony Creek on the evening of the 28th, where the battery became engaged and remained in position all night, aiding in the repulse of three severe attacks of the enemy. We left this position on the morning of the 29th, and advanced toward Reams' Station, on Weldon road, where the enemy was found in heavy force. The battery was placed in position, by order of General Wilson, on the hill on the right of the road between General Kautz's command and the First [Third] Division, commanding our front and left for some 700 yards. At this time I was ordered by the general commanding to destroy most of my caissons, to put fresh horses at the guns, and to be prepared for a rapid movement. In obedience to this command I destroyed three caissons and put eight horses to each of the remaining carriages, which was hardly accomplished when

the enemy came in on our left flank in heavy force, three lines of infantry deploying from the woods on the left and within 300 yards of the battery. They were handsomely repulsed with canister from all four of the guns and driven back, with heavy loss, into the woods, but filled the road on the left of the battery, cutting it off entirely from the Third Division and compelling it to move about 400 yards toward General Kautz's command, which still held its ground. The battery was again placed in position, driving the enemy from its front and enabling General Kautz to withdraw his command with trifling loss. Left, then, without support of any kind, I ordered the pieces to be limbered up, and with my three remaining in front to follow General Kautz's retreating command. That force took a course impracticable for artillery, so the attempt was made to carry the battery farther to the right in the hope of joining General Wilson's column, retreating on the road to Stony Creek. On reaching this road there was only time to put the three leading carriages on the road, the rebels advancing so rapidly in pursuit as to cut off the guns from the cavalry column; the caissons were afterward abandoned in the retreat. In the mean time Lieutenant Fuger, commanding the left section, in the rear, was severely pressed and compelled to spike and abandon his pieces, bringing off with him all his cannoneers and drivers but two, who were shot down while spiking the guns, and three drivers captured there. The right section, under Lieutenant Reilly, was here nearly surrounded by the enemy and compelled to spike and abandon one gun, but carried the other piece three-quarters of a mile through the woods before he was forced to leave it. What was left of the company was then armed with carbines and pistols picked up on the road traveled by our cavalry, and, joined by some fifty straggling cavalrymen, marched rapidly across the railroad and reached our lines at about 9 p. m., losing some 15 or 20 men cut off by the pursuing enemy and by the fire of the guards and pickets, through which we had to charge.

I have the honor to state that the guns were only spiked and aban doned when there was not a cavalryman within half a mile to support them, and the enemy so close as to shoot down the men who did not heed their demand to halt and surrender. I cannot too highly praise the gallant conduct of the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates under my command. To Lieutenants Reilly and Fuger I am indebted for the most valuable assistance. Always willing and indefatigable they sustained their reputations as excellent artillery officers. I refer them to my superiors for honorable mention and reward. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CHAS. L. FITZHUGH, First Lieut., 4th U. S. Artillery, Comdg. Horse Batteries C and E. Captain SIEBERT,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[Indorsement.]

Respectfully forwarded, approved.

No blame whatever can be attached to the officers or men of this battery for its loss, but, to the contrary, they are worthy of the highest praise for their good conduct and gallantry throughout the entire expedition.

No. 244.

Reports of Col. Henry L. Abbot, First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, commanding Siege Train, including operations June 14-October 31.

HEADQUARTERS SIEGE TRAIN AND SIEGE ARTILLERY,

GENERAL:*

Broadway Landing, Va., December 5, 1861.

On June 14 the Eighteenth Corps, under Major-General Smith, arrived in advance of the Army of the Potomac, and at once moved on Petersburg.

On June 20 Company I, First Connecticut Artillery, Captain Burton, was sent with two 30-pounder Parrotts (a third subsequently added) to his front.

On June 21 the rebel rams came down near Dutch Gap, and with the Howlett house (rebel) battery, fired on our navy. Lieutenant Dimock replied from Battery Spofford, and ultimately silenced the latter.

On June 23 my regular train arrived from Washington Arsenal in charge of Captain Hatfield. Lieutenant-General Grant immediately ordered me to report to Brigadier-General Hunt, chief of artillery, Army of the Potomac, for the service of that train, detaching such companies from the Bermuda Hundred lines as were necessary for serving the guns, but not otherwise changing my duties under General Butler. Accordingly, since that date I have held the double position of commanding officer of the siege artillery of the Army of the James and of the siege train Army of the Potomac. All of the heavy artillery in front of Richmond has thus been served under a common head and chiefly by the First Connecticut Artillery. Prior to this date all my ordnance supplies were drawn from Capt. A. Mordecai, chief ordnance officer, Army of the James. After its arrival the siege train was supplied by direct requisition upon the Ordnance Department, and subsequently, by order of General Grant, the procuring of all ordnance supplies for heavy guns for both armies was placed under my charge. The following is a full statement of firing done under the former system:

My first duty upon the arrival of the train proper was to establish a suitable depot. After due examination Broadway Landing, on the Appomattox River, was selected, and three substantial wharves were built. My orders were to keep the material afloat, and this has been scrupu

*For portion of report (here omitted) covering operations from May 4 to June 13, 1864, see Vol. XXXVI, Part II, p. 191.

lously done, no ammunition even being unloaded, except to put upon the wagons. Major-General Butler established a telegraph office at the landing for the service of the train, and gave me a detail of two companies of the One hundred and thirty-eighth Ohio National Guard for ordnance duty. They were relieved on July 15 by two companies Thirty-seventh New Jersey Volunteers, which, on August 28, were replaced by a detachment of 100 men of the Eleventh Connecticut Volunteers, under command of Captain Kraszynski. Brigadier-General Ingalls, chief quartermaster armies in the field, supplied a tug and a train of fifty wagons, with a promise of further transportation when required. Besides these wagons the four artillery teams of Captain Korte, Third Pennsylvania Artillery, attached to my command, have been habitually used. This battery was organized by General Butler for the purpose of moving all his heavy guns, its regular armament being two 8-inch siege howitzers, which themselves would hardly require transportation other than that furnished by the quartermaster's department. Captain Korte has always been eager for service and much benefit has been derived from this organization. Lieut. Col. N. L. White was appointed by General Butler acting inspector-general of my command on June 29, and besides his other duties has discharged the functions of that office in a thorough manner. Capt. S. P. Hatfield was placed in command of the depot, assisted by First Lieut. W. C. Faxon and First Lieut. C. Gillett, all of First Connecticut Artillery. Captain Hatfield had commanded a siege battery during a part of the Peninsular Campaign of 1862, and had been ordnance officer of my brigade in the defenses of Washington for more than a year. To his high professional attainments and energetic character, and to the zeal and ability of his assistants, the excellent administration of his depart ment during the campaign is to be attributed.

The general system for the service and supply of the batteries was the following: The companies and parts of companies serving the batteries, situated within convenient distance, were placed under command of a field officer of First Connecticut Artillery, who received his orders as to firing from the local commander. In other respects he received his orders from these headquarters. The battery commanders forwarded daily to their majors reports showing the amount of ammu nition on hand at last report, amount received during the twenty-four hours, amount expended, and amount remaining on hand. These reports were collected by orderlies from my headquarters and usually reached the depot about noon. A train was at once fitted out to supply the deficiencies below a certain number of rounds (usually 100 per gun or mortar) ordered to be kept in the field magazines. These trains reported to the field officers, already informed by telegram of their destination and time of starting, and were conducted after dark under their directions to their proper batteries. Although some 900 tons of ammunition, hauled an average distance of nearly seven miles by wagon, have already been fired during the campaign, in no single instance has a battery failed to be amply supplied for ordinary or even extraordinary demands, and in no case has a useless accumulation of ammunition occurred. The question of responsibility for ordnance property, so difficult of convenient adjustment, has also been very simply settled for the siege train. The whole material remains charged to the ordnance officer. Memorandum receipts, which are destroyed when the property is accounted for to him, being only required from battery commanders. No time is thus expended upon unnecessary

papers, which, with the constant transfer of ordnance from one battery to another, would have entailed great labor upon company commanders, had the usual system been adopted. Knowing that the rations likely to be drawn from the neighboring commissaries of subsistence would be inferior to those which would be supplied by an independent organization, I appointed my regimental quartermaster, Lieut. G. P. Mason, First Connecticut Artillery, acting assistant quartermaster and acting commissary of subsistence, and directed him to supply the command. This he has done to perfection with a train of only seventeen wagons, although the line has often exceeded fifteen miles in length. The water transportation has enabled him to get his supplies, and forage to the depot without hauling, and his own good judgment and energy have done the rest. I have taken advantage of the comparative stability of the command to have all the regimental sick properly cared for by Surg. S. W. Skinner, First Connecticut Artillery, who has organized one of the best field hospitals I have ever seen. The patients have averaged from forty to seventy in number. By avoiding the sending of those lightly attacked to general hospital much has unquestionably been done to keep up the numbers of the command. The comforts of the patients have been quite unusual for the field, owing to the attention of the surgeon in charge and to the efforts of the chaplain, S. F. Jarvis, First Connecticut Artillery, who has actively exerted himself in their behalf. Asst. Surg. J. S. Delavan has devoted himself to the sick of the regiment in the batteries in front of Petersburg, and Asst. Surg. N. Matson, until broken down by his exertions, to those in the command on the lines of Bermuda Hundred. Although so much scattered I believe few troops have enjoyed as good medical care during this campaign as mine. For the prompt and accurate transaction of the various office work of the command, I am indebted to First Lieut. B. P. Learned, First Connecticut Artillery, regimental adjutant and acting assistant adjutantgeneral.

The following changes have been made in my organization during the campaign: On June 28 Companies A and H, Thirteenth New York Artillery, under command of Capt. William Pendrell, were assigned to my command by Major-General Butler. They were placed in the lines of Bermuda Hundred. Ten companies of the Fourth New York Artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel Allcock commanding, aggregate 1,072 men, were added to my command by General Hunt on July 14. On the 15th I placed Company A, Captain McKeel, on duty at the siege train depot, and on the 29th Company M, Captain Morrison, on the same duty. Three companies, as shown in the table below, served batteries; the rest of the regiment did excellent service in making gabions, fascines, magazines, and in constructing some of the siege batteries. They were detached on August 4.

On October 16 I was ordered to report for my command of the siege artillery, Army of the James, to Brig. Gen. Charles K. Graham, commanding Provisional Division, instead of direct to General Butler, as heretofore. The organization just described was made under a pressure which, owing to the constant demands for siege artillery in, ammunition were hauled an average distance of nearly eight miles, over roads extremely dusty, but otherwise good..

42 R R-VOL XL, PT I.