General GIBBON : CHANDLER'S HOUSE, May 25, 1864-12.15 p. m. Will advise you as to your part of it when I can see General Hancock. WALKER, Assistant Adjutant-General. To be destroyed. CHANDLER'S HOUSE, May 25, 1864. General GIBBON : General Hancock is here, and wishes me to say that if you have anything to communicate about your lines to send by signal. TAYLOR. General Birney: CHANDLER'S HOUSE, May 25, 1864-9 a. m. General Hancock wishes to know if Colonel Morgan is at your headquarters. General HANCOCK: TAYLOR, MAY 25, 1864. Colonel Morgan has gone with General Potter to look at his lines. General BIRNEY: BIRNEY, General. HEADQUARTERS SECOND ARMY CORPS, The major-general commanding directs that you take possession of the section of Arnold's battery referred to in your note, and hold it if it is near you. You should enforce your orders in such cases. The major-general commanding will have the matter duly investigated. FRANCIS A. WALKER, P. S.-Be very cautious in your advance. A contraband has just come in, who reports quite a force over there. F. A. W., Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS SECOND ARMY CORPS, Major-General BIRNEY: GENERAL: The major-general commanding has directed me to inform you that a new pontoon bridge has been laid above the railroad bridge in rear of your command. He directs that a road practicable for wagons and artillery be at once cut, leading to it, and that the ditches be bridged. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Major-General MEADE: MAY 25, 1864-8 a. m. General Griffin has advanced down the railroad and engaged the enemy's skirmishers there. General Crawford has engaged them on the right of General Crittenden. General Cutler and General Griffin are now establishing a good connection. General Wright, I believe, is moving up troops to Griffin's right. I suppose the enemy's skirmishers are probably a half mile in advance of their main one. As soon as all is in order we will drive them in to their breast-works if they have any, and ascertain their position. It seems as if the enemy was here in force. Respectfully, G. K. WARREN, MAY 25, 1864-8.20 a. m. Major-General MEADE: GENERAL: Found General Warren at last, say, 14 miles from you. I indicate the lines. General Warren finds the enemy intrenched quite to the railroad. His line can reach only to the rail-and he has told Wright so. Skirmishing in front, but only a waste of ammunition. Warren has sent to say so. We now move to the right. Warren's line is pretty oblique. He will try to rectify. T. LYMAN, Lieutenant-Colonel, Volunteer Aide-de-Camp. HEADQUARTERS SIXTH ARMY CORPS, Major-General WARREN : I am in connection with Bartlett's brigade, Griffin's division, near the Anderson house, and have formed my lines nearly parallel to the road along which I came. I send this by an officer who is instructed to bring back the two brigades which were sent to establish the connection with Crawford last night. I shall keep up my connection with your right, and move with it. General MEADE : H. G. WRIGHT, Major-General, Commanding. MAY 25, 1864-10 a. m. I inclose a sketch* of the position. The enemy has intrenchments visible on the railroad and on the river. Distance between about 1 mile. The intervening space is filled with skirmishers behind logs and trees. There are cavalry skirmishers along Little River south and west of us. General Wright is in position facing them. All along my front there is an open space between our skirmishers. I send you a sketch. I am going to ask General Wright to develop his line west across the Little River, and then go to the left of my line, push out a force to flank their skirmishers, and try and push them back with as little loss as I can. I think the enemy is in force. G. K. WARREN, Major-General. Major-General MEADE: HEADQUARTERS SIXTH CORPS, GENERAL: I have been along near our pickets of Warren's right flank-see "house" and "old barn." The enemy are on the other side of Little River. The Twenty-second Massachusetts was covering as indicated. The river is reported 50 feet wide, muddy, slow, and apparently rather deep; but Anderson says it is seldom over *Not found; but see Warren to Meade, 12 m., p. 192. one's waist, though the banks are bad. General Wright is facing. Little River, and his skirmishers just closed to the left to connect with the Twenty-second Massachusetts. This regiment reports chopping and talking in their front; and across the river from Anderson's the signal officer reports them carrying rails, but all this may indicate only a few men. T. LYMAN, Lieutenant-Colonel, Volunteer Aide-de-Camp. Major-General MEADE : HEADQUARTERS FIFTH ARMY CORPS, I send you now an exact sketch of developments as far as made. I have found the intrenchments visible on the left and right, and I inclose a report of General Cutler on the result of his effort to push on in the center. My line makes a salient at this point. Sharpshooters are very active. I have my troops in two lines, and cover a front reaching near to Little River. I cannot extend farther without making a weak line. I feel satisfied that I should have great difficulty at best in whipping the enemy in my front. Perhaps if General Wright were to send a division across Little River we would be able to develop the intrenched line farther. We can hear wood-chopping south of the river, which just beyond us bends southward and perhaps forms part of their line. The woods, however, prevent seeing much anywhere. On my right General Griffin has got eight guns in an enfilading position to the enemy's skirmish line, and will fire pretty soon. To advance my right carries me over a clear field three-fourths of a mile, with the enemy intrenched on the other side. General Cutler's report gives you an idea of the trouble in the center, and General Crittenden's advance last night shows the state of things on my left. Do you wish anything further done? Respectfully, G. K. WARREN, [Inclosure.] HDQRS. FOURTH DIVISION, FIFTH ARMY CORPS, General WARREN : I can't find any way to get at the flank of the enemy's skirmishers. I am of the opinion that there may be a salient near my center; the fire at that point is very galling. I have had 2 officers and some 18 to 20 men killed, and a large number wounded. I have instructed my pickets to get around as well as they can, and not fire any more than is absolutely necessary. [First indorsement.] L. CUTLER, Brigadier-General. General GRANT: I should judge from the within that, unless Warren attacks, not much more can be done in his front.. GEO. G. MEADE, [Second indorsement.] I do not think any attack should be made until preparations are made to use our whole force. The best Warren can do now is to cover his men well in their advanced position, and rest them all he can ready for active service. If you think proper to send a division of Wright's force across Little River do so, but I think unless there is some reason for it that I do not know, it would be better not to send them over until the cavalry gets around. Major-General WARREN: U. S. GRANT, HEADQUARTERS SIXTH CORPS, I have moved my lines to the left, to connect with Griffin, as I felt solicitous about that part of our joint position. That angle seems to me very important, and I suggest that Bartlett's brigade be brought up in support of that point as soon as it can be spared from its work of destroying the railroad. 13 R R-VOL XXXVI, PT III H. G. WRIGHT, Major-General, Commanding. |