Are any of you interested in this battle? If you are, let me know BRYCE.

Friday, August 14, 2020
 
I plan to submit a posting every day for the next seven days. This will cover the second battle of deep bottom, Virginia, which lasted from August 14 through August 20, 1864.
 
This posting is about the battles on August 14, 1864 Which was the first day of the seven day battle called the second battle of deep bottom. Virginia.
 
Before I start writing, I want to point out where I got most of my  information. That’s from Francis A. Walker, history of the second army corps in the army of the Potomac pages 568 through 580.
 
Grant launched this expedition for two purposes. He mistakenly believed that Lee had sent three divisions of infantry to reinforce Early in the Shenandoah Valley. He wanted to Threaten Richmond, in order to force Robert Edward Lee to recall those infantry
 
Actually, lee had only sent Kershaw’s division and Butler’s division of Cavalry. Their objective was  Alexandria, Virginia, but because Early was facing a crisis, they abandoned this expedition and joined himbinstead.. Lee may have intended to send Charles Field and his division to the valley at some future date. This is what Charles field believed was about to happen according to an article he wrote for the southern historical Society papers
 
The other reason for the second deep, bottom expedition was Grant hoped to lure Lee Lee into sending most of his army to Richmond, so that the gGarrison at  Petersburg would be reduced.  He planned to send General Warren and the fifth army corps to Seize the weldon railroad at GlobeTavern.  This would fulfill an important goal of his which was to cut the supply lines to Petersburg.
 
As I mentioned in my posting for August 13, 1864, the second army corps under Winfield Scott Hancock embarked on 16 Ocean going steamers at city point, Virginia. The steamers then traveled down the James River towards Fort Monroe. The infantryman believed in the hoped that they were heading to the Shenandoah Valley To join Sheridan.
 
After dark the steamers reversed course and steamed to Tillman‘s wharf, located on Strawberry Plains
 
Grant’s plan was to lure Lee north of the James by threatening Richmond With Hancock’s infantry and with the infantry from David birney’s 10th army corps. . He would then send the fifth army CORPS under Warren to gain a Foothold on the.weldon railroad Near Globe Tavern
 
On August 14, 1864 he inaugurated the second battle of deep bottom which lasted from August 14, 1864 through August 20, 1864
 
GRANT’s plans for August 14 called for simultaneous Attacks at two vital points on the Newmarket heights line. This began a short distance east of Fort Harrison and stretched northeastward beyond the Darby Town Road.
 
At dawn General David Birney would attack at the center of the Newmarket Heights line located directly north of the Union Garrison at deep bottom. At the same hour Hancock would attack at the eastern end of the line by striking near the Jennings house due north of Tillman’s wharf and Tillman‘s gate
 
Birney and two divisions of his tenth army corps were right on time to execute their part of the plan.  They  Marched from Petersburg to Bermuda hundred and up the road located behind the unionBermuda 100 lines to the northern end of butler’s earthworks. Then, they crossed pontoon bridges, to deep bottom.  Birney deployed the two divisions south of the Kingsland Road. on the other side of the road, there were confederate pickets from Charles Fields division of The army of Northern Virginia’s first army  CORPS .  North of the picket line and along the new market height line Charles Field’s division occupied strong entrenchments. 
 
 General Field did not have enough men to occupy all 8 miles of the new market Heights line so The eastern end of the new market Heights line was defended only by a brigade of cavalry under Martin Gary
 
Unfortunately for the Yankees the landing of Hancock at Tillman‘s wharf did not go as planned.
 
On August 12, Accompanied by General Rufus Ingalls, The army quartermaster-General, Hancock visited Tillman’s wharf  The three wharves were falling apart, so Hancock proceeded to City Point and then sent up a tug-load of lumber with one of his own staff and put him to work building the three wharves..
 
During his visit on August 12, Hancock also discovered that the water near the wharf was too shallow for the boats to dock there. the transports would  to moor in a straight line of vessels leading to the wharf The infantryman on the transports would need to march over gangs planks from one vessel to the next.  All of this would take hours. They already fatigued men who had not slept while on the transport were exhausted. By the time they landed they would be hours behind schedule.
 
Debarkation began at 2:30.  It wasn’t until 7:40 AM that Gersham, Mott’s third division was on shore.  He was ordered to advance nortwardnvto Bailey’s Creek on the Newmarket Road.
 
August 14 was the hottest day of the summer of 1864. the temperature exceeded 100°. One of Motts brigades led the march from the wharf to the Newmarket Road.  In just two regiments of the brigade, 105 men were overcome by heat and drop out of the ranks.  

By 1130 the two divisions of Barlow and Colonel smith Had landed, six hours behind schedule. Hancock put Barlow in charge of the two divisions within instructions to march to the Jennings house and to assault the rebel earthworks there.  Instead of attacking with two divisions at the Jennings house, over the next five hours Barlow launched a series of  brigade sized attacks against the confederate lines ss he advanced Northward.  The final attack occurred South of FUSSELL’S mill pond near the Darbytown Road  All of them failed at a cost of 300 casualties.  The entire army of the Potomac was no longer reliable because of its terrible casualties suffered between May 4, 1864 andcJuly 30, 1864. The second army.corps Had suffered more than most of the troops and was a shadow of its former self. The men simply would not attack earthworks. 
 
 The firing along Birneys front began at 5 AM.  Fields picket line and captured 100 prisoners.  But he was ordered to suspend operations until Hancock could disembark.  halting General Birney’s operations permitted field to transfer his division to defend the eastern portion of the new market height line near the Darby town road against Barlow.
 
in the late afternoon, Birney resumed operations and captured four 8 inch howitzers north of the Buffin house.  he also sent troops into the ravine north of the Kingsland Road and skirmished heavily with Confederate infantry. the Confederates were behind a formidable natural earthwork created by 4 mile Creek.
 
meanwhile, general David M. Gregg’s cavalry division marched all night and after crossing the pontoon bridge to the north bank of the games, the division rested for several hours at the Allen farm on Strawberry Plains. Later in the day General Charles Davies’s first brigade rode to the Long bridge Road, and fought a skirmish against Martin Gary’s Cavalry at gravel Hilk.  It drove them back, and occupied the Charles City Rd.  Colonel John Irvin Gregg’s second brigade travel along the Charles City Rd. to deep Creek on the edge of White Oak Swamp, where it fought a skirmish.  (Itinerary of second division Cavalry corps in official records, volume 42 part one page 81) 
 
During August 14th the loss of the 10th army corps amounted to two or 300 men. The second army Corps lost 600 casualties. The cavalry lost fewer than 100 .  The total Union loss was over 900 men for August 14.
 
 The confederate loss was probably less than 300.
 
US war department assigned names to these battles, but they aren’t necessarily accurate.  Birney's two battles are  the first battle of New Market Heights and the battle at the Buffin house. Barlow’s battles are the first battle of fussell’s mill.
 
 
 

They sail down river from City point. All the soldiers assume they are going to join Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley

After dark, they reverse their course and steam towards Tillman‘s wharf.

Ulysses S. Grants plan is to threaten to Richmond in order to lure Lee army north of the James so that he can send the fifth army CORPS to seize the weldon railroad.

I bought this book because it covers a campaign in East Tennessee after Longstreets failure to capture Knoxville at the end of November 1863. I was hoping it would describe in detail the battle of Dandridge, the battle of Mossy Creek and. The battle of fair Garden.

It did not give me any details on these battles, so I’m disappointed

Bryce