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656:, which had erected earthworks, was also surprised by an attack from the rear and many of the regiments ran for safety. Mahone sent an urgent message to Wilcox, asking him to join in the attack; but Wilcox was concerned about the VI Corps men to his front and the two regiments he sent in support arrived too late to make a difference. The II Corps troops rallied around earthworks that they had constructed on the night of June 21 and stabilized their lines. Darkness ended the fighting.
588:
579:, Grant's newly established headquarters. He told Grant, "I just thought I would jump aboard a boat and come down and see you. I don't expect I can do any good, and in fact I'm afraid I may do some harm, but I'll just put myself under your orders and if you find me doing anything wrong just send me right away." After discussing strategy with Grant, Lincoln visited some of the VI Corps troops who would participate in the upcoming battle.
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enemy, but Wright refused to move, concerned that his corps would suffer the same reverses as the II Corps the previous day. At 7:35 p.m., Meade gave up and told Wright, "Your delay has been fatal." Meade's aide
Theodore Lyman wrote, "On this particular occasion Wright showed himself totally unfit to command a corps."
631:
Mahone had been a railroad engineer before the war and had personally surveyed this area south of
Petersburg, so he was familiar with a ravine that could be used to hide the approach of a Confederate attack column. Robert E. Lee approved Mahone's plan and at 3 p.m. on June 22, Mahone's men emerged in
659:
On June 23, the II Corps advanced to retake its lost ground, but the
Confederates had pulled back, abandoning the earthworks they had captured. Under orders from General Meade, the VI Corps sent out a heavy skirmish line after 10 a.m. in a second attempt to reach the Weldon Railroad. Men from Brig.
607:
On June 21, elements of the II Corps probed toward the railroad and skirmished with
Confederate cavalry. The plan of attack was that both the II and VI Corps would cross the Jerusalem Plank Road and then pivot northwest about 2 miles (3.2 km) to reach the railroad. Difficult terrain—swamps and
688:
Union casualties were 2,962, Confederate 572. The battle was inconclusive, with advantages gained on both sides. The
Confederates were able to retain control of the Petersburg Railroad. The Federals were able to destroy a short segment of the railroad before being driven off, but more importantly,
668:
had begun tearing up track when they were attacked by a larger force of
Confederate infantry. Numerous Vermonters were taken prisoner and only about half a mile (0.8 km) of track had been destroyed when they were chased away. Meade repeatedly urged Horatio G. Wright to move forward and engage the
641:
With a wild yell which rang out shrill and fierce through the gloomy pines, Mahone's men burst upon the flank—a pealing volley, which roared along the whole front—a stream of wasting fire, under which the adverse left fell as one man—and the bronzed veterans swept forward, shriveling up Barlow's
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689:
the siege lines were stretched further to the west, a strategy Grant would continue until the spring of 1865. Other segments of the
Petersburg Railroad were destroyed by the Wilson-Kautz Raid and more would fall to the Union Army during the
762:
Kennedy, 354. Trudeau, p. 78, lists the Union II Corps casualties as 650 killed and wounded, 1,742 captured; VI Corps casualties as 150. on the
Confederate side, Trudeau, p. 80, lists Mahone's casualties as 421, Wilcox's
608:
thickets—slowed their advance and by the morning of June 22, a gap opened up between the two corps. While the II Corps began pivoting as planned, the VI Corps encountered
Confederate troops from Maj. Gen.
433:. The inconclusive battle left the Weldon Railroad temporarily in Confederate hands, but the Union Army began to extend its fortifications to the west, starting to increase the pressure of the siege.
772:
Salmon, p. 406, considers the Battle of
Jerusalem Plank Road to be the initial action of the Wilson-Kautz raid of June 22–30, but this is not a convention widely accepted by other historians.
217:
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514:) against the South Side and Weldon railroads, but he also directed that a significant infantry force be sent against the Weldon closer to his current position. Meade selected the
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As the Union troops were rearranging their lines on June 21 in preparation for their mission against the railroad, they received a surprise visitor,
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467:(although closely supervised by his superior, Grant), entrenched east of the city, running from near the Jerusalem Plank Road (present-day
620:, another division commander in Hill's corps, observed that the gap between the two Union corps was widening, creating a prime target.
693:(or the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad) in August, although Lee could ship supplies by wagon from the Weldon where it reached
324:
682:
636:, catching them by surprise. A soldier wrote, "The attack was to the Union troops more than a surprise. It was an astonishment."
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Grant's first objective was to secure the three remaining open rail lines that served Petersburg and the Confederate capital of
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destroyed an additional 16 miles (26 km) of track, rendering the Weldon Railroad unable to supply Petersburg.
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siege lines to the west and cutting the rail lines supplying Petersburg. Two infantry corps of the Union
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538:. The positions in the trench lines occupied by these two corps were to be filled in by units of the
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Siege of Petersburg, movements against the railroads and A. P. Hill's counterattack, June 21–22
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Barlow's division quickly collapsed under the surprise assault. The division of Brig. Gen.
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463:'s Army of Northern Virginia. The Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen.
781:
Trudeau, p. 65. Despite Hancock's incapacitation, he chose to accompany the column.
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912:. The collection of maps (without explanatory text) is available online at the
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A Melancholy Affair at the Weldon Railroad: The Vermont Brigade, June 23, 1864
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Kennedy, pp. 353–354; Salmon, p. 408; Eicher, p. 690; Trudeau, pp. 69–70.
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Map of Jerusalem Plank Road Battlefield core and study areas by the
616:'s corps and they began to entrench rather than advance. Brig. Gen.
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70:
498:, also called the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad, which led to
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The Last Citadel: Petersburg, Virginia, June 1864 – April 1865
453:
16:
1864 battle of the American Civil War in Petersburg, Virginia
647:
Diary of W. Gordon McCabe, artilleryman in Mahone's division
642:
division as lightning shrivels the dead leaves of autumn.
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which led to the Confederacy's only remaining major port,
1004:. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2018.
817:
Kennedy, p. 354; Trudeau, pp. 72–74; Salmon, pp. 406–408.
1078:
Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
553:
Union headquarters at Jerusalem plank road, sketched by
853:
Kennedy, pp. 354, 357; Trudeau, p. 263; Salmon, p. 426.
887:
The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War
399:. It was the first of a series of battles during the
1026:
John Horn Map of Jerusalem Plank Road: June 22, 1864
835:
Salmon, p. 408; Kennedy, p. 354; Trudeau, pp. 74–80.
510:. Grant decided on a wide-ranging cavalry raid (the
526:was suffering from his lingering wound incurred at
936:The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide
1064:
632:the rear of the II Corps division of Brig. Gen.
998:A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg
697:. In an expedition of December 7–11, Maj. Gen.
1083:Inconclusive battles of the American Civil War
923:. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998.
730:has "Union extended lines" as the result; the
445:the previous week failed to capture the city,
1093:Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia
564:Headquarters of General Meade, by Alfred Waud
211:
1002:From the Crossing of the James to the Crater
938:. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001.
758:
756:
754:
953:. El Dorado Hills: Savas Beatie LLC, 2014.
1098:Dinwiddie County in the American Civil War
870:Death in the Trenches: Grant at Petersburg
575:, who had traveled by water and landed at
415:, but were attacked and driven off by the
218:
204:
872:. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1986.
751:
965:National Park Service battle description
904:. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1959.
889:. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
734:has the result as a Confederate victory.
676:
622:
586:
559:
548:
225:
985:. White Mane Publishing Company, 2003.
742:
740:
683:American Battlefield Protection Program
1065:
868:, and the Editors of Time-Life Books.
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518:, temporarily commanded by Maj. Gen.
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790:Salmon, p. 406; Trudeau, pp. 63–65.
385:First Battle of the Weldon Railroad
13:
975:
14:
1119:
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902:West Point Atlas of American Wars
484:Richmond and Petersburg Railroad
325:Darbytown & New Market Roads
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921:The Civil War Battlefield Guide
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504:Wilmington and Weldon Railroad
426:, principally the division of
391:fought June 21–23, 1864, near
381:Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road
335:Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road
22:Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road
1:
859:
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369:Richmond–Petersburg campaign
7:
456:of Petersburg, defended by
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508:Wilmington, North Carolina
919:Kennedy, Frances H., ed.
627:Brig. Gen. William Mahone
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542:that would be moved from
534:, commanded by Maj. Gen.
452:reluctantly decided on a
420:Army of Northern Virginia
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50:– June 23, 1864
34:
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612:'s division of Lt. Gen.
387:, took place during the
720:. National Park Service
502:, and connected to the
411:attempted to sever the
403:aimed at extending the
42:June 21, 1864
691:Battle of Globe Tavern
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500:Weldon, North Carolina
471:, Crater Road) to the
443:assaults on Petersburg
123:Commanders and leaders
949:Trudeau, Noah Andre.
900:Esposito, Vincent J.
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494:in the west; and the
263:Staunton River Bridge
182:Casualties and losses
981:Cross, David Faris.
699:Gouverneur K. Warren
383:, also known as the
253:Jerusalem Plank Road
1073:Petersburg Campaign
1049:37.1844°N 77.3767°W
1045: /
996:Greene, A. Wilson.
970:CWSAC Report Update
844:Trudeau, pp. 80–81.
799:Trudeau, pp. 65–66.
747:CWSAC Report Update
732:CWSAC Report Update
695:Stony Creek Station
666:1st Vermont Brigade
524:Winfield S. Hancock
496:Petersburg Railroad
490:, which reached to
488:South Side Railroad
409:Army of the Potomac
401:Siege of Petersburg
229:Siege of Petersburg
914:West Point website
686:
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389:American Civil War
340:Boydton Plank Road
299:2nd Ream's Station
273:1st Ream's Station
29:American Civil War
1103:Conflicts in 1864
1054:37.1844; -77.3767
1010:978-1-4696-3857-7
991:978-1-57249-332-2
866:Davis, William C.
634:Francis C. Barlow
596: Confederate
540:Army of the James
536:Horatio G. Wright
512:Wilson-Kautz Raid
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258:Wilson–Kautz Raid
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133:Horatio G. Wright
117:CSA (Confederacy)
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1108:June 1864 events
1088:1864 in Virginia
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718:"Battle Summary"
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473:Appomattox River
450:Ulysses S. Grant
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976:Further reading
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520:David B. Birney
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355:Fort Stedman
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293:Globe Tavern
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90:Belligerents
81:Inconclusive
27:Part of the
1052: /
654:John Gibbon
602: Union
555:Alfred Waud
424:Third Corps
417:Confederate
163:Third Corps
1067:Categories
1040:77°22′36″W
1037:37°11′04″N
1000:. Vol. 1:
860:References
614:A. P. Hill
577:City Point
530:, and the
528:Gettysburg
441:After the
437:Background
428:Brig. Gen.
393:Petersburg
138:A. P. Hill
67:Petersburg
54:1864-06-23
46:1864-06-21
724:9 October
673:Aftermath
570:President
492:Lynchburg
532:VI Corps
516:II Corps
480:Richmond
447:Lt. Gen.
397:Virginia
169:Strength
158:VI Corps
154:II Corps
71:Virginia
62:Location
910:5890637
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583:Battle
486:; the
482:: the
283:Crater
174:27,000
78:Result
705:Notes
660:Gen.
454:siege
405:Union
187:2,962
177:8,000
104:Union
1006:ISBN
987:ISBN
955:ISBN
940:ISBN
925:ISBN
906:OCLC
891:ISBN
874:ISBN
763:151.
726:2017
458:Gen.
379:The
39:Date
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
