1864 to 27 JUL |
On the evening of the 9th, the regiment was ordered to proceed to Bottom's Bridge, on the Chickahominy river, for picket duty, and on the evening of the 10th was ordered to join the brigade in the line on the following morning. From here we moved to White Oak Swamp, reaching that point on the 14th, where we remained, doing picket duty until the 18th, when we marched for Petersburg, Va., reaching the neighborhood of that city on the night of the 18th, after a dusty and very fatiguing march. We were placed in line of battle on the south side of Appomattox river. About the 25th the regiment was taken from the trenches and marched about four miles north of the city and assigned the duty of guarding the bridges on the turnpike and railroad over Old Town creek. In the latter part of July, Colonel William MacRae, of the Fifteenth North Carolina Regiment, was made Brigadier-General, and ordered to assume command of the brigade. Henceforward, we were known as MacRae's Brigade. We remained in the vicinity of Petersburg until Wednesday, 27 July, when we marched to Chaffin's Bluff, reaching that point Thursday morning after a very tiresome tramp. |
1864 to 25 AUG |
On the afternoon of the 28th our skirmish lines were heavily engaged for an hour or two, and we expected an attack upon our lines, which did not take place. We remained here in line until the 30th, when we received orders to move at once to the south side of the James river. We marched a distance of about ten miles to Rice's Turnout on the Richmond & Petersburg Railroad, and at that point took the cars to Petersburg, and occupied our position in the intrenchments. At this point we remained until 2 August, when we were moved further to the left and placed in reserve. On the 9th we relieved General Cooke in the trenches, our line at this point not exceeding 200 yards distance from the enemy's lines, and our sharpshooters, as well as those of the enemy, kept up a constant firing both night and day. We held this line until the 13th, when we, in turn, were relieved, and camped temporarily in rear of our lines until the 18th, when we were moved outside the lines to a point about two and one half miles southwest from Petersburg, and one mile east of the Petersburg & Weldon Railroad, where we had been sent to confront General Warren, who was pressing for the railroad. In the afternoon we made a sudden and vigorous attack upon Warren's left and drove him back about one mile, when our command was withdrawn. By the evening of the 20th the enemy had succeeded in gaining possession of the railroad and intrenched himself at a point about one mile south of Vaughn's house, at what we called the Yellow Tavern, located on the railroad about four miles south from Petersburg. On the night of the 20th we were withdrawn from the trenches and again moved to the south of the city to attack the enemy, who now held the railroad. Reporting to General Heth, whom we found at Vaughn's house, before day on the 21st, we were soon in line, and advanced our sharpshooters to clear the front, and after a pretty sharp skirmish they drove the enemy's picket lines in. Under Pegram's guns, we advanced to the attack; and, after having driven in two lines of the enemy who fell back under cover of their batteries, we were halted in a skirt of woods about half way between Pegram's guns in our rear and the enemy's batteries in our front, and between the two we were subjected to a furious shelling. The column sent to attack the enemy in flank failing to come up, we held our lines until night, when we were withdrawn and retired within our lines of intrenchments. On the 24th we moved out to our works and marched for Reams Station, halting at night near Armstrong's Mills, about eight miles southeast of the city. Early on the morning of the 25th we resumed the march and halted at a point about three miles from Reams Station. |
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