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was superior in rank to General Meade, as was also General Parke. If the two armies were consolidated, General Meade, according to military usage, could not well hold chief command of the Army of the Potomac. But General Burnside was not willing thus to affect the position of an officer for whose feelings, as a skillful commander, he had a considerate regard. He therefore, with General Parke, generously waived all considerations of rank, and at his suggestion, an order was accordingly issued by General Grant on the 25th, incorporating the Ninth Corps with the Army of the Potomac. By this action General Burnside voluntarily placed himself under the command of his inferior, General Meade, as two years previously he had done in the case of General Pope. It was an act of generosity of not common occurrence among military men, and deserves this special mention.

The operations at the North Anna had not been so successful as to justify General Grant in hoping for the defeat of the enemy at that point. General Lee was not more disposed than previously to come out and deliver or receive battle at any distance from his fortified lines. Within his defences he could. rapidly reënforce any threatened point, by simply moving his troops across the intervening space between his lines. General Grant had the disadvantage of being compelled to reënforce any point in his lines, by crossing his troops over two bridges, and marching over a distance at least twice that of his opponent. Nothing could be accomplished under such circumstances, and accordingly General Grant again determined to turn the enemy's position. It was a question whether he should attempt the right or the left. After carefully weighing the matter, he decided to continue his former tactics, and, moving by the left flank, to make his base of supplies at White House, cross the Pamunkey and essay a nearer approach to Richmond across the Tolopotomoy Creek, by way of Cold Harbor and Bethesda Church. Orders were accordingly issued and during the night of the 26th, the army was withdrawn across the North Anna

and put on the march for the passage of the Pamunkey at Hanover Town.

The two divisions of the Ninth Corps, that had been temporarily under the command of Generals Hancock and Warren, were united with General Willcox's division, and on the 27th the entire Corps was concentrated near Mount Carmel Church and awaited orders to move. On the afternoon of that day, the movement towards the crossing of the Pamunkey, at Hanover Town, began. The second division, which was in the advance, reached the river bank and crossed at ten o'clock on the evening of the 28th. The rear division, General Willcox's, crossed at one o'clock on the morning of the 29th. The Ninth Corps took position between the second and fifth and intrenched. On the 30th General Burnside moved the Corps across Tolopotomoy Creek, skirmishing with the enemy at every point, particularly in front of the second division, and forcing back all opposition. On the 31st the entire line was moved forward from one to three fourths of a mile, under a brisk fire, and after a smart engagement, involving considerable loss, several detached lines of skirmish pits were carried, and our troops pushed closely up to the enemy's main lines.

The 1st and 2d of June were passed in changing, establishing and strengthening our lines, and in making such disposition of troops as promised the most decisive results. Almost continual skirmishing took place while these movements were going forward, and the sharpshooters on both sides were busily employed. On the 1st, particularly, there was severe fighting by the cavalry and infantry at different points of the line. But no very general engagement ensued. Several gallant charges were made by different divisions on either side, and the result of the operations was our occupancy of the country extending from a point near the Chickahominy to Bethesda Church. In the course of these two days the Ninth Corps was moved from the centre to the right. By the night of the 2d it was posted on the extreme right of the line, the right partially refused, the left resting, near Bethesda Church, the main line running part

of the way parallel to the Mechanicsville road, then across to a point not far from the Tolopotomoy. The movement was made in the face of considerable opposition by the enemy, and with some loss of prisoners in General Crittenden's division.

The object of these movements was for the purpose of forcing the passage of the Chickahominy and driving General Lee into the intrenchments around Richmond. With this end in view, a force of sixteen thousand men under General W. F. Smith had been brought round on the 29th of May from Bermuda Hundred to White House, and had been instructed to march to New Cold Harbor in order to seize that important point. By a mistake in the transmission of the order, the name of the place had been wrongly given, and General Smith had unfortunately directed his command towards Newcastle. This deflection of the line of march lost us a great advantage, and General Grant was obliged to be content with the occupation of old Cold Harbor-a position of much less consequence. This was the centre of General Grant's or rather, since the union of the Ninth Corps with the Army of the Potomac, General Meade's-posi.tion, his left resting near the Despatch Station road, and his right near Bethesda Church. General Lee's line extended from a point a few miles east of Atlee's Station beyond Shady Grove, covering New Cold Harbor, and commanding the public roads, with the Chickahominy in the rear. In front numerous thickets and marshy places rendered the approach difficult. The line was well intrenched, in some places formidably so, and defied attack. The key to the position was opposite General Hancock's corps on the left and was a redoubt or earthwork occupying a crest called Watt's Hill, with a sunken road in front. The ground had already been fought over in the Peninsular campaign of General McClellan, the position of the two armies being reversed. Our entire line was at least eight miles in length. The ground was varied, wearing the same features as, the region north of the Pamunkey, woodland,

marsh, hills, and open plain, a capital country for defence by inferior forces.

About sunrise on the 3d the assault commenced. Artillery opened along the line. In front of General Hancock, the two divisions of Generals Barlow and Gibbon made a magnificent charge, which swept before them all opposing forces, and gave them for a few minutes the summit of the enemy's position. Had these two brave divisions been promptly supported the day would have been our own, and General Grant's plan would have been grandly successful. But the supports were from some cause delayed, the enemy rallied, poured in a murderous enfilading fire, and our men were forced to give way and finally to abandon the captured work with its guns. Two or three hundred prisoners and an advanced position near the enemy's line were the only fruits of this gallant assault, and for these we paid dearly. "In less than an hour Hancock's loss was above three thousand."* The sixth corps and General Smith's command made gallant attempts to carry the enemy's position, but succeeded only in dislodging him from his exterior defences. These were brilliant charges, splendid heroism and immense sacrifice. But the inability of General Barlow to hold his advanced position had really decided the contest on our left, and proved the strength and determination of the enemy.

On the right, the brunt of the battle fell upon the Ninth Corps. The fifth was formed in a long attenuated line, and could do little else but hold the ground on which its ranks stood. The Ninth, formed with its right refused, could not make the attack quite so early in the day as the corps upon the left. General Wilson's cavalry division was pushed out on the extreme right, the two divisions of Generals Willcox and Potter were formed for attack, and General Crittenden's division was held in reserve. Colonel Curtin's brigade of General Potter's division made a daring charge, drove in the enemy's

*Swinton; Campaigns of Army of Potomac, p. 486.

skirmishers, carried some detached rifle pits, forced the enemyconsisting of portions of Longstreet's and Ewell's corps-back into the inner works, and established itself in close proximity to his intrenchments. General Griffin's brigade came up in support, and held the right flank of the corps. Our artillery was brought forward and did effective service, silencing the enemy's batteries and blowing up two of his caissons. General Willcox's division attacked at an early hour, and recaptured a line of rifle pits that had been lost on the previous night. General Hartranft's brigade won additional distinction by the manner in which it advanced upon the enemy, driving him, as Curtin had done, into his interior works. Artillery was brought to the front, as on the right, and the Ninth was fairly established face to face with the foe at the shortest possible distance, ready for a second spring upon the stronger line of works.

cess.

Orders were given for a simultaneous attack by the two advanced divisions, to be delivered at one o'clock. Intelligence of the movement was communicated to General Wilson, and the suggestion made to him to move his command around the enemy's left flank and attack him in the rear. The plan of attack seemed certainly feasible, and had fine promise of sucBut, as the movement had so signally failed on the left of the army, General Meade thought it best to suspend further operations, and just as the skirmishers of the Ninth Corps were advancing against the enemy, General Burnside received orders to cease all offensive operations. The skirmish line was accordingly drawn in, and our entire position strengthened. During the afternoon, the enemy made a sortie and ventured upon an assault, but was quickly and vigorously repulsed. The men of the Ninth Corps had bravely fought, and were on the point of winning a decisive advantage. They had shared in the honors and dangers of the movement. They also shared in its disappointments. Their blood had been freely spilt. Their losses had been severe. More than a thousand men had

fallen killed or wounded. But all this heroic self-sacrifice had

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