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make another attempt to carry the place by assault. During the night of the 16th, orders were issued to attack at an early hour on the morning of the 17th, to make trial of the enemy's defences, and if possible to secure them for ourselves.

General Potter's division was selected from the Ninth Corps for the assaulting column. General Ledlie was to support the attack with the first division. To General Griffin's brigade was assigned the post of honor and of danger, and to General Griffin himself was given the duty of planning and executing the immediate attack. Colonel Curtin's brigade was to support. General Griffin arranged the movement with great daring and skill. Under cover of the night, he led his troops to a ravine within a hundred yards of the enemy's position, and there formed his column of attack-his own brigade in two lines, the 17th Vermont, 11th New Hampshire, and 32d Maine in front, and the 6th and 9th New Hampshire, 31st Maine and 2d Maryland in support. Colonel Curtin formed his brigade with the 45th and 48th Pennsylvania, and 36th Massachusetts in front supported by the 7th Rhode Island, 2d New York Rifles and 58th Massachusetts. The enemy occupied an estate at the head of the ravine, belonging to a Mr. Shind, with his headquarters in the house, and his artillery commanding the approaches. So near were the enemy's lines, that only in whispers could the necessary orders be communicated. General Griffin enjoined the strictest silence upon his men, and ordered them, when advancing, not to fire a shot but to depend upon the bayonet for clearing the works. Even the canteens were placed inside the haversacks to prevent their rattling. At the first blush of the morning the word "forward!" was passed quietly along the column. The men sprang to their feet, and noiselessly, rapidly, vigorously moved upon the enemy—Griffin to the right, Curtin to the left. They burst upon him with the fury of a tornado. They took him completely by surprise. They swept his lines for a mile, gathering up arms, flags, cannon and prisoners all along their victorious pathway. A stand of colors, four pieces of artillery with their caissons and horses,

fifteen hundred stands of small arms, a quantity of ammunition and six hundred prisoners were the fruits of this splendid charge. A wide breach was made in the enemy's lines, and it seemed as though the defences of Petersburg were within our grasp. But the energetic movement of General Griffin was not followed up. Colonel Curtin had most gallantly done his part, and General Potter was promptly on the ground to direct the assault. But where were the supports? General Ledlie was not at hand with his division. Fallen timber and other obstructions lay across the way, and the men, stumbling over them in the darkness, made but slow progress. When the junction was finally made, it was too late to do any more than to secure the advantage already gained. Had the supporting division been present at time, a very brilliant and decisive victory would undoubtedly have been the result. As it was, General Potter could only maintain his position, pushing up his pickets and skirmishers close to the new line upon which the enemy had retired.

Not long after noon, General Willcox was ordered to attack. A little delay occurred in the formation of the troops and the direction of the assault. This being remedied, the troops were put in position and moved forward to the charge. General Hartranft's brigade dashed on to the attack in a specially vigorous and gallant style, and its left succeeded in reaching the enemy's main line of rifle pits. By some mischance the line was so deflected as to expose it to a tremendous fire both of musketry and artillery, which inflicted great loss upon this brave brigade. Notwithstanding the most resolute attempts, General Hartranft was compelled to withdraw his suffering troops, as his line was melting away beneath the hot fire of the enemy. Colonel Christ was more fortunate. His brigade secured a lodgement about midway between his first position of attack and the enemy's line. From this point all the efforts of the enemy could not push our tenacious troops. They held

MS. Narrative of the 6th New Hampshire.

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on in the midst of a murderous fire which sadly thinned their ranks but could not break their spirit, and received high encomium for their obstinate valor. In the afternoon General Ledlie made an attack, in which a part of Colonel Christ's brigade participated. One hundred prisoners and a stand of colors were captured, and a number of rifle pits carried. The position was held until late at night, when the enemy pressed down upon General Ledlie and forced his retirement from the line which he had gained.*

During this day of battle, the fighting was mostly done by the Ninth Corps. General Crawford's division of the fifth corps rendered General Ledlie an efficient support upon the left, and General Barlow of the second corps had given valuable assistance to General Hartranft. But beyond that, comparatively little had been done by the remainder of the army. The Ninth Corps, almost unassisted, had carried and now held the most advanced position of our lines in front of Petersburg. It was a brave and bloody exploit. Out of eighteen hundred and ninety officers and men in General Hartranft's brigade but about eleven hundred were ready for duty at the close of the day. Losses in other parts of the Corps were proportionate. But a very decided advantage had been gained, the Ninth Corps had proved its high and admirable efficiency, and had gained a position which threatened to make untenable the enemy's entire front line. During the afternoon, so well had our men done their work, that the batteries of the Corps were able to throw a few shells into the city of Petersburg itself.

On the 18th the Corps was again called into action. It was again successful. The enemy had fallen back to a point near the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad and it became necessary to force him still further back and into nearer proximity to the

*Mr. Swinton in his imaginative way says (page 510) that "the enemy after dark leaped the breastwords Burnside had captured and drove him out." The truth is, that only that part of the line which General Ledlie's troops had captured was lost. General Potter's and Colonel Christ's conquest was still re tained.

city. General Meade ordered a general assault at four o'clock in the morning, but a large proportion of the fighting again fell upon the Ninth Corps. General Willcox's division was to-day in the van of the attack, supported by General Crawford's division of the fifth corps. General Hartranft had the advance supported by Colonel Raulston's (late Colonel Christ's) brigade. The object was to dispossess the enemy of a piece of woods and the railroad cut which he held in force. The assault was vigorously made and was successfully carried through. The enemy was steadily but surely pushed back to the railroad, and after considerable fighting, he was dislodged from a portion of the ravine through which the road passed. The cut here was fifteen or twenty feet deep, with steep sides, in which "steps and holes had to be made to enable the troops to climb up on the bank." Very gallantly and creditably did the third division accomplish its difficult task, holding against all assaults the ground which it had gained, and fortifying extemporaneously with the rails, sleepers and ties which the men tore up from the track. Further operations were suspended until the afternoon, when after new combinations, the entire army was put in position for attack or support. The second corps furnished three brigades for the attacking force. The Ninth Corps supported this assault. The movement failed.

The brave men of the second corps did all that brave men could, but the enemy's lines could not be forced at the close of a wearisome, sultry summer's day. The fifth corps on the left was no more fortunate. The enemy retired to a fortified position in front and around Cemetery hill and there he bade defiance to our attacks. General Willcox, supported by Colonel Curtin's brigade, was a little more fortunate. For he succeeded in following up his advantage in the morning so well as to press the enemy still further back from his immediate front. He extended his lines well across the railroad, and even established himself in a position within one hundred and twenty-five yards of the enemy's salient work. It was gallantly done, though with great loss. But a thousand uninjured men were

left in the ranks to intrench themselves when the night came on. This position was strengthened and made secure. It was the salient of our own lines during the entire subsequent siege of Petersburg. General Parke had the direction of the Corps during this day's action, and it is not less commendable to his ability than to the bravery of the troops, that General Burnside could justly say in his report, that "no better fighting has been done during the war, than was done by the divisions of Generals Potter and Willcox during this attack." During that night, General Potter made connections with the second corps on the right and the fifth on the left, holding the advance as an intrenched skirmish line. During the next few days the line in the immediate rear of the railroad was strongly intrenched and strengthened with traverses, abatis and covered ways. Afterwards two or three field works were built and armed. The skirmish line itself was so firmly strengthened in the course of the next week or two, and so well manned as to make it in effect a part of the main line.

The losses in the Corps during the operations of the 16th, 17th and 18th, had been especially severe. General Willcox's second brigade changed its commander three times on the 18th. Colonel Raulston of the 24th New York dismounted cavalry had succeeded Colonel Christ who had been wounded on the previous day. Colonel Raulston was shot at his post and Lieutenant Colonel Traverse of the 46th New York, who succeeded him, shared the same fate. Colonel Curtin of General Potter's division was severely wounded. Lieutenant Colonel George C. Barnes of the 20th Michigan, a gallant officer, who had greatly distinguished himself in previous actions, was mortally wounded while bravely leading on his men. He died on the 20th, greatly lamented by his fellow officers and the men of his command. Major Levant C. Rhines and Captain George C. Knight of the 1st Michigan sharpshooters fell on the 17th leaving an honorable record of their former bravery.

Among the great number of private soldiers who fell on this ensanguined field, the story of one has been preserved who is

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