Captured Near The South Side Railroad, April 2, 1865

Joined
Dec 31, 2010
Location
Kingsport, Tennessee
david land ss rr.jpg


https://civilwartalk.com/threads/co...ts-island-are-told-of-lincolns-murder.132156/

My ancestor's "Drillmaster" at Camp Vance, Morganton, NC.

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/confederate-drillmaster-wright-huske.101180/

David and a number of those taken prisoner at Sutherland's Station were "delivered" to Hart's Island by Captain Levi Jackson, 68th PA Infantry.
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/captain-levi-jackson-68th-pennsylvania-volunteers.95869/

My 2 x paternal great-grandfather, David Land was one of several captured from Scales Brigade, and the 13th NC in particular following the failed Confederate stand at Sutherland's Station in the aftermath of the breakthrough at Petersburg. The following men of the 13th NC were captured along with David. Several were imprisoned with him at Hart's Island, NY Harbor, and released about the same time, (mid-June, 1865.) A few, like David, were conscripts, many were volunteers of 1861-62 that had already been through many bloody battles, been wounded, and even captured and exchanged. Two of the men were Sergeants. David had been promoted to Corporal the previous November. I would think he would have been somewhere near one or both those men during a fight.

The Captured :

William Allen: Residence Caswell County NC; a 21 year-old Trader. Enlisted and mustered on 4/24/1861 at Milton, NC as a Private into "C" Co. NC 13th Infantry. POW 5/30/1864. Hospitalized Lynchburg, VA 7/30/1864. Returned 9/30/1864. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/4/1865 Point Lookout, MD. Oath of Allegiance 6/23/1865 Point Lookout, MD.

Lindsey G. Andrews: Residence Henderson County NC; Enlisted and mustered on 9/6/1863 at Camp Vance, NC as a Private into "D" Co. NC 13th Infantry. Wounded 5/5/1864 Wilderness, VA. Absent wounded 10/30/1864. Returned 4/1/1865. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/4/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/17/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor.

James M. Benton: Residence Rockingham County NC; a 27 year-old Ditcher. Enlisted and mustered on 5/3/1861 at Rockingham County, NC as a Private into "I" Co. NC 13th Infantry. Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA. Returned 8/30/1863. Promoted to Sergent 9/1/1863. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/4/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Released 6/18/1865.

John M. Campbell: Residence Union County NC; Enlisted and mustered on 2/24/1864 at Camp Holmes, Raleigh, NC as a Private. into "D" Co. NC 13th Infantry. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/7/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/19/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor.
milas & letty  deal.jpeg

Milus Deal: Residence Alexander County NC; 37 years old. Enlisted and mustered on 9/27/1862 at Wake County, NC as a Private into "I" Co. NC 13th Infantry. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/4/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/18/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor.
Milus' wife Lettie applied for and received a widow's pension in the early 1900's.

J E. Hinton: Residence Rockingham County NC; Enlisted as a Private. On 5/22/1861 he mustered into "K" Co. NC 13th Infantry. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/3/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Released 6/16/1865.

Lindsay George Lewis: Enlisted into Company D 63rd NC (Partisan Rangers, 5th NC Cavalry), Sept.13, 1862 at Kinston, NC. Shown present and on the rolls through July, 1863. Shown "Deserted" August 1, 1863. Returned October 10, 1863. Shown AWOL April 10, 1864. On 3/24/1865 he mustered into "B" Co. NC 13th Infantry. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Oath of Allegiance at Point Lookout, MD June 28, 1865. Shown having light complexion, light brown hair, blue eyes, 5'11', a resident of Forsyth County, NC.

James R. Medford: Residence Edgecombe County NC; a 21 year-old Miller. Enlisted and mustered on 5/8/1861 at Edgecombe County, NC as a Private into "G" Co. NC 13th Infantry. POW 9/14/1862 Boonsboro, MD (Or South Mountain, MD). Confined 9/15/1862 Fort Delaware, DE. Transferred 10/2/1862 Aiken's Landing, VA. Exchanged 11/10/1862. AWOL 11/30/1862. Returned 3/30/1863. Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA. Returned 11/30/1863. Wounded 5/31/1864 Cold Harbor, VA. Returned 4/1/1865. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/3/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/17/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor.

Josephus Pratt: Residence Rockingham County NC; an 18 year-old Laborer. Enlisted and mustered on 5/3/1861 at Rockingham County, NC as a Private into "I" Co. NC 13th Infantry. Sergent 2/25/1863. Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA. POW 7/2/1863 Gettysburg, PA Hospitalized 7/3/1863 Chester, PA. Transferred 9/23/1863 City Point, VA. Exchanged 9/24/1863. Returned 1/30/1864. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/4/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/18/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor.

Calvin Sharp: Residence Rockingham County NC; Enlisted as a Private. On 11/26/1864 he mustered into "H" Co. NC 13th Infantry. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/4/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/18/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor.

James Tulloch: Residence Rockingham County NC; 27 years old. Enlisted and mustered on 4/26/1863 at Rockingham County, NC as a Private into "K" Co. NC 13th Infantry. Wounded 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA. Absent wounded 7/30/1864. Under arrest 9/1/1864. Returned 9/30/1864. POW 4/2/1865 South Side Railroad, VA. Confined 4/4/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/20/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor.



The Battle :

Following the breakthrough at Petersburg, Nelson Miles pursued the retiring Confederates up the Claiborne Road as far as Sutherland's Station (nineteen miles from Petersburg). There, Heth had regrouped four Confederate brigades in an attempt to defend the South Side Railroad, their left flank anchored at Ocran Methodist Church. By now, Heth had learned that Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill had been killed earlier in the day, and now he was in command of the Third Army Corps as its senior division commander. Dodging Federal patrols, he hastened to Petersburg, where he found that Lee had instead decided to disband the corps and give its units to James Longstreet.

P99.gif

Nelson Appleton Miles (1839 - 1925)

At 3:00 p.m., Miles struck north from White Oak Road and launched his initial attack under orders from Grant to follow up on Humphrey's initial breakthrough. Heth's division repulsed two Federal attacks before Miles sent for reinforcements. As had been the case for the II Corps all morning, Humphreys backtracked to Sutherland Station to reinforce Miles. However, Miles launched a third assault and Heth's weary Confederates finally buckled, then broke. John R. Cooke's brigade stubbornly held up the Federals as the remainder of Heth's troops headed west. Miles's victorious men pushed ahead and captured nearly 1,000 prisoners and 2 artillery pieces. In the meantime, Grant had delayed the final attack on Fort Gregg while he awaited news regarding Miles' outcome, another delay that helped Lee evacuate more troops from Petersburg. By the time that the fort finally fell, Lee had bought enough time to successfully extricate the vast majority of his army.

In the savage fighting around Sutherland's Station, Miles reported 370 casualties, while the Confederates lost approximately 600 men killed or wounded, plus 1,000 taken as prisoners of war. Humphreys's II Corps had been made to wander back and forth all morning and the general later contended that, had his whole corps been allowed to move against the Confederates, Heth's whole command would have been destroyed.

@White Flint Bill recently shared a Confederate perspective of the Battle :

In the October 22, 1873 edition of Our Living and Our Dead, a New Berne, North Carolina newspaper, Captain James A. Graham of the 27th North Carolina, Cooke’s Brigade, remembered Sutherland’s Station from the Confederate perspective:

“Just before midnight we were relieved by Davis’ Mississippi brigade and crossing the creek, took position in fort Euliss[?]. Here the enemy were on three sides of us—our only protected side being that from which we had just moved—and as soon as day opened [April 2, 1865] they began to fire upon us with both infantry and artillery. Our breastworks were prepared in such a way as, to some extent, to meet these flank fires; but they did not always suit as some of our men were killed that morning by shots which, striking a limb above them, glanced directly downward inflicting death wounds. We could distinctly hear the shouts of the troops, fighting between us and Petersburg, and our feelings would rise or fall in proportion, as we could hear the Confederate “yell” or the Yankee “huzza” in the ascendancy. After a while the “huzza” seemed to prevail and soon a courier came dashing into our fort. Very shortly afterwards we were ordered out of our works and in a few minutes were on the retreat from Petersburg.

john_cooke.jpg

Confederate Brigadier-General John R. Cooke
After moving some four or five miles we threw out first one regiment and then another as skirmishers to retard the enemy, who were pressing us hard, and on arriving at Sutherland Tavern, a station on the Southside [Rail] Road about 10 miles from Petersburg, we formed line of battle and threw up breastworks of the rails and other stuff which we could find near at hand, adding such dirt as we could dig up with our bayonets, tin cups, plates, &c. Soon the enemy charged us, but were repulsed with heavy loss and, as they started back, our sharpshooters rushing forward captured many prisoners. These prisoners told us that the next charge would be made by the negro corps, supported by the second and they would show no quarter. We told them that having whipped the whites we could whip the Negroes. The fighting was heavy till about 4 o’clock, p. m., when the enemy largely outnumbering us, turned our left flank and we were compelled to retreat. Falling back about four or five miles the 13th North Carolina, 22nd North Carolina, 27th North Carolina, and 49th North Carolina regiments were thrown out to keep the enemy in check, while the balance of our troops— Cooke’s, Scales’ and McRae’s North Carolina Brigades, and McGowan’s South. Carolina Brigade, the troops on the right of the break in our lines, forming the corps endeavored to cross the river so as to join the main army from which we had been cut off by the break. Finding that we could not cross, these regiments were recalled and we pursued our way up the river, until 2 o’clock that night (early morning of April 3, 1865) when we halted for rest.”

Sutherland's Station from a Union Perspective :

Sutherland's Station, Va.,
April 2, 1865.


1st Division, 2nd Army Corps.

At 9 a. m. the division, Bvt. Maj.-Gen. N. A. Miles commanding,
drove the Confederates from the White Oak road and pursued to
Sutherland's station on the South Side railroad, 8 miles from
Petersburg where a larger force was found intrenched, with
artillery. Miles ordered Nugent's and Madill's brigades to
charge, which was gallantly done, but the position proved too
strong to be carried by a direct assault over the uneven ground
in front.

Madill was severely wounded in the charge and Brig.-Gen.
MacDougall took command of the brigade. About noon the
artillery of the division came up and began a vigorous shelling
of the works, under cover of which MacDougall made another
charge but it was also repulsed. Miles then pushed forward a
strong skirmish line against the enemy's right to engage his
attention, while Ramsey's brigade was moved rapidly through the
woods and down a ravine on the he Confederate left.

At 2:45 Ramsey advanced on the double-quick, struck the enemy
in flank, and then swept down inside the works, capturing a
large number and scattering the remainder. Those who escaped
were driven toward the Appomattox river, where they were picked
up in the woods that afternoon and the next morning. Miles
captured 600 prisoners, 1 battleflag and 2 pieces of artillery.

His loss for the day was 33 killed, 236 wounded and 97 missing.


Source: The Union Army, Vol. 6, p. 861
 
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Excellent post, sir. I had planned to visit Sutherland Station on the 2nd for the anniversary of the battle, but due to poor weather I postponed my visit. Current plan is to visit on the morning of the 9th, before going to Appomattox. I'll post photos.

I'm interested to learn that one of the men captured that day (James Tulloch) was from Company K. There were only 18 men still with the company when it was surrendered at Appomattox.

I'm reading Wilson Greene's book The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign now, which includes a few pages on this battle.
 
Excellent post, sir. I had planned to visit Sutherland Station on the 2nd for the anniversary of the battle, but due to poor weather I postponed my visit. Current plan is to visit on the morning of the 9th, before going to Appomattox. I'll post photos.

I'm interested to learn that one of the men captured that day (James Tulloch) was from Company K. There were only 18 men still with the company when it was surrendered at Appomattox.

I'm reading Wilson Greene's book The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign now, which includes a few pages on this battle.

The following men have noted on their records, "Captured at Sutherland's Station":

Irvin T. Harris: Residence Edgecombe County NC; a 22 year-old Farmer. Enlisted and mustered on 5/8/1861 at Edgecombe County, NC as a Private into "G" Co. NC 13th Infantry. POW 4/2/1865 Sutherland's Station, VA. Confined 4/4/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/17/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor.

David McCollum: Residence Rockingham County NC; a 23 year-old Farmer. Enlisted and mustered 5/3/1861 at Rockingham County, NC as a Private into "I" Co. NC 13th Infantry. POW 7/1/1863 Gettysburg, PA. Confined 7/2/1863 Point Lookout, MD (Estimated day). Paroled 3/3/1864. Transferred 3/4/1864 City Point, VA (Estimated day). Exchanged 3/6/1864. Returned 6/20/1864. Wounded 6/22/1864 Petersburg, VA. Returned 9/30/1864. POW 4/2/1865 Sutherland's Station, VA. Confined 4/4/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/18/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. David filed for pension in 1907. Claimed he had the fourth finger of his left hand shot off at Chancellorsville.


John S. Park: Residence Caswell County NC; a 29 year-old Tailor. Enlisted and mustered on 5/13/1861 at Caswell County, NC as a Private into "A" Co. NC 13th Infantry. Detailed as nurse 7/2/1863 Gettysburg, PA. POW 7/4/1863 Gettysburg, PA. Confined 7/5/1863 Fort Delaware, DE. Transferred 10/15/1863 Point Lookout, MD. Paroled 2/12/1865. Transferred 2/13/1865 Cox's Landing, James River, VA. Exchanged 2/14/1865. Returned 4/1/1865. POW 4/2/1865 Sutherland's Station, VA. Confined 4/3/1865 Point Lookout, MD. Oath of Allegiance 6/9/1865.

John Elijah James Winchester: Residence Rockingham County NC; 14 years old. Enlisted on 6/23/1861 at Rockingham County, NC as a Private into into "L" Co. NC 21st Infantry. He was transferred out on 3/4/1863,(In exchange for Private Charles Baker), and transferred into "I" Co. NC 13th Infantry. Wounded 7/21/1862. Hospitalized 7/22/1862 Farmville, VA (Gunshot wound of hand). Wounded 5/5/1864 Wilderness, VA. Returned 9/15/1864. POW 4/2/1865 Sutherland's Station, VA. Confined 4/15/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Oath of Allegiance 6/17/1865 Hart's Island, NY Harbor. Born 1/7/1847. Died 10/5/1903 in Fannin County, TX. Buried: Windom Community Cemetery, Fannin County, TX. Son of John Winchester and Rhoda Williams Winchester. Wife: Jennie McDonald).
 
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