Engineer operations at Bermuda Hundred

[1SGDan]

Bermuda Hundred - James River Sideshow

In the spring and early summer of 1864 Grant's Overland Campaign and Sherman's Atlanta Campaign justifiably garnered most of the country's attention. The important nature of their objectives, the enormous stakes invested in the endeavors, and the huge size of the armies involved in these two campaigns overshadowed all other military actions. But these campaigns did not happen in a vacuum. They were just the largest part of Grant's overall scheme to concentrate all the force possible against the Confederate Armies in the field. At least three smaller campaigns accompanied these massive efforts. Franz Sigel led a campaign in the Shenandoah Valley; Nathaniel Banks would operate against Mobile, Alabama; and Major General Benjamin Butler would simultaneously threaten Richmond from the south by transporting his army by water to City Point and establishing a position in the Bermuda Hundred. The tiny peninsula, formed at the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers, looked like the perfect spot from which to challenge both Richmond and the railroad system that supplied it.

 

[1SGDan]

Butler's hastily organized army, dubbed the Army of the James, was comprised of Major General Quincy Gillmore's X Corps from the Department of the South with an additional 10,000 troops under the newly promoted Major General William F. Smith as XVIII Corps. As part of Gillmore's Corps, eight companies of the 1st New York Engineers traveled north form the Department of the South as well. They had been operating primarily in Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina since early in the war. The regiment was raised by prominent engineer Edward W. Serrell and mustered into New York state service in October of 1961. Although promised special pay as engineers the Federal pay masters refused to acknowledge their status and offered them only infantry pay. The men refused to accept this and served nearly nine months without pay until the correct authorization was finally given. Their service saw them participate in actions at Fort Pulaski, James Island, and the siege of Fort Wagner among other operations. Their new assignment sent eight companies to join Butler's new army. Special Order No. 2 divided the engineers into support for designated divisions of X Corps.

Companies E, F, and M attached to 1st Division

Companies B and L attached to 2nd Division

Companies D and K attached to 3rd Division

Company H would man the pontoon duties. The 32 pontoons boats they brought with them were put aboard the steamer Dictator and would be set overboard to be towed into position when the need arose.

 

[1SGDan]

 

[1SGDan]

Shortly after landing, unopposed, Butler proposed an immediate dash on Richmond. He based his idea on reports from spies who indicated that the city was nearly defenseless. It was here that the contentious command structure began to rear its ugly head. Major General William F. Smith, leading X Corps, and Major General Quincy Gillmore, commanding XVIII, vigorously opposed the idea. Butler, instead, sought out the advice of his friend Brigadier General Godfrey Weitzel and asked him to lead the effort. The more experienced Weitzel also found reasons to oppose the plan reminding the military amateur Butler that such a move was exceedingly dangerous. His reasoning, although sound, probably chafed Butler when he was reminded that he had no cavalry, and the Corps Commanders would probably do everything in their power to impede the effort to mount it.

 

[1SGDan]

Movement towards the original objectives began on the morning of May 6TH. Although the landing of troops had been retarded due to inadequate docking facilities one brigade, the first to land, was thrust forward. Brigadier General Charles Heckman's "Star Brigade" was marched west in the oppressive heat until it reached Point of Rocks, the designated location for the southern tip of his defensive line were they immediately started to dig in. It also was the point named as the first day objective of Butler's campaign. Gillmore's XVIII corps troops, arriving with many excuses by their commander, arrived late at the Cobb Mansion and began their portion of their line which would seal off the Bermuda Hundred peninsula with defensive entrenchments and artillery. Butler claimed complete success in reaching these milestones. The delay while establishing these works allowed the scrambling Confederates time to bring more forces to bear.

Late in the afternoon of the 6th the first expedition out of the new Union lines left to advance to the railroad and develop the Confederate strength. Again Heckman's Brigade was selected to execute the movement to Port Walthall Junction. Although the town was defended by only Confederates Heckman withdrew his 2700 men due to the approaching darkness and orders not to become involve in a general conflict. He also believed that was facing two brigades of enemy soldiers. A second effort at the rail line there was mounted on May 7th by 8000 Federal troops, under Brigadier General William Brooks accomplished only limited destruction of the railroad against a reinforced Confederate defense. Largely ineffective cavalry raids and more unsuccessful infantry forays culminated in a decisive defeat at Drewry's Bluff (Fort Darling) on May 16th. Butler returned his forces to the original trenches on the 17th. There would be no more offensive maneuvers as they became famously "bottled up" inside the Bermuda Hundred.

 

[1SGDan]

When a boundary line between the X Corps and XVIII Corps area of responsibilty proved too weak against Confederate probes Butler assigned Weitzel to supervise all engineering operations to improve the works. The new arrangement met with immediate disfavor with Gillmore and his chief engineer, Colonel Edward Serrell[1], commander of the 1st New York Volunteer Engineer detachment. It was at this point that Serrell asserted himself into the command feud between Gillmore and Butler. He supported Gilmore's objection with an ill-advised message directly to Butler's Headquarters ignoring Weitzel's command authority. His response elicited a stern rebuke from Butler.

May 20, 1864 – 3:15 p.m.

General Gillmore may revoke the order for Colonel Serrell to report to General Weitzel but must see to it that Colonel Serrell send no more messages like the one sent to Department Headquarters.

Benj. F. Butler[2]

The terse message left no other alternative but for Gillmore to indorse it:

Colonel Serrell will observe the directions contained.

By order of Major General Gillmore.

Ed. W. Smith

Assistant Adjutant General[3]

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[1] Colonel Serrell was mustered out of service on February 13, 1865, in Varina. Promoted to Colonel James F. Hall commanded the regiment until the end of the war.
[2] OR, Volume XXXVI, Part 3, Page 35
[3] Ibid., Page 36

 

[1SGDan]

Despite the failures of the campaign engineer operations on the Bermuda Hundred, VA, front continued on. The engineer companies worked day and night, usually under fire from the enemy pickets to fortify the line of entrenchments in front of General Butler's forces near Bermuda Hundred. They also built batteries and siege materials at City Point, James Landing, Point of Rocks, Wilson's Landing, and near Jones' Neck and Ware Bottom Church.

These efforts were sadly marked by the death of Henry S. Southard, the captain of Co. K, was wounded in action on May 27, 1864 at Battery 3 near the James River and died of his wounds on June 3, 1864 at Bermuda Hundred. On June 4th, thirty engineers supported by a 20 man fatigue detail went to the Appomattox and began construction of a road across an island at Point of Rocks. John Westervelt reported in his diary that

"the island being nothing but a swamp it is quite a difficult job to construct a road sufficient for artillery to cross. It is done by first laying down a quantity of brush then a layer of poles lengthwise, then then another crosswise, then heavier pieces are laid the same as the first and on top crossed with small poles, fence rails or anything we can get a hold of and the whole whole covered with earth brought from the mainland."[1]

The work continued by alternating details and with the aid of a few boats unloaded for the purpose of carrying material to the job site until the 9th. Work was then discontinued and the pontoons boats and associated equipment ordered loaded for a movement to link with the other engineers to bridge the James River.

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[1] Diary of a Yankee Engineer - The Civil War story of John H. Westervelt, edited by Anita Palladino, Fordham University Press, 1997, Page 139. (hereafter Westervelt)

 

[1SGDan]

After linking with Grant's Army of the Potomac after their crossing of the James River Butler's forces participated in several operations in the siege of Petersburg. Their only significant success occurred in September 1864 at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm, when his forces seized the Confederate works at Fort Harrison.

While working on siege works against Petersburg the engineers were again under constant danger. The regiment lost its second officer, Second Lieutenant J. Howard Brooks, serving with Co. K, was shot by a sharpshooter while in charge of the construction of Redoubt No. 2 on August 5, 1864. He died from his wound later the same day at the 18th Army Corps Hospital. Work on the siege in the summer of 1864 also cost the 1st New York Engineers the deaths of four enlisted men[1] and five wounded.

By the fall of 1864, the eight companies of the regiment were stationed near Varina, VA. They worked in constructing the works from the southern bank of the James River to the left of Union lines in front of Petersburg, VA. The primary projects were construction of Fort Sedgwick (Fort Hell) and the Dutch Gap Canal on the James River. The canal was the brain child of Butler. In an effort to bypass Confederate batteries Butler ordered the construction of a canal across a narrow section of land called Farrar's Island. The estimated length of the canal was less than 200 yards with a maximum elevation above the water line of 39 feet. The construction of the canal suffered from Confederate indirect fire and sharpshooters throughout its construction. The work, conducted mostly by United States Colored Troops, (USCT) led to the Dutch Gap Canal Affair. When Butler found out that captured USCT soldiers were being enslaved and forced to work on Confederate fortifications he ordered Confederate prisoners to work on the canal project. In a series of messages between Lee and Grant the situation was resolved when Lee announced that African-American soldiers were no longer being used in this manner Grant, in turn ordered Butler to release the Confederates from the work. Political ramifications were not the only problem with the project. The amount of earth and the time to accomplish its removal had been severely underestimated. Constant harassment by Confederate artillery, including the destruction of the steam dredge, added additional time to the completion date. Finally as it neared completion the explosive charges used to remove the bulkheads and free the water into the excavation refilled the work with thousands of yards of new material. The renewed excavation to remove the debris caused by the explosions lasted until after the war had ended.

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[1] The dead included Sergeant Ebenezer Parker, Artificer Benjamin Sherwood, Artificer Terrance Doran, and Private Marcus Stephen

 

[1SGDan]

In an unusual event Special Orders No. 353, dated October 6, 1864, called for the transfer of more than 150 enlisted men to the regiment from the 144th New York Infantry. These men were in excess of the number of soldiers that the 144th could keep on their muster rolls. Additionally when the 144th mustered out on June 25, 1865, those with time remaining on their enlistments were also transferred into the engineer ranks.

As winter closed in Grant, frustrated by the dysfunctional command, ordered it to be reworked in December. Accordingly, the Army of the James was reorganized and the XVIII and X Corps were discontinued. All the black troops in the ranks were formed into the XXV Corps and the white troops into the XXIV Corps. Units from the former Corps were formed into the "Fort Fisher Expeditionary Corps" and were shipped off to undertake operations against Fort Fisher, North Carolina with two companies of 15th New York Engineers attached.[1] Butler assumed personal command of the expedition, but after the failure of his bizarre plan to paralyze the garrison with a massive explosion, Grant took the opportunity to relieve Butler of command. Maj. Gen. Edward Ord was placed in command of the Army of the James. On January 8, 1865. Butler was sent home to Lowell, Massachusetts in disgrace. He would spend the rest of the war there waiting for new orders that never came.

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[1] The Fort Fisher detachment was commanded by Lieutenant K. Samuel O'Keefe.

 

[1SGDan]

Although not directly part of the Army of the Potomac the eight companies of the 1st New York Engineers deserve notice for the work they accomplished while supporting the siege of Petersburg.