Engineer Operations at the James

[1SGDan]

To the James *

When Grant's campaign ground to a bloody stalemate at Cold Harbor he decided on a bold new strategy. In an ambitious move he would break contact with the enemy, move his army back to a newly established line and then send them south to assault the important transportation hub at Petersburg, Virginia. This put the Chickahominy River and then the James River squarely in the path of the advancing Union Army. Not only did the rivers pose formible obstacles but the movement away from Lee's army had to be closely choreographed to prevent any piece from becoming isolated and destroyed in detail. An intricate maneuver scheme was devised by Grant to escape enemy detection. The responsibility of moving the entire Army of the Potomac across these natural obstacles was quite naturally placed on the engineers.

The first order of business in the movement of the main body of the Army of the Potomac was to remove II Corps and VI Corps from the main line without being detected by the Confederates. When the second set of works was complete a secure route was reconnoitered by Major Brainerd. On June 12th the engineer command began its involvement in the new campaign by cutting a new road. Brainerd recalled that after "arriving with axes, my men struck into the woods, felling trees as we advanced. At night we had made a wide road for more than four miles good for the passage of artillery and heavy trains."[1] The nighttime movement on the new road was lighted by fires as a rear guard kept up the appearance of the Corps still in position. A forced march led them from Cold Harbor to the familiar ground of the Chickahominy River with the engineers conducting repair operations on the road as they went. The repair work took until 11 p.m. when the engineers reached the bridge site. They made camp and waited for the arrival of II Corps.

*Rufus Ignalls, in his report of operations, refers to this time period as the Fifth Epoch. No such reference appears in any engineer documentation for these movements. As this is their story I opted not to use that term.

---

[1] Brainerd, Page 242

 

[1SGDan]

Simultaneous with the departure of II Corps three engineer officers; Captain McDonald, Captain Van Brocklin and Lieutenant Van Rensselear; were sent on a reconnaissance of the route to Long Bridge. At the river they received an erroneous report that the river contained only a single 100 foot wide stream. As they returned they met Major Ford moving toward the crossing with a mixed train of canvas and wooden boats. Security for the march was provided by elements of Colonel George Chapman's brigade of cavalry that had been left behind by Sheridan. On their arrival his ample experience with the moody river convinced Ford to order further reconnaissance. As he expected it was discovered that the river consisted of two streams separated by a 250 foot wide island instead of a single channel. He also learned from the reconnaissance that the proposed crossing location was protected by Confederate pickets. About 4:00 p.m. the train moved to within a half mile of the bridge site. Understanding that his canvas boats would be too vulnerable to the possibility of enemy fire Ford decided to proceed with the wooden train. At the first stream a portion of the 22nd New York Cavalry made their way across on logs while a squad of 3rd Indiana Cavalry troopers crossed with Ford in a boat. As they landed on the island the boat drew fire from rebel pickets on the far shore of the second stream. As construction of the bridge was started a second boat of troopers was sent across. These men and those from the first boat scrambled across the shorter second stream on fallen trees and after a brief twenty minute fight cleared the far shore. Bridging of the first stream (100 feet) was started. The operation cost Co. K one man wounded.* Captain Frederick Pettes then led a portion of Co. D in dragging three boats across the island to bridge the smaller second stream (60 feet). The entire effort was complicated by a profusion of sunken timber and debris. The short spans and approaches required 2 ½ hours to complete, an abnormally long time for two such short bridges. The work greatly multiplied by debris from the destroyed bridge and sunken timber that had to be cleared away. Nevertheless the obstacle was spanned and V Corps began moving south to establish a blocking position at Riddell's Shop. Their mission was to prevent any Confederate effort from catching the Army of the Potomac in the right flank as they moved. Little did they know that General Lee, without his cavalry eyes, was caught by surprise and in the midst of redeploying his own II Corps to the Shenandoah Valley. The entire Union movement would be accomplished with little more opposition than some minor skirmishing at the V Corps position. After reading an erroneous account assigning credit for the affair to the cavalry troops in the New York Tribune one member of the bridging party attempted to set the record straight by sending this account to a local paper:

*Private John Harvey Co. K wounded, June 11, 1864, at Long Bridge on the Chickahominy, Va.; died of such wounds, July 5, 1864

 

[1SGDan]

"The third battalion of the 50th N. S. V. Engineers received orders about 9 o'clock Sunday morning, June 12th, to pack up. In an hour we were on the march down the river from our previous camp on the Cold Harbor road, in the rear of the 5th army corps! At five o'clock we went into park with our train. (We were accompanied by Co. C in the absence of Co. M of our battalion.) Knapsacks unslung, arms stacked and coffee prepared for men."

A rest of three hours. The men had scattered themselves in various groups and positions, gathering a few moment's rest after a long, weary march. The moon had crept in the meantime, noiselessly, nearly to the zenith, throwing an uncommon brilliancy on the fast approaching columns of men. Our boys had commenced to wonder if this move meant business or a long night march. The full sonorous voice of our Orderly soon dispelled such delusive fancies. Fall in K (pontooners.) None could mistake that voice; no, not even skulkers. The men were formed into two ranks and told off in squads of 10 and 25 men. Each squad in charge of a Sergeant and Corporal. Each squad having its regular duty assigned it so as to prevent confusion in constructing a bridge. The boats were quickly got in line and the men in marching order beside them, the whole under the command and supervision of Capt. James H. McDonald, an old and experienced hand at bridge building under difficulties, The word was given, forward, at half past eight. The long train of boats and bridge materials started toward the river, some said, others "aut le diable." Subsequent developments proved it to be Long Bridge.

Dismounted cavalry were passed occasionally —by us! No artillery of any account—nor any infantry. Co. D. of our battalion acted as skirmishers, (we were not armed.) After an hour and a half march, the head of our train reached the river at a place known as Long Bridge, where there has been at some previous time a permanent bridge. The dismounted cavalry joined us here and the first boat was shoved silently into the water. Every one wondered if we were to construct this bridge as easy and with as little resistance as usual. The men commenced filling the boat; the silence was intense not a loud word from those four or five hundred men. The dark overhanging branches of the cypress looked treacherous. The moon tried in vain to pierce the thick foliage with her silvery beams. The men were in the act of shoving off—Crack! Bang! Whiz! Came two balls over our heads instantly followed by fifteen or twenty in rapid succession. "Over, lively, men," was the order; those unarmed dodged behind trees, under boats and wagons. It was clearly evident that someone was stepping around over there who meant mischief. A few moments delay and the boat reached the opposite shore, or island near the middle of the river. The Rebs retreated keeping up a right smart fire—the balls glancing about quite lively—generally pretty high cutting the leaves overhead. One of our men fell close to me severely wounded, whom I assisted in carrying to the rear—and soon after another wounded badly belonging to the 22nd Cavalry, from Rochester. I think his name was Skinner—badly wounded in the head. Both parties continued the firing for perhaps 50 minutes, no longer, when the Rebs fled. Our bridge was then commenced and at two o'clock the cavalry were crossing—followed by artillery and infantry—all night and nearly all the next day the living stream crossed. In constructing this bridge we had one man killed (Co K.)[1], the cavalry, three men wounded. I assisted in laying the first and last chess on this famous bridge and saw nary rifle pit. The casualties are as I have stated. These are the facts in the case as anyone can certify in the company—Mr. C. A. P., of the Tribune, to the contrary, notwithstanding." [2]

---

[1] Private John Harvey Co. K wounded, June 11, 1864, at Long Bridge on the Chickahominy, Va.; died of such wounds, July 5, 1864
[2] Reference Lost

 

[1SGDan]

With VI Corps Major Beers, leaving Captain Hine and Co. E behind to care for the entrenching tool wagons for the corps, marched with Co. L to meet his train at Parsley's Mill. They arrived at Jones Bridge, the assigned crossing point for VI and IX Corps, about noon on June 13th. Major Beers also found two streams to span separated by an 800 foot wide island. In an hour and fifteen minute Beers' command had two wooden and two canvas bridges in place. Lieutenant Folwell had command of the canvas boats while Captain Palmer placed his wooden boats alongside. The VI and IX corps began crossing without opposition. The next morning Major Beers had his command build a permanent bridge over each branch of the Chickahominy near his pontoon spans. The VI Corps completed its crossing followed by the IX Corps on these bridges. Meanwhile LTC Spaulding received orders to consolidate all his bridge material at Cole's Ferry to throw a crossing across the James River. When the corps finished crossing Ford and Beers were ordered to support the bridging effort there.

Captain Personius with Co. G and the 1st Battalion Train was sent to Saint Peter's Church to unite with Captain Middleton, Co. M, and an extra 20 boat train moving down from White House. Their task was to get the army supply trains across the Chickahominy at Windsor Shades. Arriving there LTC Spaulding called for a further examination of the site. The ordered reconnaissance proved crossing there to be impractical. Spaulding reported;

"The ground upon the northeast bank was favorable, but the deep marshes and swamps on the southwest side of the river were extensive, and could only be crossed by crib bridges and corduroy roads, requiring a vast amount of labor."[1]

---

[1] OR, Vol. XL, Part 1, Report of LTC Spaulding, Page 297

 

[1SGDan]

A more suitable location was found at Cole's Ferry. While the new location offered better access, Captain Walker Personius quickly realized he did not have the necessary material to bridge the entire width of the river. A request was sent for additional bridging assets. Major James C. Duane, Meade's chief engineer officer, ordered all trains to assemble at the Cole's Ferry site. Personius started construction of pontoon wharves on both sides of the river and as they waited out the afternoon his men (Co. G) build two permanent bridges over Diascond Creek. The other trains were rushed to the site. By 5:00 p.m. Major Ford and Major Beers had arrived and enough material had been gathered to assemble the bridge. LTC Spaulding was on hand to directly supervise the work, which included 450 feet of timber trestle and corduroy approaches. The 1240 foot span was opened at 3:00 a.m. on the 15th. Late in the afternoon the traffic cleared and the bridge was disassembled and the rafts towed to the James River by the steamer James A. Stevens.

June 14th provided no relief for the weary engineer troops of Major Brainerd. They were ordered to the James River to repair wharves for the II Corps who were then crossing the river on steamers. Two companies spent the afternoon on this detail. At 2300 they were ordered across the river to construct a wharf and exit road on the far side to facilitate receiving the transports. Without boats the material would have to be gathered and transported to the site. To assist in this labor intensive effort an 800 man fatigue detail of United States Colored Troops was provided by General Birney. These men started tearing down nearby barns for the material necessary to build the wharf. It wasn't long before Brainerd realized that the unsuitable material would make for a long construction process. The slow work continued until 3:00 a.m. when fortune smiled on the exhausted engineers. Emerging out of the darkness a tug hauling six pontoon boats hailed Major Brainerd. The tedious work of building a wharf from scratch was abandoned in favor of a floating dock. The fatigue detail was sent back to their command and the boats were quickly assembled into a temporary floating wharf to satisfy the original intent by daylight of the 15th.

 

[1SGDan]

It was at this point that Brainerd became a focal point in one of the great Civil War controversies. Having accomplished his mission Brainerd decided to go back to the north shore of the river to organize transportation of his wagons and rations for his men. Little did he know that this trip would make him a central figure in the Union failure to seize Petersburg. As he boarded the boat for the trip across the river an unnamed officer approached him and asked that he relay a message to Lieutenant Colonel Charles Morgan, Hancock's Chief of Staff. He was to tell Morgan that the steamer carrying rations for Hancock's men had arrived at the wharf. Upon reaching the north bank Brainerd found Morgan and relayed the message. Morgan went to the river and saw a steamer approaching the wharf and assumed that the story was true. However the boat had been misidentified and instead of stopping to unload rations continued up the river. Morgan immediately boarded the next available boat for the south shore. After a half hour delay when the boat grounded he finally arrived at the dock to find Birney's division of Hancock's Corps in ranks waiting to draw their rations. They had failed to receive a message from Hancock ordering them to march for Petersburg and the rations would follow.

The delays were significant because Hancock's men were expected, although there is no proof that he was aware of it, to support the breakthrough at Batteries 5 through 11 by Major General William F. Smith's troops. They failed to arrive on time and the Confederates were able to reinforce before the breakthrough could be thoroughly developed. Brainerd's name became entangled in the fiasco when correspondent William Swinton published an article entitled "How We Failed to Take Petersburgh" in the June 21st edition of the New York Times. In the piece Swinton stated that;

 

[1SGDan]

"General Hancock was met by a dispatch from the Commanding General, directing that, if provisions had arrived, he should ration his men before proceeding toward Petersburg. Just at this time he received information, seemingly reliable, and conveyed, I believe, by an engineer officer who had just come up from the pontoon bridge, to the effect that the transports had arrived with supplies. This fact Gen. Hancock communicated to the Commanding General, stating that he would soon begin issuing rations, and would then move forward.[1]

The information proved to be a mistake – a lamentable mistake – the transports had not arrived. Yet this simple error caused a delay in the movement of Hancock's Corps of five and a half hours.

Although his name had not been mentioned in the article Brainerd was fully aware that everyone knew he was the officer that had passed the erroneous message. Appalled, he sought out General Hancock and asked for a court of inquiry to clear the implication from his name. Hancock denied the necessity of such an action and freed Brainerd of any responsibility. For his role, Swinton was banned from the Army of the Potomac camps.

In reality Hancock's men were not adequately prepared for the role thrust on them. The commander, Hancock, even after departing for Petersburg (without rations), had no idea of what action he was to take there. The matter was further complicated by a very poor map which left them wandering in the dark.

---

[1] New York Times, June 21, 1864

 

[1SGDan]

When the Army of the Potomac linked up with the Army of the James it united the Engineer Brigade (50th NY, 15th NY) and the Engineer Battalion (Regulars) with the 1st New York Engineers* to form an impressive engineer task force. Their first task would be to get the army over the James River. The site for the bridge had been examined by, Cyrus Comstock and Horace Porter, of Grant's staff and confirmed by Gen. Godfrey Weitzel, Chief Engineer Army of the James. Steamers towed strings of pontoons and equipage-laden barges up from Fort Monroe to the bridge site. The bridge was anchored near Weyanoke Landing (Douthat's) and connected to the Flowerdew Hundred plantation at base of Windmill Point upstream from Fort Powhatan. The river was 80-90 feet deep in the ship channel, tide ran 3-4 feet, current was strong and swift and reversed twice a day. LTC Spaulding, reporting for the volunteers, claims that he arrived at 8:00 a.m. to find Captain Personius there working on the wharves. After a personal reconnaissance he determined that even with all the available material "we could not span the river without extensive timber and corduroy approaches."[1] Accordingly a detail under LT Peter Smith Michie's cut and trimmed 1,200 feet of timber for the northern approach to the bridge. He immediately put details to work building the timber approach with the assistance of several hundred United States Colored Troops. Another detachment fell 3,400 feet of timber from near Ft. Powhatan and floated it in rafts to the bridge site. On the south shore of the river Co. D with a fatigue detail of 300 men began "a heavy piece of raised corduroy"[2] across 200 feet of marsh. Simultaneously Captain McDonald began construction of the south abutment. After completing the abutment McDonald began throwing his boats by successive pontoons (individually one after another). When he had used all the wooden boats Captain Van Brocklin added his eight canvas boats to the line. A wagon road was also constructed up the bluff on the Flowerdew side. On the northern shore Captain Personius began placing his boats into the water by rafts (three or more boats joined together). When all his wooden boats were placed he also continued his line with eight canvas boats. When all the boats were used there was still a 30 foot gap to be closed. To correct this the northern section of the bridge was detached from the abutment and shifted to connect with the portion coming from the southern shore. The resulting distance at the northern end was made up by "construction of additional cribs and corduroy."[3] This process caused considerable delay but after 18 hours of intense labor by 450 men a bridge gave Grant the access he wanted. The bridge was opened shortly after midnight.

* Eight companies of the 1st New York Engineers had been brought north from duty in South Carolina and Florida to assist with operations in the Bermuda Hundred. The remaining four companies continued duty in the Southern theater.

---

[1] OR, Vol. XL, Part 1, Report of LTC Spaulding, Page 298
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.

 

[1SGDan]

The completed bridge was 2,170 feet long, requiring 101 wooden pontoon boats. Crews built it in sections of rafts and completed it from both banks working toward the center. A 100-foot section of pontoons in the shipping channel could be shunted aside to allow ships to pass up and down the river. The bridge was supported against the tidal flow upstream and down by cables attached to six schooners anchored on either side of the structure. About 450 engineers and pioneers of the U.S. Engineers Battalion and the 15th and 50th New York Engineers worked on the bridge, directed by Major James Chatham Duane. Bridging the James was a monumental task and its successful completion led to much disagreement over who was responsible for it. Both the Regular Battalion and the volunteers sought to claim the bulk of the work. The story becomes even more tangled in the Engineer Battalion history. In the Regular engineer version of the tale Captain George Mendell reported that the construction of the James River Bridge began at 4:00 p.m. with two companies at each end (he does not specify whose companies). According to Gilbert Thompson's version the regulars marched for the bridge site at 3:00 p.m. and arrived to find "nothing had been done"[1] toward the construction of the bridge. As an added indictment to the volunteers the following was added to the June 14th entry;

"The flooring material looked as though it had been struck by a cyclone; the boats were scattered in confusion over the low, marshy ground along the shore, and the officer of the volunteers was unable to make his men go into the mud and slime and bring the boats ashore."[2]

Of course in this version the regulars immediately corrected the problems and in one hour had a trestle works of 200 feet reaching water deep enough to begin boat bridging. They were then ferried across to the opposite shore (south) to begin work there. It was only then that the volunteers were given over responsibility for the placement of the boats as they were towed in by steamers.

---

[1] Eng Bn., Page 68
[2] Ibid.

 

[1SGDan]

This version of the events made it into the New York Herald and was firmly denied by a letter to the editor by Captain James S. Robbins of the 50th Engineers;

"It is proper to state here in justice to Mr. Merriam that the account given is strictly correct up to the time of his leaving Fort Powhattan for General Butler's head-quarters, that is to say his despatch embraces all he saw, the object of this card being to set forth the facts which occurred after he left.

The bridge were sent up from Fort Monroe on the 14th inst., under charge of Captain Lubey, of the Fifteenth New York Engineers, and myself. Captain Lubey, the senior officer, having with him Captain W. Henderson and Lieutenants Marsh and Megary and two hundred men of that regiment, and I having Lieutenant Burdin and sixty men of the Fiftieth New York Engineers, all being of General Benham's Engineer Brigade. On my arrival, General Weitzel, of General Butler's staff, then at Fort Powhattan (and while awaiting the arrival of General Benham, who was ordered up that morning), directed the preparation of the approaches. And a portion of the Regular Engineers, under Captain Mendell and Lieutenant Gillespie, and Colonel Sorrell's Engineers, under Captain Lyons' command, commenced the work at the abutment on each side. Upon the arrival of General Benham about four or five P. M., the construction of the bridge was placed under his charge by General Meade, and the work was rapidly pushed forward by all the troops and officers above named (except Serrell's's Engineers, who were at that time relieved) until its completion, at between ten and eleven P. M. that evening [June 14, 1864].

The regular engineers were relieved immediately after the bridge was laid, and from that time the care of the bridge, and the constant watchfulness and repairs necessary upon much of the planking, nearly worn out by previous use, was attended to entirely by the small number of officers and men of the engineer brigade, who (including Gen. Benham and his aids Captain P. C. Kingsland and Lieutenant F. S. Livingston) were constantly on duty night and day, with scarcely two hours' sleep in any twenty-four, for the seventy-five to eighty hours that the bridge was down."[1]

---

[1] Robbins to Editor, Philadelphia Inquirer. June 28, 1864, Page 2, Column 2

 

[1SGDan]

The dispute between the Regulars and the Volunteers was never fully resolved. The truth of the matter probably lies somewhere in the middle. The volunteers and regulars both played an important part. No matter how or when the men and materials arrived on site all were necessary to complete the job. The span was a marvel of construction given the technology of the day. The only trouble that was experienced was described by Engineer Isaac Foskett of the Engineer Battalion; "a steamer having drifted into the bridge"[1] allowing a break in the bridge. Company D of the Engineer Battalion hustled out of bed and began a march to the site to begin repairs, "but they did not need us."[2] The men were counter-marched when the damage was rapidly repaired without their assistance. No significant delays were caused. The James River pontoon bridge was the longest ever built by U.S. Army engineers to that point and would remain so until World War II. The monumental work remained in place until 18 June when it was dismantled by the 15th Engineers. In its short life this bridge allowed the 9th Corps, a division of the 6th Corps, a 50 mile long train of artillery, ambulances, and supply wagons, as well as 3000 head of cattle to cross the river. It was a noteworthy accomplishment that reflects great credit on both organizations.

---

[1] Foskett Diary
[2] Ibid.

 

[1SGDan]

The crossing of the James River, for all its significance, was just the beginning of the most vigorous and sustained engineer activity of the war. The campaign in front of Petersburg would demand almost constant effort for it duration. The base of operations for the Engineer Brigade would be City Point, where BG Henry Benham established his headquarters. City Point also served as a logistical hub for the Army of the Potomac that was conducting operations against the Confederate defenses several miles to the west. The town's role in the supply chain of the army demanded that it be protected from the ever present threat of a cavalry raid. Defenses had to be built and manned. Grant handed this responsibility to Benham, naming him commander of the defenses there. Not only was Benham the senior officer present but he also had the most available men and these were troops that were skilled at building the required defenses.

Date	No.	Length	Type	Location	River	Officer
June 12	1	100	Wood	Long Bridge	Chickahominy	Ford
June 12	2	60	Wood	Long Bridge	Chickahominy	Ford
June 13	3	60	Canvas	Jones Bridge	Chickahominy	Folwell
June 13	4	40	Canvas	Jones Bridge	Chickahominy	Folwell
June 13	5	60	Wood	Jones Bridge	Chickahominy	Palmer
June 13	6	40	Wood	Jones Bridge	Chickahominy	Palmer
June 14	7	1240	Wood and Canvas	Cole's Ferry	Chickahominy	Spaulding
June 14	11	2170	Wood and Canvas	Fort Powhatan	James	Duane
June 19	8	100	Canvas	Dunkirk	Mattapony	Folwell
June 23	9	60	Canvas	Jones Bridge	Chickahominy	Folwell
June 23	10	40	Canvas	Jones Bridge	Chickahominy	Folwell

Bridges constructed during this period

---