The Forgotten Battlefield - Battle Of Hanover Court House, Also Known As The Battle Of Slash Church

The Battle of Hanover Court House, also known as the Battle of Slash Church, took place on May 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia.
On May 27, elements of BG Fitz John Porter's V Corps of 12,000 men extended north to protect the right flank of MG George B. McClellan's Union Army of the Potomac based on a rumor from a Virginia civilian that a Confederate force of 17,000 was moving to Hanover Court House, north of Mechanicsville.

Porter's objective was to deal with the Confederate force near Hanover Court House, which threatened the avenue of approach for Union reinforcements that were marching south from Fredericksburg. The smaller Confederate force of about 4000 men, under led by Col. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch, which included the 7th, 18th, 28th, and 37th North Carolina Infantry regiments, and the 45th Georgia Infantry. Col. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch pulled his units back to Ashland VA after losing the battle.

After reading the book General Lee’s Immortals by Michael Hardy I went out to find this battlefield as our family had a few members in the 18th NC. The 18th earned the name of the "Bloody 18th" in this battle which one of our family members Captain Wiley John Sykes was killed leading a charge against the enemy lines

I found only one sign with any information and that was for the Slash Church. I could not locate any Civil War Trails or information signs about the battle. It maybe because most of the land the battle took place on is in private hands now. If not for the map provided in the book I would have not known any of the locations to go see. The five locations are (attached pics are in this order) Slash Church used as a headquarters and hospital, Lebanon Church used as a hospital, Peake’s Station, Harris farm and Dr Kinney’s.

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Thanks so much for sharing this info! Now I have another place to add to my Virginia Bucket List!😍
 
I'm curious, jcrook, where you found the battle map that shows the troop movement at 1:30 (phase 2). I've found a ton of maps and documents, but nothing like that. I'd love to see a source that shows the battle in a blow-by-blow timeline.

Also, I'm not sure if there ever was a "Taliaferro's Mill." Everyone mentions it, but only the military maps show it. Others refer to it as "Phillip's Mill." And there are Taliaferros living in the vicinity.

It's possible that Branch and the other commanders thought that was the name, referred to it in reports and it stuck?

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I believe I copied it from the book "The Battle of Hanover Courthouse" Turning Point of the Peninsula Campaign, May 27, 1862 by Michael C. Hardy It has a number of maps in it
 
Captain Wiley John Sykes, brother of Mary Eliza Sykes who married John J. Melvin. John ((cousin) Sgt in the 36th NC Art / 2nd NC Art Co H Fort Fisher) was the son of George Melvin who was the son of John Thomas Melvin my 4x great grandfather.

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His brother Nathan Sikes was a Private in the 18th NCST Co K. . Shot in his left hand during the Wilderness battle on May 5, 1864. Appears he was kill in action during the First Battle of Deep Bottom on July 27, 1864 during the Siege of Petersburg VA.

His brother John Wesley Sikes
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I reached out to a friend of mine that tracks Confederate cemeteries in VA about Capt Skyes and the others that died at Hanover. His response: " The trench grave for some of the dead is in Woodland Cemetery in Ashland VA. There is a CSA Monument there with the names of soldiers that died in local hospitals in the Confederate section. As far as I know, the battlefield dead, stayed as unknowns and are buried there too."
 
I know that Capt. Sykes was reported killed at Hanover Court House & buried on the battlefield. In my research for information about the 18th NC Regiment & Daniel M Sutton, my great-grandfather, I found this book EXPERIENCES OF A CONFEDERATE CHAPLIN by Rev. Alexander Davis Betts. In it on 6 July 18__ (1862) he says "Walk, Walk, Walk, visit wounded soldiers Camp Winder & other hospitals...Capt. Sykes of Bladen". Do you think or know if Capt. Sykes actually was taken to Richmond after his wounds at Hanover Court House & died there instead of on the battlefield as reported by newspapers? I no longer have my copy of the pages from Rev. Betts book that my quote comes from for the full page to be presented here. Downsizing & my age are culprits, so only my excerpt is in my files. I know that there were members of my different families from Bladen County who traveled to Richmond to nurse wounded soldiers so perhaps that also occurred with Capt. Sykes.
I did a bit more research on this. Captain Wiley Sykes was killed at Hanover Court House. His was buried on the battlefield at the time and later when the dead were recovered, they were buried in the Ashland VA Woodlawn Cemetery in the Confederate unknown section. His family had a headstone installed in the Sykes-Tatum Cemetery in Yorick, Bladen County, North Carolina in honor of him. His brother, Captain Theodore Mitchell Sykes with the 3rd NCST Company H was wounded during the seven days fighting and taken to a Richmond hospital and is buried at Old Trinity Methodist Church in Elizabethtown NC. I believe he is the one the Rev Betts spoke to. His brother, Josiah Pridgen Sykes, Corporal in the 5th NCST also died during the war (1862), His family had a headstone installed in the Sykes-Tatum Cemetery in Yorick, Bladen County, North Carolina in honor of him. His brother, John Wesley Sykes was wounded at Fredericksburg

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‎Thanks for your further investigations. But here is further information - Josiah Pridgen Sikes was held as a POW when he died 12 Sept 1862 and is buried at Finns Point NJ National cemetery near Fort Mott, near Garrisonville, Salem County NJ. Henry Mitchell Sikes is the brother to these men and died age 89 (1934) at the Dorothea Dix (Dix Hill) Hospital (home) after living there almost exclusively after returning from the war, was buried there and when the h‎ospital was closed, all bodies in the cemetery were cremated. According to his family he "was shell shocked and never recovered from the war". These men were sons of Luke Sikes and his wife Mary Atkinson who had 4 sons, (1) Captain Wiley John Sikes who died at Hanover Court House; (2)Corporal John Wesley Sikes, wounded at Fredericksburg, died in 1915 in North Carolina; (3) Private Josiah Pridge Sikes (as above) died 1862 POW, probably captured at Kernston VA; (4) Private Henry Mitchell Sikes (as above) died 1934 Raleigh NC. Theodore Mitchell Sikes, later a dentist in Bladen County NC, was a son of David and Margaret Sikes; some of Luke Sikes descendants referred to him as "Uncle Theodore" but I'm not sure that is completely accurate. I am descended from Luke and Mary Sikes through their daughter Catherine Ann. Its always nice to learn more about these soldiers. When I walked the small part of what was the Hanover CH battlefield, it was very moving for me, I had more relatives in that battle including my great-grandfather Daniel Melvin Sutton and now I have a location for his uncle Wiley John's burial (more than on the battlefield). Regards, Brenda McCaig
 
‎Thanks for your further investigations. But here is further information - Josiah Pridgen Sikes was held as a POW when he died 12 Sept 1862 and is buried at Finns Point NJ National cemetery near Fort Mott, near Garrisonville, Salem County NJ. Henry Mitchell Sikes is the brother to these men and died age 89 (1934) at the Dorothea Dix (Dix Hill) Hospital (home) after living there almost exclusively after returning from the war, was buried there and when the h‎ospital was closed, all bodies in the cemetery were cremated. According to his family he "was shell shocked and never recovered from the war". These men were sons of Luke Sikes and his wife Mary Atkinson who had 4 sons, (1) Captain Wiley John Sikes who died at Hanover Court House; (2)Corporal John Wesley Sikes, wounded at Fredericksburg, died in 1915 in North Carolina; (3) Private Josiah Pridge Sikes (as above) died 1862 POW, probably captured at Kernston VA; (4) Private Henry Mitchell Sikes (as above) died 1934 Raleigh NC. Theodore Mitchell Sikes, later a dentist in Bladen County NC, was a son of David and Margaret Sikes; some of Luke Sikes descendants referred to him as "Uncle Theodore" but I'm not sure that is completely accurate. I am descended from Luke and Mary Sikes through their daughter Catherine Ann. Its always nice to learn more about these soldiers. When I walked the small part of what was the Hanover CH battlefield, it was very moving for me, I had more relatives in that battle including my great-grandfather Daniel Melvin Sutton and now I have a location for his uncle Wiley John's burial (more than on the battlefield). Regards, Brenda McCaig
Did Daniel Melvin Sutton descend from Susannah Melvin Sutton? if so, she is my 4x Great Aunt, sister of John Thomas Melvin Sr my 4x Great Grandfather
 
Did Daniel Melvin Sutton descend from Susannah Melvin Sutton? if so, she is my 4x Great Aunt, sister of John Thomas Melvin Sr my 4x Great Grandfather
No to your question. Daniel Melvin Sutton was a son of John Gosney Sutton and Adelaide Council. John Gosney Sutton was a son of William S Sutton and Ann Thomas. There are many Sutton, Sikes, Melvin connections for my family that I have to be very careful trying to place them. We may have a kinship but its probably far apart.
 
Henry Mitchell Sikes is the brother to these men and died age 89 (1934) at the Dorothea Dix (Dix Hill) Hospital (home) after living there almost exclusively after returning from the war, was buried there and when the h‎ospital was closed, all bodies in the cemetery were cremated. According to his family he "was shell shocked and never recovered from the war". These men were sons of Luke Sikes and his wife Mary Atkinson who had 4 sons, (1) Captain Wiley John Sikes who died at Hanover Court House; (2)Corporal John Wesley Sikes, wounded at Fredericksburg, died in 1915 in North Carolina; (3) Private Josiah Pridge Sikes (as above) died 1862 POW, probably captured at Kernston VA; (4) Private Henry Mitchell Sikes (as above) died 1934 Raleigh NC.

I just saw your post here, including some information about Henry Mitchell Sikes, who died at Dorothea Dix Hospital. I'm interested in this, as I live in Raleigh and know Dix Hill fairly well. It is now being developed as a city park. Dix Hill has a fascinating Civil War history, partly because the Raleigh fortifications ran across the grounds and also because at the end of the war, Federal troops camped all around the city, including at Dix, after the surrender of the Army of Tennessee.

I'm curious about your statement that all bodies were cremated. What's your source for that? Are you sure Sikes wasn't actually buried at the asylum grounds? There is a cemetery on the Dix grounds, including patients from the Civil War era and later. Maybe some patients were cremated and others buried? Here is a photo from a recent Civil War tour/living history event on the Dorothea Dix grounds. The main presenter is historian Ernest Dollar, who is also director of the City of Raleigh Museum. One of the tour stops is the cemetery -- that's where we are in this photo:

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Here's a detail from the 1863 Guion map of the Raleigh fortifications, showing the stretch of earthworks (about one mile) across the Dix property. The hospital building is marked "Insane Asylum" on the map, and is only about 1,000 feet from the battery location. This property is to the southwest of downtown Raleigh.

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I'm wondering what documentation you have about Henry Mitchell Sikes. It could be that the Dix Park folks have access to his patient records. On the other hand, it's possible that you have information about him that they don't have. They're interested in expanding the history of the hospital, and they might like to know about Sikes. Also, those of us who are pushing for more Civil War-related projects here might be interested as well.

ARB
 
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Thank you for posting this. Capt Sykes was a brother to my gr(3) grandmother so we are somehow related.
From the book Doctor to the Front, the Recollections of a Confederate Surgeon Thomas Fanning Wood edited by Donald B. Koonce. Page 25 and 26 - "I remember with what interest we questioned Captain Sikes, an old veteran of the Mexican War, who commanded one of our companies. He looked upon fighting as a serious business, and his accounts of what he had witnessed in Mexico did not tend to sharpen our appetites for it. The next day, the poor fellow was instantly killed in battle"
 
From the book Doctor to the Front, the Recollections of a Confederate Surgeon Thomas Fanning Wood edited by Donald B. Koonce. Page 25 and 26 - "I remember with what interest we questioned Captain Sikes, an old veteran of the Mexican War, who commanded one of our companies. He looked upon fighting as a serious business, and his accounts of what he had witnessed in Mexico did not tend to sharpen our appetites for it. The next day, the poor fellow was instantly killed in battle"
Thanks so much for providing this, the date would be 26 May 1862, I guess. Small tidbits are so great. I apologize for not answering your message from last October (Oct 2021). I missed it some way.
I just saw your post here, including some information about Henry Mitchell Sikes, who died at Dorothea Dix Hospital. I'm interested in this, as I live in Raleigh and know Dix Hill fairly well. It is now being developed as a city park. Dix Hill has a fascinating Civil War history, partly because the Raleigh fortifications ran across the grounds and also because at the end of the war, Federal troops camped all around the city, including at Dix, after the surrender of the Army of Tennessee.

I'm curious about your statement that all bodies were cremated. What's your source for that? Are you sure Sikes wasn't actually buried at the asylum grounds? There is a cemetery on the Dix grounds, including patients from the Civil War era and later. Maybe some patients were cremated and others buried? Here is a photo from a recent Civil War tour/living history event on the Dorothea Dix grounds. The main presenter is historian Ernest Dollar, who is also director of the City of Raleigh Museum. One of the tour stops is the cemetery -- that's where we are in this photo:

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Here's a detail from the 1863 Guion map of the Raleigh fortifications, showing the stretch of earthworks (about one mile) across the Dix property. The hospital building is marked "Insane Asylum" on the map, and is only about 1,000 feet from the battery location. This property is to the southwest of downtown Raleigh.

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I'm wondering what documentation you have about Henry Mitchell Sikes. It could be that the Dix Park folks have access to his patient records. On the other hand, it's possible that you have information about him that they don't have. They're interested in expanding the history of the hospital, and they might like to know about Sikes. Also, those of us who are pushing for more Civil War-related projects here might be interested as well.

ARB
From the book Doctor to the Front, the Recollections of a Confederate Surgeon Thomas Fanning Wood edited by Donald B. Koonce. Page 25 and 26 - "I remember with what interest we questioned Captain Sikes, an old veteran of the Mexican War, who commanded one of our companies. He looked upon fighting as a serious business, and his accounts of what he had witnessed in Mexico did not tend to sharpen our appetites for it. The next day, the poor fellow was instantly killed in battle"
I just saw your post here, including some information about Henry Mitchell Sikes, who died at Dorothea Dix Hospital. I'm interested in this, as I live in Raleigh and know Dix Hill fairly well. It is now being developed as a city park. Dix Hill has a fascinating Civil War history, partly because the Raleigh fortifications ran across the grounds and also because at the end of the war, Federal troops camped all around the city, including at Dix, after the surrender of the Army of Tennessee.

I'm curious about your statement that all bodies were cremated. What's your source for that? Are you sure Sikes wasn't actually buried at the asylum grounds? There is a cemetery on the Dix grounds, including patients from the Civil War era and later. Maybe some patients were cremated and others buried? Here is a photo from a recent Civil War tour/living history event on the Dorothea Dix grounds. The main presenter is historian Ernest Dollar, who is also director of the City of Raleigh Museum. One of the tour stops is the cemetery -- that's where we are in this photo:

View attachment 416423

Here's a detail from the 1863 Guion map of the Raleigh fortifications, showing the stretch of earthworks (about one mile) across the Dix property. The hospital building is marked "Insane Asylum" on the map, and is only about 1,000 feet from the battery location. This property is to the southwest of downtown Raleigh.

View attachment 416424


I'm wondering what documentation you have about Henry Mitchell Sikes. It could be that the Dix Park folks have access to his patient records. On the other hand, it's possible that you have information about him that they don't have. They're interested in expanding the history of the hospital, and they might like to know about Sikes. Also, those of us who are pushing for more Civil War-related projects here might be interested as well.

ARB
I apologize for not answering this message from last October (Oct 2021) that I missed. Posting by Jason Bordeaux to ncgenweb.us/bladen/cemeteries/lukesykes.htm "Luke Sykes Cemetery, aka McDuffie Cemetery, Cemetery #94 in Cemeteries of Bladen County, Vol III-NW Bladen-Private Henry Mitchell Sykes, Note: Henry Mitchell Sykes was the son of Luke Sykes and Mary Atkinson. He came home from the Civil War conflict shell shocked. He lived the rest of his days in Dorothea Dix Hospital and died there at the age of 89. At this time, the hospital cemetery was no longer in use and Henry was cremated." I should have indicated there was no documentation source given for the cremation.
 
For some free reading...

Old Dominion University
ODU Digital Commons
History Theses & Dissertations
Winter 1999

Hanover Courthouse: The Union's Tactical Victory and Strategic Failure
Jerry Joseph Coggeshall
Old Dominion University

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the History at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Copyright 2000 by Coggeshall, Jerry Joseph All rights reserved.

ABSTRACT
The Battle of Hanover Courthouse was the high water mark of the Union's Peninsular Campaign: the battle was a decisive Federal victory, but disjointed leadership by the Union high command squandered the ensuing strategic opportunities. This research project will evaluate the complex strategic situation which developed in the area of Hanover Courthouse as the Union high command attempted to reinforce the Army of the Potomac in its drive on Richmond in May of 1862. This topic has been neglected by historians more concerned with larger battles that took place closer to Richmond, or with Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. Yet, it was the Federal victory at Hanover Courthouse that presented the Union high command with the greatest opportunity to influence the overall strategic situation in the Virginia theater in mid-1862.

The goal of this study will be to expose the strategic opportunities which were lost to the Union at Hanover Courthouse as a result of disjointed leadership. To accomplish this goal this study will provide an in-depth analysis of the strategic issues which faced the Union and Confederate leadership as they each sought to control the area between Richmond and Fredericksburg in May of 1862. A description of the engagement at Hanover Courthouse, which was the climax of the strategic duel north of Richmond, will be particularly important to this thesis. The fulfillment of this goal will provide a much needed assessment of a critical phase of the war in Virginia.

In analyzing the Battle of Hanover Courthouse this research project will rely upon a wide variety of sources. Primary documents will be used as much as possible; with diaries, reports, and maps making up the bulk of such sources. Secondary sources will be employed mostly as an overall guide in becoming more familiar with the general details of this topic.



Because of copywrite, please use above link.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
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