We Can Beat Them Yet

Confederate General Henry Heth

The Second Battle of Ream’s Station was fought August 25^th 1864 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, a part of the Petersburg Campaign.

As the siege of Petersburg began to take hold, Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S Grant began to look for ways to break the railroad lines, and prevent supplies from reaching Confederate General Robert E Lee’s Confederates.  Grant wanted the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad, which ran into Wilmington, North Carolina, stopped and had sent Major General Winfield Scott Hancock’s II Corps in June and Major General Gouverneur K Warren’s V Corps against the railroad in early August.

On August 22^nd 1864 Grant again sent out the II Corps along with a cavalry division under Brigadier General David M Gregg.  Gregg’s men drove off some Confederate pickets, and one of the II Corps division commanders, Brigadier General Nelson A Miles’ men destroyed the track to within 2 miles of Reams Station.  Early the next morning August 23rd 1864 another II Corps commanded Brigadier General John Gibbon took up position in some old earthworks located at Reams Station.  Lee couldn’t afford to lose the railroad supply line, and also Ream’s Station was the county seat and should they need it, a potential retreat route.  He sent in Confederate Lieutenant General A P Hill’s Corps which was being led at the time by General Henry Heth, along with two divisions of Major General Wade Hampton’s cavalry to drive them out.

On August 25^th 1864 Union troops left their earthworks to destroy the last 5 miles of tracks.  Hancock had them recalled when Confederate cavalry approached.   Hill’s column had advanced down the Dinwiddie Stage Road, and at about 2 pm three infantry brigades led by Brigadier General Cadmus Wilcox launched an attack, but were driven back.  At about the same time some of Hampton’s cavalry had swept around the Union line, but were blocked by Gibbon’s division.  More of Hill’s Corps were brought up, and Confederate Colonel William Pregram’s artillery began firing on the Union position.  The final attack began around 5:30 pm, with the Confederates breaking through the northwest part of the Union fortifications.  Two Union regiments panicked and ran and the Confederates charged the earthworks.  Hancock galloped along the front of his men trying to rally his men; he said “We can beat them yet. Don't leave me, for God's sake!"  The Confederate cavalry at this point made a dismounted charge against Gibbon’s troops causing them to panic, and giving Hampton room to flank the Union line.  Hancock pulled together a counterattack that allowed the Union side to make a withdrawal back to Petersburg.

Union casualties were high, numbering about 2,750 along with 9 cannon and 12 stands of colors, while the Confederates lost only about 800.

Would Not Surrender The Symbols of Pride

The 16^th Maine Infantry was organized in Augusta, Maine and was mustered into service August 14^th 1862, for a term of three years.

The 16^th Maine Infantry was organized with Colonel Charles W Tilden as its commander.  They were mustered into Union service August 14^th 1862 and arrived in Washington, DC a few days later.  They went into active duty immediately in Maryland.  The 16^th was assigned to General John Gibbon’s Division of the First Corps. 

The first action for this regiment was at the Battle of Fredericksburg, where they had 427 men present, losing 27 killed, 170 wounded and 34 missing.  The next time the men of the 16^th saw heavy fighting as the Battle of Gettysburg, where the 16^th went in with 248 officers and men and ended the battle with 2 officers and 15 men able to report for duty.  They saved their flags as the Confederates closed in on the men on July 1^st 1863 by tearing up the colors into small pieces.  As Abner Small of the 16^th said, “For a few last moments our little regiment defended angrily its hopeless challenge, but it was useless to fight longer.  We looked at our colors, and our faces burned. We must not surrender those symbols of our pride and our faith."  The men hid the pieces on their person there by depriving the Confederates of capturing the flags.  In March 1864 the 16^th was transferred to the Union Fifth Corps, serving in General Samuel W Crawford’s Division.  The men would see hard fighting at the Battles of Spotsylvania, Hatcher’s Run and others.

During the three years of service 1,907 men served in the 16^th Maine.  They had 181 killed in battle or die of wounds.  578 men were wounded in action.  259 of the 16^th died from disease.  76 good men of Maine would die in Confederate prison of war camps.

A Lopsided Battle

Union Major General Ambrose E Burnside missed his chance to attack at Fredericksburg before the Confederates massed there, and so the battle wasn’t fought until December 13th 1862.

Hoping to side step the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, Union Major General Ambrose Burnside made plans to move on Richmond, Virginia by crossing the Rappahannock River, and moving on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. The Army of the Potomac reached Falmouth, Virginia across from Fredericksburg on November 17th 1862, getting ahead of the Confederates. But the pontoon bridges, to cross the river did not get there do to an administration mix up. Burnside wouldn't let any of his troops cross the river out of fear that rains would cause the river to rise and cut his forces off from each other. As the Union army sat on the Falmouth side of the river, Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s Corps arrived in Fredericksburg and began digging into the heights. The pontoons arrived on November 25th 1862, but Burnside still didn't move. By the end on November Confederate Lieutenant Thomas Stonewall Jackson’s Corps got into Fredericksburg and took up a position south of Longstreet. Union engineer final started the pontoon bridges on December 11th 1862, and Union troops began crossing the river under fire.

Finally at 8:30 on the morning of December 13th 1862 an assault led by Union Major General George Gorden Mead’s division with support of Brigadier Generals Abner Doubleday, and John Gibbon began. At first the Union was slowed by heavy fog, but around 10 am they exploited a gap in Jackson’s line, but were stopped by artillery fire, then about 1:30 a massive Confederate counterattack forced the three Union divisions to pull back. To the north Union Major General William H French began an assault on Marye’s Heights at 11 am. Having to cross an open plain and two small bridges to get to the Heights, and without artillery support because of the fog, French’s men were repulsed with a large number of casualties. Burnside tried to take the Height’s using Brigadier Generals Winfield Scott Hancock and Oliver Otis Howard’s troops, with the same results. Longstreet’s position was reinforced by Major General George Pickett’s division, and held against sixteen Union charges.

A terribly lopsided battle, the Battle of Fredericksburg saw huge Union losses of about 13,530 men killed, wounded or missing. The Confederates lost about 4,576 men, only about 200 of those suffered on Marye’s Heights. As the Battle came to an end, many of the Union soldiers spend a night on the field pinned down by Confederates in freezing weather. On December 14th 1862 Confederate General Robert E Lee granted a truce so the wounded could be removed from the field. Burnside took the Army of the Potomac back across the river on December 15th 1862, to Stafford Heights. Burnside would be replaced by Major General Joseph Hooker January 26th 1863.

The Painting Of Gettysburg

The Gettysburg Cyclorama opened to the public for the first time October 22nd 1883.

The Gettysburg Cyclorama was painted by French artist Paul Philippoteaux, showing the July 3rd 1863 Confederate charge on the Union center during the Battle of Gettysburg. There were originally four copies of the painting, two of which are known to survive. The cyclorama is a 360 degree painting designed to make the viewer feel that they are in the scene. The completed painting was twenty-two feet high and two hundred seventy-nine feet around. The painting was commissioned in 1879 by a group of investors in Chicago.

Philippoteaux went to the Gettysburg battlefield in April 1882, sketching, photographing and researching the events. Local Gettysburg photographer William H Tipton built a tower along Hancock Avenue and shot panoramic photos. Philippoteaux interviewed battle survivors and based some of his work on their memories. With a team of five assistants the painting took over a year and half to complete.

The painting opened to the public October 22nd 1883 in Chicago. Union General John Gibbon was among the veterans who reviewed the cyclorama highly. Many old soldiers said it was so realistic they wept when they saw it. Seeing the success of the painting, there were copies made for Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Brooklyn, New York. The Boston copy of the painting was purchased by the National Park Service in 1942. The painting was restored and moved into a new home at the new Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center, and opened to the public in September 2008.

Second Time

Union troops near the farm of John Brawner on August 28th 1862, bring on the Second Battle of Bull Run or Second Manassas.

Confederate Major General Thomas J Stonewall Jackson observed the Union troop movements along the Warrenton Turnpike. The Union units were made up of the commands of Brigadier Generals Rufus King, John P Hatch, Abner Doubleday, Marsena R Patrick, and John Gibbon, and were marching east to join up with the rest of Union General John Pope’s army at Centreville.

Jackson was concerned that Pope would be able to link his army with McClellan’s behind the Bull Run. He decided his best course of action was to attack. Confederate artillery began shelling at about 6:30pm. Union General John Gibbon requested the veteran 2nd Wisconsin Infantry be brought up quietly to capture the Rebel guns. The 2nd, under the command of Colonel Edgar O’Connor advanced through the woods on John Brawner’s farm, moving uphill, where they deployed and drove some Confederate skirmishers back. The 2nd soon came up against the Stonewall Brigade, commanded by Colonel William S Baylor. For over two hours the two units exchanged fire at less than eighty yard distance from each other. The fighting ended about 9pm with Gibbon’s men still firing as they retreated back into the edge of the woods.

The Battle really had no winners. Losses where heavy on both sides. The Union had about 1,200 casualties and the Confederate saw about 1,250. It worked out that about 1 out of every 3 men engaged in the fight were shot. Jackson didn’t achieve an overall victory, but he did realize his strategic intent, of attracting General John Pope. The next day General Pope launched an attack on Jackson’s men along an unfinished railroad bed.