BELLE PLAIN, POTOMAC CREEK, A UNION BASE OF SUPPLIES.
From a photograph taken in 1864.
Just before 5 o’clock the right of the line under Sedgwick was attacked by the Confederates, and gradually the firing extended along the whole front. Wadsworth’s division fought its way across Hancock’s front to the Plank road, and advanced along that road. Hancock pushed forward Birney with his own and Mott’s divisions, Gibbon’s division supporting, on the left of the Plank road, and soon drove his opponents from their rifle-pits, and for the time being appeared to have won a victory. His left, however, under Barlow, had not advanced. Prom information derived from prisoners and from the cavalry operating in the vicinity of Todd’s tavern, it was believed at this time that Longstreet was working around the left to attack the line along the Brock road. Instead of attacking there, Longstreet moved to the support of Hill, and just as the Confederates gave away before Birney’s assault, Longstreet’s leading division, under General C. W. Field, reached Birney’s battle-ground and engaged my line.
Thus at 8 o’clock Hancock was battling against both Hill and Longstreet. General Gibbon had command on the left. Hancock himself was looking out for the Plank road.
Warren’s Fifth Corps, in front of Ewell, had obeyed the orders of General Grant, in making frequent and persistent attacks throughout the morning without success. The same may be said of Wright, of Sedgwick’s Sixth Corps, who was attacking Ewell’s left; but Ewell was too strongly intrenched to be driven back from his line by the combined Fifth and Sixth corps.
General Burnside, with the divisions of Wilcox and Potter, attempted to relieve Hancock by passing up between the turnpike and the Plank road to Chewning’sfarm, connecting his right with Warren
of Bicketts’s old battery on the Plank road. General Hancock says in his report: “ The fight here became very fierce at once, the lines of battle were exceedingly close, the musketry continuous and deadly along the entire line.”
Carroll’s and Owen’s brigades of Gibbon’s division were sent in to support Getty upon the Plank road. Colonel Carroll, an excellent fighting man, was wounded, but remained on the field. More to the left,
Brooke and Smyth, of Barlow’s division, attacked the right of Hill, and forced it back. About 4 o’clock, also, Wadsworth, who had been sent from his position near the Lacy house to strike across the country toward the Plank road, halted for the night in line of battle, facing nearly south between Tapp’s house and the Brock road.
This ended the operations of May 5th, leaving the Army of the Potomac in close contact with Ewell and Hill. During the night of the 5th orders were given for a general attack by Sedgwick, Warren, and Hancock at 5 o’clock the next morning.
Longstreet’s arrival on the field was known and reported by General Hancock to General Meade at 7 A. M. on the 6th; indeed, it was found that Longstreet was present when, at 5 o’clock, my brigade (of Gibbon’s division) was ordered to relieve General Getty. When I advanced I immediately became engaged with Field’s division, consisting of Gregg’s, Benning’s,
Daw’s, and Jenkins’s brigades, on the north side of the Orange Plank road.
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Hancock promptly started his column, and met General Getty at the junction of the Plank and Germanna roads. Getty’s division was then in line of battle, along the Brock road, with Grant’s brigade on the left of the Plank road, and Wheaton’s and Eustis’s brigades on the right of the road which the troops were intrenching. This was 2 p. M. of the 5th. Getty informed Hancock that there were two divisions of A. P. Hill out in his front, and Hancock directed the finishing of the works that had been begun, before any advance should be made. Hancock placed Birney’s division on the left of Getty in two lines of battle along the Brock road, and Mott’s and Gibbon’s divisions on Birney’s left; Barlow’s divisions held the extreme left and formed an angle on the Brock road overlooking the bed of an unfinished railroad. Most of the artillery of Hancock’s corps was posted with Barlow’s division. Frank’s brigade of Barlow’s division was stationed partly across the Brock road, near the junction of the Brock road and a crossroad leading to the Catharpin road. All of Hancock’s corps were directed to throw up breastworks of logs and earth, the intrenched line beginning at Getty’s left and extending to Barlow’s left, where it was refused to cover the flank. The second line, of the Second Corps, also threw up earthworks, and a third intrenched line was formed behind Birney and Mott nearest the Plank road.
At 4:30 p. M. Getty started to the attack, and marched but four hundred yards when he struck Heth’s division of Hill’s corps, and found the enemy in force, his right having been reinforced by Wilcox’s division. Hancock threw forward Bir-ney and Mott on the left of Getty, and put a section
MAJOR-GENERAL A. A. HUMPHREYS, U. S. V.
Cliief-of-staff, Army of tlie Potomac.
sion, of the same corps, had started forward in a westerly direction, until he found himself with his left toward the enemy. McCandless’s brigade of Crawford’s division (also of Warren’s corps) had endeavored to obtain a position on the left of Wadsworth, but lost its bearings in the entangled woods so that its left came in contact with Ewell’s right, and it, as well as Wadsworth’s left, was driven in by Daniel’s and Gordon’s brigades, forming the right of Ewell. Thus Crawford was left with his left flank in the air, and he of necessity was drawn in about 2 o’clock and posted about a mile southwest from the Lacy house, facing toward his first position at Chewning’s house. Wadsworth finally took position on the left of Crawford, facing toward the south and west, with his back toward the Lacy house. Griffin, on Crawford’s right, reached to the Orange turnpike. Wright’s division of Sedgwick formed on the right of Griffin, with the left of Upton’s brigade resting on the pike; then came the brigades of Penrose and Bussell, then Neill’s brigade of Getty’s division. Soon after getting into position Neill and Bussell were attacked by Johnson, who was repulsed. Still farther to the right, toward the Germanna Plank road, Seymour, of Ricketts’s division, came up and took position. The entire Union front line was now intrenched.
At this time on the center and right Warren and Sedgwick were securely blocked by Ewell’s single corps. On the left of the line the situation was this: At 11 A. M. Hancock, whose advance had passed Todd’s tavern, received a despatch stating that the enemy was coming down the Orange Plank road in full force, and he was directed to move his corps up to the Brock road, due north. He was further informed that Getty had been sent to drive the enemy back, and must be supported immediately ; that on the turnpike Griffin had been pushed back somewhat, and that he (Hancock) must push out on the Plank road and connect his right with Warren’s left.
BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL M. C. MEIGS, QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL, U. S. A. From a photograph.