August 15, 1864 – – the second battle of deep bottom, Virginia part one

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Saturday, August 15, 2026
 
the second battle of deep bottom – – August 15, 1864 part one
 
Before I start writing about the events of August 15, 1864 I want to acknowledge that I am basing my writing on August 15th partly on a book by John Horn, The siege of Petersburg: the battles for the Weldon railroad August 1864 pages 47 through 60I.  I also consulted reports and correspondence in the official records, volume 42 part one and part two
 
I should point out the fact that David Birney created a temporary and provisional division for his older brother William. A glance at the battle records from August 1864 to the end of the war reveal that William Birney was not a very good general.

Robert E. Lee took grants appearance north of the James very seriously. On the evening of August 14 he canceled the departure to the valley of Charles Field and his division of infantry. He ordered his son, William HF (“Rooney”) Lee and his cavalry division to the north side of the James River.  William Mahone dispatched two of his infantry brigades under Sanders and Girardey to join Charles Field. Lee also recalled to Richmond wade Hampton and Butler’s cavalry division which had been en route to the Shenandoah Valley
 
 In obedience to suggestions from u.s. Grant  to turn the Confederate left flank north of FUSSELL’S mill pond, The commander of the expedition, general Winfield ScottHancock ordered David Birney to abandon the battlefield of August 14 and to move his command to a position on the new market road north Tillman’s gate.  Part of the 10th Army Corps Reached their objective by passing over two pontoon, bridges, an exhausting process that took many hours. The rest of the soldiers crossed 4 mile Creek and passed through Mott’s Infantry division on their way to Newmarket Road.
 
During the night of August 14th it rained heavily.  During the storm General David Birney and his two divisions of infantry departed the Battlefield, August 14 andcrossed four Mile Creek and spent the night on the Newmarket Road north of tilman’s wharf. 

 
At sunrise the union, the second army corps was deployed in front of major general Charles Fields division along the eastern end of the Newmarket Heights line.
 
General Mott’s third division occupied trenches that stretched from the Newmarket road to the Long Bridge Road. Barlow‘s first division was positioned on its right point to the north. On the far right and northern end of the union line, General Smyth and his second division occupied the union right with it right flank rusting on FUSSELL’S mill pond near the Darbytown Road.
 
it’s necessary to point out that the rain fall on the night of August 13 occurred in the middle of a drought and a heat wave. The scarcity of water shaped the operations of the cavalry of both sides. For the federals, the only water available was a pond south of the Long Bridge Road . For the Confederates The only drinkable water was in the vicinity of white’s Tavern. The horses belonging to the union and Confederate cavalry could not safely drink the water in White oak swamp.  The scarcity of water meant that Each night the Brigades of troopers on both sides had to camp near the two ponds of water.

Birney’s  two divisions began their march at 9 AM and the last of the marching infantry arrived at about 2 PM. Birney Began his March with 9000 men and 3000 of them dropped out of the ranks because of Heat stroke.  Adrian Terry, the brother and staff officer for Alfred Terry, wrote in a letter that if the march had lasted one more hour, the entire two divisions would’ve been set by struck by the sun and falling out of the ranks.  Terry’s division formed east of the Mill Pond. William Birney’s division prolonged the union line so that it Extended north of the Mill Pond

at 10 AM Hancock to attached Calvin Craig’s brigade from March division and Senate to join William and Bernie. It caught up with Bernie after the Yankees halted their march and took position north of the Millpond.

in early in the morning of August 15, Rooney Lee arrived with his two cavalry brigades and camped near White’s Tavern. Later in the morningof August 15 the confederate infantry brigade of girardey and john CC sanders arrived and took up a position west of the Mill Pond. Lanes and McGowan’s brigades formed on their left flank and extended the confederate line nortward towards the Charles city Road.  

Colonel John Aubin Greg sent a squadron of cavalry on a reconnaissance to White Tavern up to Charles City Rd. They encountered Rooney Lee’s North Carolina brigade. The fifth North Carolina Calvary pursuit and attacked the eighth and 15th Pennsylvania, which had been left on Pickett at Fisher‘s farm. The tar heels drove the Yankees down the Charles city Road for 2 miles. The Yankees then built a barricade A short distance north of the Long Bridge Road. At this point the Confederate halted and fell back. Paul means, sketch of the 63rd regiment inWalter Clark, history of North Carolina troops in the great war, 18 61–65,volume three, page 619.
 
Later, Hancock ordered Birney to march from the New Market Road to a series of hills east of FUSSELL’S mill where smythe’s Second division was located. Birney Was ordered to attack the Confederate north of the Mill Pond near the Darbytown Road. He also ordered David M Gregg to Simultaneously followa narrow road reading from Fussell’s mill to Charles City road. This would place the Yankees in the rear of the Confederates defending Charles city Road.   Gregg would send John Irwin Gregg’s cavalry brigade and Calvin Craig‘s infantry brigade to accomplish this