Official Records of the Rebellion

[p.143] [CAPTAIN CHESTER'S REPORT]

The third detachment, under Captain Chester, was also assigned to the duty of repairing roads and bridges. I condense from his daily reports as follows:

Since the 18th instant I have followed the road along which General Stoneman’s command passed, repairing such as required it, laying corduroy, and building small bridges.

May 19 and 20.—Laid corduroy and graded about 150 feet of road near the first crossing of the turnpike road and the railroad after leaving White House; also built four small bridges and laid corduroy at various points on the road along which General Franklin’s command passed from the crossing of Black Creek to a point half a mile beyond the blacksmith’s shop; in all, about 1,000 feet of road corduroyed, and much ditching and grading. Finding the road crossing the valley about a mile and a half beyond the last point mentioned (about half a mile beyond the White Church) impassable at midnight, built the bridges across streams about 8 feet wide and 5 feet deep; used in each nine or ten stringers, of from 10 to 15 inches in diameter, laid on crib abutments; also laid corduroy over about 800 feet of road in manner as follows:

Longitudinal stringers were first laid over these sticks averaging 7 inches in diameter, the interstices again filled with smaller sticks, and the whole covered with brush and dirt. A large portion of the force was kept constantly employed in ditching and grading, and the work thus performed was not less valuable than that before described. From this time until the present date my detachment has followed the roads over which General Franklin’s division passed, leaving the Hanover road, however, at the cross road near present headquarters by General Woodbury’s orders for a point nearly on Chickahominy Creek, about a mile above New Bridge. The work executed on the road since then is too various in character to describe in detail. I will mention, however, important work performed near each of the two mills; also that since we have been encamped near the Chickahominy roads have been cut through the woods in aggregate about three-fourths of a mile in length, about 50 feet in width, and have collected about 1,000 heavy sticks to be laid in the bottom for small bridges and corduroys. The men have worked cheerfully and faithfully at whatever hour I have called them out, and I am much indebted to the officers for their energetic co-operation.

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