Official Records of the Rebellion

[p.144] [FIFTH DETACHMENT]

A fifth detachment, under Colonel Stuart, was also assigned to the same duty. He reports as follows:

On Friday morning, May 23, I reached the railroad bridge over the Chickahominy with detachments from Companies I and K, where I found three spans of trestle work, each 11 feet wide and 15 feet high, and one truss span of 44 feet, same height, entirely destroyed by fire; two other trestle spans were partially destroyed. Found a hand car and a quantity of timber at a saw-mill 3miles east of bridge, near the track, which were brought up and work commenced.

On Sunday, the 25th, Captain O’Grady and First Lieutenant Andrus, of this regiment, made a thorough examination of the bridge west of the portion destroyed, about 1,000 feet in length, and also of the track for 4 miles west to Fair Oak Station, and reported the bridge-work in safe condition for passing over.

On Monday morning the trestle spans were repaired and work commenced on truss span, when Engineer Charles McAlpine arrived with 40 bridge carpenters of the Government bridge-builders and a car load of sawed timber and a full supply of necessary tools. With their valuable aid the bridge was completed on Tuesday, May 27, at 7 p. m., when a locomotive passed over the bridge and went 3miles beyond. I have left 10 men as a guard at the bridge until relieved, and respectfully recommend that a larger guard be sent there from some other regiment, as the bridge is long and high and requires a much larger guard.

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