Official Records of the Rebellion

Official Records of the Rebellion: Volume Eleven, Chapter 23, Part 1: Peninsular Campaign: Reports

The Document

[326]

No. 20.

Reports of Brig. Gen. John G. Barnard, U. S. Army, Chief Engineer Army of the Potomac, of operations during the siege.

Monday and Tuesday, April 21 and 22.—Captain Duane’s report is for the twenty-four hours ending at 6 a. m. to-day. He reports the condition of the batteries under his charge as follows:

Battery No. 1, finished, with the exception of traverses. Battery No. 2: parapet finished and magazine constructed and partly covered. Battery No. 3: very little was accomplished in this battery, the working party having been withdrawn early in the day. Battery No. 4, commenced and pretty well advanced. Battery No. 5 was commenced and carried up to the height of soles of embrasures. Battery No. 6 finished, except requiring some more earth on magazine.

Captain Duane says all the working parties were withdrawn before dark, and did not return; also, that no artillery officers reported at any of the batteries except No. 6. The report of General Woodbury states that 394 men and 13 officers are making gabions and 160 men and 5 officers are making fascines; 890 of the former and 887 of the latter are on hand and at the engineer depot, at the saw-mill, or in the vicinity; also a portion near the mortar battery. The report is signed by H. W. Bowers, assistant adjutant-general. Lieutenant McAlester reports, of the 3,000 men asked for, 2,326 reported this morning forduty on military road, with 79 commissioned officers. Four hundred and sixty axmen were all employed in completing bridges, 25 men to work the wheelbarrows in covering the bridges, and the remainder of the forces were employed with picks and shovels in trimming and draining road in east-branch ravine, excavating and embanking throughout the entire extent of west-branch ravine and main ravine below the dam, and covering bridges as far as could be done without wheelbarrows. Lieutenant McAlester repeats his remark of yesterday, that the lack of a proper number of wheelbarrows essentially retards the completion of the roads. Captain Stewart reports that he, with Lieutenant Farquhar, reported for duty to General Sumner. He and Lieutenant Farquhar went to the battery near Wynn’s Mill constructed by Captain Clark. The parapet is roughly constructed, and six platforms for guns in embrasures are done; on the right over 150 running feet of rifle pit has been finished and another commenced on its left. About 400 men were, he believes, at work at this during the day (April 21).The battery farther to the right is still more incomplete; the parapet is not quite finished. Three rough platforms are down and three embrasures without any. It was occupied by Ames’ field battery of six guns.

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Wednesday, April 23.—Battery No. 1 finished; a second magazine for shell commenced. Battery No. 2: the magazine finished, the terreplein graded, and trees in parapet cut down. Battery No. 3: the revetment of this battery was taken down and rebuilt during the night. Battery No. 5, revetment finished and magazine commenced. Battery No. 6 finished. One embrasure in No. 3 was injured by the explosion of a shell, but has been repaired. One thousand seven hundred and eighty men, with 63 commissioned officers, were employed on that portion of military roads which is under the charge of Lieutenant McAlester, Engineers; for the last twenty-four hours 145 axmen employed on bridges and the remainder, with picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows were excavating, embanking, and finishing. Considerable progress was made in covering bridges, but eight of the nine are yet incomplete. The earthwork is now in progress throughout the whole extent; about one third remains to be finished, trimmed, and drained. Those side issues leading from left branch through secondary ravines up to the plateau (two to the front and one to the rear) were commenced yesterday and proceeded with to-day. General Woodbury reports 510 officers and men making gabions, &c., and two companies employed on Mortar Battery No. 4; two companies employed on crib bridge west branch of Wormley’s Creek, and about 160 men at work on bridge of the south branch. Four hundred and sixty-four gabions were made yesterday and 203issued; remaining on hand, 1,151. Three hundred and forty eight fascines are on hand yet; 45 issued yesterday. I transmit a copy of a letter received last evening from General Woodbury:

GENERAL: In reply to yours of date, relative to sand bags, gabions, &c., I have the honor to state that two engineer depots have thus far been established, one at the brigade headquarters and one at the steam saw-mill, and officers appointed to take charge of them. With reference to the sand bags, there are at Captain Duane’s camp 12,500; at Ship Point, 90,000; brought by steamer Thorn, ——; brought by steamer Thomas Swann, 11,000; total, 113,500.

A portion of these are on the way to the engineer depot at this camp; the rest will be brought up to-morrow. The schooner Huntress has also arrived with a cargo of intrenching tools, which will be brought to the engineer depot as soon as transportation can be obtained.

Respectfully,

D. P. WOODBURY,

Brigadier- General.

Col. J.McLeod Murphy, of the Fifteenth Regiment New York Volunteer Engineers, reports that he, with 300 men, go this morning to join General Franklin, in accordance with letter of Assistant Adjutant- General’s Office of yesterday. He desired the services of Lieutenant Farrell, Fifteenth Regiment, which was granted. The report of Captain Brainerd, Fiftieth Regiment New York Volunteers, states that about 200 men of the Seventy-fourth New York Volunteers positively refused to work night before last, and returned to their camp about 9 p. m. The report is forwarded through the Adjutant-General’s Office.

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How to cite this article

Official Records of the Rebellion: Volume Eleven, Chapter 23, Part 1: Peninsular Campaign: Reports, pp.326-327

web page Rickard, J (4 February 2007), http://www.historyofwar.org/sources/acw/officialrecords/vol011chap023part1/02020_01.html


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