The
XXIV Corps
Major General John Gibbon
Corps Badges
Red
|
1st Division
|
White
|
2nd Division
|
Blue
|
3rd Division
|
Green
|
Independent Division
|
-
- First Division under
Brig. General Robert S. Foster
1st Brigade
- Col. Thomas O. Osborne
3rd Brigade - Col. George B. Dandy
4th Brigade - Col. Harrison
S. Fairchild
(involved with the Appomattox Campaign)
*
(Not Involved in the final campaign-assigned in
North Carolina)
(Not Involved in the final campaign-remained
on the north side of the James River in reserve)
-
- Independent
Division under Maj. General John W. Turner
1st Brigade - Lt. Col. Andrew Potter
34th
Massachusetts Infantry
116th Ohio Infantry
123rd
Ohio Infantry (captured at the battle of High Bridge on April 6th)
2nd Brigade - Col. William B. Curtis (of the 12th
West Virginia Infantry)
23rd Illinois
Infantry
12th West
Virginia Infantry
54th Pennsylvania
Infantry (captured at the battle of High Bridge on April 6th)
3rd Brigade - Brig. General Thomas Maley
Harris (of the 10th West Virginia Infantry)
10th West Virginia Infantry
11th West Virginia Infantry
15th West
Virginia Infantry
Division's Artillery under Major Charles C. Abell
(involved with the Appomattox Campaign)
*
Petersburg Campaign - Fort Whitworth
& Fort Gregg
Fort Gregg, Petersburg, Virginia, April 2, 1865
On the 27th of March, 1865, Foster's and Turner's
Divisions of the Twenty-fourth Corps, with one division of the Twenty-fifth,
all under command of General Ord, Army of the James (General Gibbon commanding
his corps), crossed to the south banks of the James and Appomattox Rivers,
and joined the main army at Hatcher's Run, where they participated in the
preliminary movements of the final, grand campaign.
Portions of the 16th and 12th Mississippi, Brig. Gen J. Lane's North
Carolina, one rifled cannon manned by the New Orleans Washington Artillery,
and one rifled cannon manned by the 4th Maryland Artillery, a total of
214 men, were asked to man Fort Gregg, the last bastion between the Federal
Army and Petersburg. The time was urgent. Robert E. Lee and his army were
about to be destroyed and they needed the men at Fort Gregg to hold off
the Union army for two hours allowing General Lee to escape with his army
intact. What faced the Mississippians that day were nearly 8000 union assault
troops and heavy artillery. Fort Gregg held out for three hours against four
heavy assaults. Finally the Union troops surrounded the fort and crossed
the surrounding moats and climbed over it's steep inclined walls. There was
another 30 minutes of savage hand to hand fighting in which all manner of
weapons were used from bayonets and clubbing rifles to bricks gathered from
chimneys toppled by artillery fire. Finally, the Confederates surrendered.
Inside the fort lay 55 dead Confederates and 129 wounded. Only 30 Confederates
survived any injuries. Outside the fort nearly 700 Union troops lay dead
or wounded. General Lee and his army (which included the rest of the 16th
Mississippi) escaped to Appomattox Court House.
The fall of Petersburg immediately followed
as the result of the victorious assaults of the Twenty-fourth, Sixth, and
Ninth Corps, after which the Twenty-fourth joined in the pursuit of Lee's
Army.
Movements of the XXIV Army corps after the Fall of
Petersburg:
March 30 - occuppied the line vacated by
the II Corps.
April 1st - The 1st
Division of the Corps (Foster) was engaged with the enemy at Hatcher's
Run driving them from their positions, and continued moving to their right
toward the defenses of Petersburg.
April 2 -
Assaulted Forts Gregg and Baldwin (Whitworth)
- the former carried after a desparate sstruggle by the 1st Division. The latter,
by the 3rd Brigade, Independent Division,
Brevet Brigadier General Thomas Maley Harris (of the 10th West Virginia
Infantry).
April 3 - Found Petersburg evacuated, and immediately took up line
of march in pursuit of Lee's retreating Army of Northern Virginia. From
the 3rd to the 6th, the pursuit was spearheaded by the fast marching West
Virginians.
April 6 - Met the enemy strongly
entrenched at Rice's Station. Before the Federal's lines were assembled
in battle formation, it became night halting the possible engagement.
April 7 - At daylight, the
Federals found that the enemy had withdrawn towards Farmville. Pursuit by
the XXIV Corps followed.
April 8 - Forced march of 32
miles was made before bivuacking. Many of the men knew that this could be
the last campaign of the war IF they could catch Lee. Footsore and tired,
they were still excited and apprehensive that this march was not in vain.
Ord was said to have told Grant that, "Put these West Virginians on flat
lands and they could outmarch any army, including Lee's".
April 9 - At daylight the bugles
aroused the men to move out quickly to engage the enemy somewhere very near
to Appomattox C.H. Custers troopers were in battle formation engaging Gordon's
Division, when the West Virginia infantry appeared. General John W. Turner's
Independent Division, formed
on Foster's right in battle formation. Turner placed Col. William B. Curtis'
2nd brigade on the left, Lt. Colonel Andrew Potter's 1st brigade
in the center, and General Thomas Maley Harris' 3rd brigade on the right
(Harris' men did the majority of the fighting that morning). The division
marched out of the woods into a large field where the right (Harris' Brigade)
joined the left flank of the V Corps. The march was halted briefly to align
the formation. They were to charge and the order of fix-bayonets was ordered
on the front lines. In passing General George Crook, now with the Cavalry,
the men overheard him saying, "There is not much use of my cavalry while
this old West Virginia Division is here".
Harris' West Virginia Brigade (10th, 11th, and 15th West Virginia Infantry)
did participate in the final fighting along with the Fifth Corps. A member
of the 15th WV recalled later that "after emerging from a skirt of the woods
(in Lee's front) we came into an open field of triangular shape, containing
perhaps 10 or 12 acres.....Captain James A. Jarboe of the 10th West Virginia,
Company I (armed with Spencer rifles).....was assigned to the left of the
line....the enemy finding their skirmishers thus driven back, hurried forward
two brass field pieces, which they were placing into position about 200
yards in our front at the time we emerged from the woods...they abandoned
their guns and two of their horses". FORWARD! DOUBLE QUICK! MARCH! the men
pressed forward and nearing the enemy, the flag of truce appeared before
and in front of the 11th West Virginia Infantry. [note: this was only one
of several flags of truce that were seen]
April 9 - April 12 - Encamped
at Appomattox C.H.
April 12 The Independent Division was sent to Lynchburg,
where it destroyed anything of value for the rebel army. As the men were
forming for their march, Major General Joshua Chamberlain, of the V Corps
was receiving thwe Confederate arms. The ceremony was viewed by all who could
see it.
April 15 - The Independent Division returned from
Lynchburg arriving at Appomattox C.H.
April 17 - The Corps marched
to Burkeville.
April 19 - Arrived at Burkeville and remained until
the 20th.
April 20 - The XXIV Corps received orders to march
to Richmond via Amelia C.H.
April 25 - Arrived in Richmond encamping there into
the month of June. The 11th West Virginia soldiers eligible to be mustered
out, were. The Dewees brothers and cousins were mustered out on June 16,
1865.
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Source:
"Regimental Losses in the American Civil War (1861-1865)" -
William F. Fox
"The Battles of Appomattox Station and Appomattox C.H. April 8-9, 1865"
, Chris M. Calkins, H.E. Howard Inc, 1987