The XXIV Corps
Major General John Gibbon
 

Corps Badges

Red
1st Division
White
2nd Division
Blue
3rd Division
Green
Independent Division


             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)
              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





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