Battle of the American Civil War
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also known as
Richmond?Petersburg campaign
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Collecting the wounded after the engagement near Hatchers Run, by
William Waud
The
Battle of Hatcher's Run
, also known as
Dabney's Mill
,
Armstrong's Mill
,
Rowanty Creek
, and
Vaughan Road
, fought February 5–7, 1865, was one in a series of
Union
offensives during the
siege of Petersburg
, aimed at cutting off
Confederate
supply traffic on Boydton Plank Road and the Weldon Railroad west of
Petersburg, Virginia
.
Background
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The Union plan was to send
Brig. Gen.
David McM. Gregg
's cavalry out to the Boydton Plank Road to destroy all the Confederate supply wagons they could find, while the
V Corps
and
II Corps
provided support and kept the Confederates occupied to the north and east.
Opposing forces
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Union
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Battle
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On February 5, Gregg's cavalry division rode west to Dinwiddie Court House and the Boydton Plank Road via the Malone Road two miles (3 km) south of Ream's Station. The V Corps, under the command of
Maj. Gen.
Gouverneur K. Warren
, moved southwest towards Dinwiddie Courthouse via Rowanty Post Office/Billup's Post Office (Old Stage Road) one mile (1.6 km) north of Ream's Station. The V Corps crossed Rowanty Creek at Monk's Neck Bridge and took up a blocking position on the Vaughn Road between Gravelly and Little Cattail Runs to protect Gregg's right flank and prevent interference with the operations. Two divisions of the II Corps under Maj. Gen.
Andrew A. Humphreys
moved from the Halifax Road down the Vaughn Road to Hatcher's Run and shifted west to Armstrong's Mill north of the Run to cover Warren’s right flank. Late in the day, Confederate Maj. Gen.
John B. Gordon
attacked the II Corps from the north and attempted to turn Humphreys's right flank near the mill, but was repulsed. During the night, the II Corps was reinforced by both the V Corps and Gregg's cavalry, which had returned to the Vaughn Road after finding little supply wagon traffic on the Boydton Plank Road. This extended the Union line south of Hatcher's Run.
On February 6, the V Corps lines were attacked by elements of Confederate Brig. Gen.
John Pegram
's Division. The Confederates were driven back, but a counterattack by Confederate Brig. Gen.
Clement A. Evans
stopped the Union advance. Later in the day Pegram's and Maj. Gen.
William Mahone
's divisions attacked the Union center near Dabney's Mill south of Hatcher's Run. The Union line collapsed under the attack, but reformed the north of the mill, parallel to Hatcher's Run. Pegram was killed in the action.
[2]
On February 7, Warren launched an offensive and drove back the Confederates, recapturing most of the Union lines around Dabney's Mill that had been lost the day before.
Aftermath
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Union troops extended their siegeworks to the Vaughn Road crossing of Hatcher's Run. The Confederates kept the Boydton Plank Road open, but were forced to extend their thinning lines.
On April 21, 1896, Union assistant surgeon
Jacob F. Raub
was awarded the
Medal of Honor
for his actions during the battle.
[3]
Battlefield preservation
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The
Civil War Trust
(a division of the
American Battlefield Trust
) and its partners have acquired and preserved 387 acres (1.57 km
2
) of the battlefield in four different transactions dating back to 1990.
[4]
References
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External links
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37°07′50″N
77°29′07″W
/
37.1305°N 77.4853°W
/
37.1305; -77.4853