Battle of Darbytown Road

Last updated
Battle of Darbytown Road
Part of the American Civil War
Harper's Weekly - Battle of Darbytown Road October 7 1864.jpg
DateOctober 13, 1864 (1864-10-13)
Location
Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
Flag of the United States (1863-1865).svg United States (Union) Flag of the Confederate States of America (1863-1865).svg CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Alfred Terry Richard H. Anderson
Strength
X Corps Corps
Casualties and losses
437
(36 killed,
358 wounded,
43 captured). [1]
513 [nb 1]
Map of Darbytown Road Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program. Darbytown Road Battlefield Virginia.jpg
Map of Darbytown Road Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

The Battle of Darbytown Road was fought on October 13, 1864, between Union and Confederate forces. The Confederates were attempting to retake ground they had lost to Federal forces during battles near Richmond, Virginia. Their efforts failed. On October 13, Union forces advanced to find and feel the new Confederate defensive line in front of Richmond. While mostly a battle of skirmishers, a Federal brigade assaulted fortifications north of Darbytown Road and was repulsed with heavy casualties. The Federals retired to their entrenched lines along New Market Road.

Contents

Background

Opposing forces

Union

The Union order of battle is compiled from the official tabulation of casualties and includes only units which sustained casualties. [2]

Military rank abbreviations used

Other abbreviations

Army of the James

X Corps

MG Alfred H. Terry

DivisionBrigadeRegiments and others

First Division
     BG Adelbert Ames

1st Brigade

  Col Francis B. Pond

2nd Brigade

  BG Joseph R. Hawley

3rd Brigade

  Col Harris M. Plaisted

  • 10th Connecticut
  • 11th Maine
  • 24th Massachusetts

Second Division [not engaged]

Third Division
     BG William Birney

1st Brigade

  Col Alvin C. Voris

2nd Brigade

  Col Ulysses Doubleday

Cavalry Division
     BG August V. Kautz

1st Brigade

  Col Robert M. West

2nd Brigade

  Col Samuel P. Spear

  • 11th Pennsylvania
3rd Brigade

  Col Andrew W. Evans

Battle

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Petersburg</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a classic military siege, in which a city is encircled with fortifications blocking all routes of ingress and egress, nor was it strictly limited to actions against Petersburg. The campaign consisted of nine months of trench warfare in which Union forces commanded by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Petersburg unsuccessfully and then constructed trench lines that eventually extended over 30 miles (48 km) from the eastern outskirts of Richmond, Virginia, to around the eastern and southern outskirts of Petersburg. Petersburg was crucial to the supply of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's army and the Confederate capital of Richmond. Numerous raids were conducted and battles fought in attempts to cut off the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad. Many of these battles caused the lengthening of the trench lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fort Stedman</span> 1865 battle of the American Civil War in Petersburg, Virginia

The Battle of Fort Stedman, also known as the Battle of Hare's Hill, was fought on March 25, 1865, during the final weeks of the American Civil War. The Union Army fortification in the siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia, was attacked in a pre-dawn Confederate assault by troops led by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon. The attack was the last serious attempt by Confederate troops to break the Siege of Petersburg. After an initial success, Gordon's men were driven back by Union troops of the IX Corps commanded by Maj. Gen. John G. Parke.

The Battle of Lewis's Farm was fought on March 29, 1865, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia near the end of the American Civil War. In climactic battles at the end of the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign, usually referred to as the Siege of Petersburg, starting with Lewis's Farm, the Union Army commanded by Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant dislodged the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia commanded by General Robert E. Lee from defensive lines at Petersburg, Virginia and the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. Many historians and the United States National Park Service consider the Battle of Lewis's Farm to be the opening battle of the Appomattox Campaign, which resulted in the surrender of Lee's army on April 9, 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Chaffin's Farm</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Chaffin's Farm and New Market Heights, also known as Laurel Hill and combats at Forts Harrison, Johnson, and Gilmer, was fought in Virginia on September 29–30, 1864, as part of the siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Petersburg</span> 1864 battle of the American Civil War

The Second Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Assault on Petersburg, was fought June 15–18, 1864, at the beginning of the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign. Union forces under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and Major General George G. Meade attempted to capture Petersburg, Virginia, before General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia could reinforce the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appomattox campaign</span> Series of battles in the American Civil War ending with Confederate surrender (1865)

The Appomattox campaign was a series of American Civil War battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that concluded with the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to forces of the Union Army under the overall command of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, marking the effective end of the war.

The Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road, also known as the First Battle of the Weldon Railroad, took place during the American Civil War fought June 21–23, 1864, near Petersburg, Virginia. It was the first of a series of battles during the Siege of Petersburg aimed at extending the Union siege lines to the west and cutting the rail lines supplying Petersburg. Two infantry corps of the Union Army of the Potomac attempted to sever the Weldon Railroad, but were attacked and driven off by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's Third Corps, principally the division of Brig. Gen. William Mahone. The inconclusive battle left the Weldon Railroad temporarily in Confederate hands, but the Union Army began to extend its fortifications to the west, starting to increase the pressure of the siege.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Globe Tavern</span> 1864 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Globe Tavern, also known as the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad, fought August 18–21, 1864, south of Petersburg, Virginia, was the second attempt of the Union Army to sever the Weldon Railroad during the siege of Petersburg of the American Civil War. A Union force under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren destroyed miles of track and withstood strong attacks from Confederate troops under Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard and Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill. It was the first Union victory in the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign. It forced the Confederates to carry their supplies 30 miles (48 km) by wagon to bypass the new Union lines that were extended farther to the south and west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Boydton Plank Road</span> 1865 Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Boydton Plank Road, fought on October 27–28, 1864, followed the Union Army's successful Battle of Peebles's Farm in the siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War. This follow up was a further success, with the Union Army able to seize the Boydton and Petersburg Plank Road and cut the South Side Railroad, a critical supply line to Petersburg, Virginia.

The Second Battle of Deep Bottom, also known as Fussell's Mill, New Market Road, Bailey's Creek, Charles City Road, or White's Tavern, was fought August 14–20, 1864, at Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, during the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Deep Bottom</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The First Battle of Deep Bottom, also known as Darbytown, Strawberry Plains, New Market Road, or Gravel Hill, was fought July 27–29, 1864, at Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Siege of Petersburg of the American Civil War. A Union force under Maj. Gens. Winfield S. Hancock and Philip H. Sheridan was sent on an expedition threatening Richmond, Virginia, and its railroads, intending to attract Confederate troops away from the Petersburg defensive line, in anticipation of the upcoming Battle of the Crater. The Union infantry and cavalry force was unable to break through the Confederate fortifications at Bailey's Creek and Fussell's Mill and was withdrawn, but it achieved its desired effect of momentarily reducing Confederate strength at Petersburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads was an engagement between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War, which took place on October 7, 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign.

The Battle of Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road was fought on October 27–28, 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beefsteak Raid</span> Part of the American Civil War

The Beefsteak Raid was a Confederate cavalry raid that took place in September 1864 as part of the Siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War. Confederate Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton led a force of 3,000 troopers of the Confederate States Army on what was to become a 100-mile (160 km) ride to acquire cattle that were intended for consumption by the Union Army, which was laying a combined siege to the cities of Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">18th Georgia Infantry Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army

The 18th Georgia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Originally brigaded with the three Texas regiments of John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade, it was transferred to Thomas R.R. Cobb's Georgia Brigade after the Battle of Antietam in late 1862. After General Cobb was mortally wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg, the original colonel of the 18th Georgia, William T. Wofford, became Brigadier General of the Georgia Brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">118th New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 118th New York Infantry Regiment was recruited for service in the American Civil War (1861–1865) from Clinton, Essex, and Warren counties in Northern New York. Known as the Adirondack Regiment, the unit saw service along the Atlantic Coast in the Department of Virginia before transferring to the Army of the James in 1864. With the latter, they were engaged in the Overland Campaign and the subsequent siege of Petersburg.

The Battle of Vaughan Road, also spelled "Vaughn", was an American Civil War engagement between Confederate States Army and Union Army cavalry forces protecting the flank of the main Union attack on Confederate positions on the western end of the Confederate line on October 1, 1864 during the Battle of Peebles' Farm, part of the Siege of Petersburg. The Union force repulsed Confederate attacks and protected ground just gained at McDowell's Farm and an important road junction on the Vaughan Road at the Wyatt Road. They inflicted about 130 casualties on the Confederates while losing about 90 men, about half of whom were taken prisoner. During the battle, Confederate Brigadier General John Dunovant was killed. Union Army Sergeant James T. Clancy, who was awarded the Medal of Honor on July 3, 1865, was credited with firing the fatal shot.

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads during the Petersburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Order of battle is compiled from the official tabulation of casualties and includes only units which sustained casualties.

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Peebles's Farm during the Petersburg campaign of the American Civil War. The order of battle is compiled from the official tabulation of casualties and includes only units which sustained casualties. The Confederate Order of Battle is listed separately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmetto Sharpshooters</span> Confederate army unit in the American Civil War

The South Carolina Palmetto Sharpshooters were a Confederate sharpshooter unit in the American Civil War. The regiment served with the Army of Northern Virginia from 1862 to 1865. The unit would fight in most of the major battles in the eastern theater, and experience hard fighting in the western theater with James Longstreet in 1863.

References

  1. "Number 7. Return of Casualties in the Union Forces", Official Reports, The Siege of Petersburg Online
  2. "Number 7. Return of Casualties in the Union Forces". Official Reports Part 1 (Serial Number 87) – Reports. The Siege of Petersburg Online. Retrieved 26 October 2012.

Notes

  1. This estimate of Confederated casualties is obtained by subtracting the officially reported Union casualties (437) from the NPS estimate of total casualties (950).

37°28′59″N77°21′27″W / 37.4830°N 77.3574°W / 37.4830; -77.3574