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use in April 1865 that caused the fall of the city, taking advantage of the weakly defended lines vacated by the heavy force that Lee had sent to Reams
Station. Meade, however, cautiously assumed a defensive stance and rushed reinforcements to his flank, thinning his own lines. The only point that Meade did not reinforce was the sector commanded by his trusty subordinate Hancock, assuming that Hancock would hold the line with his existing resources.
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a vital piece of the
Petersburg Railroad and from this point on they would be able to transport supplies by rail only as far north as Stony Creek Depot, 16 miles (26 km) south of Petersburg. From that point, supplies had to be unloaded and wagon trains would have to travel through Dinwiddie Court House and then on the Boydton Plank Road to get the supplies into Petersburg. The
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casualties, 814 Confederate. Salmon, p. 428, cites 2,700 Union casualties, about 2,000 of which were captured, and "about 800" Confederate. Eicher, p. 725, cites Union casualties of 2,372 (with "many" prisoners), Confederate 720. Horn, p. 151, cites "more than 2,700" Union, 720 Confederate. Davis, p. 109, cites 2,400 Union casualties, 2,150 of which were prisoners.
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regiments panicked and bolted for the rear, opening a gap. Miles ordered his reserve brigade under Col. Horace Rugg to close the gap, but to his astonishment, Rugg's men fell prone and refused to open fire. Heth personally led the charge through the earthworks, tussling with Sgt. Thomas Minton of the 26th North
Carolina about who would carry the colors forward.
549:. This Union victory 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. However, this was not yet a critical problem for the Confederates. A member of Lee's staff wrote, "Whilst we are inconvenienced, no material harm is done us."
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Union casualties were 2,747 (the II Corps lost 117 killed, 439 wounded, 2,046 missing/captured; the cavalry lost 145); Confederate casualties were 814 (Hampton's cavalry lost 16 killed, 75 wounded, 3 missing; Hill's infantry 720 total). Although the
Confederates had won a clear victory, they had lost
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and in temporary overall command while Grant was ill, became concerned that Lee was attempting to turn the left flank of the Union army. Historian John Horn wrote that if Grant had been on the scene, he might have very well ordered an attack on
Petersburg at this point, similar to the tactic he would
671:
After the
Confederate cavalry pushed back Gregg's cavalry, Hill's column advanced down the Dinwiddie Stage Road. Wilcox's three infantry brigades assaulted the Union position at about 2 p.m. on August 25. Despite launching two attacks, Wilcox was driven back by Miles's division, which was manning the
565:. He chose Hancock's corps because Warren was busy extending the fortifications at Globe Tavern, although his selection was of troops exhausted from their efforts north of the James and their forced march south without rest; Hancock himself continued to suffer lingering effects from his wounds at the
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Hancock desperately galloped from one threatened point to the next, attempting to rally his men. At one point his horse dropped from under him and, assuming that it had been killed, Hancock proceeded on foot. The horse later jumped to its feet, having been temporarily paralyzed by a glancing blow to
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were to fall, the
Confederates would be forced to evacuate both Petersburg and Richmond because it represented a key point on the army's potential retreat route. He also saw an opportunity—that he could impose a stinging defeat on the Union Army not long before the presidential election in November.
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By this time, Hampton's cavalry was making progress against Gibbon's infantry to the south, launching a surprise dismounted attack that caused many of Gibbon's men to flee or surrender. This allowed
Hampton to flank Miles. Hancock ordered a counterattack, which provided time to allow for an orderly
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These frequent affairs are gradually thinning both armies, and if we can only manage to make the enemy lose more than we do, we will win in the long run, but unfortunately, the offensive being forced on us, causes us to seek battle on the enemy's terms, and our losses are accordingly the greatest,
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the spine, and
Hancock remounted. He shouted, "We can beat them yet. Don't leave me, for God's sake!" As he witnessed the men of his once proud corps reluctant to retake their positions from the enemy, he remarked to a colonel, "I do not care to die, but I pray God I may never leave this field."
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Hancock arrived personally at Reams
Station on August 24 and by that evening the Union troops had destroyed track for 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the station. On the morning of August 25 they left their earthworks to start working on the remaining 5 miles (8.0 km) of track, but Hancock
831:
Trudeau, p. 189 cites for the Union, 117 killed, 439 wounded, 2,046 missing/captured for II Corps and 145 casualties total for the cavalry, and for the Confederates, 16 killed, 75 wounded, 3 missing in Hampton's cavalry and 720 casualties in Hill's infantry. Kennedy, p. 362, cites 2,742 Union
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softened up the Union position. The final attack began around 5:30 p.m. by six brigades against Miles's position and it broke through the northwest corner of the Union fortifications; although the Union defensive fire was fierce enough to keep the Confederates at bay, suddenly two Union
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to challenge Hancock and the Confederates were able to rout the Union troops from their fortifications at Reams Station. However, they lost a key portion of the railroad, causing further logistical difficulties for the remainder of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign.
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General Grant wanted the Petersburg Railroad closed permanently, destroying 14 miles (23 km) of track from Warren's position near Globe Tavern as far south as Rowanty Creek (about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the town of
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in June. The earthworks were constructed in a partial ellipse with an opening facing to the east, and although they had degraded and were partially filled with water, Hancock's men made little effort to improve them.
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Located at the currently unincorporated community of Reams, Virginia, 7 miles (11 km) south of Petersburg, this railroad station is referred to variously as Reams, Ream's, and Reams's Station.
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Horn, p. 141; Trudeau, pp. 178–79, 182; Kennedy, p. 360; Salmon, p. 427; Davis, pp. 105–07, describes the earthworks as three sides of a square, each side roughly 1,000 yards (910 m) long.
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Grant and Meade were generally satisfied with the results of their operations against the Petersburg Railroad, despite the tactical setback suffered by Hancock. Meade wrote,
587:, who was on leave) destroyed the railroad tracks to within 2 miles (3.2 km) of Reams Station. Early on August 23, Hancock's other division, commanded by Brig. Gen.
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628:'s division, about 8–10,000 men in all. Hill, who was suffering from one of his periodic bouts of illness, assigned Heth to tactical command, telling him he "
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continued. The next major combat would be seen in late September as two Union attacks proceeded in parallel: at New Market Heights, north of the James (the
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northern part of the earthworks. To the south, Gibbon's division was blocking the advance of Hampton's cavalry, which had swept around the Union line.
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Gregg's division departed on August 22 and, after driving off Confederate pickets, they and the II Corps infantry division commanded by Brig. Gen.
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Robert E. Lee considered that the Union troops at Reams Station represented not only a threat to his supply line, but also to the county seat of
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and its partners have acquired and preserved 293 acres (1.19 km) of the battlegrounds at Ream's Station through late November 2021.
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The agony of that day never died from that proud soldier , who, for the first time, saw his lines broken and his guns taken.
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destroyed miles of track and withstood strong attacks from Confederate troops under Gen.
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continued to look for ways to sever the railroad links supplying the city of
1013:"Cutting the Supply Lines: The Battles of Weldon Railroad and Reams Station"
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Contemporary engraving showing the final repulse of the Confederate assault
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recalled them when he heard that Confederate cavalry was approaching.
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in 1863. Grant augmented Hancock's corps with the cavalry division of
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Trudeau, pp. 179, 181–86; Salmon, p. 428; Davis, p. x; Horn, p. 141.
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Trudeau, pp. 176–77; Horn, p. 141; Salmon, p. 426; Davis, p. 104.
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Kennedy, p. 360: 7,000 II Corps, 2,000 Gregg's cavalry division.
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was the only railroad left to supply Petersburg and Lee's army.
1142:: Battle maps, photos, history articles, and battlefield news (
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The Last Citadel: Petersburg, Virginia, June 1864 – April 1865
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which led to the Confederacy's only remaining major port,
1202:
Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
1108:. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1991.
1044:
The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War
1091:The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide
999:"Saved Land" webpage. Accessed November 29, 2021.
675:While these two attacks were going on, Maj. Gen.
1207:Confederate victories of the American Civil War
1061:. Conshohocken, PA: Combined Publishing, 1999.
1059:The Petersburg Campaign: June 1864 – April 1865
958:Trudeau, p. 190; Calkins, np.; Kennedy, p. 362.
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451:As the siege of Petersburg began to take hold,
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1078:. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998.
377:National Park Service marker at Fort Wadsworth
1212:Battles of the American Civil War in Virginia
473:. One of these critical supply lines was the
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1093:. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001.
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700:Union withdrawal to Petersburg after dark.
1217:Dinwiddie County in the American Civil War
1027:Death in the Trenches: Grant at Petersburg
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1029:. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1986.
1120:National Park Service battle description
1046:. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
469:'s army, and the Confederate capital of
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1025:, and the Editors of Time-Life Books.
913:Horn, pp. 142–44; Trudeau, pp. 185–86.
1150:Battle of Reams Station: Virtual Tour
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895:Salmon, p. 428; Trudeau, pp. 181–82.
841:Trudeau, pp. 160–64; Salmon, p. 424.
420:, which was a vital supply line for
753:, against the South Side Railroad.
624:'s division, and part of Maj. Gen.
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741:The siege of Petersburg and its
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1075:The Civil War Battlefield Guide
931:Davis, p. 108; Trudeau, p. 188.
620:'s division, part of Maj. Gen.
383:Second Battle of Ream's Station
24:Second Battle of Ream's Station
791:First Battle of Ream's Station
491:Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road
483:Wilmington and Weldon Railroad
327:Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road
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534:with reinforcements from the
416:began destroying part of the
1017:Civil War Preservation Trust
563:Second Battle of Deep Bottom
361:Richmond–Petersburg campaign
1132:Battle of Reams Station in
662:Confederate order of battle
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997:American Battlefield Trust
763:American Battlefield Trust
719:, Hancock's chief of staff
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526:(August 18–21), Maj. Gen.
487:Wilmington, North Carolina
403:Dinwiddie County, Virginia
72:Dinwiddie County, Virginia
1072:Kennedy, Frances H., ed.
783:American Civil War portal
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751:Battle of Peebles' Farm
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401:on August 25, 1864, in
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524:Battle of Globe Tavern
479:Weldon, North Carolina
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130:Commanders and leaders
1134:Encyclopedia Virginia
1104:Trudeau, Noah Andre.
660:Further information:
651:Union order of battle
649:Further information:
632:carry the position."
608:Lee ordered Lt. Gen.
605:Dinwiddie Court House
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255:Staunton River Bridge
164:Casualties and losses
749:), and south at the
567:Battle of Gettysburg
528:Gouverneur K. Warren
493:(June 21–23, 1864),
463:Petersburg, Virginia
433:Petersburg, Virginia
245:Jerusalem Plank Road
1197:Petersburg Campaign
1173:37.0959°N 77.4226°W
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985:Salmon, pp. 429–36.
727:South Side Railroad
681:Army of the Potomac
679:, commander of the
498:Winfield S. Hancock
475:Petersburg Railroad
465:, Confederate Gen.
418:Petersburg Railroad
414:Winfield S. Hancock
395:siege of Petersburg
221:Siege of Petersburg
136:Winfield S. Hancock
1232:August 1864 events
399:American Civil War
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291:2nd Ream's Station
265:1st Ream's Station
31:American Civil War
1222:Conflicts in 1864
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1067:978-1-58097-024-2
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740:
735:
731:
723:
713:
709:
698:
694:
686:
674:
670:
634:
629:
614:Wade Hampton
598:
578:
551:
521:
450:
409:force under
390:
386:
382:
380:
360:
347:Fort Stedman
312:Vaughan Road
290:
285:Globe Tavern
180:
169:
159:8,000–10,000
94:Belligerents
29:Part of the
1176: /
656:Confederate
589:John Gibbon
559:James River
555:Stony Creek
506:Third Corps
429:Confederate
175:Wounded 529
173:(Killed 140
1191:Categories
1164:77°25′21″W
1161:37°05′45″N
1006:References
622:Henry Heth
571:Brig. Gen.
447:Background
440:A. P. Hill
145:Henry Heth
141:A. P. Hill
59:1864-08-25
704:Aftermath
610:A.P. Hill
547:A.P. Hill
495:Maj. Gen.
489:. In the
411:Maj. Gen.
84:aftermath
769:See also
544:Lt. Gen.
536:IX Corps
502:II Corps
471:Richmond
456:Lt. Gen.
437:Lt. Gen.
431:army in
151:Strength
67:Location
561:at the
532:V Corps
522:In the
397:in the
391:Reams's
57: (
1112:
1097:
1082:
1065:
1050:
1033:
667:Battle
385:(also
275:Crater
79:Result
797:Notes
715:Col.
645:Union
603:; if
453:Union
407:Union
387:Reams
170:2,747
156:9,000
111:Union
1144:CWPT
1110:ISBN
1095:ISBN
1080:ISBN
1063:ISBN
1048:ISBN
1031:ISBN
761:The
630:must
542:and
510:Gen.
422:Gen.
405:. A
381:The
82:See
52:Date
530:'s
515:'s
508:of
500:'s
427:'s
389:or
181:814
1193::
822:^
576:.
519:.
1146:)
1116:.
1101:.
1086:.
1069:.
1054:.
1037:.
1019:)
1015:(
211:e
204:t
197:v
113:)
109:(
61:)
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