Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 02.djvu/291

Rh was directed on the night of the 29th to return with all secresysecrecy [sic] and dispatch to take part in the assault, while Sheridan was to pass in rear of the army, and with whole cavalry corps operate towards Petersburg from the south and west.

On the evening of the 29th,

As soon as it was dusk, Burnside was to mass his troops in front of the point to be attacked, and form them in columns of assault, taking care to remove the abatis, so that the troops could debouch rapidly, and to have his pioneers equipped for opening pasagespassages [sic] for the artillery. He was to spring the mine at 3.30 A. M., and, moving rapidly through the breach, seize the crest of Cemetery Hill, a ridge four hundred yards in rear of the Confederate lines. Ord was to mass the Eighteenth corps in rear of the Ninth, immediately follow Burnside and support him on the right.

Warren was to reduce the number of men holding his front to the minimum, concentrate heavily on the right of his corps, and support Burnside on the left. Hancock was to mass the Second corps in rear of the trenches, at that time held by Ord, and be prepared to support the assault as events might dictate.

Engineer officers were detailed to accompany each corps, and the Chief Engineer was directed to park his ponton-train at a convenient point, ready to move at a moment's warning, for Meade, having assured himself that the Confederates had no second line on Cemetery Hill, as he had formerly supposed and as Duane had positively reported, was now sanguine of success, and made these preparations to meet the contingency of the meagre Confederate force retiring beyond the Appomattox and burning the bridges; in which event, he proposed to push immediately across that river and Swift Creek and open up communication with Butler at Bermuda Hundred before Lee could send any reinforcements from his five divisions north of the James.

To cover the assault, the Chief of Artillery was to concentrate a heavy fire on the Confederate batteries commanding the salient and its approaches, and to this end, eighty-one heavy guns and mortars