Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 28.djvu/336

 330 Southern Historical Society Papers.

movement of Ransom's division was on no portion of my line ac- complished." And again: " * * * In the meanwhile, the enemy made two charges upon Hagood and Johnson, but were repulsed, and with the assistance of the artillery the pike was cleared of the enemy before the flanking column reached that point."

Some 1,400 prisoners and five pieces of artillery were taken by the Confederates. The total Federal loss is stated by Swinton at 4,000. The Confederates' killed, wounded and missing was about 2,800.

BERMUDA HUNDRED.

During the evening and night of the loth Butler retreated upon Bermuda Hundred. On the lyth Ransom's Division was recalled to Richmond, and Beauregard, with the remainder of his troops, moved in pursuit, Whiting's force joining him upon the march. About 3 P. M. our advance encountered Butler's pickets, in front of his entrenched position. The column was at once deployed, skirmishers thrown forward and engaged. The position at Hew- lett's house was seized after dark ; the two twenty-pound Parrott's cap- tured at Drewry's Bluff were put in position, and manned by infantry from Hagood' s brigade. The James, running southerly from Rich- mond, encounters at Dutch Gap a considerable ridge, which it passes by a detour of perhaps a mile and a half to the west, and returning, after making almost a complete loop, resumes its general course. Hewlett's house was on the western bank of the river, at the bend of the loop, and situated upon a high bluff. Some three hundred yards below it the river narrowed greatly, affording a good place for obstructions under the guns of a battery, and immediately spread out into a wide reach, as it progressed again towards Dutch Gap. In this reach were congregated a number of gunboats and transports, upon which the two Parrotts opened in the morning, driving them beyond range.

This position in the re-arrangement of the defences of Richmond that ensued during the campaign, became its "water gate," a de- scription applied by Beauregard to Drewry's Bluff in the original plans of fortification. It was afterward made very strong, and the desire to get up the river with their gunboats without encountering its guns and obstructions, inspired Butler's famous canal across the ridge at Dutch Gap. The battery was named by General Beaure- gard in honor of Colonel Dantzler, of South Carolina, who was killed a few days afterward in fighting near this point.