Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 37.djvu/183

Rh to the Jerusalem Plank Road; by Wright from the Plank Road as far as his command extended; by Ord, with the Army of the James, between him and Humphreys, and by Humphreys, upon the intrenchments about Burgess' Mill, whilst Sheridan, with the cavalry and the Fifth Corps, was to sweep around and clear out everything to the Appomattox River.

Longstreet, not having found out that "the Army of the James" had been withdrawn from his front, though it had been withdrawn on the evening of March 27th, the seventh day before, remained on the Richmond and Bermuda lines, under the impression that he was confronting that army, so that the protection of the whole line from the Appomattox to Burgess' Mill, from twelve to fifteen miles in length, when assaulted by the concentrated strength of Grant's army, devolved upon Gordon's and A. P. Hill's Corps, the greater part of which had, therefore, to be entrusted to the artillery, unsupported.

Before it was light on the morning of the 2d of April, Parke broke through the line near the Appomattox, but was soon driven back at that point. Later he broke through the line near the Plank Road, and after a severe engagement, lasting throughout the day, in which every available man of Gordon's and A. P. Hill's command were used to re-establish the line, Parke, reinforced by the reserves from City Point and troops from Wright and Ord, succeeded in holding on to a small part of the works captured in the morning. In this engagement the brilliant corps commander, General A. P. Hill, was killed, who, during the campaign of '64, commanded the right wing of Lee's army and was so successful in defeating all of Grant's efforts. Wright was resisted by but few troops in his assaults upon the rest of the line, and soon swept the line until he connected with Ord, who, likewise meeting with but little resistance, had 'passed through the lines, faced his army towards Petersburg, and was advancing towards the inner line of redoubts immediately surrounding the city. Humphreys, as soon as he could get his corps together (Miles' division having been ordered by Sheridan to him), captured all the works around Burgess' Mill, as the