Battle of Weldon Railroad

 

NPS

Prelude

On August 14 Gen. Grant (USA) sent the II and X Corps to threaten Richmond and when he learned how aggressively Gen. Lee (CSA) responded to this action he decided to send the V Corps, under Gen. Warren (USA), to cut off the Weldon Railroad south of Petersburg.

 

Weldon Railroad Aug 18

NPS

August 18, 1864

At dawn, Warren's corps, along with elements of the II and IX Corps, advanced and pushed back Confederate pickets until they reached Globe Tavern by 9:00 am. It was here next to this yellow brick building that the Union started tearing up the railroad in what they felt was to be a quick-hit raid upon the Weldon R.R.

Then Gen. Beauregard (CSA) sent Gen. Heth (CSA) down Halifax Road, which ran parallel to the rail line, to drive the Federals off. Though Heth had initial success his troops were stopped when they met up with fresh Union troops who were in greater strength than previously supposed. Both sides entrenched during the night.

 

Weldon Railroad Aug 19

NPS

August 19, 1864

By the next morning Grant changed the course of the raid. Always looking for a chance to reverse roles, Grant saw an opportunity to have the Confederates attacking Union fortified positions for a change. This notion was helped by how committed Lee was to Richmond's defense and how easily Warren repulsed the Confederates the day before. So the raid was to be a permanent extension of the siege lines.

In the afternoon Heth and Gen. Mahone (CSA), in a well timed attack, hit the Union from the north and the east almost at once. Mahone hit a seam in the Union line, rolled up the flank and took numerous prisoners.

Reinforced, the Union counterattacked and by nightfall had retaken most of the ground lost that afternoon.

 

Weldon Railroad Aug 21

NPS

August 21, 1864

During August 20, as Beauregard spent the entire day organizing another attack, the Union forces dug trenches eastward to connect their fortified position to the main Federal siege lines at Jerusalem Plank Road.

Gen. A.P. Hill (CSA) personally oversaw the Confederate attack on August 21. With the new fortified positions the Union thwarted the Confederate charges.

 

Petersburg lines after the battle.

NPS

Aftermath

With this success, Grant extended his siege lines (and his military railroad) further west, cutting off Petersburg's primary rail connection with an important supply center that was also the Confederacy's last open seaport - Wilmington, North Carolina. Lee was now forced to off-load supplies from rail cars farther south and haul them by wagon thirty miles up Boydton Plank Road to Petersburg.

 

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