Battle of Hatcher's Run

Overview

On February 5, 1865, during the Petersburg Campaign, General David M. Gregg (USA) and his cavalry division were tasked with disrupting a Confederate supply route around Dinwiddie Court House on Boydton Plank Road. 

To support Gregg’s attack, General Gouverneur K. Warren (USA), leading the 5th Corps, crossed Rowanty Creek and positioned his troops on Vaughan Road, close to Dinwiddie Court House. Meanwhile, Major General Andrew A. Humphreys (USA), with two divisions of the 2nd Corps, took a position near Armstrong’s Mill to block the Confederates from cutting off Gregg or Warren from the Union main works.

Later that day, the Confederate divisions of Brigadier General Clement A. Evans and Major General Henry Heth tried to flank Humphreys near the mill but were rebuffed. During the night, the Union forces received reinforcements and prepared to continue the Battle of Hatcher’s Run. 

Early on February 6, Gregg returned to Gravelly Run on Vaughan Road and was attacked by elements of General John Pegram’s Confederate division. Meanwhile, Warren conducted a reconnaissance near Dabney’s Mill and met opposition from Brigadier General Clement A. Evans’ division and elements of Pegram’s division. Pegram was killed during this portion of the battle. Late in the afternoon, Confederate Brigadier Joseph Finnegan arrived with Mahone’s division and routed Warren’s force.

Both armies withdrew and then suffered through a winter storm overnight. The next morning, Warren led an attack on Confederate pickets, pushing them back to Confederate positions around Dabney’s Mill. The Confederates held there, forcing the Federals to fall back.

Although the Union advance was halted, they were able to extend their fortifications to the Vaughan Road crossing of Hatcher’s Run.

Essential Facts

• Also Known As: Battle of Dabney’s Mill, Battle of Rowanty Creek, and Battle of Armstrong’s Mill.
• Date: February 5–7, 1865.
• Location: Dinwiddie County, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia.
• Opponents: United States of America (USA) and Confederate States of America (CSA).
• USA Commanders: Ulysses S. Grant, George G. Meade, Gouverneur K. Warren, David M. Gregg, and Andrew A. Humphreys.
• CSA Commanders: Robert E. Lee, A.P. Hill, John B. Gordon, John Pegram, Henry Heth, Joseph Finnegan, and Clement A. Evans.
• Winner: United States of America.
• Part Of: Petersburg Campaign (1864–1865).
• Era: Civil War (1865).

Key Details

• The Battle of Hatcher’s Run was the first major battle in Virginia in 1865.

History

Grant in Charge

On March 10, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States. Grant brought with him, from his successes in the Western Theater of the war, a reputation for the doggedness that Lincoln was seeking in his generals. Unlike other Union generals, Grant was tenacious.

Grant Focuses on Lee

Upon his arrival in Washington, Grant drafted a plan to have the various Union armies in the field act in concert. He also devised his Overland Campaign to invade east-central Virginia. Unlike previous campaigns in that area, Grant’s plan focused on defeating General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia (CSA) rather than capturing or occupying geographic locations. Grant instructed Major General George G. Meade, who commanded the Army of the Potomac (USA), “Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also.” Grant realized that, with the superior resources he had at his disposal, Lee would lose a war of attrition, as long as Northern troops persistently engaged the Confederates.

Overland Campaign

On May 4, 1864, Grant launched his Overland Campaign when the Army of the Potomac crossed the Rappahannock and Rapidan Rivers, occupying an area locally known as the Wilderness. For the next eight weeks, the two sides engaged in a series of horrific battles that produced unprecedented numbers of casualties. 

• Following a bloody frontal assault at Cold Harbor that cost the Federals roughly 13,000 casualties, Grant abandoned his hope to defeat Lee’s army head-on. 
• Instead, Grant aimed to isolate the Army of Northern Virginia at Richmond and slowly starve it into submission by cutting off its supply lines. 
• The key to the plan was capturing Petersburg, Virginia.

Petersburg Geography and Railroads

Petersburg, Virginia, sits on the south bank of the Appomattox River, approximately 20 miles south of Richmond. 

During the war, the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad served as a vital conduit for supplies to the Confederate capital. Besides the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, two other rail lines converged at Petersburg. 

1. Weldon Railroad — Also known as the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad, it connected Petersburg to the Confederacy’s last connection to overseas markets at Wilmington, North Carolina. 
2. South Side Railroad — Further west, it joined Petersburg to Lynchburg, Virginia, and points westward. 

Grant believed that if he could cut the rail lines, Lee would be forced to abandon Richmond.

Forcing Lee to Defend Two Fronts

Although Grant focused on cutting off supply routes into Petersburg during the summer and fall of 1864, he also launched several assaults north of the James River against Richmond. Grant reckoned that he could weaken the Confederate defenses around Petersburg by forcing Lee to defend two fronts. Most of the action south of Petersburg centered on the Weldon Railroad and on the Boydton Plank Road.

Cutting Off Supplies

After the Battle of Globe Tavern (August 18-21, 1864) and the Second Battle of Ream’s Station (August 25, 1864), the Confederates lost control of stretches of the Weldon Railroad approximately 10 miles south of Petersburg. This forced them to offload supplies traveling up the railroad from the Carolinas and other parts of the Confederacy at Stony Creek Station and then ship the items north in wagons along the Boydton Plank Road.

At the Battle of Peebles Farm (September 30–October 2, 1864), Grant tightened his stranglehold on Petersburg by extending his lines south of the city and also farther to the west. However, he was unable to shut off supplies traveling up the Boydton Plank Road or on the South Side Railroad. 

From October 27–28, Grant made another unsuccessful attempt to capture the two prizes at the Battle of Boydton Plank Road. The Confederate supply routes into Petersburg remained open as the two sides hunkered down in their entrenchments for the winter.

February 5, 1865 — Union Offensive

In early February, Grant was informed that a large Confederate supply route was operating up the Boydton Plank Road to help supply Petersburg. With a break in the winter weather, Grant decided to launch a cavalry raid on this supply route. 

• The cavalry would attack at Dinwiddie Court House on the Boydton Plank Road. 
• Nearly two infantry corps were assigned to support the operation.

On the morning of February 5, three columns of Union forces left their works near Globe Tavern and headed toward the Confederate forces guarding the Boydton Plank Road. 

1. Major General David M. Gregg — He led his cavalry division southwest toward Dinwiddie Court House.
2. Major General Gouverneur K. Warren — His 5th Corps marched west to support Gregg’s cavalry by blocking Vaughn Road.
3. Major General Andrew A. Humphreys — His 2nd Corps moved along the north side of Hatcher’s Run to a position above Armstrong’s Mill near the Confederate lines.

By 10:30 a.m., Humphrey’s and the 2nd Corps had secured two key crossings of Hatcher’s Run and started to dig in east and west of Rocky Branch, north of Armstrong’s Mill.

• The brigades of Colonel William Olmstead and Colonel Mathew Murphy formed a line west of Rocky Branch.
• Brigadier General Robert McAllister’s brigade tried to form a line east of Rocky Branch. 
• The brigades of Brigadier General George West and Brigadier General Regis de Trobriand guarded the Vaughan Road crossing to the south. 

Humphreys decided to call up reinforcements from his other division to boost his forces. Around 3:30 p.m., Brigadier General John Ramsey and his brigade arrived. They were sent to help McAllister form his line east of Rocky Branch.

Confederates Attack

Fully aware of the gathering Union forces, General Robert E. Lee met with his corps commanders, Major General John Gordon and Lieutenant General A.P. Hill, early in the afternoon. 

Together, they arranged an attack on Humphreys’s line, on the north side of Hatcher’s Run, which was approximately 1,000 yards from the Confederate main works. The plan consisted of:

• Brigadier General Clement Evans’s division (from Gordon’s Corps) was ordered to assault the Federals west of Rocky Branch.
• Major General Henry Heth’s division (from Hill’s Corps) was ordered to attack the enemy East of Rocky Branch. 

Confederate forces moved out, and the attacks started around 4:00 p.m.

• The attacks west of Rocky Branch were weak and ineffective. However, the fighting on the east side, particularly on McAllister’s front, was more intense.
• McAllister’s men repelled three Confederate assaults, with support from Union artillery batteries on the west side of Rocky Branch.

After more than an hour of fighting and with night falling, the Confederates withdrew and returned to their works.

Successful Federal Raid

Meanwhile, further to the west, Gregg’s cavalry reached Dinwiddie Court House around noon, virtually unopposed. 

• Gregg quickly learned that Grant’s initial information had been outdated, as the supply route lay largely abandoned.
• He only captured 18 wagons and took 50 prisoners.

With the mission complete, Gregg’s cavalry started riding back to the Union lines.

Federals Gather at Hatcher’s Run

After the fighting ended around Armstrong’s Mill, Meade became concerned that the Confederates would launch another attack on Humpreys’ position the next morning, which was still situated along Hatcher’s Run. With Grant’s permission, Meade concentrated his forces around Humphreys.

• Warren marched east back down Vaughan Road to the Hatcher’s Run crossing. 
• Gregg’s cavalry was ordered from Malone’s Bridge (to the south) to join Warren’s men. 
• In addition, a 6th Corps division and a 9th Corps division were sent as reinforcements.

February 6, 1865 — Attacks and Counterattacks

In the morning of February 6, the battle resumed with light skirmishing along Vaughan Road as Gregg’s cavalry clashed with elements of Rooney Lee’s cavalry (primarily, Brigadier General Richard Beale’s cavalry brigade).

• Confederate Brigadier General John Pegram split his division and accompanied two brigades south to Vaughan Road to join Beale. 
• This left one brigade, under Colonel John Lea, to defend the Confederate right flank. 

Humphreys sent forces out to scout the Confederate positions in front of him and learned they had all returned to their works.

In the early afternoon, Warren launched two attacks: 

1. Gregg’s cavalry division was ordered to charge down Vaughan Road and clear it of Confederates. 
2. The infantry divisions of Major General Samuel Crawford and Major General Romeyn Ayres were ordered to advance upon Dabney’s Mill on the Confederate right flank. 

Along Vaughan Road, Gregg’s cavalry unexpectedly encountered Pegram’s infantry, and the Union forces were routed and forced to fall back. Meade sent Brigadier General Frederick Winthrop’s infantry brigade to support Gregg’s cavalry. 

Around 3:00 p.m., Brigadier General Horatio Sickel’s infantry brigade was sent to join the battle. Sickel’s men routed Pegram’s force and Beale’s dismounted cavalry. Pegram regrouped his infantry and marched north to the fighting at Dabney’s Mill.

Dabney’s Mill

Meanwhile, Crawford and Ayres had advanced on Colonel Lea’s Confederates around Dabney’s Mill. However, the rough, wilderness-like terrain slowed the Union advance, and Lea’s men managed to hold them off until reinforcements from Evans’s division arrived to stabilize the Confederate position. 

Throughout the afternoon, more troops poured into the site around Dabney’s Mill, as the battle ebbed and flowed.

• Pegram and his Confederate brigades arrived around 4:30 p.m.. Union forces attacked almost immediately. Although the Confederates repelled the attack, Pegram was killed.
• Brigadier General Joseph Finegan arrived around 5:00 p.m. with Mahone’s Division. They attacked the Union line, which collapsed, forcing the Federals into an undisciplined retreat.

Nightfall and the new breastworks along Hatcher’s Run provided sanctuary for the panicked Federals.

February 7, 1865 — Federals Regain Lost Ground

Overnight, a winter storm blew in, and the troops in the field suffered through it. By morning, there was little desire to renew the battle.

However, Warren believed he could push the strong Confederate picket line back to the strong Confederate position at Dabney’s Mill. Grant and Meade approved the attack, despite persistent bad weather and the unknown morale of Warren’s troops.

At 10:00 a.m., Warren ordered Crawford’s Division back out onto the previous afternoon’s battlefield. Heavy fighting took place, although sporadically, as the Federals slowly pushed the Confederates back. During this action, Confederate Brigadier General Moxley Sorrel was seriously wounded. 

By 5:00 p.m., Crawford had successfully pushed the Confederate pickets back to their position at Dabney’s Mill. 

Despite orders to the contrary, at 6:00 p.m., Crawford’s men twice charged the strong Confederate position that contained artillery. These attacks inevitably failed, and the Federals finally withdrew to nearby woods before returning to the Union line just after midnight. This ended the Battle of Hatcher’s Run.

Aftermath

Although the initial Union goal of disrupting a Confederate supply route failed because it no longer existed, the outcome of the Battle of Hatcher’s Run is generally considered a Union strategic victory. 

By securing the two crossings of Hatcher’s Run, Grant succeeded in extending his lines three miles further west. This provided a useful springboard for the upcoming spring campaign. The Confederates, meanwhile, had successfully beaten back yet another Union attack around Petersburg.

Statistics

United States of America

• Forces Engaged: 2nd Corps, 5th Corps, Gregg’s cavalry division, and reinforcements from the 6th and 9th Army Corps.
• Number of Soldiers: Roughly 43,317.
• Casualties Listed in Official Records: 1,539 (171 killed, 1,181 wounded, and 187 captured).

Confederate States of America

• Forces Engaged: Two divisions from each of the 2nd Corps (Army of Northern Virginia), and 3rd Corps (Army of Northern Virginia), and elements of W.H.F. “Rooney” Lee’s Cavalry Division.
• Number of Soldiers: Roughly 14,700.
• Estimated Casualties: Around 1,000 (killed, wounded, and captured/missing).