If General Hancock’s orders of the 15th had been communicated to him, that officer, with his usual promptness, would undoubtedly have been upon the ground around Petersburg as early as four o’clock in the afternoon of the 15th.  The days were long and it would have given him considerable time before night.  I do not think there is any doubt that Petersburg itself could have been carried without much loss; or, at least, if protected by inner detached works, that a line could have been established very much in rear of the one then occupied by the enemy.  This would have given us control of both the Weldon and South Side railroads.  This would also have saved an immense amount of hard fighting which had to be done from the 15th to the 18th, and would have given us greatly the advantage in the long siege which ensued.

I now ordered the troops to be put under cover and allowed some of the rest which they had so long needed.  They remained quiet, except that there was more or less firing every day, until the 22d, when General Meade ordered an advance towards the Weldon Railroad.  We were very anxious to get to that road, and even round to the South Side Railroad if possible.

Meade moved Hancock’s corps, now commanded by Birney, to the left, with a view to at least force the enemy to stay within the limits of his own line.  General Wright, with the 6th corps, was ordered by a road farther south, to march directly for the Weldon road.  The enemy passed in between these two corps and attacked vigorously, and with very serious results to the National troops, who were then withdrawn from their advanced position.

The Army of the Potomac was given the investment of Petersburg, while the Army of the James held Bermuda Hundred and all the ground we possessed north of the James River.  The 9th corps, Burnside’s, was placed upon the right at Petersburg; the 5th, Warren’s, next; the 2d, Birney’s, next; then the 6th, Wright’s, broken off to the left and south.  Thus began the siege of Petersburg.

CHAPTER LVII.

RAID ON THE VIRGINIA CENTRAL RAILROAD—­RAID ON THE WELDON RAILROAD
—­EARLY ’S MOVEMENT UPON WASHINGTON—­MINING THE WORKS BEFORE PETERSBURG
—­EXPLOSION OF THE MINE BEFORE PETERSBURG—­CAMPAIGN IN THE SHENANDOAH
VALLEY—­CAPTURE OF THE WELDON RAILROAD.

On the 7th of June, while at Cold Harbor, I had as already indicated sent Sheridan with two divisions of cavalry to destroy as much as he could of the Virginia Central Railroad.  General Hunter had been operating up the Shenandoah Valley with some success, having fought a battle near Staunton where he captured a great many prisoners, besides killing and wounding a good many men.  After the battle he formed a junction at Staunton with Averell and Crook, who had come up from the Kanawha, or Gauley River.  It was supposed, therefore, that General Hunter would be about Charlottesville, Virginia, by the time Sheridan could get there, doing on the way the damage that he was sent to do.