Battle of Chaffin's Farm
Part of American Civil War
Map of Battle of Chaffin's Farm
Date September 29–September 30, 1864 Location Chaffin's Farm, Henrico County Result Union victory
Combatants
United States of America	Confederate States of America
Commanders
Benjamin Butler	Robert E. Lee Richard S. Ewell
Strength
Army of the James	II Corps
Casualties
Fort Harrison 3,300 New Market Heights 850	Fort Harrison 1,700 New Market Heights 50

The Battle of Chaffin's Farm, also known as New Market Heights and Fort Harrison, was fought September 29–September 30, 1864, as part of the Siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War. Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Benjamin Butler P.G.T. Beauregard Strength 4,500 2,500 Casualties 250 150 The First Battle of Petersburg was an unsuccessful Union assault against the city of Petersburg, Virginia, June 9, 1864, during the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Ulysses S. Grant George G. Meade Robert E. Lee P.G.T. Beauregard Strength Army of the Potomac: 62,000 Army of Northern Virginia: 42,000 Casualties 8,150 3,236 The Second Battle of Petersburg, also known as the... Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road Conflict American Civil War Date June 21–24,1864 Place Petersburg, Virginia Result Inconclusive (Union extended siege lines) The Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road, also known as the First Battle of the Weldon Railroad, was the first of a series of battles during the... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders Brigadier General James H. Wilson and Brigadier General August V. Kautz General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee and Captain Benjamin Farinholt Strength 5000 938 Casualties at least 42 at least 10[1] The Battle of Staunton River Bridge was an... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders Brigadier General James H. Wilson and Brigadier General August V. Kautz General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee and Major General Wade Hampton Casualties unknown unknown[1][2] The Battle of Sappony Church was an engagement of the American Civil War... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders James H. Wilson, August Kautz [US] William Mahone, Fitzhugh Lee [CS] Strength Third Cavalry Division, Army of the Potomac 2nd, 5th, 6th, 15th VA; 2nd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, FL; 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th AL Infantries; 3rd... The First Battle of Deep Bottom was fought from July 27 to July 29, 1864, at Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Siege of Petersburg of the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Ambrose E. Burnside Robert E. Lee Strength IX Corps elements of the Army of Northern Virginia Casualties 5,300 total 1,032 total The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the Siege... The Second Battle of Deep Bottom was fought from August 14 to August 20, 1864, at Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, during the American Civil War. ... Battle of Globe Tavern Conflict American Civil War Date August 18–21,1864 Place Petersburg, Virginia Result Union victory The Battle of Globe Tavern, also known as the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad, saw the Confederate forces loose control of the vital Weldon Railroad to the Union army... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Winfield S. Hancock Henry Heth Strength II Corps Heths Division, III Corps Casualties 2,750 814 {{{notes}}} The Second Battle of Reams Station was fought in the American Civil War on August 25, 1864, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. ... The Battle of Peebles Farm (or Poplar Springs Church) was the western part of a simultaneous Union offensive against the Confederate works guarding Petersburg, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders David B. Birney, August V. Kautz Robert Hoke, Charles W. Field Strength Corps At least 2 divisions Casualties 458 700[1] The Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads was an engagement between Union and Confederate forces during the... The Battle of Darbytown Road was fought on October 7, 1864 between Union and Confederate forces. ... The Battle of Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road (also known as the Second Battle of Fair Oaks) was fought October 27 and October 28, 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of the American Civil War. ... The Battle of the Boydton Plank Road (or First Hatchers Run) followed the successfull battle of Peebles Farm. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Battle of Fort Steadman Conflict American Civil War Date March 25, 1865 Place Petersburg Result Union victory The Battle of Fort Steadman occurred on March 25th, 1865, during the final days of the American Civil War. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders Ulysses S. Grant Robert E. Lee Strength 67,000 – 125,000 average of 52,000 Casualties 53,386 ~32,000 The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 15, 1864, to March... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

Prelude

The nature of warfare evolved dramatically during the final ten months of the Civil War. Static warfare in the trenches replaced the freewheeling mass movements of earlier campaigns. This began at Cold Harbor in June 1864 and progressed southward to the series of battles around Petersburg. These affairs occasionally erupted into full-scale battles. The Battle of Chaffin's Farm is a particularly illustrative example of a late war engagement. A gas main being laid in a trench. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Ulysses S. Grant George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 108,000 62,000 Casualties 13,000 2,500 The Battle of Cold Harbor, the final battle of Union Lt. ... Nickname: Location in the State of Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States State Virginia County Independent city Founded December 17, 1748 Government  - Mayor Annie M. Mickens Area  - City  23. ...

From the very beginning of the war, Confederate engineers worked feverishly to build permanent defenses around Richmond. By 1864, they had created a system anchored south of the capital on the James River at Chaffin's Farm, a large open bluff named for a local resident. This outer line was supported by an intermediate and inner system of fortifications much closer to the capital. A group of Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was organized in February 1861 to defend the newly formed Confederate States of America from military action by the United States government during the American Civil War. ... Nickname: Motto: Sic dic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars) Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor L. Douglas Wilder (I) Area  - City 62. ... The James River at Cartersville The James River in the U.S. state of Virginia is 660 km (410 miles) long including its Jackson River source and drains a watershed comprising 27,019 km² (10,432 square miles). ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ...

The strength of these lines remained untested until September 1864 when Union General Ulysses S. Grant tried to capture Richmond or Petersburg by attacking simultaneously north and south of the James. The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... Ulysses S. Grant,[2] born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885), was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869–1877). ...

The Battle

The attack north of the river occurred on September 29. Troops under Federal general Benjamin Butler launched attacks on two fronts. The Union X Corps against New Market Heights north of Deep Bottom while the Union XVIII Corps attacked Fort Harrison. is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as its governor. ... X Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... XVIII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Fort Harrison was an important component of the Confederate defenses of Richmond during the American Civil War. ...

New Market Heights

Major General David B. Birney moved the X Corps north from the Deep Bottom bridgehead toward the Confederate works atop New Market Heights manned by Brigadier General John Gregg. A brigade of U.S. Colored Troops attacked the heights but were repulsed. In this attack Christian Fleetwood's actions would later earn him the Medal of Honor. Birney reinforced the assault force and stormed the heights again. Alfred H. Terry's division managed to turn the Confederate left flank thus turning the tide of the battle. At this time word of Union success against Fort Harrison reached Gregg, compelling him to pull Confederate troops back to Forts Gregg, Gilmer and Johnson. David B. Birney David Bell Birney (May 29, 1825 – October 18, 1864) was a businessman, lawyer, and a Union general in the American Civil War. ... {For the inventor of Gregg Shorthand, see John Robert Gregg) (For the Confederate general, see John Gregg (CSA)) John Gregg (1957? - February 1, 2003)(nick named GRUG the THUG by Jim doris day Gray) was a senior member of the UDA/UFF Loyalist organization in Northern Ireland. ... Christian Fleetwood Christian Abraham Fleetwood (born July 21, 1840 - September 28, 1914), was a army officer, editor, a musician, and a government officer. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... Alfred Howe Terry (November 10, 1827 – December 16, 1890) was a Union general in the American Civil War and the military commander of the Dakota Territory from 1866 to 1869 and again from 1872 to 1886. ...

Once Birney's troops had taken New Market Heights, the X Corps turned to the northwest along the New Market Road and moved against a secondary line of works guarding Richmond north of Fort Harrison. Brigadier General Robert S. Foster's X Corps division assaulted a small salient known as Fort Gilmer. David Birney's brother, Brigadier General William Birney, led a brigade of U.S. Colored Troops against Fort Gregg south of Fort Gilmer. These attacks were marked by heroism among the Colored Troops but were ultimately repulsed. Sir Robert Sidney Foster, GCMG, (11 August 1913 – 12 October 2005) was a British colonial administrator, best remembered as the last colonial Governor and first Governor-General of Fiji. ... William Birney (1819-1907) was born near Huntsville, Alabama, and educated at Yale College and in Europe. ...

Fort Harrison

At roughly the same time Birney's first attack moved forward, the Union XVIII Corps under Major General Edward Ord, assaulted Fort Harrison to the west of New Market Heights. Ord's assault was led by Brigadier General George Stannard, a veteran of Gettysburg. Stannard's men rushed across an open field and took cover in a slight depression just in front of the fort and, after a moment's rest, overtook the fort. The Confederate defenders broke to the rear, seeking refuge behind a secondary line. During this attack, Brigadier General Hiram Burnham was killed and the Union troops would rename the captured fort in his honor. Edward Ord Edward Otho Cresap Ord (October 18, 1818 – July 22, 1883) was the designer of Fort Sam Houston, and a U.S. Army officer who saw action in the Seminole War, the Indian Wars, and the Civil War. ... Major General George Stannard George Jerrison Stannard (October 20, 1820 – March 13, 1902) was a Vermont farmer, teacher, and a Union general in the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 93,921[1] 71,699[2] Casualties 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured/missing)[1] 23,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured/missing...

Once inside the fort the Union attackers became disorganized. Stannard was wounded and all three of his brigade commanders were also wounded or killed. A supporting column under Brigadier General Charles Heckman veered far off to the north and was repulsed. Ord personally attempted to rally troops to exploit their success but he too fell with a critical wound. The loss of commanders and Confederate ironclads on the James put an end to the XVIII Corps' drive on Chaffin's Bluff along the James River. Ironclad warships, frequently shortened to just ironclads, were ships sheathed with thick iron plates for protection. ... The James River is the name of at least two rivers in the United States. ...

Robert E. Lee realized the severity the loss of Fort Harrison had and personally brought 10,000 reinforcements under Brigadier General Charles Fields north from Petersburg. On September 30, Lee ordered a counter attack aimed at retaking Fort Harrison, now commanded by Major General Godfrey Weitzel, replacing the wounded Ord. The Confederate attacks were uncoordinated and were easily repulsed them. Godfrey Weitzel (November 1, 1835 – March 19, 1884) was a major general in the Union army during the American Civil War, as well as the acting Mayor of New Orleans during the Federal occupancy of the city. ...

Results

Just as Grant anticipated the fighting around Chaffin's Farm forced Lee to shift his resources and allowed the Union army south of Petersburg to gain success at the battle of Peebles' Farm. After October, the two armies settled into trench warfare that continued until the end of the war. This fighting around Chaffin's Farm cost the nation nearly 5,000 casualties. The Battle of Peebles Farm (or Poplar Springs Church) was the western part of a simultaneous Union offensive against the Confederate works guarding Petersburg, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia. ... Casualties of war. ...

See also

• Christian Fleetwood, awarded the Medal of Honor for the battle.
• James Daniel Gardner, awarded the Medal of Honor for the battle.
• William Stone Hubbell, awarded the Medal of Honor for the battle.

Christian Fleetwood Christian Abraham Fleetwood (born July 21, 1840 - September 28, 1914), was a army officer, editor, a musician, and a government officer. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... James Daniel Gardner or Gardiner (16 September 1839–29 September 1905) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of Americas highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions at the Battle of Chaffins Farm. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... William Stone Hubbell (April 19, 1837 – August 28, 1930) was a U.S. Army captain in the American Civil War, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ...

References

• National Park Service battle description
• Richmond National Battlefield Park, Chaffin's Farm