Army of the James
Oxford Dictionary of the US Military:
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Army of the James
A force of 33, 000 men led by Maj. Gen. Judah Benjamin at Bermuda Hundred, May 6-7, 1864, in conjunction with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Wilderness to Petersburg Campaign. The Union forces succeeded in driving Confederate brigades from the depot and cut the Richmond-Petersburg Railroad at Port Walthall Junction, Virginia.
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
Gale Encyclopedia of US History:
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Army of the James
Army of the James, in existence from April to December 1864, consisted of the Tenth and the Eighteenth Corps, commanded by Union general B. F. Butler. It constituted the left wing of General Ulysses S. Grant's army. Butler received instructions to occupy City Point, threaten Richmond, and await Grant's arrival in the James River region of Virginia, but Confederate troops checked his army at Drewry's Bluff and bottled it up at Bermuda Hundred. Most of his command later transferred to the Army of the Potomac and served, usually under General E. O. C. Ord, until the Confederate surrender at Appomattox.
Bibliography
McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Volume 6, Oxford History of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
—Thomas Robson Hay/C. W.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Army of the James
| Army of the James | |
|---|---|
| Active | |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Engagements | American Civil War |
The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia.
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Contents
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History
The Union Departments of Virginia and North Carolina merged in 1863. Troops from these departments formed the XVIII Corps. In April 1864 the X Corps was transferred from the Department of the South and the two corps formed the Army of the James. Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler was placed in command.
During Lt. Gen. Ulysses Grant's Overland Campaign in 1864, Butler made several unsuccessful attempts at Petersburg and Richmond. At the Battle of Cold Harbor the XVIII Corps was sent to act under the Army of the Potomac. The XVIII Corps also participated in the Siege of Petersburg. During the siege the Army of the James was mainly involved in the investment of Richmond.
Butler's only major success as commander of the army was in September 1864 at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm, in which the army took a significant portion of the Confederate works guarding Richmond, including Fort Harrison. In December the army was reorganized and the XVIII and X Corps were for the time discontinued. All the black troops in the army were formed into the XXV Corps and the white troops into the XXIV Corps and the Departments of Virginia and North Carolina were separated. Units from the former XVIII Corp and X Corps were formed into the "Fort Fisher Expeditionary Corps" and sailed to Fort Fisher. Butler used his position as department commander to assume personal command of the expedition, but after his failure at the First Battle of Fort Fisher, Grant took the opportunity to relieve Butler of command. Maj. Gen. Edward Ord was placed in command of the Army of the James.
Under Ord's leadership the Army of the James was to achieve its greatest success. The XXIV Corps participated in the final assaults on Petersburg, while the XXV Corps was the first unit to enter the fallen city of Richmond. Ord and the XXIV Corps followed the Confederates to Appomattox Court House where they cut off Robert E. Lee's escape route. The Army of the James was then present at the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.
Command history
- Major General Benjamin F. Butler (April 28, 1864 – January 8, 1865)
- Major General Edward Ord (January 8, 1865 – August 1, 1865)
Major battles and campaigns
- Bermuda Hundred Campaign (Butler)
- Battle of Cold Harbor (Butler) (only the XVIII Corps was involved from the Army of the James)
- Siege of Petersburg (Butler)
- Siege of Richmond (Butler)
- Battle of Chaffin's Farm (Butler)
- Fall of Petersburg (Ord)
- Fall of Richmond (Ord) (Only the XXV Corps was involved from the Army of the James)
- Appomattox Campaign (Ord)
References
- Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. Civil War High Commands. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Department of Virginia and North Carolina, Army of the James
External links
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Oxford Dictionary of the US Military
The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Gale Encyclopedia of US History
Encyclopedia of American History Copyright © 2006 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Mentioned in
Bermuda Hundred
(city, Virginia)
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(2006 Album by Mantovani)
Drewry's Bluff
(geographical area, Virginia)
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