"Rebel Forces on North Side of James"
(Provost Marshal, HQ Dept. of Virginia and N.C. (Oct. 5, 1864))
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| Butler Papers, Library of Congress |
Throughout much of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, General Butler and his staff in the Army of the James tirelessly tracked the identity, strength, and organization of enemy units in their front, east of Richmond. From deserter reports and other sources, they maintained an “Organization Book” listing Confederate units and their commanders. In late September 1864, a correspondent from Fraser's Magazine of Town and Country visited Butler's headquarters and prepared an extensive account of the general, including his system for gathering enemy intelligence.
"[Butler's] provost-marshal has written down from time to time in shorthand the answers of every prisoner. From these an abstract has been made in the form of a table, which contains the regiments arranged in their brigades, divisions, and corps; the commanders of each; and notes as to the effective strength of each; which is arrived at by cross-questioning successively the members of each regiment represented in a batch of prisoners, who meanwhile are not allowed to communicate with each other."
In Butler's command, Lieutenant John I. Davenport, the Assistant Provost-Marshal, prepared much of the correspondence related to Confederate dispositions north of the James River. However, Butler's staffers were not the only ones keeping track of Robert E. Lee's forces. Outside Petersburg to the south, John C. Babcock, a civilian serving in the Bureau of Information in the Army of the Potomac, routinely prepared reports filled with intelligence gleaned from deserters, prisoners, and refugees.
The October 5, 1864 report (above) compares well to relevant excerpts from official Confederate reports (below) prepared later that month. Indeed, Charles Field and Robert Hoke's infantry divisions comprised the bulk of Confederate strength east of Richmond in early October. Field's men would spearhead the attack at Johnson's Farm along the Darbytown Road on the morning of October 7 while Hoke's division remained in reserve. In addition, the report notes the presence of local defense forces, militia units cobbled from Richmond's factory workers and government clerks. However, despite the report's general accuracy, there are some gaps. A notable omission is the absence of Martin Gary's cavalry brigade, which led the October 7 attack. The report also asserts that George T. Anderson's brigade was "not here." But Anderson's Georgians were in fact present with Field's division in the October 7 fighting.
Confederate Order of Battle Outside Richmond - October 1864
(from official Confederate reports (Oct. 31, 1864) (O.R. 42(3))
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| O.R. Series 1, 42(3):1188 Image from Cornell Univ. Making of America Collection |
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| O.R. Series 1, 42(3):1197 Image from Cornell Univ. Making of America Collection |