Today in History:

366 Series I Volume XLVI-III Serial 97 - Appomattox Campaign Part III

Page 366 N. AND SE. VA., W. VA., MD., AND PA. Chapter LVIII.

a division down to Dinwiddie Court-House to report to General Sheridan. This division will go down the Boydton plank road. Send Griffin's division. General Humphreys will hold to Mrs. Butler's.

ALEX. S. WEBB,

Brevet Major-General and Chief of Staff.


HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
March 31, 1865-9.20 p.m. (Received 9.45 p.m.)

Major-General WARREN,

Fifth Corps:

The division to be sent to Sheridan will start at once. You are to be held free to act within the Boydton plank road. General Humphreys will hold to the road and the return.

ALEX. S. WEBB,

Brevet Major-General and Chief of Staff.


HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
March 31, 1865-9.40 p.m. (Received 10.15 p.m.)

Major-General WARREN,

Commanding Fifth Corps:

Since your dispatch of 8.20 p.m. the general commanding finds that it is impossible for Bartlett to join Griffin in time to move with any promptitude down the Boydton plank road. He therefore directs that you send another good brigade to join Griffin in the place of Bartlett for this movement. Sheridan was attacked by four brigades, one from Gordon's corps, three from Pickett's-possibly by two from Gordon's, one of them being Hoke's old brigade.

ALEX. S. WEBB,

Brevet Major-General and Chief of Staff.


HEADQUARTERS FIFTH ARMY CORPS,
March 31, 1865-10 p.m.

Major-General WEBB:

Your dispatch of 9.20 is just received. I had already sent out my orders, of which I send you a copy.* You asked General Griffin to be sent to General Sheridan and at once. It will take so much time to get his command together that I withdraw the other divisions first, they being unengaged, but this will not retard General Griffin. The bridge is broken on the plank road, and will take I hardly know how long to make passable for infantry. I sent an officer to examine it as soon as your first order was received. He now reports it not fordable for infantry. It requires a span of forty feet to complete the bridge, and the stream is too deep to ford. Nevertheless, I will use everything I can get to make it passable by the time General Griffin's division reaches it.

Respectfully,

G. K. WARREN,

Major-General.

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*See General Orders Numbers 23, Fifth Army Corps, 9.35 p.m., March 31, p. 368.

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Page 366 N. AND SE. VA., W. VA., MD., AND PA. Chapter LVIII.