On 5 May 1864, leading elements of Union Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler's Army of the James disembarked from transports at Bermuda Hundred, north of here. The next day the army began severing telegraph lines and nearby portions of the Richmond & Petersburg Railroad, which carried troops, supplies, and food to Richmond from other junctions. Over the next five days, Butler's troops concentrated on destroying sections of the railroad and fought a number of skirmishes with Confederate troops. Confederate forces countered the Federal attacks, protected the railroad, and eventually restored the rail line.