The Battle of Ware Bottom Church

On the evening of May 16, 1864, the Army of the James completed its retreat from the Second Battle of Drewry's Bluff and returned to its earthworks in Bermuda Hundred, while Confederate forces remained on the battlefield that night because they were too disorganized to pursue effectively. On May 17, the divisions of Ransom, Hoke, Colquitt, and Hill closed on the Army of the James and established a battle line across the Bermuda Hundred peninsula parallel to the Federal earthworks. At the same time, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Potomac and Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia were reeling from the heavy casualties suffered at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, and both needed replacements, making the opposing forces at Bermuda Hundred a logical source. On May 18, Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard was ordered to send Lee the brigades of Terry, Fry, Lewis, and Corse, and on May 19 he also released Gracie's brigade and ordered Brig. Gen. William S. Walker's brigade from Petersburg to take Gracie's place in line. Recognizing that his line was thinning, Beauregard planned an attack to gain the ground needed to secure his left flank on the James River and his right flank on the Appomattox River. On May 20, the Confederates attacked behind a smoke screen created by burning the brush and woods in the area. The 10th Corps units holding the right of the Federal line were pushed back despite several attempts to reclaim their line. In the confusion, Confederate Brig. Gen. Walker was wounded and captured by Federal forces. The 18th Corps initially held its ground but eventually withdrew when Confederate reinforcements forced back the extreme left of its line. By the end of the day, the Federals had withdrawn to a new position. After several days of skirmishing, the Confederates began digging the heavy earthworks later known as the Howlett Line, stretching from the James River to the Appomattox River and effectively preventing the Army of the James from making further threats toward Richmond by the southern approach.

Virginia · United States