Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-08-13
NORTH BANK OF THE JAMES,
At the Point nearest Malvern Hill,
July goth, 1864.

NORTH BANK OF THE JAMES,
At the Point nearest Malvern Hill,
July goth, 1864.
DEAR JOURNAL: dropped you a few lines
from near Petersburg on the 26th, saying
that we 1.-THE I'd corps) were going somewhere
and expressing the opinion that we were GO
ing down on the Weldon railroad to make a
raid on the enemys communications, but in
stead of that we have come this way to frus-
trate movement of theirs on our own crack
err line, and were just in time.
There has been a small force Of rebels in
this vicinity for some time past, enough to
keep two companies of Maine volunteers,
who were in small redoubt on the river
bank, pretty busy holding them in check Ac-
cording to the best information can gather,
General Canby's corps, from New Orleans,
had been here two or three days and were
ordered to Washington, and all except about
5000, belonging to two different brigades,
left on the 22d and 23d. On the oath the
rebel troops, supposed to be part of the
Maryland invaders, began arriving, and con-
tinued to arrive and be placed in position on
the 25th. Prisoners said that they expected
to capture our forces and have a swim in the
river on the 9th, and sure enough on that
morning they had a four gun battery in posi-
ton and their skirmish line had entrenched
itself on the edge of an open field about 90
rods in width extending down to the river
But while they were getting such good
ready, old o. S. was not asleep. This point
was distant from Petersburg, by the crooked
road we must travel, about 20 miles. On
the morning of the Goth our corps commenced
moving with five days rations in haversacks,
and soon after dark its advance was here
crossing the river at this point on two pom
toon bridges. Our division, which moved at
dusk made a rapid march without resting,
crossing the Appomattox at midnight just
above Point of Rocks, and the James at day
light. Such sudden change from SO long
spell of picket and fatigue duty and lying in
the trenches, caused more struggling than
ever saw before, one company of "ours
coming in with l officer, / sergeant and
private another with corporal and pri-
Yates, and from that up to Is men, being the
highest brought in by any one company be-
lieve, and all the old regiments in our brig
ade struggled just as bad, but it did NO HARM
as they nearly all walked or crawled up with
in an hour after we stopped, but we were an
awful sore-footed lot of boys that day.
When we came upon the bank on this side
the rebels were in plain sight across the
field, and as soon as we could take breath,
our Sd brigade q believe) opened the ball by
sending strong skirmish line over their way,
which, after sharp little skirmish, made
them "hike in such hurry that thew for
got all about taking their battery along, which
had been Smelling US pretty lively all the
morning. So our boys brought the four guns,
limbers and caissons and few artillerymen
over to the river. 1t was a curious piece of
piece of work, for they had a good road to
run it off on, and plenty of time to do it, and
to give up their batteries so easily is not a
Characteristic feature of the Johnnies,
Soon after We 1.-THE 36th) formed in line OF
battle and marched across the field and wait
ed few hours, and then marched by flank
three-quarters of a mile through the pine
woods and found another line on its edge,
with the rebels in plain sight entrenched hall
a mile in our front across an open field. We
expected an order to charge, but it did not