June 19, 1864
Petersburg, Virginia

Mr. Miles G. Campbell, Ass’t. Editor, Harper’s Weekly: A Journal of Civilization
Harper Bros. Building, Franklin Square, New-York City.

Dear Campbell,

It has been some two weeks since the disastrous events of Cold Harbor, and we now find ourselves staring over our new trenches and breastworks at the Rebel defenses of Petersburg. I have a few moments to write to you after a week of hard marching, in this “eye of the storm,” as it were, whilst the armies dig in for a protracted siege. Waud is well, as are all the Harper’s and Tribune men. A few correspondents have returned to the Federal city, and some remained with Gen. Warren’s Corps in Cold Harbor to cover our advance South. Cadwallader has apparently arranged a telegraph service free from Mr. Stanton’s discriminating eye, which is conveying the Herald dispatches directly to New-York. He has hinted that those of us representing the other New-York papers may make use of the service, provided that we submit our material in the form of personal letters such as this, and not official dispatches.

After several days of burying the dead at Cold Harbor, we began to move south toward the James River on the 11th inst.; the engineers managed to construct a complete pontoon bridge over the James on that day in a record eight hours. On the 12th the crossing of the entire Army began, which was fully accomplished by the evening of the 15th. This move was apparently a surprise to Gen. Lee and his army, who expected us to press on directly toward Richmond, and he immediately rushed to intercept our arrival in Petersburg. Gen. Smith’s attack on the Petersburg defenders under Gen. Beauregard was delayed and stymied by the usual incompetence and lack of proper coordination, so here we sit, a test of nerves and will, digging in like so many moles, in what is becoming a reprise of Gen. Grant’s Vicksburg campaign of last year. Let us hope that the siege here lasts no longer than it did there.

There has been intermittent fighting, but with little result. Gen. Barlow attacked the Rebel trenches the other day and was repulsed. The artillery are now saying hello to the residents of the city, decorating their defiant spires and towers with Yankee shot and shell. This daily fireworks display provides some diversion to the tedium of trenching and fortifying, but the men’s morale remains low after weeks of inconclusive fighting, little sleep, and constant flanking maneuvers.

General Grant has established his headquarters at City Point on the James, which is slowly becoming a veritable martial metropolis, as supplies arrive daily by steamer and the contraband crews construct storage buildings and wharves. I remain with what is left of Barlow’s Division, but the brave Irish Brigade was played out at Cold Harbor, and even Gen. Hancock himself seems to have lost his famed lust for fighting. There is talk that he may even ask Gen. Meade to hand over command of his Corps to Gen. Barlow, who has certainly proven his mettle in combat and is beloved by the men, though it is but a shadow of a Corps he may inherit.

The soldiery amuse themselves in their off-duty hours (which are few and far between, given the nature of the contest here) with such diversions as rat fighting (placing two unfortunate rodent captives in a carved off barrel and throwing a piece of meat between them), boxing, base, and hoisting their caps on bayonets to catch the Minie balls of the Rebel sharpshooters. A captain of one of the colored companies was killed yesterday by one such bullet whilst shaving, and wore the exact same expression on his face in death as he had worn a moment before, as he looked in his hand mirror and held his razor to his right cheek. Certainly this is not the kind of War the men signed up to fight, and we can only hope that the Confederate lines may be broken soon and open the path to finish this business once and for all.

Tomorrow I will visit the depot at City Point to see what I can make of the telegraph and supply opportunities. I am in no need of horse at the moment, but may be able to secure some contraband Virginia tobacco. If so, I will think of you in your fine office as I rest my muddy boots on our new and improved log palisades. I hope to have more to report by week’s end, and continue to work on my final sketch of the June 3rd assault at Cold Harbor. Unpleasant memories of that terrible day have managed to delay its completion, and for this I offer my humble apologies. Circulation of our paper remains good among the soldiers, although the Herald still commands the greatest number of subscribers here, as at home. My best to the lads in engraving. Thank them for me for their diligent and faithful reproductions of my scribbled marks.

On a happier note, a telegraph just arrived with the news that the Rebel pirate Semmes’s notorious vessel, C.S.S. Alabama, was just sunk off the coast of Cherbourg, France by the U.S.S. Kearsarge. Semmes himself escaped in a British schooner - wily to the end.

Dispatch Index