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[Petersburg and other Virginia locales, 1864–65.]. 21 letters. 105 pp. 15 original envelopes. CONDITION: Good, moderate staining and soiling, one leaf cut in half, no losses to the text; envelopes good to fair.

A rich group of twenty-one letters by a Massachusetts private, including an in-depth and vivid account of the Battle of Fort Stedman in 1865 and documenting the celebration when the war ended. 

Born in Charlestown, Mass., Joseph M. Reed (1844–?) was working as a clerk in Charlestown when he enlisted as a private in December of 1863. He was mustered into the 11th Battery Massachusetts Light Artillery in January of 1864 and was mustered out on 16 June 1865 at Camp Meigs in Readville, Mass. After the war, Reed lived in Charlestown and was a member of GAR post #11 (Abraham Lincoln) in Charlestown; member of GAR post #106 (Otis W. Wallace) in Rockport, Mass., and also held the GAR office of post commander #106. 

The 11th Battery Massachusetts Light Artillery (or 11th Massachusetts Battery) was recruited in August of 1862 and was commanded by Capt. Edward J. Jones. During its second term of service, the Battery departed Massachusetts in February of 1864, and upon reaching Washington D.C. was attached to the Second Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Robert B. Potter of the IX Corps, assigned to the Army of the Potomac. The 11th took part in the major battles of Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign and was heavily engaged when the unit was moved to the front lines on 19 June 1864 at the beginning of the Siege of Petersburg. On August 21 and 22, the Battery took part in the Battle of Weldon Railroad, and saw action at various locations on the siege line at Petersburg during the fall and winter. On 25 March 1865, during the Battle of Fort Stedman, as rebel troops overtook the fort and temporarily broke through Union siege lines, the 11th, posted in nearby Fort Friend, played a critical role in pushing back the assault. When the rebels abandoned Petersburg and retreated towards Appomattox Court House, the 11th joined other elements of the Army of the Potomac in pursuit. They were present for the surrender at Appomattox and along with other artillery units took charge of surrendered Confederate cannons.

The Battle of Fort Stedman (AKA the Battle of Hare’s Hill) was fought on 25 March 1865 during the final weeks of the war. By March of 1865, General Grant’s grip on the rebel lines around Petersburg, Virginia was having its intended effect. Outnumbered and plagued by disease, desertion, and shortage of food and supplies, Gen. Robert E. Lee had few options. After studying the Union troops, Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon suggested to Lee the prospect of a successful offensive strike against the Union-held Fort Stedman. In a pre-dawn rebel assault by nearly half of Lee’s army led by Gordon, Grant’s Petersburg defenses were attacked. Constituting the last serious attempt by rebel troops to break the Siege of Petersburg, the assault threatened Grant’s supply depot at City Point. After an initial success—overpowering the garrisons of Fort Stedman and Batteries X, XI, and XII—Gordon’s men were repulsed by Union troops of the IX Corps commanded by John G. Parke. Nearly 2,000 rebels were captured. The loss of the battle was a severe blow to Lee’s army, setting the stage for the rebel defeat at Five Forks on 1 April and the fall of Petersburg between 2 and 3 April.

SOME REPRESENTATIVE PASSAGES

“Before Petersburg, VA”; 31 Jan. 1864 “I must write and tell you that we have had what you may call a luxury for ‘Dinner.’ It was boiled salt fish. Tomorrow we are going to have desiccated vegetables… This evening I went up with two of my tent mates to Meade’s Station to look around. We saw there an engine with a passenger car attached switched off onto the side track and surrounded by a large crowd of soldiers and officers. Upon inquiry we were informed that Peace Commissioners from Richmond [Virginia] were expected then every minute and just about dark they came. One was Vice President Alexander N. Stevens of the Confederate Govt., his negro servant and two other commissioners. He came through the lines under a flag of truce about 8 O’clock. Genl. Parker’s (commander of the 9th Corp.) carriage drawn by splendid gray horses and harnesses to match.” 

“In front of Petersburg, VA”; 25 Mar. 1865 “We have had another battle and a battle it was. Last night at 9 O’clock we took our Battery out of position in the front line and went into Fort Friend about a half mile to the rear. Jeff I heard will know where it is. We relieved Roemers Battery 34th N.Y. and early this morning we were woke up by hearing heavy Cannonading and Musketry in the direction of our new position, Fort Friend. As soon as I was awoke[n], I got up to see what was the matter. Going out of my tent I saw the Capt. and men running to the fort (this fort is on a very high hill), this being before daylight. And about five minutes after leaving my tent the bugler blowed ‘Boots Saddles,’ which means harness and we were harnessed up in very few minutes and ready to move, except striking tents. Just as we got all ready, orders came for all the piece limbers and Caisson to go up to the fort as quick as possible (I drove on one of the limbers). [The two-wheeled limber was an important component of every battery of field artillery. The limber carried an ammunition chest which also provided a seat for the driver.]” 

“We spurred up our horses and got up there before they got out of ammunition for the battery was firing rapidly. It appears that our boys that were on picket were playing cards with the Reb pickets and Rebs going through two or three at a time. And our boys thought they were deserters. Says[?] they O.K. there was so many came in that they turned back on our pickets and took them and then the Rebs began to rush in on the double quick. Our boys running right and left to escape. The Rebs then went up to Fort Stedman on the main line of works, and surprised the garrison, they being in their tents asleep, and the sentinel on post thought they were our men, but didn't have time to arouse the garrison before he was prisoner. The Reb skirmish line then advanced to within 200 yards of our fort, and their sharpshooters advanced to within 20 yards of our fort, and our sentinel heard them coming and supposed they were our men prowling about.” 

“As they kept coming he heard them say, ‘We'll have this fort in a few minutes.’ The sentinel then called the Officer in command and with his glass saw that they were Rebs. He run [sic] at the men and woke them up to man the pieces. As soon as they found that we were stirring they let drive their Minnies at our boys and then we opened up on them with canister (mind you, this was just about light. We could just about see them and that was all) which made them hug the ground. The firing aroused the infantry near the fort. They run out of their tents with their equipments and muskets and run to the fort—some going one side and some the other. The Regiment then deployed their skirmishes and drove the Rebs away from the fort down to their main line of skirmishes and then they charged and drove them back a piece. It was then broad daylight. I will not go through with all the details, but suffice it to say the Rebs were driven back to Fort Stedman before they got drove back.” 

“Our folks sent out a flanking party in their rear as soon as they got well in the rear. They gave a signal and our battle line (which at this time was swelled to an enormous size. Troops had been sent down from the left.) [We] made a desperate charge, driving the Rebs back up onto the hill where Fort Stedman is when they saw our flanking party coming toward them. They turned around, commenced yelling, dropped their muskets and run as fast as they could into our line. Our battle line kept advancing till they got into Fort Steadman. The Rebs tried to turn the guns they took onto us. But our shells came so fast that they couldn't use them. They did not spike the guns. Our Battery fired 500 rounds of ammunition.” 

“The battle lasted until about noon. The number of prisoners taken was 2200—dirty, ragged and bare footed. If the Rebs hadn't stopped to pilfer they would have taken our fort, battery and all. Inside of Fort Stedman and on the ground outside of the fort, the ground was literally covered with the Reb dead and wounded. The Rebs sent in a flag of truce to bury their dead or at least to take away their dead. Our folks carried the dead Rebs into huge piles. In one pile was 80 dead bodys [sic] and in another 50. Our entire loss will exceed 300 killed, wounded, and missing.” 

Burkesville, VA; 12 Apr. 1865 “This news (Lee’s surrender) came last night and is reliable. Parker was ordered to communicate the news to the troops of his command. Such cheering never was heard before. We are in camp near Head Quarters of the camp. The 56th Mass. Regt. is guarding about 300 prisoners within a few steps of our camp and as soon as the news came the bands began to play “When This Cruel War Is Over,” “Red, White and Blue,” “Rally Round the Boys” and other popular tunes. Our boys begun [sic] to cheer and then the Johnnies [i.e., rebels]  began to cheer. I tell you they are sick of the war.”

Alexandria, VA; 29 Apr. 1865 “I am now within sight of Washington [D.C.]. We got here last night. We are in camp near a landing… We expect to be home by May. In our passage we picked up two Johnnies. They were about 5 miles from land. They were in a small skiff. They were supposed to be some of [John S.] Mosby’s Guerillas.” 

A substantive Civil War letter archive including rare 1865 Battle of Fort Stedman content.

REFERENCES: “Battle of Fort Stedman” at American Battlefield Trust online.

Item #7812

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