ASSOCIATED PRESS ACCOUNTS.
News from the Army to Yesterday Morning—Artillery Firing and Picket Skirmishing—A Shell Explodes Among the Rebel Gunners—General Hancock Recovering—Visit of President Lincoln—Capture of Prisoners.
HEAD-QUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, June 22, 5 A. M.—Artillery firing on the right and picket skirmishing at various points along the line occupied the day, yesterday [June 21, 1864], resulting in the wounding of a few men, but causing no change in our position.
A battery stationed on an elevated piece of ground in front of Petersburg kept annoying one of our batteries on the left for some time, when we opened in return. One of the shells exploded in the midst of the Rebel gunners, causing a cessation of their fire.
General HANCOCK is recovering from his indisposition, and expects to resume command of his corps in a few days.
President LINCOLN paid a visit to General GRANT, at City Point, yesterday [June 21, 1864].
Colonel [John A.] BAKER, of the Third North Carolina [Cavalry] Regiment, and a dozen men, were brought in last evening [June 21, 1864] by the Second Corps pickets. All the prisoners collected since the army arrived in this neighborhood, have been sent to City Point for transfer eastward.
Petersburg Bombarded on Monday by General Birney.
HEAD-QUARTERS SECOND CORPS, NEAR PETERSBURG Va., Monday, June 20.—At eight o’clock this morning [June 20, 1864] General BIRNEY, occupying the nearest position to the city, lying between the City Point and Norfolk Railroad, at a range of about twelve hundred yards, opened his batteries on the place, and for five hours kept up a constant bombardment, which must have rendered Petersburg anything but an agreeable place of residence for a time.
The city is full of lofty shade trees, and the steeples of the churches are the only prominent objects on which to take effective range. The effects of the shelling have not yet been ascertained, aside from the burning of some of the buildings.
This evening [June 20, 1864] General BIRNEY’S Division [3/II/AotP] is to be relieved from its arduous duties at the intrenchments, and a portion of the Sixth Corps, with another from the Ninth, including some of the colored troops, takes its place.
During the five days which this veteran division has been at the front it has suffered severely, while it has accomplished much of actual advantage gained. General BIRNEY still commands the corps, while HANCOCK is fast gaining, and expects to be in the saddle within a few days.1
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Source/Notes:
- “Associated Press Accounts.” The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA), June 24, 1864, p. 1, col. 2 ↩