OR XLVI P1 #59: Report of Lieutenant Colonel James A. Jewell, 59th NY, February 5-7, 1865

No. 59. Report of Lieutenant Colonel James A. Jewell, Fifty-ninth New York Infantry, of operations February 5-7.¹

HDQRS. FIFTY-NINTH REGIMENT NEW YORK VET. VOLS.,
February 12, 1865

CAPTAIN: In obedience to circular of this p.m. I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of the Fifty-ninth New York Veteran Volunteers, during the 5th, 6th, and 7th days of February:

At 6 a.m. of the 5th the regiment was promptly on the parade ground in front of brigade headquarters, in heavy marching order, in obedience to orders received about 2 a.m. of same day. About 7 a.m. marched on the right of the brigade along the Vaughan road in the direction of Hatcher’s Run, and after having deployed the right division of the regiment as skirmishers, marched in line of battle to the edge of the woods in front of the Armstrong house, and at once commenced throwing up breast-works; before these were completed the enemy shelled our position for some time, without inflicting any injury. About dark by order of the brigade commander, moved by the flank through the woods to the top of the hill and to the support of the Seventh Michigan Volunteers, upon the skirmish line; upon reaching this point, at the request of Lieutenant-Colonel Kleckner, of the One hundred and eighty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers, brigade officer of the day, thirty men were sent, under the command of three officers, to occupy the posts just previously deserted by a portion of our troops. Upon approaching the position they were to occupy they were fired upon by the enemy, who had immediately occupied the posts upon their being deserted; our men at once returned the fire, and retired a short distance and established a new line, connecting the broken line of skirmishers with the main body of our troops, and remained in that position until the line was re-established by the division officer of the day. The only casualty in this affair was one man supposed to have been wounded, and afterward captured by the enemy (as nothing whatever could be found of him, though the ground was afterward visited by several of those who were present at the time our men were fired upon). Two prisoners were captured by our men during this affair. A strong line of works was during the night constructed in the position occupied by the regiment, which was afterward established as our front line. All remained quiet until the afternoon of the 6th, when an attack was made upon the left of our supports and vedettes; a portion of this regiment was then thrown our to the support of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteers, and the attack repulsed. The same position was retained, with an occasional feeler from the enemy of our line, during the 7th.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES A. JEWELL,
Lieutenant Colonel Fifty-ninth New York Vet. Vols., Commanding Regiment.

Captain WILL GILDER,
Assistant Adjutant-General, First Brigade.

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