Official Records of the Rebellion

No.2. Reports of Brig. Gen. John G. Barnard, U. S. Army, Chief Engineer of operations from May 23, 1861, to August 15, 1862.

[p.121: MOVE INTO BETTER POSITIONS]

On the 3d of July the army commenced moving out to more eligible positions. The brief reconnaissance of the preceding day had shown me that it was necessary to occupy heights on the other side of Herring Creek and to extend our lines. The engineer officers were employed this day in assisting in placing the troops in new positions and in recon [p.122] noitering for a defensive line. A very satisfactory one was found, which is tolerably well delineated on the Campaign Map No. 3. The left stretched for upwards of a mile along the left bank of Kimage’s Creek, which excavated a deep ravine in the table-land through which it flowed, and the lower half of the stream was so deep and marshy as to make an impassable obstacle. In front were cleared fields exposed to the fire of our gunboats, while on our own side were woods, which covered our movements and concealed our positions. From near the head of the creek the line turned at right angles and stretched three- quarters of a mile to the eastward to the mill-dam. From a point half a mile still farther to the eastward, on the mill-pond, the line was resumed, ran easterly through the woods about half a mile, and thence southeasterly a mile and a quarter through the cultivated fields of Westover, and then southerly a half mile to a point on Herring Creek, near Westover Church.

It will be seen that of this line, 4 miles long, that portion on Kimage’s Creek was naturally very strong, and with the aid of the flanking fire of the gunboats might throughout be considered (with proper defensive arrangements) unassailable, and of that portion of the line parallel to James River the mill-pond covered nearly a mile of front, so that it could not be assailed, and that the half mile of line constituting our right flank and the approaches thereto by the Charles City road were flanked by the fire of our gunboats. The points at which attack was most practicable were where the two roads from the northward came in—one on the left of the mill-pond and one on the right.

Between the mill-pond and the road on the left a strong redoubt, consisting of two redans connected by a curtain, was laid out; thence rifle pits extended to the mill-dam on the right, barricades extended to the left toward Kimage’s Creek, and at the salient angle a redoubt for artillery was designed.

On the right, through the open fields, the lineconsisted of rifle pits of strong profile, with two large redoubts or lunettes—one where the road intersected the line and the other at the right salient angle, and both designed to contain a numerous artillery.

Through the woods behind Kimage’s Creek and elsewhere the line consisted of timber barricades covered with earth, with numerous emplacements for artillery, having thick earthen epaulements in front, and everywhere, except through the open fields of Westover, the front of these lines was covered by extensive abatis of felled timber.

The works thus, described were commenced by the troops themselves as soon as they got into position, who in a single night would cover themselves by quite a respectable obstacle in the shape of a barricade. The redoubts required more time, and though not entirely finished for two or three weeks, they were soon in condition to aid powerfully in the defense. The troops of both the Engineer Brigade and Engineer Battalion aided in these works. The general supervision of these works was given by me to Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander, who distributed the immediate supervision between Lieutenants Comstock, McAlester, and Farquhar.

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