Harris Farm
Last weekend I visited Spotsylvania Court House, under good weather conditions. Prior to starting a day long hike-and-drive tour of the main battlefield, I took the time to visit the CWPT’s Harris Farm site. Normally I would just direct the reader to other web sites offering more details than can be summarized in a single blog entry. But for Harris Farm, I’ve just not seen many resources on the web. From my library, I’ve only found ten pages from Noah Andre Trudeau’s “Bloody Roads South” and a scant few paragraphs from Bruce Catton’s “Grant Takes Command.”
The Battle of Harris Farm was for all purposes the final act in the great battle of Spotsylvania Court House. After nearly two weeks of fighting (May 8-19, 1864) along the main battle lines near the Brock Road, General Grant pulled the Army of the Potomac out of line for the second of his left flanking movements of the Overland Campaign. This shift broke contact with the Confederate main defensive lines. Sensing a move was underway, on May 19, General Lee sent Ewell’s Corps forward in a reconnaissance in force to feel out the Federal flanks and line of march. Attrition from three weeks of hard fighting and campaigning reduced Ewell’s Effective strength to around 6,000. The Corps crossed the Ni River and turned to front the Fredericksburg Road (modern Virginia Route 208). Fortunately for the Federals, Ewell’s artillery was unable to cross the Ni River.
Moving up from the bottom land, the Confederates came into contact with some regiments of “Heavy Artillery.” These “Heavies” had been pulled from garrison duty in Washington, where they had spent the previous years of the war in mundane but safe assignments. Now these Federal regiments fought as infantry in their first engagement. Brigaded under Brig. Gen. Robert O. Tyler were five regiments – 1st Maine, 1st Massachusetts, and the 2nd, 7th and 8th New York Heavy Artillery Regiments. Having avoided the attrition that comes with field duty, these five regiments were substantially larger than the line infantry regiments at this point in the war. So much that the brigade actually formed the 4th Division of Hancock’s II Corps! (A previous 4th Division was consolidated with the 3rd Division, II Corps on May 13 due to losses suffered since the start of the campaign.) All told the “heavies” contained over 6,000 muskets. In addition to Tyler’s men, the 4th New York Heavy Artillery, assigned to Warren’s V Corps, was posted to guard the supply trains along the Fredericksburg Road.
If the Confederates could push the “heavies” out of the way, the Army of the Potomac’s supply lines back to Fredericksburg were vulerable. Should the long serving, but green troops gave way, Grant’s plans would be disrupted. Perhaps the entire Overland Campaign would be suspended. At around 3:45 P.M. Ewell’s lead elements, Ramseur’s Brigade, came into contact with pickets from the 4th New York Heavy Artillery. Outnumbered, the New Yorkers held but needed support. The 1st Maine and 1st Massachusetts “Heavies” moved to shore up the lines. The battle lines now ran roughly north to south between the Harris, Alsop, and Peyton houses. Soon the remainder of Tyler’s “Division” came on line.
Ramseur’s Brigade was joined by Battle’s (to the right or south of Ramseur), Grimes’, Pegram’s, and Evans’ Brigades (to the left or north of Ramseur). Ramseur must have sensed his advance had stirred a slumbering hornet’s nest of sorts. Having found the Federal flank, he requested permission to drive off the pickets in order to cleanly disengage. However, now the forces on the field were roughly equal and Ramseur found instead of engaging pickets from one regiment, he was against nearly a full division. Although the Federal lines overlapped the Confederates, and in particular Ramseur’s men were dangerously exposed, the green “heavies” used tactics that negated their numbers. Instead of digging in and using terrain to their advantage, the former garrison troops fought as if on a parade field, just as they had drilled for years.
With sunset fast approaching and worn from four hours of fighting, the Confederates finally disengaged and withdrew back to their trenches around the Brock Road. Lee had confirmed Grant was on the move. The “heavies” were blooded. But the Federal supply lines were safe. Confederates recorded around 900 casualties. The Federals lost 1,535 men. The Overland Campaign would continue on.
I’ve collected the Virginia state marker, two interpretive markers, and 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery monument into a collection at HMDB: Harris Farm Virtual Tour by Markers. As the site is now surrounded by upscale development, little of the battlefield is “tourable.”
You have given me some info about my wife’s ancestors that served wtih the NY 4th Heavy artillery. I knew that they served in the Defenses Of Washington, but lost track of where they fought after they left Washington. Do you have any other info about this unit that I may purchase for my wife’s family. I know that two brother’s served with this unit. The oldest was a sergent and the younger brother was a drummer. The info that I have is that they served with The NY 4th Heavy Artillery Co. E. One became a Commander of the 524 GAR in Port Richmond Staten Island. But interested in any other battles that this unit fought at.
Alfred, I am not an expert on the “heavies” but can offer up some leads. The New York State Military Museum has a short history of the regiment. One of the artifacts offered is the list of battles and casualties from New York in the War of the Rebellion.
One of the references cited is Life and adventures of a drummer-boy; or, seven years a soldier, by James D. Lockwood, which may be of interest to your research project.
Also, prior to their participation in the 1864 campaign, the regiment was involved with a little action at Lewinsville, Virginia in 1862. I’ve been gathering some details about several wartime actions that took place around that cross roads. Just got to get my notes in order.
Craig.
The New York State Military Museum site also lists ‘The Diary of a Line Officer, by Captain Augustus C. Brown, Company H, Fourth New York Heavy Artillery. [New York, 1906]. It’s available at Google Books and the Internet Archive.
Growing up, Barbara knew only that her great-grandfather, John H. Woodbury, was killed in the ‘Wilderness” battle.We learned somehow that he died on May 19, 1864; I mentioned this date to a friend and CW author, Robert Poirier. He immediately said – “Harris Farm”. Since then we have found John’s gravestone at the Fredericksburg Cemetery, #289, and a stone’s throw from the Battlefield Info Center. And! – there is a small, beautiful, little park along Hale Street in Beverly, Mass, with a memorial stone and tablet to John W., accurately describing his unit and the circumstances of his death. Woodbury Park is half a mile away from where Barbara grew up; she never knew the story. However, her mother must have, because we found in the family home a newspaper article reporting the memorial dedication in June 1927. Barbara remembers her grandmother Estella, John W.s daughter, who died in 1950. I found John’s records in the National Archives in DC.