June 16, 1864 - Bermuda Hundred Campaign: The Abandonment and Retaking of The Howlett Line
June 16, 1864 The Abandonment and Retaking of The Howlett Line near Chester, Virginia, in Chesterfield County https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=184370 The Bermuda Hundred Campaign The Abandonment and Retaking of The Howlett Line After the Battle of Cold Harbor in June 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made plans to shift the Army of the Potomac to the south side of the James River with the objective of capturing Petersburg. On June 15th, the 18th Corps of the Army of the James crossed the Appomattox River and attacked the lightly defended Dimmock Line, capturing the eastern portion of the line. This spurred a frantic Confederate rush to reinforce Petersburg. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard realized that the Federals were attacking Petersburg in force and made the difficult decision to abandon the Howlett Line and send all available units to Petersburg. By June 16th the Howlett Line was completely abandoned. On June 16th pickets from the Army of the James reported that the Howlett Line was undefended. ...