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Full Description
On June 14, 1863, US Major General John Adams Dix received the following directive from General-in-Chief Henry Halleck: "All your available force should be concentrated to threaten Richmond, by seizing and destroying their railroad bridges over the South and North Anna Rivers, and do them all the damage possible." With General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia marching toward Gettysburg and only a limited Confederate force guarding Richmond, Halleck sensed a rare opportunity for the Union cause.In response, Dix, who had lived a life of considerable public service but possessed limited military experience, gathered his men and began a slow advance. During the ensuing operation, 20,000 US troops would threaten the Confederate capital and seek to cut the railroads supplying Lee's army in Pennsylvania. To some, Dix's campaign presented a tremendous chance for US forces to strike hard at Richmond while Lee was off in Pennsylvania. To others, it was an unnecessary lark that tied up units deployed more effectively in protecting Washington and confronting Lee's men on Northern soil.
In this study, Newsome offers an in-depth look into this little-known Federal advance against Richmond during the Gettysburg Campaign. The first full-length examination of Dix's venture, this volume not only delves into the military operations at the time, but also addresses concurrent issues related to diplomacy, US war policy, and the involvement of enslaved people in the Federal offensive.
Gettysburg's Southern Front also points to the often-unrecognized value in examining events of the US Civil War beyond the larger famous battles and campaigns. At the time, political and military leaders on both sides carefully weighed Dix's efforts at Richmond and understood that the offensive had the potential to generate dramatic results. In fact, this piece of the Gettysburg Campaign may rank as one of the Union war effort's more compelling lost opportunities in the East, one that could have changed the course of the conflict.
Contents
List of Maps
Introduction
Part One: An Opportunity in Virginia
1. Lee Heads North
2. John Dix and the Department of Virginia
3. The Union Raid on Aylett's Foundry
4. Halleck's Plans to Counter Lee's Invasion
5. Richmond's Defenders
Part Two: Spear's Strike against the Virginia Central
6. Dix Begins His Peninsula Campaign
7. Spear's Raid to the South Anna
8. Rooney Lee's Capture
9. Rebel Diplomacy
10. Richmond Prepares
Part Three: The Blackberry Raid
11. Dix Prepares the Second Wave
12. Keyes's Advance to Bottom's Bridge
13. The Fight at Crump's Crossroads
14. Getty's Expedition to the South Anna
15. To the RF&P Bridge
16. The Attack on the RF&P Bridge
Part Four: In Gettysburg's Wake
17. The Peace Mission
18. The End at Richmond
19. Halleck's Bootless Plans
Part Five: Conclusion: Looking Back
20. The Forgotten Campaign
21. Questions of Supply
22. The Broader Scope
Appendix A: Federal Order of Battle
Appendix B: Confederate Order of Battle
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Photo gallery appears following page 143
