One-Gun Battery - Newport News VA
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Don.Morfe
N 37° 11.099 W 076° 32.265
18S E 363504 N 4116500
The twelve miles of Confederate defenses followed the course of the Warwick River one mile from Yorktown to Mulberry Island. Dam No. 1, the mid-point, was protected by this one-gun battery mounting a 12-pound howitzer.
Waymark Code: WM18A8A
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 06/26/2023
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Turtle3863
Views: 0

One-Gun Battery
1862 Peninsula Campaign

The twelve miles of Confederate defenses followed the course of the Warwick River one mile from Yorktown to Mulberry Island. Dam No. 1, the mid-point, was protected by this one-gun battery mounting a 12-pound howitzer. In addition, a 6-pound smoothbore and a 24-pound howitzer were situated in the redoubts behind this point. On April 16, 1862, Brigadier General William Smith, a division commander in the IV Corps, directed an attack against Dam No. 1 to break through the Confederate lines.

At 8:30 a.m., Captain Thaddeus Mott’s 3rd New York Battery opened fire on the earthworks at the dam. Moreover, the 3rd Vermont Infantry and the 4th Vermont Infantry deployed along the Warwick and poured volleys into the Confederate positions. The Confederates had only three cannons to counter the Union barrage, and Captain James Jordan soon withdrew the 12-pound howitzer guarding the dam. However, the Troup Artillery’s 6-pounder disabled one of Mott’s cannons before the artillery duel ended around 11:00 a.m. Major General George McClellan arrived around noon, and Lieutenant Edwin Noyes, who had crossed the river, reported that the Confederates had abandoned the rifle pits along the Warwick. Consequently, General Smith received permission to cross the river and capture the earthworks.

(captions)
Wynne’s Mill. Courtesy of John Moran Quarstein.
Brigadier General William Smith and his staff. Vermont Historical Society
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Don.Morfe visited One-Gun Battery - Newport News VA 06/27/2023 Don.Morfe visited it