Howlett Line on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Howlett Line was a critical Confederate earthworks dug during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign of the
Chesterfield County looking to expand Howlett Line Park
''Richmond Times-Dispatch,'' June 4, 2013.
The Civil War in Chesterfield County: The Howlett Line
{{coord missing, Virginia Military installations in Virginia Fortifications in the United States Fortification lines Virginia in the American Civil War 1864 establishments in Virginia
The Howlett Line was a critical Confederate earthworks dug during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign of the United States Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded ...
in May 1864. Specifically, the line stretched across the Bermuda Hundred peninsula from the James River
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...
to the Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern Virginia, named for the ...
. It was named for the Dr. Howlett's House that overlooked the James River at the north end of the line. The Howlett Line became famous as the "Cork in the Bottle" by keeping the 30,000-man strong General Butler's Army of the James at bay.
History
Following the Battle of Ware Bottom Church (May 20, 1864), the confederates began digging a decisive set of defensive earthworks that became known as the Howlett Line. It continued for three miles from river to river and aimed to hold down the railroad and turnpike of crucial importance, which connectedRichmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
and Petersburg that were at the time slightly defended. Gen. Daniel H. Hill directed the construction of the Confederate fortifications.
In ''Personal Memoirs'' Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...
described a conversation with his Chief Engineer Gen. John G. Barnard regarding Butler's predicament:
Battery Dantzler, called Howlett's Battery before it was renamed to honor Col. Olin M. Dantzler of the 22nd South Carolina, and Parker's Virginia Battery anchored the Howlett Line. During the Second Battle of Petersburg
The Second Battle of Petersburg, also known as the assault on Petersburg, was fought June 15–18, 1864, at the beginning of the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg). Union forces under Lieutenant General U ...
(June 15, 1864) Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard pulled part of the troops from the Howlett Line to reinforce his main defenses. Overall, the construction of Confederate fortifications and trenches known as the Howlett Line held Butler in place until General Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...
evacuated the position on April 2, 1865.
Preservation
The Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia works on preservation of the extant earthworks in the Howlett Line Park, which belongs to the Chesterfield County Parks System.''Richmond Times-Dispatch,'' June 4, 2013.
See also
* Richmond National Battlefield Park *Troop engagements of the American Civil War, 1864
The following engagements took place in the year 1864 during the American Civil War. The Union armies, under the command of U.S. Grant, launched multiple offenses in all theaters of the war, in an attempt to prevent Confederate forces from transfe ...
References
External links
The Civil War in Chesterfield County: The Howlett Line
{{coord missing, Virginia Military installations in Virginia Fortifications in the United States Fortification lines Virginia in the American Civil War 1864 establishments in Virginia