Sunday, September 23, 2018

June 22, 1864 v. August 19, 1864

June 22, 1864 involved a rout of seven brigades of II Corps (about 12,000 men) by three brigades of Mahone's division (around 3,000 men) resulting in approximately 2,500 casualties.

August 19, 1864, involved a rout of five brigades of V Corps by three brigades led by Mahone (about 2,400 men) resulting in around 3,000 casualties.

Though June 22, 1864 is one of the hardest days to understand in the Siege of Petersburg (because of the complex movements involved), it is easier to write about than August 19, 1864.  This is because there are sufficient sources to piece together what happened on June 22, 1864, even though this is like assembling an enormous puzzle, one tiny piece at a time.  Many of the soldiers in the seven routed brigades of II Corps escaped to tell their stories.

The problem with August 19, 1864, is that relatively few of the five brigades of V Corps escaped to tell their stories.  Far too many perished in Andersonville and other Southern prison camps.  

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