Edward O.C. Ord commanded the Army of the James at the end of the Civil War. In March 1865 they held the Union position north of the James River opposite the daunting Confederate works protecting Richmond. Before his final offensive against Petersburg, Richmond’s rail hub twenty miles to the south, Ulysses S. Grant instructed Ord to transfer four divisions, three infantry and one cavalry, south to replace Army of the Potomac troops manning the trenches southwest of the city.
Grant wanted Ord to move after dark on the 27th and be in position to replace the II Corps by early morning on the 29th. The Army of the James had thirty miles to march via Bermuda Hundred, crossing both the James and Appomattox along the way. Circumstances prevented their moving solely under cover of darkness.
Major General John Gibbon commanded the XXIV Corps who would send two divisions to Petersburg. Gibbon’s orders for the march, distributed on March 26, banned non-essential personnel from the column:
“No citizens, other than Government employees and officers’ servants, or wagons, carts, or other means of transportation, except such as belonging to the Government, will be allowed to accompany the command. The provost-marshal will place guards at all convenient points and prevent the passage of all unauthorized persons or means of transportation.”
He also called for a “strong guard” to march in the rear of each division “to take stringent measures to prevent straggling.”
Ord likewise hoped to prevent any interference with his march and had a creative solution to one potential cause for delay, published as his General Orders Number 34 the next day:
“In the movements of this army no wagons or vehicles of any description belonging to sutlers, traders, or camp-followers will be permitted to go along, and whenever such are found in the midst of or impeding the wagon trains or troops they will be at once turned out, and the goods contained will be confiscated or distributed to the troops.”
As I start tracking more Army of the James sources during the final campaign at Petersburg I will be on the lookout among the common soldiers’ letters, diaries, and recollections for any instances where they found themselves the happy recipients of a punished sutler.
Ultimately the standard for fast marching without delay paid dividends, Ord’s men performing well on the chase to Appomattox from April 3-9, 1865.