Lee vs Grant: The Great Chess Game of 1864; As Grant starts to build a canal to get at Richmond by bypassing Confederate works on the James River, Lee quickly acts to determine the nature of the threat and thwart it

He assesses the potential importance of Grant’s move, and asks Gen. Richard Ewell to gather reliable information: “…discover what the enemy is doing. If we cannot arrest his work, we cannot in other ways counteract his operations.”

The James River flows through Richmond, and then twists and turns its way east to the Atlantic Ocean. In the Civil War it was the potential highway for Union troops to reach the Confederate capital, and was the subject of Gen. George B. McClellan’s abortive 1862 Peninsula campaign. In 1864 Grant managed to take and hold the river from the ocean west past Charles City, the Berkeley plantation and Harrison’s Landing, on to Wilson’s Wharf and then City Point, which Grant made his headquarters. Then the river bent north to Bermuda Hundred, where Gen. Benjamin Butler’s Army of the James was entrenched and from which he had tried and failed to move inland. Two curves west of that, there is a sharp twist downward and then another upward, creating a narrow neck of land called Dutch Gap. The river’s south bank was still Confederate territory, and in this strategic area the Confederates built strong fortifications with artillery on the high ground overlooking the river, most particularly Battery Dantzler (also known as Howlett’s Battery), and placed mines and obstructions, making it difficult for Union ships and the troops they would carry to advance further up toward Richmond. If a canal could be cut through Dutch Gap, it would save six miles and avoid those Confederate installations completely. Grant was aggressive and gave the go-ahead to build the canal and seize the chance, even though the excavators were in a somewhat exposed position and thus under threat from the Confederate batteries on the high ground.

In the early days of August 1864, Butler’s men established an encampment from which to work, and on the 8th Grant visited Butler about commencing the work. On the 9th Butler’s force began excavating the canal. The next day Grant wrote Butler about the need to have gunboats brought up “to command the ground about and never a man to hesitate.” On the 11th, Lee heard that the enemy had thrown a body of troops at Dutch Gap and went to see for himself whether they could be driven off. He had no definitive word yet on their purpose. On the 12th at 2 pm, Grant again visited Butler to confer, and he put cannon in place to protect the project. That same day Union deserters began telling the Confederates about Grant and Butler’s presence at Dutch Gap, and its purpose. Lee wrote President Davis on the next day, informing him: “The force, I understand, is…engaged in cutting a canal through the neck”.

Lee was a great strategist and never a man to hesitate. That same day he sought to act to meet the threat he knew a canal would pose, writing General Ewell that the purpose of the Union force at Dutch Gap “being to dig a canal. If they cannot be stopped, arrangements must be made to make the canal useless by choosing positions and erecting batteries, etc. See what can be done.” On the 13th Lee went to the front to personally size up the situation, and Confederate gunboats and batteries fired on Union troops and excavators, which fire was returned.

Gen. Richard Ewell participated in the Battle of Bull Run, and in January 1862 was promoted to major general. He served under Stonewall Jackson in the Valley campaign, and lost his left leg during the battle of Groveton. When Jackson was killed at Chancellorsville, Ewell was promoted to lieutenant general and given command of his corps. Ewell was at the Battle of Gettysburg, and fought against Grant in the 1864 Virginia campaign. He was thereafter sent to command the defenses of Richmond, and was thus the man Lee needed to contact concerning the situation at Dutch Gap.

“On my visit to Howlett’s house yesterday, I had a full view of the ground at Dutch Gap, & could see distinctly their tents, & lines of entrenchments in front and rear of their position with rifle pits in advance. The men were concealed from view…I could see nothing to indicate the construction of a canal as is reported by prisoners and deserters from the enemy…Officer commanding pickets on the margin of the river reported the enemy at work all night before last. Wagons were heard going and coming unloading plank, also sounds of digging…”

Field order signed, as Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, two pages, “Hd Qr. A. N. Va.”, August 14, 1864, to Ewell, giving a report, seeking to gather information, and assessing the potential importance of the development. “On my visit to Howlett’s house yesterday, I had a full view of the ground at Dutch Gap, & could see distinctly their tents, & lines of entrenchments in front and rear of their position with rifle pits in advance. The men were concealed from view, probably driven under cover by our fire which from the gunboats, was very accurate. No working parties were of course in sight, but I could see nothing to indicate the construction of a canal as is reported by prisoners and deserters from the enemy. Col. Mayo 3rd Va Regt who is stationed on the point at Howlett’s farm, says that owing to the height of the Bluffs at Dutch Gap, and their being thickly covered with tall trees, it is impossible to get a view of their operations from the highest point on his side. Small parties of the enemy however could be seen moving along the bank yesterday, and did not seem much embarrassed by the fire of our batteries or gunboats. Officer commanding pickets on the margin of the river reported the enemy at work all night before last. Wagons were heard going and coming unloading plank, also sounds of digging, driving stakes, etc. The details at work are estimated to be about 600 men. Can you not from some point on your side of the river, discover what the enemy is doing. If we cannot arrest his work, we cannot in other ways counteract his operations. Perhaps the Navy might accomplish both objects. I desire you to see Cap Mitchell and see what can be done. Very respectively, Your obt. servt. R.E. Lee, Genl.”

In all our years in the field of autographs, this is just the third field order of Lee when opposing Grant that we have had. Moreover, a search of public sale records turns up only another half dozen or so over the past four decades. This is quite a rarity.

It took Butler’s men all the rest of 1864 to cut through the canal, exposed as they were to the fire of the Confederate batteries above. One of the last acts of General Butler was an unsuccessful effort to blow up the dam at the mouth of the canal, and thus admit water into it and render it navigable. The canal was not finished until early 1865 and was never used.

Lee had won this move. However, Grant took the next point, as the reason the canal did not come to play a role in 1865 was that Grant’s successful operations farther up the James River and before Petersburg rendered it unnecessary.