s embarked on
steamers for City Point, the Second division crossed on the pontoon
bridge. The division marched all night toward Petersburgh, from which
direction we had heard cannonading all day. The column moved rapidly,
leaving scores of stragglers, who quietly rolled themselves in their
blankets and lay down behind the hedges to sleep till morning. The
following day was sultry, and the dust was very annoying. The men were
weary from want of sleep, and the march was a severe one; but at sunset
the division arrived at our lines before Petersburgh. Smith's corps had
preceded us, and by assaulting the rebel position on the evening of the
16th, had carried the lines northeast of the town for a distance of over
two and a half miles, capturing fifteen pieces of artillery and three
hundred prisoners. General Smith was then reinforced by Hancock's corps,
which had just arrived by land, but no further advance was made that
night. This neglect to take advantage of the absence of any large force
of rebels in the works about Petersburgh was severely censured by
General Grant, who could not understand why General Smith, now
reinforced by a large corps, had not at once taken possession of the
town. The day that the Second division, Sixth corps, arrived in front of
Petersburgh, the two divisions of that corps which had taken transports
up the river, were ordered to reinforce General Butler at Bermuda
Hundreds, where his command had gained some advantages, which were,
however, lost before night. All the corps having got up, attacks upon
the rebel positions were renewed on the 17th and 18th. The attack on the
17th was made by Smith's command, and resulted in the loss of a few men,
when the lines were withdrawn.

Our Second division now relieved Brooks' division of the Eighteenth
corps on the front line, the Seventy-seventh taking possession of a
powerful redoubt, the other regiments taking their places in close
proximity. The Vermont brigade was placed in rifle pits, as was also the
First brigade. In order to secure unity of action, General Neill,
commanding the division, was directed to receive orders from General
Martindale of the Eighteenth corps.

Standing in the redoubt occupied by the Seventy-seventh, which was upon
a high bluff, and commanded a fine prospect of the surrounding country,
we could trace the line of defenses which had already been captured, and
those yet in the hands of the enemy. The defenses of Petersburgh
cons