FORT HARRISON, Battle of (including Chaffin's Farm, Fort Gilmer and New Market Heights). In the latter part of September 1864 General Grant ordered a movement against the Confederate troops north of James River, de fending Richmond. Grant hoped to make Gen eral Lee so weaken the garrison at Petersburg that the Union forces might carry it. The great object, however, was to prevent Lee sending reinforcements to Early in the Shenandoah Val ley. September 28, during the night, General Ord crossed from the south to the north bank of the James, and on the 29th, with 4,000 men, driving before him the Confederate outposts, appeared before Fort Harrison, on .Chaffin's Farm, the strongest work on the Confederate, line. Birney, with 10,000 men, moved by roads farther to the right. Stannard's division, which led the advance of Ord's column, moved to the assault of Fort Harrison, under a very severe fire of artillery and musketry, and after a sharp encounter carried it with its 16 guns and nearly 300 prisoners, at a loss of over 500.
Ord being severely wounded, the command of his corps fell to General Heckman, whose division, following Stannard's, passed to the right of Fort Harrison, attacked Fort Gilmer and was repulsed with heavy losses. Mean while General Birney had advanced on the New Market road, captured some of the advanced rifle-pits, running northeast from Fort Harri son, and established connection with Heckman.
General Grant now appeared and ordered an advance on the right. At 3 P.M. Birney made another assault upon Fort Gilmer, but was badly repulsed. Grant ordered the troops to entrench. General Lee transferred seven brigades from his lines at Petersburg to the north side of the river, and massed 10 brigades at and near Fort Gil mer,to assault and retake Fort Harrison. The assault was made 2 P.M. of the 30th by Gen. R. H. Anderson, commanding Longstreet's corps, with five brigades, and was repulsed. Twice the Confederates reformed and renewed the assault, but were repulsed, leaving a large num ber of killed and wounded and seven battle flags on the ground, and the effort to dislodge the Union troops was abandoned. The Union loss on the 29th and 30th was 383 killed, 2,299 wounded and 645 missing, an aggregate of 3,327. The loss of the Confederates is not definitely known, but it was near 2,000 in killed, wounded and missing. Consult 'Official Records' (Vol. XLII) • Humphreys, The Virginia Campaign of 1864-65.'