GLOBE TAVERN, Battle of. On 17 Aug. 1864 General Grant, then investing Petersburg, directed that Warren's Fifth corps and some cavalry be sent to destroy as much as possible of the Weldon Railroad and make such a dem onstration on Lee's right as would force him to withdraw a portion of his troops from the Shenandoah Valley, so that Sheridan might strike a blow at the rest of them. Warren was instructed to move at four o'clock on the morn ing of the 18th and make a lodgment upon the railroad two miles south of the Vaughan road, and destroy it as far south as possible. A brigade of cavalry under Colonel Spear was at tached to his command. Warren moved as directed, drove back Dearing's Confederate cav alry brigade, and took possession of the rail road at Globe Tavern, about three miles south of Petersburg. Griffin's division was formed along the road and began its destruction. Ayres' division moved up the road a mile or more beyond Griffin and Crawford moved up on Ayres' right. About 2 P.M. General Heth, with two brigades, moved out of the Confeder ate works, made a sudden attack upon Ayres' left and drove it back; Ayres rallied and re took the lost ground The Union loss was 544 killed and wounded and 392 missing. On the morning of the 19th B s brigade was sent to the right of Crawford support him and establish connection by a skirmish-line with the Ninth corps, and Willcox's and White's divi sions of the Ninth corps were ordered War ren's support. The woods were so dense and the roads so intricate that Bragg failed to es tablish a proper line, and before it could be connected and completed it was broken. A. P. Hill with Heth's two brigades, Mahone's three brigades, Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry and Pegram's batteries, moved to the Vaughan road inter section. At 4:30 P.M. Mahone, in column of fours, broke through Bragg's faced to the right, and sweeping forward persed Crawford's division and the right of Ayres; at the same time Heth opened on Ayres' centre and left. Warren rallied the
broken parts of his line and, advancing,
gained the lost ground, talcing some prisoners.
Willcox's division engaged Colquitt's brigade,
drove it back and captured some prisoners;
and Mahone's entire command fell back rapidly
in great confusion to their entrenchments,
with them the parts of Warren's
command disorganized by the attack on their
rear in the woods, and a large portion of the
pickets.° Heth made repeated attempts to drive
Ayres back but failed. Warren's casualties for
the day were 382 killed and wounded and 2,518
missing. On the 20th Warren selected a
tion on the railroad a mile or two in rear of his
line of battle of the 19th, chiefly on open
ground, and entrenched. On the morning of
the 21st A. P. Hill, with his own corps, part of
Hoke's division, with Lee's cavalry, attacked
his position, opening with 30 guns on his front
and right flan and at 10 o'clock made an
sault, which was repulsed. Later Mahone
tempted an assault on Warren's left, but the
artillery fire broke his ranks before they came
under musketry fire, and Warren, making an
advance, captured 517 officers and men and six
flags. Warren's loss was 301 killed, wounded
and missing. No further attempts were made
upon Warren's position, and the entrenchments
were extended by the Ninth corps from the
Jerusalem plank-road to unite with Warren's
on •the Weldon Railroad. The Union troops
engaged 18-21 August numbered about 20,000;
the loss was 251 killed, 1,148 wounded and
879 captured or missing. The Confederates
engaged numbered about 14,800; the number of
their killed and wounded is estimated at 1.200.
Consult (Official
(Vol. XLII);
Humphreys, (The Virginia Campaign of 1864
and i865'; Powell,