REAM'S STATION, Battle of. As the extension of General Grant's left to Globe Tavern on the Weldon Railroad (see Gums TAVERN, BATTLE or) did not prevent General Lee's use of the road as a line of supply up to a point within a day's wagoning to Petersburg, General Grant determined to destroy the road as far down as Rowanty Creek, 13 miles beyond Globe Tavern. On 22 Aug. 1864 General Han cock, with Miles' and Gibbon's divisions of the Second corps and General Gregg's cavalry division, in all about 8,500 men, moved to the left and by night of the 24th had destroyed the road from Globe Tavern to a point three miles south of Ream's Station and 12 miles from Petersburg. During the 24th Gregg's cavalry was sharply attacked by General Butler's di vision of Confederate cavalry, and at night General Meade informed Hancock that Con federate infantry was moving in his direction, but as yet none had been seen by Hancock. At daylight of the 25th a cavalry reconnois sance drove in the Confederate pickets and Gibbon was ordered to move out from Ream's Station and complete the destruction of the road. Gibbon had hardly gotten well on the road, when the Union cavalry was driven in by cavalry supported by infantry and he was ob liged to deploy a strong skirmish line to check the enemy in pursuit. Prisoners taken from three of Gen. A. P. Hill's divisions showed that the Confederates were in strong force and Gibbon was ordered back to the Ream's Station intrenchments, where he arrived at 10 A.M. and united with Miles' division. The intrench ments were very light and had been hurriedly thrown up by Gen. James H. Wilson in his cavalry fight near that place late in the pre ceding June. They ran along the railroad about 700 yards and then were drawn back on the right and left about 800 or 900 yards, at nearly right angles. Both flanks were exposed to reverse fire from the front. Miles held the right half of these works, Gibbon the left half. Gregg's cavalry held the approaches in the di rection of Petersburg and Dinwiddie Court House. When Hancock's movement became known to the Confederates, Gen. A. P. Hill
with the larger part of his corps, together with G. T. Anderson's brigade of Longstreet's corps and Gen. Wade Hampton's two cavalry di visions, marched to prevent the destruction of the railroad, and at 2 P.M. of the 25th General Wilcox's division made two attacks upon Miles, which were repulsed, leaving killed and wounded within a few yards of Miles' front. At 5 P.M. Hill opened a heavy artillery fire and, at the end of 15 minutes, Generals Heth and Wilcox, with five brigades and three regi meats, made another assault upon Miles and a part of his line, held by raw recruits, gave way, abandoning a battery. At the same time the right of Gibbon's line gave way and two more batteries fell into possession of the Con federates. (Abbon was ordered to retake his lost ground, but his troops, many of whom were new recruits and drafted men, responded feebly and fell back under the first fire. Miles rallied the 61st New York and by desperate fighting retook a part of his line and his lost battery. Hampton's cavalry now attacked Gib bon and drove him entirely from his works, but was checked by a heavy flank fire from Gregg's dismounted cavalry, upon which Hamp ton turned on Gregg and forced him back to the left of a line which Gibbon had established a short distance in rear of the intrenchments from which he had been driven. An effort made to retake the intrenchments failed be muse of the inability of the Union commanders to induce their men to go forward. At dark Hancock withdrew from the field. General Hill made no attempt to follow up his advan tage, but returned to the Petersburg intrench ments, leaving Hampton's cavalry at Ream's Station. The Union loss was 669 killed and wounded and 2,073 captured or missing, to gether with 12 stands of colors and nine guns. The Confederate loss, as reported by Hill, was 720, chiefly, if not entirely, killed and wounded. Consult 'Official Records' (Vol. XLII) • Hum phreys, 'The Virginia Campaign of 14)4-65'; Walker, 'History of the Second Army Corps' ; The Century Company's 'Battles and Leaders of the Civil War' (Vol. IV).