The Armies at the Battle of Five Forks

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Both armies at Five Forks were detachments of much larger forces involved in the siege of Petersburg. But they were operating far enough on the flank of both armies that they were not within supporting distance of any other units during the battle. They were effectively fighting on their own.

The Federals

Grant chose hard hitting Major General Philip Sheridan to outflank the Confederate line and break the Southside Railroad. Sheridan had just arrived from clearing the Confederates from the Shenandoah Valley. He brought two divisions of cavalry with him, troopers armed with repeaters and an aggressive attitude. They were very comfortable going to face to face with Confederate infantry.

They joined up with two more cavalry divisions, one of which had been their comrades in the Army of the Potomac and the other, Mackenzie’s Division, was on loan from the Army of the James. The cavalry would be under the command of Brevet Major General Wesley Merritt while Sheridan took overall command of the force.

Grant also sent an infantry corps to cooperate with the cavalry. The nearest unit was the Fifth Corps under Major General Gouverneur Warren. It wasn’t Sheridan’s first choice. All through his Valley Campaign he had worked with the Sixth Corps, who he knew and trusted. But the Sixth was holding a line of trenches far to the east and would take time – probably days – to join Sheridan. Sheridan would have to make do with the Fifth and its three divisions of infantry.

Not that there was anything wrong with the Fifth Corps. This was the corps that had held Little Round Top at Gettysburg and had fought on a dozen fields since then. It was true that it had left many of its best men on those fields or sent them home missing arms and legs or with shattered health. One of its brigades was made up of the survivors of nine veteran regiments who were outnumbered by another brigade made up of just two regiments of new recruits and conscripts. But this was a condition shared by all of the Army of the Potomac’s units.

Sheridan’s problem was with Gouverneur Warren. Warren had been given command of the Fifth Corps for saving Little Round Top at Gettysburg, when he had been chief engineer of the army. And the main objection Sheridan had with Warren was he commanded like an engineer: detail-oriented and methodical. It was the opposite of Sheridan’s fast-moving, smash ’em up style. Grant knew this – he was also losing patience with Warren – and gave Sheridan the power to relieve Warren at any time.

The Confederates

The Confederate forces at Five Forks had a similar structure, but only half as many men. Their commander, Major General George Pickett, was the senior major general in the Confederacy. To some this meant he didn’t have what it took to be a lieutenant general and command a corps. Gettysburg had been his first major battle commanding his division, which was badly wrecked in the charge that bears his name. The shattered division was detached to rear areas to recruit and rebuild its strength, and hadn’t rejoined the army for almost a year.

Pickett brought three brigades of his old division to Five Forks, all Virginians. Although like many veteran Union outfits the veterans were outnumbered by new recruits and conscripts. Two other infantry brigades reinforced him from Anderson’s division, one from North Carolina and one from South Carolina.

The infantry had spent the fall and winter in the trenches around Richmond. They were badly clothed and equipped and had lived on the edge of starvation for months. Their stamina to fight a long battle or make a difficult march was in question, although they were happy to be out of the trenches and in the open country. And, as Sheridan would discover, they were still full of fight.

The infantry were supported by three divisions of cavalry under Major General Fitzhugh Lee. The divisions were very much reduced in size from the glory days of Southern cavalry and did not compare in numbers with Yankee divisions. The biggest problem was fodder. Horses eat much more than people, and Lee had not been able to feed his horses over the winter. They were weak and not up to hard riding.

Another problem was the Southern cavalryman owned and provided his own horse. If an animal died there was no remount bureau to give him another like in the Northern armies. He either had to find a replacement himself or become an infantryman – a fate worse than death to a Southern cavalier. Either way they were generally lost to the dwindling Confederate cavalry.

The Bottom Line

The two forces facing each other at Five Forks were a microcosm of the whole Siege of Petersburg – a hungry, ill-equipped, outnumbered army facing a larger, well-fed, well equipped opponent. Fortifications and, in many cases, superior leadership had kept the South alive, if not completely victorious, for the nine months of the Siege. It would come to an end at Five Forks.

Confederate Organization at Five Forks

Commanded by Major General George Pickett

Pickett’s Division – Major General George E. Pickett

Corse’s Brigade – Brigadier General Montgomery Corse

15th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Emmett M. Morrison
17th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel Arthur Herbert
29th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel James Giles
30th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel Robert S. Chew
32nd Virginia Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel William R. Willis

Hunton’s Brigade – Brigadier General Eppa Hunton

8th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Berkeley
18th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel Henry A. Carrington
19th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Major Waller M. Boyd
28th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel William L. Wingfield
56th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel William E. Green

Steuart’s Brigade Brigadier General George H. Steuart

9th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel James J. Philips
14th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel William White
38th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel George K. Griggs
53rd Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel William R. Aylett
57th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel Clement R. Fontaine

Terry’s Brigade – Colonel Joseph Mayo, Jr.

1st Virginia Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Frank H. Langley
3rd Virginia Infantry Regiment
7th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Colonel Charles C. Floweree
11th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Captain Robert M. Mitchell, Jr.
24th Virginia Infantry Regiment – Major William Bentley

Pegram’s Artillery – Battalion Colonel William J. Pegram (mw), Lt. Colonel Joseph McGraw

Braxton’s Battery
Carpenter’s Battery
Crenshaw’s (Va.) Battery – Captain Thomas Ellett

Temporarily attached from Johnson’s Division of Anderson’s Corps

Ransom’s Brigade – Brigadier General Matthew W. Ransom

24th North Carolina Infantry Regiment
25th North Carolina Infantry Regiment – Colonel Henry M. Rutledge
35th North Carolina Infantry Regiment – Colonel James T. Johnson
49th North Carolina Infantry Regiment – Colonel Lee M. McAfee
56th North Carolina Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel G. Gratiott Luke

Wallace’s Brigade – Brigadier General William Wallace

17th South Carolina Infantry Regiment – Colonel Fitz William McMaster
18th South Carolina Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel W. B. Allison
22nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment – Colonel William G. Burt
23rd South Carolina Infantry Regiment – Colonel Henry L. Benbow
26th South Carolina Infantry Regiment – Colonel ALexander D. Smith
Holcombe (S.C.) Legion – Colonel William J. Crawley

Cavalry Corps – Major General Fitzhugh Lee

Fitzhugh Lee’s Cavalry Division – Colonel Thomas T. Munford

Munford’s Brigade – Colonel Thomas T. Munford (^)

1st Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Colonel William A. Morgan
2nd Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Cary Breckenridge
3rd Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Thomas H. Owen
4th Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Major Charles Old

Payne’s Brigade – Brigadier General William H. Payne (w), Colonel Reuben B. Boston

5th Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel James H. Allen
6th Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Reuben B. Boston (^), Lieutenant Colonel Daniel T. Richards
8th Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Major Thomas P. Bowen
36th Virginia Cavalry Battalion – Major James W. Sweeney

W.H.F. Lee’s Cavalry Division – Major General William H.F. Lee

Rosser’s Cavalry Division – Major General Thoms L. Rosser

Dearing’s Brigade – Brigadier General James Dearing

7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
11th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
12th Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Asher W. Harman
35th Virginia Cavalry Battalion

McCausland’s Brigade – Brigadier General John McCausland

16th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
17th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
21st Virginia Cavalry Regiment
22nd Virginia Cavalry Regiment
McGregor’s Battery – Captain George W. Brown

Union Organization at Five Forks

Commanded by Major General Philip Sheridan

Fifth Army Corps – Major General Gouveneur K. Warren (relieved),
Brigadier Genreral Charles Griffin

Headquarters Troops

4th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Co. C
104th New York Infantry

First Division – Brigadier Genreral Charles Griffin (^), Brigadier Genreral Joseph J. Bartlett

First Brigade Brigadier General Joshua L. Chamberlain

185th New York Infantry Regiment – Colonel Gustavus Sniper
198th Pensylvania Infantry Regiment – Major Edwin A. Glenn (mw), Captain John Stanton

Second Brigade – Colonel Edgar M. Gregory

187th New York Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Meyers
188th New York Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Collonel Isaac Doolittle
189th New York Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Joseph G. Townsend

Third Brigade – Brigadier General Joseph J. Bartlett (^), Colonel Alfred L. Pearson

1st Maine Sharpshooters – Captain George R. Abbott
20th Maine Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Walter G. Morrill
32nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel James A. Cunningham
1st Michigan Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel George Lockley
16th Michigan Infantry Regiment – Brevet Colonel Benjamin F. Partridg
83rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Colonel Chauncey P. Rogers
91st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Eli G. Sellers
118th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Henry O’Neill
155th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Colonel Alfred L. Pearson (^), Major John A. Kline

Second Division – Brigadier General Romeyn B. Ayres

First Brigade – Brevet Brigadier General Frederick Winthrop (mw), Colonel James Grindley

61st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
5th New York Veteran Infantry – Captain Henry Schickhardt
15th New York Heavy Artillery – Lieutenant Colonel Michael Weidrich (w), Major Louis Eiche
(serving as infantry)
114th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
2nd United States Infantry Regiment
8th United States Infantry Regiment
11th United States Infantry Regiment
12th United States Infantry Regiment
14th United States Infantry Regiment
17th United States Infantry Regiment

Second Brigade – Colonel Richard N. Bowerman (4/1), Colonel David L. Stanton

1st Maryland Infantry Regiment – Colonel David L. Stanton, Major Robert Neely
4th Maryland Infantry Regiment – Colonel Richard N. Bowerman, Major Harrison Aderon
7th Maryland Infantry Regiment – Major Edward M. Mobley
8th Maryland Infantry Regiment– Lieutenant Colonel Ernest F.M. Faehtz

Third Brigade – Brevet Brigadier General James Gwyn

3rd Delaware Infantry – Captain John H. Cade
4th Delaware Infantry – Captain William H. Maclary (k), Lieutenant Colonel Moses B. Gist
8th Delaware Infantry (3 comanies) – Captain John N. Richards
190th Pensylvania Infantry Regiment – Brevet Colonel Joseph B. Pattee
191st Pensylvania Infantry Regiment – Brevet Colonel Joseph B. Pattee
210th Pensylvania Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Edward L. Whitman

Third Division – Brigadier General Samuel W. Crawford

First Brigade – Colonel John Kellogg

1st New York Sharpshooter Battalion
91st New York Infantry Regiment – Colonel Jonathan Tarbell
91st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
149th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
150th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment – Captain Edward A. Whaley (w), Captain Louis A. Kent
7th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Hollon Richardson (w)

Second Brigade – Brigadier Genreral Henry Baxter

16th Maine Infantry Regiment – Colonel Charles W. Tilden
39th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Henry M. Tremlett
97th New York Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Rouse Eglston
11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Major John B. Overmyer
107th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Colonel Thomas F. McCoy

Third Brigade – Colonel Richard Coulter

94th New York Infantry Regiment – Major Henry H. Fish (k), Captain ALbert T. Morgan
95th New York Veteran Infantry – Captain George T. Knight
147th New York Infantry Regiment – Captain James A. McKinley
56th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Major Henry A. Laycock
88th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Major Henry A. Laycock
121st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Major West Funk
142nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Horatio N. Warren

Cavalry Corps – Brevet Major General Wesley Merritt

First Division – Brigadier General Thomas C. Devin

First Brigade – Colonel Peter Stagg

1st Michigan Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel George R. Maxwell (w), Captain Edward L. Negus
5th Michigan Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Smith H. Hastings
6th Michigan Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Harvey H. Vinton
7th Michigan Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel George G. Briggs

Second Brigade – Colonel Charles L. Fitzhugh

6th New York Cavalry Regiment – Major Harrison White
9th New York Cavalry Regiment – Major James R. Dinnin
19th New York Cavalry Regiment – Major Howard M. Smith
17th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Coe Durland
20th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Middleton

Third Brigade – Brigadier General Alfred Gibbs

1st United States Cavalry Regiment – Captain Richard S. C. Lord
5th United States Cavalry Regiment – Captain Thomas Drummond (k), Lieutenant Gustavus Urban
6th United States Cavalry Regiment – Major Robert N. Morris
2nd Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Casper Crowninshield
6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Charles L. Leiper

Second Division – Major General George Crook

First Brigade – Brigadier General Henry E. Davies

1st New Jersey Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Hugh H. Janeway
10th New York Cavalry Regiment – Colonel M. Henry Avery
24th New York Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Walter C. Newberry, Lieutenant Colonel Melze Richards
1st Pennsylvania Cavalry (5 cos.) – Major Hampton S. Thomas

Second Brigade – Colonel M. Kerwin

4th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Alender P. Duncan
16th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel John K. Robinson
21st Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Oliver P. Knowles

Third Brigade – Colonel Charles H. Smith

1st Maine Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel John P. Cilley
2nd New York Mounted Rifles – Major Paul Chadbourne
6th Ohio Cavalry Regiment – Captain Matthew H. Cryer
13th Ohio Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Stephen R. Clark

Horse Artillery

1st United States Artillery, Batteries H&I – Lieutenant Chandler P. Eakin
2nd United States Artillery, Battery A – Lieutenant James H. Lord

Third Division – Brigadier General George A. Custer

First Brigade – Colonel Alexander C. M. Pennington

1st Connecticut Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Brayton Ives
3rd New Jersey Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel William P. Robeson (w)
2nd New York Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Alanson M. Randol
2nd Ohio Cavalry Regiment – Captain Albert Barnitz

Second Brigade – Colonel William Wells

8th New York Cavalry Regiment – Major James Bliss
15th New York Cavalry Regiment – Colonel John J. Coppinger
1st Vermont Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Josiah Hall
3rd Indiana Cavalry Regiment

Third Brigade – Colonel Henry Capehart

1st New York Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Jenyns C. Batterysby
1st West Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Major Shesh B. Howe
2nd West Virginia Cavalry (7 companies) – Lieutenant Colonel James Allen
3rd West Virginia Cavalry Regiment – Major John S. Witcher

Mackenzie’s Cavalry Division – Brigadier General Ranald Mackenzie
(temporarily attached from the Army of the James)

1st Brigade – Colonel Robert M. West

20th New York Cavalry, Company G – Captain Thomas H. Butler
5th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Kleinz

2nd Brigade Colonel Samuel P. Spear (w) – Colonel Andrew Evan

1st District of Columbia Cavalry Battalion – Major J. Stannard Baker
1st Maryland Cavalry Regiment – Colonel Andrew W. Evans (^)
11th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment – Lieutenant Colonel Franklin A. Stratton

Artillery

Wisconsin Light Artillery, 4th Battery – Captain Dorman L. Noggle