No. 17. Report of Lieut. John O’Brien, First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, commanding Battery No. 4, of operations March 25.1
BATTERY Numbers 4,
Before Petersburg, Va., March 26, 1865.
LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part sustained by Colonel I, First Connecticut Artillery, the garrison of battery Numbers 4, during the engagement of yesterday:
At 4 o’clock in the morning I heard firing on the line near Battery Numbers 10, but I supposed it was wholly confined to the pickets. At 5.30, an hour and a half later, I saw indications that an advance had been made by the enemy upon our lines near Battery Numbers 10. I had the company under arms and made arrangements for a defense, when I received orders to open on the enemy, who were now in possession of Fort Stedman and battery Numbers 10; these orders were received at daylight. I fired 130 rounds of percussion and 6 rounds of time-fuse shell, nearly all of which were thrown into an advancing column of the enemy, which was in rear of the last-named work. About fifteen shell were thrown into the Chesterfield battery. This battery opened upon Battery Numbers 5 and the line of works near it, and six were thrown into a retreating column of the enemy when it was on the plain in front of Battery Numbers 9. Fearing an advance, in case of the failure of a pending charge by our forces, fired only when the enemy’s troops were in sight, having only about 100 rounds for each piece (three pieces).
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN O’BRIEN,
First, Lieutenant, First Connecticut Artillery, Commanding Battery Numbers 4.
Lieutenant W. S. MALONY,
A. A. A. G., Siege Batteries, Before Petersburg, Va.
Source:
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 182 ↩