The Battle of the Crater: a Novel
“the sergeant major commanded and then paused. “And look smart!”
Sergeant Major Garland White moved to the side of the column, looking back down the length of the 28th to see that orders were being followed. He then glanced over the side of the “roadway,” filled with awe and, admittedly, nervousness as well.
They were crossing the James River over the great pontoon bridge, which spanned nearly a mile in length. After the disaster at Cold Harbor, the Army of the Potomac had been stalled in front ...of Richmond for another week. Their movement, which had started in early May, was halted. Nearly all thought it would now be a repeat of McClellan’s disastrous Peninsula Campaign of 1862, with General Grant also conceding defeat and withdrawing back toward Fredericksburg.
But the western general, a veteran of maneuvering up and down the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Mississippi Rivers, had an ace up his sleeve after all. The massive bridge was constructed in secret, towed up the river in sections during the night, and, in less than a day, anchored in place.MoreLess
Sergeant Major Garland White moved to the side of the column, looking back down the length of the 28th to see that orders were being followed. He then glanced over the side of the “roadway,” filled with awe and, admittedly, nervousness as well.
They were crossing the James River over the great pontoon bridge, which spanned nearly a mile in length. After the disaster at Cold Harbor, the Army of the Potomac had been stalled in front ...of Richmond for another week. Their movement, which had started in early May, was halted. Nearly all thought it would now be a repeat of McClellan’s disastrous Peninsula Campaign of 1862, with General Grant also conceding defeat and withdrawing back toward Fredericksburg.
But the western general, a veteran of maneuvering up and down the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Mississippi Rivers, had an ace up his sleeve after all. The massive bridge was constructed in secret, towed up the river in sections during the night, and, in less than a day, anchored in place.MoreLess
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