At 12:30 AM on the June 10, 1862, the Federal flotilla left Fort Monroe for Ocean View, the landing area. They arrived off the beach at 1:30 AM where Lieutenant Colonel Cram would oversee the landing. Cram turned the first several barges into a “barge wharf” after their troops landed. He aligned then at right angles to the shore from head to stern extending out into the water deep enough for the lightest draft steamers to reach. An anchor from the Miami kept the outermost barge in place while carpenters and soldiers laid planking over them connecting the barges to the shore, and then extending it until the planking reached dry sand. The 20th NY, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Francis Weiss, was the first to land and started toward Indian Pole Bridge seven miles away. The artillery landed after the infantry and the cavalry last. Back at Fort Monroe Lincoln, Stanton, Wool and Viele had an early breakfast. Stanton initially informed Wool that he would not be commanding the expedition because of his advanced age (78 years). After Wool pleaded his case, Secretary Stanton changed his mind. Lincoln, Chase, and Stanton then sailed on the Baltimore, and Generals Wool, Viele and Joseph Mansfield (commander at Fort Butler in Newport News), took the Kansas to the landing site off Ocean View, the area of the landing site near Ocean View Park in Norfolk is shown below.
By the time they arrived at 8:00 AM a large number of troops had already gone forward. Stanton asked Chase to accompany the column on the march to Norfolk, while he and President Lincoln returned to Fort Monroe. The 1st DE was the second regiment to land around 9:00 followed by the 16th MA an hour later. Wool had only provided one order for the march and that concerned the treatment of local civilians. He failed to delineate who was actually in charge, which was a problem since he was not present for the initial part of the landing. When he did arrive Wool remained behind to aid in the coming ashore of the remaining troops. Brigadier Generals Mansfield and Viele, and Secretary Chase rode with the 1st Delaware. Below is a map compiled for Lieutenant Colonel Dram by Sergeant Worret. I have drawn on it what I believe were the routes the Federals took.
The road toward Tanner’s Creek and the wooden Indian Pole bridge (modern day Granby Street Bridge) was the shortest route to Norfolk. The task of securing the bridge, which would shorten the route to Norfolk by 3-4 miles was charged to the 20th NY. It was a warm day and the inexperienced troops who were not used to marching had loaded their knapsacks heavily. Many suffered from heat exhaustion and sun stroke as the day went on. Around 1:00 PM about three miles from the bridge near Denby’s Church the 20th NY ran into a group of Confederates near their camp, shown on the map- labeled Louisiana Company. When the Rebels learned that the Federals had landed at Ocean View the men formed a line of battle at the church. As the Union column approached, they fell back toward Norfolk to Tanner’s Bridge. There were about 1,500 Rebels there. As Generals Weber and Mansfield rode toward the bridge they could see smoke rising in the distance from the bridge. The Civil War Indian Pole Bridge is at/near where the modern-day Granby Street Bridge is located, shown below.
As the 20th NY’s skirmish line advanced toward the bridge they fired a volley at the Confederates on the opposite side of the three quarters of a mile wide creek to no avail. Without artillery, which was several miles away, they could not prevent the bridge from going up in flames. The Confederates on the opposite bank did have artillery and fired what was estimated to be 13 shells at the Federals. The column was ordered to retrace their steps and take the alternative route, shown in black on the map above. As Chase and Viele rode toward the bridge they could see the effects that a lack of leadership was wreaking. Chase asked several regimental colonels who they reported to and what their orders were. He got three different answers including: General Weber, General Mansfield, while others did not know. One stated the only order he received was what road to take. Chase also found four regiments who didn’t know what road to take, other regiments not assigned to a brigade, and both brigadier generals sitting by the roadside awaiting orders. Secretary Chase was so infuriated that he ordered General Wool to bring up his cavalry and artillery immediately. This had the desired effect of bringing Wool to the front.
Chase chastised Wool for the lack of command and control and threatened to put Brigadier General Viele in charge. Wool then did what should have been done before the Federals landed. He divided his force into two brigades with Brigadier General Viele in charge of one and Brigadier General Weber in charge of the other. Mansfield was sent back to Newport News to bring over and command two of his own regiments. The cavalry and skirmishers were placed at the head of the column. They retraced their steps back to the intersection, shown on the map above in black, and headed south on the alternative route which would take them by a large Confederate field fortification and camp (labeled Rebel Camps in the lower part of the map). When they passed the fortifications, there were still 21 guns in the abandoned works and the barracks were burned. As 5:00 PM approached the column was about two miles from the city. Lincoln, who had not yet heard from Wool, summoned General Mansfield and Colonel Carr to his office demanding to known why they weren’t involved in the attack on Norfolk. Their answers only made things worse. Carr stated he had no orders to be there and Mansfield that Wool had ordered him to return. Lincoln immediately dictated an order for Carr’s men at Camp Hamilton to join the expedition and the troops already there be pushed forward as fast as possible.
In the meantime the Confederates continued their evacuation. The Norfolk Light Artillery Blues and the Jackson Grays escaped on trains. Cotton near the railroad depot was burned and the Gosport Navy Yard was on fire. The Confederates mined the dry-dock, destroyed machinery, and burned most of the buildings. The William Selden, Harmony, Kahukee, Plymouth, Pilot Boy, Escambia and Elizabeth were burned. Fifteen schooners, and two steamers were set on fire. Four unfinished gunboats on the stocks were also destroyed. The transport William Selden and a several small tugs were all fired. In the morning General Huger sent a note to Mayor Lamb telling him that with the departure of troops, he could no longer defend the city, He was turning over Norfolk to the civil authorities. Lamb met with both city councils (Select and Common) who agreed to surrender the city peacefully. They would, however, attempt to delay the process as long as possible in order to distribute food stores in military warehouses to their citizens and allow the soldiers more time to escape. Mayor Lamb and the council members then took two carriages and rode to the city limits to await the arrival of the Federals.
Lincoln and Stanton growing increasingly impatient for news of how the expedition was proceeding decided to go back to the landing site and see for themselves. They arrived off Ocean View around 4:00 PM, came ashore, and met with Lieutenant Colonel Cram. There they learned that the bridge on the direct route was burned by the Rebels and that the column was proceeding toward the city via the longer route and that he had sent artillery forward. The pair stayed about an hour but with no additional news forthcoming they returned to Fort Monroe.
A short distance beyond the abandoned Rebel camp Chase, Viele and Wool at the head of the Federal column got their first view of the city in the distance. Soon thereafter they saw a man in front of a small white house waving a white flag. It was Mayor Lamb along with members of the city council. They all went into the house where the mayor proceeded to read a series of long rambling documents before turning over the keys to the city. This process gave the Confederates in the city time to get their artillery and stores over the ferry to Portsmouth, and for the fires at the navy yard to continue to burn. As a further delaying tactic, the mayor insisted the Union leaders join him in the two carriages for a ride to city hall leaving the troops behind. City Hall today is part of the MacArthur museum, shown below (36.8475905, -76.2886095).
General Wool, the mayor, and council members rode in one carriage, while Viele rode with additional council members in the second carriage. They were accompanied by Wool’s personal military guard on horseback, illustrated below.
Once at city hall the group proceeded to a large room on the second floor for more speeches by the mayor. After the meeting there adjourned Chase and Wool returned with their escort to Ocean View. Brigadier General Viele was left behind as military governor to secure the city. Viele was in a precarious position with the nearest Federal soldier miles away with no one to help him. He appointed a New York Times reporter as his aide and sent him back to the abandoned Confederate camp outside the city where the rest of the army was located with orders to send troops to Norfolk quickly. The 16th MA, under Colonel Powell Wyman, headed to town arriving about 7:00 PM. After a night guarding the town they went to Portsmouth where Wyman would serve as military governor. Two companies of the 10th NY (D and E commanded by Captains Miner and Patrick) followed arriving around sunset and established their headquarters at the Customs House. The 99th NY also arrived raising the flag over the Custom’s House, illustrated below.
John Nash, Portsmouth’s mayor, surrendered the town without incident. The 20th NY arrived at the navy yard too late to rescue it but now the Virginia was cut off from its supply base. Viele deployed the newly arrived soldiers in Norfolk, the navy yard, and Portsmouth. He would stay at the Atlantic Hotel as would Union officers and reporters.
About ten in the morning Josiah Tatnall aboard the CSS Virginia learned that the Sewell’s Point battery had been abandoned, that a large enemy force had landed and was marching on Norfolk, the Gosport Navy Yard was aflame, all its officers had left the city, and the mayor was getting ready to surrender the city. Tattnall, his crew, and the CSS Virginia had been abandoned. The Confederates were leaving town and hadn’t bothered to notify him. Tatnall needed to now plan how he was going to save his ship. He felt that the Virginia was not stable enough to sail into the Atlantic and could not survive a storm in Chesapeake Bay. His only option was to try and get the ship up the James River closer to Richmond. The problem was the Virginia’s draft was 23 feet. The pilots told Tatnall that it would need to be reduced to 18 feet to get it within 40 miles of the city, which could be accomplished by removing about 300 tons of pig-iron ballast and everything that was nonessential. The crew drained the ship’s freshwater tanks that contained their drinking water and began dumping the ballast. By midnight the Virginia’s draft had been reduced to 20.5 feet. At this point the pilots informed Tatnall that the western blowing wind would reduce the level of the James River, so that even with a draft of 18 feet they could no longer get within 40 miles of Richmond. The ship would not even get past Jamestown. Now past midnight the pilots refused to take any responsibility for moving up the river.
By 1:00 AM General Wool and Secretary Chase made it back to the landing site. They boarded the Pioneer and returned to Fort Monroe to brief the president. Lincoln asked for Secretary of War Stanton to be awakened and join them, both men were dressed in their night clothes. Wool apparently told the president “No time for ceremony, Mr. President, Norfolk is ours!” Stanton wired a telegram to the war department and Major General McClellan that Norfolk, Portsmouth, and the navy yard had been retaken.
Next- The 1862 Union Reoccupation of Norfolk (Part 3)- The CSS Virginia
Source
Lincoln Takes Command The Campaign to Seize Norfolk and the Destruction of the CSS Virginia by Steve Norder
A Trip with Lincoln, Chase and Stanton by Egbert Ludovicus Viele (link)