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This month's Forgotten Battle is...
The Battle of Wilson's Wharf (Fort Pocahontas)
Intro
The battle of Wilson's Wharf took place on May 24, 1864. It was fought between infantry soldiers of the Union Army of the Potomac against cavalry of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in what is now Charles County, Virginia. This small battle was the first confrontation between black soldiers and the Army of Northern Virginia and would become a major turning point in the war to end slavery.
Part I
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation (aka: Proclamation 95). This declared that all slaves within the Confederate States of America were now free in the eyes of the Union and all slaves who successfully escaped bondage would be permanently free. In addition to this, former slaves would be permitted to serve within the Union Army and Navy. Although this did not include the slaves within the border states (Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware), Lincoln had officially changed the narrative of the Civil War. The war against secession was now a war against slavery.
The impact of Lincoln's proclamation was felt almost immediately. Thousands of slaves across the south soon found the courage to escape from their plantations and enlist in the Union Army. This in turn, caused the Confederacy to lose a large percentage of their workforce and also deprived them of international recognition from the countries of France and Great Britain.
In May of 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant launched his Overland Campaign against Confederate General Robert E. Lee. During this campaign, a series of bloody battles were fought across the state of Virginia that cost both armies very dearly. However, the more ground the Union armies gained, the more slaves in the south were inspired to escape to freedom. In addition to this, a series of outposts and fortifications were constructed along the rivers to guard supply lines. One of them was located outside Charles City on the James River. It was called, Fort Pocahontas.
Part II
The man who was in command of Fort Pocahontas was, Brigadier General Edward Wild. General Wild was a former physician who had joined the army in 1861. He had previously seen combat at First Bull Run and South Mountain (where he had lost his left arm). An ardent supporter of the Abolitionist Movement, he had raised a regiment that was almost entirely comprised of former slaves and free blacks (they were nicknamed, the African Brigade).
During the month of May 1864, he had landed with his regiment in support of General Benjamin Butler's Bermuda Hundred Campaign. At a place called Wilson's Wharf (a rendezvous point for a steamboat line on the James River), General Wild's men constructed a stronghold. Due to its close proximity to Jamestown, they named the fortification, Fort Pocahontas. The fort's garrison was manned by a total of 1,100 soldiers. They included the whole regiment of the 1st United States Colored Troops (USCT), four companies from the 10th USCT, and a section of Battery M of the 3rd New York light artillery (armed with two 10-pounder Parrot rifles). Other than the artillery men and the officers, the entire garrison was composed of black soldiers. On May 23, they were joined by the gunboat, USS Dawn (which was armed with 2 x 32-pounder guns).
When Confederate President Jefferson Davis learned of a "black fortification" being built at Wilson's Wharf, he became enraged and sent orders for Major General Fitzhugh Lee to capture it. General Lee (Robert E. Lee's nephew) took his cavalry brigade and road to the wharf. He arrived outside the fort on the morning of May 24 with 2,500 men.
Part III
At 11 in the morning, several confederate scouts approached the fort and exchanged fire with the black soldiers on guard duty. After noting the poor condition of the fort and the "inferior garrison", they withdrew and reported back to General Lee. Expecting a quick and easy victory, Lee sent a surrender demand to General Wild at 1:30 PM that day. He promised that the black soldiers would receive the same treatment as white soldiers as prisoners of war. But if the demand was rejected, then he (General Lee) would, "not be answerable for the consequences".
Although, he was outnumbered more than two to one and Fort Pocahontas was only partially complete, General Wild did not believe Lee's promise of "humane treatment". Only a month earlier, a garrison of black soldiers had been attacked by confederate cavalry at Fort Pillow in Tennessee. Even after surrendering, nearly all the black soldiers had been massacred. Wild sent a written reply to Lee that read, "Present my compliments to General Lee and tell him to go to hell. Take the fort if you can". Angered by this, Lee's men prepared to launch their attack. The fighting began at 2:30 PM.
General Lee ordered a two-pronged attack to be launched on Fort Pocahontas. Lee sent one brigade to attack the left flank of Fort Pocahontas. This attack was meant to be a diversion while Lee sent two other brigades to attack the fort's unfinished right wall. Unfortunately for the rebels, General Wild had anticipated this and had both his cannons moved there. The advancing cavalry (who were dismounted) ran into an abatis and were cut down by enfilading fire from both the defending infantry and artillery. Simultaneously, the rebel attack on the left was also beaten back with heavy casualties.
Unwilling to accept defeat, General Lee ordered another charge on the fort's unfinished right wall. Using the cover of the dense woods, the confederate cavalry once again advanced dismounted. And once again they were stopped by heavy fire from the fort's defenders. This time, the USS Dawn also began lobbing shells into the confederates as they tried to get through the abatis. The few who managed to reach the fort's wall were killed with bayonets. Due to the massacre at Fort Pillow, the defenders decided to take no prisoners that day. The fighting continued for the next four hours until finally, Lee called off further assaults and retreated from the area. By 6 PM, the battle of Wilson's Wharf was over.
Epilogue
Compared to other battles in the Civil War, the casualties at Wilson's Wharf were relatively light, yet far lopsided. Reports of the casualties for each side vary by sources. The accepted number of union casualties is 6 killed and 40 wounded. General Lee did not report his casualties. But it is believed that the confederates suffered between 150 to 200 killed and wounded.
For the confederates, the battle was a highly embarrassing defeat. General Fitzhugh Lee would never be in full command for the rest of the war. In his report, he claimed that his army had been defeated by a "well-entrenched" enemy backed by six gunboats. He also neglected to mention that the garrison was made up of black soldiers.
For the union, the battle at Wilson's Wharf was a small yet important morale victory. For the first time, black soldiers had stood their ground against the Army of Northern Virginia and emerged victorious. It proved that they could hold their own against overwhelming odds and inspired many more men (black and white) to enlist in the union armies and continue the bloody fight to end slavery in the United States. Today, the battlefield at Fort Pocahontas has been preserved for visitors. It remains a testament to General Wild and his African Brigade's brave stand in the name of freedom.
https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/wilsons-wharf-confederate-beatdown/
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/thenceforward-and-forever-free
