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Battle of Hanover Court House: Union Report
HANOVER COURTHOUSE, VA
MAY 27TH, 1862
(Also known as Slash Church
and Kinney's Farm)
Hanover Courthouse, Va., May 27, 1862. Fifth
Provisional Army Corps. At 4 a.m. of this date,
the
expedition, under command of Brig. Gen. Fitz John Porter, left
New bridge to attack the Confederate position at
Hanover Court
House. At the same time a brigade under Col. Warren left Old
Church, its object being to take the enemy
in flank and rear
while Emory's and Morell's brigades attacked his front. At
Peake's station, 2 miles from Hanover
Court House, Emory's
advance of two regiments of cavalry and a battery of light
artillery, met the enemy and immediately
engaged him. The
25th N. Y. and Berdan's sharpshooters were deployed as
skirmishers under the protection of a section
of Benson's
battery. A squadron of cavalry and a battery of light
artillery were sent to the left on the Ashland road
to guard
the flank and destroy the railroad and soon encountered a
detachment of the enemy attempting to outflank
the column
Martindale's brigade was sent to reinforce the squadron and
Butterfield's brigade was put in position to
strengthen the
front, advancing rapidly and driving the enemy before it.
Learning of the location of the enemy's camp
Porter sent
Martindale up the railroad to get in its rear. In the
meantime Warren's command joined the main body which
was put
in motion for Hanover Court House, a portion of Warren's
cavalry being sent to destroy the bridges over the
Pamunkey
river, east of the railroad. The head of the main column had
no sooner reached Hanover Court House than it
was faced about
and hurried back to the former battlefield, Porter haying
received word that the Confederates were
attacking his rear.
He found Martindale contending against greatly superior
numbers, but upon the attack on his rear
and flank by the
brigade under Butterfield, the enemy broke and fled, the
Federal cavalry pursuing until darkness
put a stop to
operations. The Union losses were 62 killed, 213 wounded, and
70 missing. The Federal forces buried
over 200 of the enemy's
dead and captured some 700 prisoners. (This engagement is
also known as Slash Church and Kinney's
Farm.)
Source: The Union Army, vol. 5
Recommended
Reading: Battle of Hanover Court House: Turning Point of the Peninsula
Campaign, May 27, 1862 (Hardcover). Description:
Researched from official reports as well as contemporary accounts, this is the first detailed look at the battle most widely
known as Hanover Court House and Slash Church.
The opening chapters set the stage for this crucial battle and outline the events that led up to May 27, 1862, and the high
tide of the Peninsula Campaign. The book’s main focus is the series of battles that took place between the forces of
Union V Corps commander Fitz John Porter and Confederate general Lawrence O’Bryan Branch. Photographs of the battle's
central participants are included, along with appendices featuring the official reports of commanders and lists of casualties
from both sides.
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