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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)
| Civil War Hanover Court House Battle Map |
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| Hanover Court House Virginia Battlefield Map |
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. Continued below...
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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