Fort Harrison, Private George A. Buchanan Dedication
| Fort Harrison National Cemetery Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia Petersburg National Battlefield Park Petersburg, Virginia Richmond National Battlefield Park Richmond, Virginia Endview Plantation, Dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and interpretation of the Endview Plantation house and grounds, and the explanation of the role of the Civil War in fundamentally altering American culture, society and history. |
| "Good afternoon and thank you one and all: First, for being here to honor our fallen heroes, and second for extending me the honor of being your speaker and assisting in the posting of the memorial wreath. As a United States Army veteran, it is truly a humbling experience to have the opportunity to be in a position to publicly pay homage to my fallen comrades. Regardless of what war, regardless of what time period, or on what side of the flag they fell, each were warriors all. We are gathered here today on a very unique site to recognize an equally unique group of warriors. Although this cemetery does not, to the best of my knowledge, hold the remains of any Confederate soldiers, I feel that on this day and at this time we recognize and honor the fact that all of the more than 7000 men who gave up their lives and their bodies here were men who in the true tradition of this country, our country, fought and died for what they believed in their hearts was right. Let us not forget, either, that this war not only pitted white brother against white brother, but often black brother against black brother as well. |
When we speak of black combatants it forces us to shift our gaze and
our minds a couple of miles to the east, to Newmarket Heights and
visualize the 3000 United States Colored Troops, or USCT’s, who were
engaged there in a combined effort with the assault here at Fort
Harrison. Visualize and remember 3000 USCT’s, who, in a mere 80
minutes suffered a nearly 52 percent casualty rate in achieving their
objective.
As an historian with a concentration on the USCT in general and the
Battle of Newmarket Heights in particular, I remain confused and
somewhat frustrated that the battle that took place here is classified as a
minor or lesser battle. In my humble, yet critical opinion, I consider it to
be the last major battle of the Civil War. For, if one views the battle as a
chess board and the player is always thinking several moves ahead, as
most military strategist will do, this is the battle that put General Robert
E. Lee and the Confederacy into check, soon thereafter to be 'mated'.
Dr. Louis H. Manarin in his highly acclaimed two volume work, Henrico
County Field Of Honor, refers to the battle as the “break out from deep
bottom”. I refer to it as the battle for the ‘Fu Temple Dogs’.
In China, ‘fu dogs’ are known for their ferociousness and courage in
protecting their assigned turf. In ancient China when a temple was
constructed a statue of a fu dog was erected on either side of the
entrance, with the mission of protecting the temple from invaders.
In my analogy, Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy, is the
temple. The entrance to the temple is the Peninsula corridor with Fort
Harrison commanding the waterways on the west and Newmarket
Heights commanding the roadways on the east. The fu temple dogs, as
they throughout history have become known, are the United States
Colored Troops under General Benjamin Butler.
General Benjamin Butler, who was always a controversial figure, was
never doubted as regards to his intelligence. The general crafted a
brilliant plan to open the way to the temple. What was different about
Butler’s plan? After all, the Union forces had tried twice before without
success to take fortress Richmond.
our minds a couple of miles to the east, to Newmarket Heights and
visualize the 3000 United States Colored Troops, or USCT’s, who were
engaged there in a combined effort with the assault here at Fort
Harrison. Visualize and remember 3000 USCT’s, who, in a mere 80
minutes suffered a nearly 52 percent casualty rate in achieving their
objective.
As an historian with a concentration on the USCT in general and the
Battle of Newmarket Heights in particular, I remain confused and
somewhat frustrated that the battle that took place here is classified as a
minor or lesser battle. In my humble, yet critical opinion, I consider it to
be the last major battle of the Civil War. For, if one views the battle as a
chess board and the player is always thinking several moves ahead, as
most military strategist will do, this is the battle that put General Robert
E. Lee and the Confederacy into check, soon thereafter to be 'mated'.
Dr. Louis H. Manarin in his highly acclaimed two volume work, Henrico
County Field Of Honor, refers to the battle as the “break out from deep
bottom”. I refer to it as the battle for the ‘Fu Temple Dogs’.
In China, ‘fu dogs’ are known for their ferociousness and courage in
protecting their assigned turf. In ancient China when a temple was
constructed a statue of a fu dog was erected on either side of the
entrance, with the mission of protecting the temple from invaders.
In my analogy, Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy, is the
temple. The entrance to the temple is the Peninsula corridor with Fort
Harrison commanding the waterways on the west and Newmarket
Heights commanding the roadways on the east. The fu temple dogs, as
they throughout history have become known, are the United States
Colored Troops under General Benjamin Butler.
General Benjamin Butler, who was always a controversial figure, was
never doubted as regards to his intelligence. The general crafted a
brilliant plan to open the way to the temple. What was different about
Butler’s plan? After all, the Union forces had tried twice before without
success to take fortress Richmond.
General Butler, along with General Ulysses S. Grant, looked at the battle field from a chessboard perspective as I am certain General
Lee did also. General Butler was convinced that for the attack to be successful Fort Harrison and Newmarket Heights must be a
combined assault done with maximum speed and with as much stealth and secrecy as possible. Butler was also convinced that not
only was his Army of the James the force to do the job, but that his USCT’s were physically and psychologically primed to take on the
most difficult tasks, the two fu dogs: Fort Harrison and Newmarket Heights.
General Grant, on the other hand, was much more skeptical of a successful outcome but recognized immediately that Confederate
General Lee, confidently assuming he could always reposition some of his Petersburg defenders, had left both the Fort and the
Heights positions lightly defended. Grant very astutely reasoned that Butler’s attack on Fort Harrison and Newmarket Heights would
force Lee to reposition his troops. With Lee relocating his troops to the north, the tactical situation for Grant in Petersburg would change
dramatically.
Lee did also. General Butler was convinced that for the attack to be successful Fort Harrison and Newmarket Heights must be a
combined assault done with maximum speed and with as much stealth and secrecy as possible. Butler was also convinced that not
only was his Army of the James the force to do the job, but that his USCT’s were physically and psychologically primed to take on the
most difficult tasks, the two fu dogs: Fort Harrison and Newmarket Heights.
General Grant, on the other hand, was much more skeptical of a successful outcome but recognized immediately that Confederate
General Lee, confidently assuming he could always reposition some of his Petersburg defenders, had left both the Fort and the
Heights positions lightly defended. Grant very astutely reasoned that Butler’s attack on Fort Harrison and Newmarket Heights would
force Lee to reposition his troops. With Lee relocating his troops to the north, the tactical situation for Grant in Petersburg would change
dramatically.
According to the Chinese philosopher and author of
The Art of War, Sun Tzu, the strategy of warfare is fire
and maneuver to the extent that you get the enemy to
fight your battle plan rather than his own. This is
exactly what happened on the morning of 29
September, 1864. General Butler sent General
Edward Otho Cresap Ord after the fu temple dog on
the west flank, Fort Harrison. Butler also sent
General David Bell Birney after the fu temple dog on
the east flank, Newmarket Heights.
General Ord led and directed his USCT troops
masterfully. In spite of taking heavy casualties his
assault secured Fort Harrison in 20 minutes.
Gen Birney, on the other hand, deployed his USCT
troops in an inept and piecemeal fashion. Despite
the fact that, even by today’s tactical standard he
was close to a 4-1 ratio of attacker to defender,
General Birney elected to initiate the assault with
only Colonel Thomas Duncan’s 3rd brigade, which
consisted of just two elements, the USCT 4th and
6th regiments. With a total of 600 men, a ratio of
less than 1 attacker to 1 defender, without
supporting artillery, in spite of these overwhelming
odds, the two regiments managed to reach the
breastworks 850 yards away. Elements of the 4th
actually penetrated the works, requiring the
defending Texans to redeploy their troops to
reinforce the breach.
To the best of my knowledge, other than the official
military record of both the Union and Confederate
forces, Dr. Manarin is the only researcher, other than
myself, to acknowledge in a critical work the fact that
USCT troops breached the Confederate works at
Newmarket Heights. Amazingly, even Colonel
Duncan did not know his troops had breached and
withdrew his forces.
General Birney then dispatched Colonel Alonzo
Granville Draper’s 2nd brigade of three regiments,
including roughly 1100 USCT troops to attack the
Heights. It must have been tough for those troops,
about to launch an attack over the same terrain and
against the same defenders, seeing less than a
third of their brothers returning after less than an
hour of fighting. Nonetheless, on order they charged
with a shout that a Confederate account said
sounded like a thousand wild bulls being let loose.
The 2nd brigade also suffered mightily but was able
to enter the confederate works at Newmarket
Heights, en masse. This was not only due to the
tenacity of their attack and the bravery of the
attackers, but also due to the success the USCT’s
achieved here at Fort Harrison. The Fort Harrison
victory made it impossible for either Confederate
position, although they tried, to reinforce the other.
The Art of War, Sun Tzu, the strategy of warfare is fire
and maneuver to the extent that you get the enemy to
fight your battle plan rather than his own. This is
exactly what happened on the morning of 29
September, 1864. General Butler sent General
Edward Otho Cresap Ord after the fu temple dog on
the west flank, Fort Harrison. Butler also sent
General David Bell Birney after the fu temple dog on
the east flank, Newmarket Heights.
General Ord led and directed his USCT troops
masterfully. In spite of taking heavy casualties his
assault secured Fort Harrison in 20 minutes.
Gen Birney, on the other hand, deployed his USCT
troops in an inept and piecemeal fashion. Despite
the fact that, even by today’s tactical standard he
was close to a 4-1 ratio of attacker to defender,
General Birney elected to initiate the assault with
only Colonel Thomas Duncan’s 3rd brigade, which
consisted of just two elements, the USCT 4th and
6th regiments. With a total of 600 men, a ratio of
less than 1 attacker to 1 defender, without
supporting artillery, in spite of these overwhelming
odds, the two regiments managed to reach the
breastworks 850 yards away. Elements of the 4th
actually penetrated the works, requiring the
defending Texans to redeploy their troops to
reinforce the breach.
To the best of my knowledge, other than the official
military record of both the Union and Confederate
forces, Dr. Manarin is the only researcher, other than
myself, to acknowledge in a critical work the fact that
USCT troops breached the Confederate works at
Newmarket Heights. Amazingly, even Colonel
Duncan did not know his troops had breached and
withdrew his forces.
General Birney then dispatched Colonel Alonzo
Granville Draper’s 2nd brigade of three regiments,
including roughly 1100 USCT troops to attack the
Heights. It must have been tough for those troops,
about to launch an attack over the same terrain and
against the same defenders, seeing less than a
third of their brothers returning after less than an
hour of fighting. Nonetheless, on order they charged
with a shout that a Confederate account said
sounded like a thousand wild bulls being let loose.
The 2nd brigade also suffered mightily but was able
to enter the confederate works at Newmarket
Heights, en masse. This was not only due to the
tenacity of their attack and the bravery of the
attackers, but also due to the success the USCT’s
achieved here at Fort Harrison. The Fort Harrison
victory made it impossible for either Confederate
position, although they tried, to reinforce the other.
There are those who would argue that had
the Confederates not withdrawn from
Newmarket Heights from fear of being cut off,
the Union USCT’s would not have taken the
Heights. This is possibly true, however
remember, warfare is not about how many of
the enemy you kill, but, your ability to force the
enemy to fight your battle plan, on your terms.
On the morning of 29 September, 1864,
determined and brave Union warriors, both
black and white, forced equally determined
and brave Confederate warriors to do just
that, fight the Union’s battle plan. The result
was that the fu temple dogs, Fort Harrison
and Newmarket Heights, were neutralized
forcing Lee and the Confederacy into check,
soon to be 'mated'.
In the past few minutes I have briefly told the
story of the many men who died at these two
sites and are buried in these grounds. But it
is also the story of the many who died later of
wounds suffered here on the morning of 29
September, 1864, as well as the story of all
of our brave American men and women who
have fought and died in all of the wars waged
in the defense and honor of this great
country, in the name of freedom.
the Confederates not withdrawn from
Newmarket Heights from fear of being cut off,
the Union USCT’s would not have taken the
Heights. This is possibly true, however
remember, warfare is not about how many of
the enemy you kill, but, your ability to force the
enemy to fight your battle plan, on your terms.
On the morning of 29 September, 1864,
determined and brave Union warriors, both
black and white, forced equally determined
and brave Confederate warriors to do just
that, fight the Union’s battle plan. The result
was that the fu temple dogs, Fort Harrison
and Newmarket Heights, were neutralized
forcing Lee and the Confederacy into check,
soon to be 'mated'.
In the past few minutes I have briefly told the
story of the many men who died at these two
sites and are buried in these grounds. But it
is also the story of the many who died later of
wounds suffered here on the morning of 29
September, 1864, as well as the story of all
of our brave American men and women who
have fought and died in all of the wars waged
in the defense and honor of this great
country, in the name of freedom.
They are warriors whose names we know and those we will never know. They are
buried, respectfully, from Arlington Cemetery to Flanders Field and they are also
buried in graves unknown and unmarked. Remember them all! Not just on this day
but on everyday. Remember also the brave men and women, who, while not dead,
will carry for the rest of their lives the horrific mental and physical scars of the time
they fought the good fight. And finally, let us pledge here today to never again let our
warriors in the field of battle become the victims of how we might feel personally or
politically about a particular cause or a conflict.
buried, respectfully, from Arlington Cemetery to Flanders Field and they are also
buried in graves unknown and unmarked. Remember them all! Not just on this day
but on everyday. Remember also the brave men and women, who, while not dead,
will carry for the rest of their lives the horrific mental and physical scars of the time
they fought the good fight. And finally, let us pledge here today to never again let our
warriors in the field of battle become the victims of how we might feel personally or
politically about a particular cause or a conflict.
Thank you for sharing this story with me and
sharing in this occasion as we honor our
fallen comrades, and their family members, by
posting the memorial wreath on the grave of
Medal of Honor recipient Private George A.
Buchanan, Company G 148th New York
Infantry.
Cited for extreme bravery, having rushed out
in front of his fellow troops and forcing the
defenders away from their positions before,
himself, being killed. Thank you and may your
God bless you and shine light on your path."
...Dr. Wesley C. Wilson
sharing in this occasion as we honor our
fallen comrades, and their family members, by
posting the memorial wreath on the grave of
Medal of Honor recipient Private George A.
Buchanan, Company G 148th New York
Infantry.
Cited for extreme bravery, having rushed out
in front of his fellow troops and forcing the
defenders away from their positions before,
himself, being killed. Thank you and may your
God bless you and shine light on your path."
...Dr. Wesley C. Wilson
Presentation Speech By Dr. Wesley C. Wilson
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