Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[672] as much time had been wasted as was necessary to complete them, General Weitzel, my chief engineer, reported to me that not half the work which I supposed had been completed, had been done.

Still the capture of Petersburg lay near my heart. It will be seen that the removal of Smith's corps on the 29th of May, when they were ready to march to capture Petersburg, had frustrated that capture for the second time, as the false reports from Washington had done the first time. I caused the most accurate reports possible of the strength of my forces to be made to me, and I also caused the most accurate investigations to be made into the question whether some portions of the enemy's troops had not been withdrawn from Petersburg after the removal of Smith's corps had become known to the rebels, upon the supposition on their part that I would afterwards undertake no offensive operations.

In all movements my corps commanders put little or no reliance upon the efficiency of my negro troops. There was a stupid, unreasoning, and quite vengeful prejudice against them among the regular officers of our army with the exception of General Weitzel, who had seen their performances in conjunction with his expedition in the Department of the Gulf.

There was a belief among the rebels that we were evacuating Bermuda Hundred, and they tested it by several reconnoissances, and by one quite determined attack upon the right of the line. This attack was easily repulsed by General Terry, but with very considerable loss.

After conferring with General Hinks as to the number of negro troops that he could furnish — and he, not being a regular officer, relied upon them,--I planned an expedition against Petersburg, and summoned him to a conference upon that subject.

While we were conferring, General Gillmore, who had been called upon to report what number of troops could possibly be spared from his intrenchments for a movement, visited headquarters and was admitted to the conference. When the condition of things at Petersburg was disclosed to him, and when he learned that I proposed to send General Hinks in command of the expedition, he became very strongly impressed with the great probability of its success, and insisted that he ought to command it, being senior officer. He volunteered to go, and claimed it as his right and as a matter of