R
eports of a massive enemy force
crossing the James River to assail
the paper-thin Confederate lines
defending Richmond reached Lt. Gen.
Richard S. Ewell before dawn on Septem-
ber 29, 1864. Ewell rode immediately to
Fort Harrison, the point where the Feder-
als were hammering his lines. Gallopingahead of reinforcements, Ewell met only
the fleeing remnants of the fort’s defenders.
Years later, R.S. Rock of the Goochland
Artillery would recall that the scattered
gunners and foot soldiers “were running
so fast that it seemed the balls thrown at
us from our own guns that had been cap-
tured and turned toward us couldn’t comefast enough to catch us. He tried to rally
us, and I heard him say: ‘What in the hell
are you running for?’ A soldier as he ran
by him like the wind yelled back: ‘Because
we can’t fly.’” The general found a huge
and growing gap in the Confederate shield
around the capital city. Substantial rein-
forcements were hours away. Ewell was© Don Troiani / Corbis 19CWQ-EW16 Chaffins Bluff *missing map_Layout 1 10/22/15 2:00 PM Page 19