Deep Bottom I VA069

supportedunresolved Hancock says success depended on the enemy's works being thinly held and the movement a surprise, and that during the night of the 27th he learned the enemy were reinforcing from south of the James.

Attributed knowledge from an interested report.

supportedunresolved Humphreys says two ponton bridges spanned the James at Deep Bottom; Hancock says Butler's pickets lit fires along the night road and that gunboat fire was directed on the enemy by signals.

Movement and support statements; no supply return inspected.

supportedunresolved Humphreys says the cavalry was to dash on Richmond if favorable or else destroy the railroads to the Anna rivers, the chief object, and that Grant thought the movement might weaken the Petersburg lines enough for the mine assault; Hancock says he was to hold a position to stop the enemy crossing troops north of the James.

Stated aims from an interested history and report.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Confederate victory; NPS says the Union turning efforts were abandoned when the Confederates reinforced and counterattacked. Hancock reports four 20-pounder Parrotts taken on the 27th and nearly 200 prisoners on the 28th; Humphreys says the expedition reduced the Petersburg garrison to three infantry divisions and drew two of three cavalry divisions north.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit. The diversion's effect on July 30 is campaign contribution, not this record's result.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads 1,000 total; the live field reads zero. Humphreys puts the casualties at some 300 and says Sheridan's troopers took 250 prisoners and two colors; Hancock's casualty list is blank in OCR.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap.

supportedunresolved Hancock says he decided, with Sheridan and Meade's approval, to cross at the lower bridge and turn the position, and that Grant did not want the works assaulted; Humphreys credits Sheridan's dismounted troopers with repulsing Kershaw's attack. The frozen commanders are Major General Hancock (US) and Major General Field (CS); the live page matches.

Direction attributed as stated; Field's role is not described in the inspected passages. No listed commander receives automatic sole credit.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. The frozen side-specific numerical strength bounds are blank (missing_numeric_strength). No figure in this pass is adopted as a simultaneous opening force.

supportedunresolved The frozen force field reads 'Corps' and the live field zero. Hancock names Gibbon's, Barlow's and Mott's divisions with Sheridan's cavalry, adds Birge's brigade of a little over 2,500, and relays Grant's information of seven enemy brigades and a little cavalry in his front. Humphreys says Wilcox's and Kershaw's divisions held the line, Heth's joined on the 27th, and Field's and Fitzhugh Lee's divisions on the 29th.

Formation lists and one brigade figure; no return for either force. None is adopted as a matched opening strength; live zeros are not measured absence.

supportedinherited Hancock says the enemy's works behind Bailey's Creek offered great advantages, the creek hard to cross under fire and about 1,000 yards of open ground before the works; Humphreys says the line ran from the mouth to Fussell's mill with the left refused.

The creek and the Confederate works predate the Union crossing. No map verification.