Five Forks VA088

supportedunresolved Humphreys relays Gillespie's testimony that no reconnaissance of the Confederate works was made before the attack and that he did not know of the return, says the Fifth Corps' flank fire showed the works did not reach the Gravelly Run Church road, and says Pickett was north of Hatcher's Run, hearing nothing and uninformed, with no Confederate commander on the field.

Attributed knowledge in an interested history drawing on court testimony.

supportedunresolved Humphreys quotes the Court of Inquiry that the Fifth Corps' route to its formation was a narrow, muddy, slippery road encumbered with cavalry wagons and led horses, and that the men were fatigued.

A court finding quoted in an interested history; no transport return inspected.

supportedunresolved Humphreys says Pickett was directed to hold Five Forks to cover the South Side Railroad and the wagon-roads Lee meant to use in abandoning Petersburg and Richmond, and that Sheridan's plan was a cavalry feint against the Confederate right with the Fifth Corps assaulting the left; Sheridan says he meant to crush the force and drive westward those who escaped.

Stated aims from a history and an interested report.

supportedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Union victory. Sheridan reports the complete rout of the enemy and a pursuit of six miles; Humphreys calls Sheridan's success complete and says Anderson's troops were sent that night to cover the collection of Pickett's disorganized command.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit. The threat to the South Side Railroad and the evacuation of Petersburg are campaign consequences, not this record's result.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads 3,780 (US 830; CS 2,950) and the live field 3,830 (US 830; CS 3,000). Sheridan reported on April 2 five guns and 'at least 5,000 prisoners', and on May 16 between 5,000 and 6,000 prisoners. Humphreys gives not less than 4,500 prisoners, 13 colors and 6 guns from the Fifth Corps and cavalry reports, Warren's 3,244 captured and 634 lost, and the Adjutant-General's prison records' 2,063 for Five Forks on April 1 (2,599 in all entries, including Dinwiddie Court House, Hatcher's Run and April 2); he did not find the cavalry's loss for this battle.

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. The prison-record entries include other places and April 2 and are not all this record's population.

disputedunresolved Sheridan says Warren did not exert himself to bring up his corps and that portions of his line gave way for want of confidence, and that he relieved him under authority sent unsolicited before the battle; Humphreys prints the Court of Inquiry's opinion that there was no unnecessary delay and that Warren took the usual methods to prevent it, says Sheridan rode with Ayres and Warren led Crawford's line across the Gilliam field with the corps flag, and judges it a grave mistake to require Pickett to fight at Five Forks. The frozen commanders are Pickett (CS) and Sheridan (US), as on the live page; NPS says Sheridan personally directed the attack.

Sheridan's accusations and the court's opinion conflict and are attributed, not adjudicated; Humphreys' judgment of Pickett's position is his own. Warren is not a frozen commander. 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. Sheridan gives the effective force of his three cavalry divisions, as assembled when Crook's division reported on March 27 (the figure is not itself dated), as 9,000 (Merritt 5,700, Crook 3,300) and Mackenzie's division as about 1,000 effective men; Humphreys says Crawford's and Griffin's were the largest and Ayres's the smallest of the Fifth Corps divisions, and gives Pickett's five brigades about 6,600 enlisted men on the February 20 return.

Figures on different dates and bases (Union campaign-opening effective cavalry; a Confederate February return by formation); Crook's division was not seriously engaged. None is adopted as a matched opening strength; live zeros are not measured absence.

supportedunresolved Humphreys says Pickett intrenched along the White Oak road about a mile west and three-quarters of a mile east of Five Forks with a return about a hundred yards long at his left, that the country was thickly wooded, and that the density of the woods kept the sound of firing from Pickett north of Hatcher's Run; Sheridan says it was no place to intrench.

The woods predate the battle; the works were built that morning and are not tagged inherited. No map verification.