Campaigns and Battles - Y

Y:  Yager's Mills, Virginia, to Yreka Road, California

Source: The Union Army, Vol. IV. Madison, Wisconsin: Federal Publishing Company, 1908.


Yager's Mills, Virginia, September 24, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Army of the Shenandoah. While pursuing the Confederates from Rude's hill the brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General G. A. Custer, met and routed a detachment of Imboden's cavalry near Yager's mills on Hawksbill creek, pursuing them on the charge for nearly 3 miles and capturing a number of prisoners. Casualties not stated in the official report of the affair.


Yankeetown, Tennessee, November 30, 1863. Detachments of 9th Pennsylvania and 1st East Tennessee Cavalry. Colonel Hughes' Confederate command attacked a Federal scouting party under Lieut. Bowman in the vicinity of Yankeetown and drove it to within 2 miles of Sparta. The garrison at the latter place went to Bowman's assistance and drove the Confederates 8 miles, killing 5. The Federal casualties were 5 killed, 1 wounded and 5 captured. Yates' Ford, Kentucky. August 31, 1862. 94th Ohio Infantry.


Yazoo City, Mississippi, February 28, 1864. Yazoo Expedition. On Sunday, the 28th, Colonel James H. Coates, commanding the expedition, disembarked his cavalry, the 1st Mississippi colored, 6 miles from Yazoo City and ordered it to reconnoiter in the rear of the city. Before long the pickets were attacked and Major Cook with a detachment of the cavalry started out and after some skirmishing came on Ross' entire command. About 3 p. m. he returned, closely pursued by a superior force of Confederates, who were only repulsed after the infantry had been advanced to meet them. The casualties were not reported.


Yazoo City, Mississippi, March 5, 1864. Yazoo Expedition. Early on Saturday morning the Confederates under Ross and Richardson began a vigorous attack on the Federal picket on the Benton road just outside of Yazoo City. The Union troops were collected in two redoubts, commanded respectively by Major McKee, with the 11th Illinois infantry, and Lieut.-Colonel Peebles, with part of the 8th Louisiana colored infantry, and in the city, where Colonel James H. Coates, leader of the expedition, was in command. By 10 a. m. the whole Federal line had become engaged, Coates saw an attempt was being made to outflank him, and before the four companies of the 8th Louisiana colored infantry which he hurried to the support of the detachment of the 1st Mississippi colored cavalry at that point could reach their destination Richardson's whole command was in the city, Page 960 between McKee and Coates' headquarters. Several times McKee was called on to surrender, but each time refused, even after he had been entirely surrounded. Coates posted his men in doorways and buildings and opened a telling fire upon the enemy in the streets. Subsequently he brought up a piece of artillery from one of the gunboats and under cover of its fire a charge was made at 2 p. m. The result was the driving out of the Confederates in the town and the force surrounding McKee, on seeing their comrades giving way, fell back in disorder. During the night the Confederates withdrew and the next day transports conveyed the expedition back to Vicksburg. The Federal loss in the expedition, which was a part of the Meridian campaign, was 31 killed, 121 wounded and 31 captured or missing, the larger part of whom fell at Yazoo City. Coates reported the Confederate loss on the 5th as 40 killed, but their own reports place it at 6 killed and 51 wounded.


Yazoo City, Mississippi, December 1, 1864 . Detachment of the 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry. Yazoo City, Mississippi (Note). During the operations tending toward the opening of the Mississippi river and in the Vicksburg campaign several expeditions were made against Yazoo City. The most important of these were in May, July, September and October, 1863, and in May and October, 1864. The various engagements that occurred during these movements are separately described under the proper titles.


Yazoo Pass, Mississippi, February 19, 1863. Detachment of the 1st Indiana Cavalry. While the effort was being made to open the Yazoo Pass route to Vicksburg Lieut.-Colonel W. F. Wood, with a portion of his regiment, engaged some of Forrest's cavalry near the Coldwater river and put them to rout. Six of the enemy were killed, 3 wounded and 15 captured, while the Union troops suffered no casualty. (See Vicksburg.)


Yellow Bayou, Louisiana, May 17-18, 1864. See Bayou de Glaize.)


Yellow Creek, Tennessee, May 22, 1863. Detachment of 5th Iowa Cavalry. Major Harlon Baird with a portion of the 5th la. was attacked by a party of the enemy in ambush on Yellow creek. The Federals were routed and chased 12 miles, losing 7 prisoners and 1 man wounded. The Confederate loss was not learned.


Yellow House, Virginia, August 18-21, 1864. Some of the Federal reports mention an action at Yellow House, while the operations against the Weldon railroad were in progress, during the siege of Petersburg, but from these reports it is difficult to determine the exact location of the house, or the character of the engagement. (See Weldon Railroad..)


Yellow Medicine, Minnesota, September 23, 1862. (See Wood Lake, same date.)


Yellow Tavern, Virginia, May 11, 1864. 1st and 3d Cavalry Divisions, Army of the Potomac. During the military operations about Spottsylvania, in the campaign from the Rapidan to the James, the 1st division, Brigadier-General A. T. A. Torbert commanding, encountered the Confederate cavalry under General J. E. B. Stuart at the Yellow tavern. The brigades of Devin and Merritt became engaged immediately, and Custer’s brigade was thrown in on Merritt's left. In front of Custer the enemy was strongly posted on a bluff behind a thin skirt of woods, and opened a heavy fire on his line before it was fairly formed. Brigadier-General J. H. Wilson, commanding the 3d division, was ordered to take position on the left of Custer and support that brigade. Custer dismounted the 5th and 6th Michigan and Wilson dismounted all his 1st brigade except the 1st Vermont, the dismounted men being deployed as skirmishers and thrown forward to drive the enemy from his position. A Confederate battery, concealed by the timber, had obtained perfect range of Custer's position and was doing considerable damage by its fire. By a personal examination of the ground, Page 961 Custer saw that the battery could be charged by keeping well to the right. Forming the 1st Michigan under cover of the wood, under command of Lieut. Colonel Stagg, the regiment was advanced to the edge of the timber, when the battery opened a brisk fire of canister. Just at this critical moment the dismounted men and Heaton's battery moved against the enemy in front and with a yell Stagg's men charged upon the battery, capturing 2 pieces of artillery, 2 limbers filled with ammunition and a number of prisoners. Chapman's brigade of Wilson's division charged at the same time, turning the defeat into a rout. It was in this charge the Confederate General Stuart was killed. Colonel Henry Clay Pate was also among the enemy's killed. In his report Custer says: "I have every reason to believe that the rebel General J. E. B. Stuart received his death wound from the hands of Private John A. Huff, Company E, 5th Michigan cavalry, who has since died from a wound received at Haw's shop." Concerning the death of Stuart, Wilson says in his report of the action at the Yellow tavern: "From it may be dated the permanent superiority of the national cavalry over that of the rebels."


Yorktown, Virginia, April 5-May 4, 1862. 2nd, 3d and 4th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. Yorktown is situated on the right bank of the York river, about 20 miles from Fortress Monroe. Opposite the town is Gloucester point, projecting into the river and reducing its width about one-half. A short distance from Yorktown the Warwick river rises and flows a southerly direction into the James river. In the early spring of 1862 the Confederate fortifications at Yorktown. Gloucester point and along the Warwick were manned by some 12,000 to 15,000 troops, all under the command of General J. B. Magruder. The Army of the Potomac, numbering about 145,000 men, was divided into four corps and was under the command of Major-General George B. McClellan. The 1st corps, commanded by General Irwin McDowell, was composed of the divisions of Franklin, McCall and King; the 2nd corps, General Edwin V. Sumner, embraced the divisions of Richardson, Blenker and Sedgwick: the 3d corps. General S. P. Heintzelman, consisted of the divisions of Porter, Hooker and Hamilton, and the 4th corps, under command of General E. D. Keyes, included the divisions of Couch. Smith and Casey. The reduction of Yorktown was the initial movement of the Peninsular campaign. McClellan's plan was to land the main body of his army at Fortress Monroe, establish a base there, and then move up the peninsula between the York and James rivers, while McDowell's corps was to land about 4 miles below Yorktown and move directly against that place. Or, if conditions were favorable, McDowell was to land on the left bank of the York river and carry the enemy's works at Gloucester point, after which he was to move to West Point, thereby gaining the rear of the works at Yorktown, which would compel the enemy to evacuate them or be cut off. In the execution of this plan McClellan expected the cooperation of the gunboats under command of Flag-officer Goldsborough. then lying in the vicinity of Fortress Monroe. Two divisions of Heintzelman's corps reached Fortress Monroe on March 23, but owing to limited transportation facilities nearly two weeks elapsed before enough troops had been assembled there to begin the advance. The enemy, well aware of McClellan's movements, took advantage of this delay to strengthen his works all along the line. McClellan arrived at Fortress Monroe on April 2 and reported 58,000 men, with 100 pieces of artillery, as his total force with which to begin the campaign, instead of the 145,000 he had expected. On the 5th he received notice from Washington that McDowell's corps had been withdrawn from his command, and at the same time Goldsborough announced that he did not "feel able to detach to the assistance of the army a suitable force to attack the water batteries at Yorktown and Page 962 Gloucester." This necessitated a change in the entire plan of campaign. In his report McClellan says: "It was now, of course, out of my power to turn Yorktown by West Point. I had therefore no choice left but the attack it directly in front, as I best could with the force at my command." Reconnaissances had already commenced along the line of the Warwick river, and on the very day that McClellan received the notice of McDowell's withdrawal skirmishes occurred at Lee's mill and the junction of the Warwick and Yorktown roads. In these reconnaissances General W. F. Smith, commanding the 2nd division of Keyes' corps, reported the weakest part of the line to be near Lee's mill, and by McClellan's order a second assault was made at that point on April 16, but the line held fas'. (See Lee's Mill and Warwick Road). McClellan then determined to besiege the place. General Fitz John Porter was placed in charge of the construction of batteries, in which he was assisted by General W. F. Barry, chief of artillery, and General J. G. Barnard, chief of engineers. About 100 heavy Parrott guns, mortars and howitzers were placed in position to bear upon the town at a range of from 1,500 to 2,000 yards, and on May 1 fire was opened from the f1rst battery with good effect. Magruder's object in holding his line of defenses at Yorktown and on the Warwick river was "to keep the enemy in check by an intervening line until the authorities might take such steps as should be deemed necessary to meet a serious advance of the enemy on the Peninsula." By the time McClellan's siege guns were in position this object had been attained. May 6 was f1xed as the date when all the Union batteries were to be opened on the intrenchments at Yorktown, but on the night of the 3d the entire Confederate line was evacuated. Fifty-six pieces of artillery, all in good condition except three, were abandoned by the Confederates in their retreat, as well as large quantities of ammunition, all their camp equipage, etc.


Yorktown, Virginia, April 11, 1862. 57th Pennsylvania Infantry. Colonel Charles T. Campbell, in reporting this affair, says: "The enemy were concealed in a peach orchard near the road leading to Yorktown and along a cross fence from a road toward the woods on the left—I should suppose about 600 or 700 strong. Their fire on our approach was very heavy from their cover and from their fort on the right, but they were soon compelled to cease and quit their cover by the well-directed lire of the 57th. They returned towards their fort in very good order, though I am convinced their loss was heavy. The loss of the 57th is 4 wounded."


Yorktown Road, April 5, 1862. (See Warwick and Yorktown Roads.)


Yorkville, Tennessee, January 28, 1863. Detachments of 22nd Ohio Infantry and nth Illinois Cavalry. A foraging party from the two regiments was attacked by Dawson's band of Confederates at 9 a. m. The enemy was repulsed in a sharp skirmish, losing 1 killed and 5 wounded; there were no Union casualties.


Young's Cross Roads, North Carolina, May 15, 1862. Detachment of 2nd Maryland Infantry. A detachment of three compan1es under Captain M. Wilson stationed at Young's cross-roads was attacked by a considerable body of Confederate cavalry. The Federals allowed the enemy to come within 200 yards and then fired. driving him back with r officer badly wounded. During the night Wilson's pickets were twice driven in, but no attack was made by the enemy.


Young's Cross Roads, North Carolina, July 27. 1862. Detachments of 9th New Jersey Infantry and 3d New York Cavalry. This affair was an incident of a reconnaissance from Newport to Young's crossroads under Colonel C. A. Heckman. A portion of the cavalry was Page 963 fired into from across a creek, the bridge over which had been destroyed. Heckman deployed his men and after receiving reinforcements rebuilt the bridge under cover of a musketry fire and crossed the stream, when the enemy had fled. The Federals lost 6 wounded.


Young's Mill, Virginia, October 21, 1861. The following is a despatch to the Confederate adjutant-general from General J. Bankhead Magruder, commanding at Yorktown: "A part of General McLaws' force is now engaged with the enemy in front of his command at Young's mill." This is the only official mention of the affair.


Young's Point, Louisiana, June 7, 1863. During the operations about Milliken's bend. General Hawes' Confederate brigade made a demonstration on the Union camp at Young's point, but it did not develop into a serious attack, and Hawes retired, shelled by three gunboats lying in the Mississippi river. No casualties reported.


Yreka Road, California, September 21, 1862. (See Fort Crook.)