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Engagement at Big Bethel or Bethel Church, VA
in the American Civil War
June 10, 1861
Online Books:
Official Records,
Union Reports (Page
77-90)
Official Records,
Confederate Reports (Page
90-104)
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of
the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, by the United
States War Department, 1880
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Union Battle Summary |
| Big Bethel, Va., June 10, 1861. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th
and 7th New York, 1st Vermont, and 4th Massachusetts Infantry, and 2nd
United State Artillery. About 8 miles from Newport News were two
churches known as Big and Little Bethel. At the former there was a
considerable force of Confederates, under Col. J.B. Magruder, and
works of more or less strength were in process of construction, while
at the latter there was a Confederate outpost, from which a squad of
cavalry was nightly sent out to annoy the Federal pickets, impress
Union men into the Confederate army, carry away slaves who had been
left in charge of farms, and take them to Yorktown and Williamsburg to
work on the fortifications. Gen. B.F. Butler, therefore, determined to
destroy the outpost and drive the enemy from his position at Big
Bethel. An expedition, under the command of Brig.-Gen. E.W. Pierce,
was planned on the evening of the 9th and at 1 o'clock on the morning
of the 10th the 7th N.Y. (Duryea's zouaves) was ferried across the
creek and ordered to march to New Market bridge in the enemy's rear.
At 2 o'clock the 3rd N.Y. under Col. Townsend, and the 7th N.Y., with
the Massachusetts and Vermont troops under Col. Bendix, marched by
different roads, intending to effect a junction at the forks of the
road about a mile and a half from Little Bethel, the purpose being to
attack that place at day-break. Bendix reached the rendezvous first
and his men, mistaking Townsend's force, as it approached in the dim
light of the early dawn, for Confederates, fired upon them, killing 2
and wounding 21. The sound of the firing made it impossible to
surprise the enemy and some of the officers favored a return to Camp
Hamilton, but Pierce, knowing that reinforcements were coming to his
assistance, pushed on to find Little Bethel deserted. The church was
burned, the artillery, under Lieut. Greble, was brought to the front
and the whole column advanced on Big Bethel. By a peculiar coincidence
Col. Magruder had planned an attack on Camp Hamilton for that moring,
has aroused his men at 3 a.m., and when the first firing was heard was
three and a half miles from his works. He returned to his position at
Big Bethel and disposed his forces to resist any assault likely to be
made. When Pierce came up about 9 o'clock he found the ford on the
Hampton road guarded by two companies of North Carolina sharpshooters,
while on the opposite side of the road, protected by earthworks, were
Stuart's cavalry and the 3rd Va. infantry with a howitzer commanding
the road. Beyond the creek were two more howitzers, well supported,
trained on the ford. After some skirmishing Pierce, seeing the
strength of the Confederate position, withdrew his forces with a loss
of 18 killed, 53 wounded and 5 missing. Among the killed were Maj.
Theodore Winthrop, of Butler's staff, and Lieut. John T. Greble.
commanding the artillery.
Source: The Union Army, Volume 5, Cyclopedia of Battles A - Helena ,
1908 |
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