Where Is It?

[Rick Smith]

Eva,

You are most welcome for the use of the photo.

Roger and Gene,

Thanks for your concern. My hand is fully recovered and functioning as designed.

Stopping at Grant’s headquarters at Appomattox Manor was an addition to my interest in seeing City Point. I’d always wanted to see where John Maxwell and R K Dillard set off the explosion that blew up part of the Union supply base. Maxwell’s after action report is a masterpiece of understatement and his sending of his photograph to Stanton shows his wry sense of humor.

The story I read years ago told of Edwin Stanton going into a rage, after hearing a report of the explosion that destroyed part of the Union supply base at City Point, and demanding the head of the man who caused the destruction.

Maxwell visited a photographer in Richmond and had the resulting photograph sent to Stanton with a caption which read, “Here’s my head.”

This is John Maxwell‘s after action report. Not exactly sure who he would’ve been reporting to; Judah Benjamin, possibly? In any case, this is an interesting report written by a very intrepid and capable man.

Sir: I have the honor to report that in obedience to your order, and with the means and equipment furnished me by you, I left this city on the 26th of July last, for the line of the James River, to operate with the Horological Torpedo against the enemy’s vessels navigating that river. I had with me Mr. R. K. Dillard, who was well acquainted with the localities, and whose service I engaged for the expedition. On arriving in Isle of Wight County, on the 2nd of August, we learned of immense supplies of stores being landed at City Point, and for the purpose, by stratagem, of introducing our machine upon the vessels there discharging stores, started for that point. We reached there before daybreak on the 9th of August last, with a small amount of provisions, having traveled mostly by night and crawled upon our knees to pass the East picket line. Requesting my companion to remain behind about half a mile, I approached cautiously the wharf with my machine and powder covered by a small box. Finding the captain had come ashore from a barge then at the wharf, I seized the occasion to hurry forward with my box. Being halted by one of the wharf sentinels I succeeded in passing him by representing that the captain had ordered me to convey the box on board. Hailing a man from the barge I put the machine in motion and gave it in his charge. He carried it aboard. The magazine contained about twelve pounds of powder. Rejoining my companion, we retired to a safe distance to witness the effect of our effort. In about an hour the explosion occurred. Its effect was communicated to another barge beyond the one operated upon and also to a large wharf building containing their stores (enemy’s), which was totally destroyed. The scene was terrific, and the effect deafened my companion to an extent from which he has not recovered. My own person was severely shocked, but I am thankful to Providence that we have both escaped without lasting injury. We obtained and refer you to the enclosed slips from the enemy’s newspapers, which afford their testimony of the terrible effects of this blow. The enemy estimates the loss of life at 58 killed and 126 wounded, but we have reason to believe it greatly exceeded that. The pecuniary damage we heard estimated at $4,000,000 but, of course, we can give you no account of the extent of it exactly.