History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

12 FIFTY-FIRST REGIMENT. 1865
and was succeeded in command by Lieutenant Colonel Bolton. The loss here,
as in the preceding battles of the campaign, was very heavy, but for want of
data cannot be given.
Crossing the Chickahominy and the James, the Ninth Corps arrived in front
of Petersburg on the 17th, and at once engaged the enemy. General Hartranft's Brigade made a most gallant charge in face of a galling fire of the rebel
artillery, suffering heavy loss. On the following day it was again engaged upon
the railroad-cut in front of the locality afterwards selected for the mine, and
gained a position in close proximity to the enemy's works, which was held and
fortified. So close to the rebel line was this position, that it required unceasing
vigilance to hold it, and for seventeen successive days and nights an unceasing
fire of musketry was kept up, one-third of the men being constantly employed.
After a few days respite it was again returned to the vicinity of its old position, where it remained until the explosion of the mine. On the day previous
it was relieved and ordered to form part of the storming column. When the
explosion took place it advanced, and two companies had reached the brink,
when General Hartranft, who was in the crater, finding that more troops were
already in than could be used, ordered it back. In this perilous advance Colonel Bolton was severely wounded, and the command devolved on Major Hart.
The brigade was again put upon the line fronting the crater, where it remained
for a few days, when it was relieved and passed to the rear out of harm's way.
Here it remained in camp until the 19th of August, when it was ordered to the
support of Warren, on the Weldon Railroad. Crawford's Division formed the
connecting link between Hancock and Warren, a distance of a half mile. Upon
this the enemy fell in heavy force and captured the greater portion of it, making a dangerous gap, and exposing Warren to imminent peril. Hartranft,
who was lying in supporting distance, and judging by the sound of battle that
our forces had been dispersed, though not under orders, magnanimously moved
to the rescue, and by interposing his brigade and by stubbornly holding his
ground, saved the day. A permanent lodgment was thereby made upon the
Weldon road, which had been one of the enemy's chief lines of supply.
In the subsequent operations of the brigade, the Fifty-first, under command
of Colonel Bolton, participated, engaging the enemy at Poplar Spring Church,
at Ream's Station, at Hatcher's Run, and in the final attack on the 2d of April,
which resulted in the evacuation of Richmond. On the 27th of July, after
four years of arduous service, extending over the whole line from the Atlantic
to the Mississippi, it was mustered out of service ati Alexandria, Virginia.