Battle of Backbone Mountain

The Battle of Suffolk, also known as the Battle of Hill's Point and the Battle of Fort Huger, took place from April 11 to May 4, 1863, as part of the Siege of Suffolk, during the American Civil War.

Battle

On April 19, 1863, detachments of the Union Army's 8th Connecticut and 89th New York Infantry Regiments landed on Hill's Point at the confluence of the forks of the Nansemond River. This amphibious force assaulted Confederate-held Fort Huger from the rear, quickly capturing its garrison, thus reopening the river to Union shipping. On April 24, Brig. Gen. Michael Corcoran's Union division mounted a reconnaissance-in-force from Fort Dix against Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett's extreme right flank. The Federals approached cautiously and were easily repulsed. On April 29, Gen. Robert E. Lee directed Gen. James Longstreet to disengage from Suffolk and rejoin the Army of Northern Virginia at Fredericksburg. By May 4, the last of Longstreet's command had crossed the Blackwater River en route to Richmond.

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