Union General U. S. Grant set up two objectives in his winter offensive of 1865. The first of these was to block Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Boydton Plank Road, a major hard-surface supply route through the Virginia countryside. The second was to gain control of the South Side Railroad, the last railroad remaining to get supplies into besieged Petersburg, Virginia. General David N. Gregg’s cavalry division and General Andrew Humphrey’s Second Corps were responsible for accomplishing the task.

Learning of Grant’s intentions, Lee ordered Major General Henry Heth’s division and Major General John Gordon’s Second Corps, consisting of Brigadier-General John Pegram’s and Brigadier-General Clement Anselm Evans’ divisions, to intercept the Federal troops.

The two armies clashed from February 5 through February 7, 1865, at Hatcher’s Run in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, just southwest of Petersburg. The fighting took place in heavily wooded terrain, primarily between the Vaughan Road and Dabney’s sawmill. In addition to battling each other, the armies were forced to contend with horrendous weather conditions, including snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain. Pegram was killed in the back-and-forth struggle.

The Union troops outnumbered those of the South by some 20,000 troops, but the rebels prevailed. Casualties included more than 1,500 Union killed, wounded, and missing, with the Confederate casualties numbering about 1,000. Despite the Union’s failure to fully achieve its mission, Grant was still able to extend his siege works three miles closer to the Boydton Plank Road and the South Side Railroad and, while Lee maintained control of the Boydton Plank Road, he was forced to stretch his already thin line to prevent further advance by Grant. 

Two months later, on April 2, 1865, Federal troops forced the fall of Petersburg. It would only be another week until Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia, effectively ending the four-year conflict.

Major James Coey

By James Gindlesperger, historical author

James Coey was born in New York City, New York, on a cold, snowy February 2, 1841, to Elizabeth (Carlisle) Coey, the middle son of three boys. He enlisted into the Union army at age 21 in August 1862 and was mustered in three weeks later into Company E of the 147^th New York Volunteer Infantry. He became the company’s 1^st lieutenant on October 4, 1862, and then its captain on February 4, 1863. After a two-month duty at the military prison in Elmira, New York, he returned to his regiment, arriving just in time to take part in the Chancellorsville Campaign. He would go on to participate in the Gettysburg Campaign (for which he wrote an article for the National Tribune on the regiment’s experiences there), the pursuit of Lee, the Bristoe Campaign, the Mine Run Campaign, the Battle of the Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Bethesda Church, Petersburg, Weldon Railroad, Peeble’s Farm, and Boydton Plank Road. He was battle tested, to say the least.

At the Wilderness on May 7, 1864, he was severely wounded. In recognition of his bravery in receiving that wound he was promoted to the rank of major, the rank he held when the 147^th New York reached Hatcher’s Run, Virginia.

On February 6, 1865, Coey and the rest of the regiment were part of the Third Brigade, Third Division of the Fifth Corps at Hatcher’s Run. As the brigade advanced across an open field they were met with ferocious fire from a woodlot in their front. Unable to proceed, the men of the 147^th sought shelter in any small swale they could find. General Henry Morrow exhorted his men to move forward to no avail.

Finally, realizing that the panicked men were not going to move, Coey seized the regimental colors from the surprised color bearer. As Coey advanced, others began to move with him. Soon the entire brigade was back on the advance. Reaching the woodlot, the troops continued toward the entrenched Confederates until they reached a wide water-filled ditch that prevented further progress. Coey sent word to General Morrow, who ordered the brigade to withdraw back to the edge of the wood line.

By this time each man had very little ammunition left. Coey ordered his men to gather what ammunition they could find from the dead and wounded, then to throw up intertwined saplings to slow any counter movement of the rebels. As this was underway, a reinforced Confederate line advanced, driving the Federals back.

As the Union withdrawal unfolded, a Confederate minie ball, whether aimed directly at Coey or simply a random shot, struck the major in the face, entering just below his left eye and exiting behind his right ear. Two of his men lifted the unconscious Coey and began to carry him to the rear. In the process, he regained his faculties and struggled free. Commandeering a horse from a nearby ambulance sergeant, Coey ordered his men to lift him into the saddle. Despite his wound, he then rallied the regiment in an unsuccessful effort to stop the Southerners’ advance.

His valor earned him a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel for his actions at the Wilderness on March 13, 1865, followed by a promotion to brevet colonel a month later for his heroism at Hatcher’s Run.

Less than a month after Coey received his second brevet, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House. Coey mustered out and recovered from his wound, although it left him with deafness in his right ear, facial paralysis, and the loss of smell. Despite these infirmities, he would go on to hold several important positions in both the state and federal governments, including U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for the District of San Francisco, Assessor for the Internal Revenue Service in Utah Territory, and U.S. Postmaster for San Francisco. He also became active in the Grand Army of the Republic, holding several lofty positions at both the state and national level.

On May 12, 1892, Coey‘s heroic actions at Hatcher’s Run earned him the Medal of Honor, his citation reading: Seized the regimental colors at a critical moment and by a prompt advance on the enemy caused the entire brigade to follow him; and, after himself being severely wounded, he caused himself to be lifted into the saddle and a second time rallied the line in an attempt to check the enemy.

Coey married and raised a family in the San Francisco, California, area.  He passed away in Berkeley, California on July 14, 1918, and was laid to rest in San Francisco National Cemetery.

Further Reading:

• Beyer, W.F., and Keydel, O.F., editors, Deeds of Valor, (Detroit:  Perrien-Keydel Co., 1903), 482-84.
• New York Adjutant General’s Office, Muster Rolls of the 147^th New York State Volunteers, Volume 5.
• The Civil War in the East, 147^th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Accessed January 28, 2024.
• American Battlefield Trust, Hatcher’s Run, Accessed January 28, 2024.

*****

To stay up-to-date on upcoming events, special announcements, and partner/Recipient highlights, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter.

About the Congressional Medal of Honor Society

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor, inspiring America to live the values the Medal represents, and supporting Recipients of the Medal as they connect with communities across America.

Chartered by Congress in 1958, its membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. There are 63 living Recipients.

The Society carries out its mission through outreach, education and preservation programs, including the Medal of Honor Museum, Medal of Honor Outreach Programs, the Medal of Honor Character Development Program, and the Medal of Honor Citizen Honors Awards for Valor and Service. The Society’s programs and operations are funded by donations.

As part of Public Law 106-83, the Medal of the Honor Memorial Act, the Medal of Honor Museum, which is co-located with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s headquarters on board the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was designated as one of three national Medal of Honor sites.

Learn more about the Medal of Honor and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s initiatives at cmohs.org.