Harrison's Landing,
An important point about 5 miles below the mouth of the
Appomattox River, on the right bank of the
James.
The landing was one of the best on the
James, and was made the chief depot of supplies of the Army of the Potomac while it lay there in the summer of 1862, and where it suffered great mortality from malarial fevers.
There the commander-in-chief called for reinforcements, reporting, on July 3, that he had “not over 50,000 men with their colors.”
The President, astounded, went to
Harrison's Landing, and found the army greatly disheartened.
He found the army 40,000 stronger than the commander had erroneously reported, but was unable to get a reply to his question, “Where are the 75,000 men yet missing?”
It was found that 34,000 men, or more than three-fifths of the army reported on the 3d, were absent on furloughs.
The general soon afterwards reported 88.665 “present and fit for duty;” absent by authority, 34,472; absent without authority, 3,778; sick, 16,619; making a total of 143,534.
A week later the
adjutant-general's office reported the total of the Army of the Potomac, exclusive of
General Wool's command at
Fort Monroe, to be 158,314, of whom 101,691 were present and fit for duty.
This great army remained there idle some weeks, suffering greatly from sickness, when it was called to the vicinity of
Washington.
