JUNE 15-18, 1864:
June 15th
Marching from City Point, Gen. Smith's (USA) XVIII Corps (16,000 men) defeated a small Confederate force in a two-hour long morning battle just three miles east of the main Petersburg defenses.
Then after nearly ten hours of scouting and organizing, the Union soldiers attacked Beauregard's forces (2,200) at 7 pm. In two hours of fighting the Union opened up a two mile-long hole in the Dimmock Line.
At 9 pm., with the Confederates falling back, the US II Corp arrived (16,000) but Smith decided to wait until the 16th to resume the attack.