The following explains the reason why Gen. Robert E. Lee assigned Maj-Gen. William H.C. Whiting to the Cape Fear District after Gen. Beauregard’s mid-May 1864 clash with Butler’s army at Drewry’s Bluff. Despite the glaring errors of two senior officers, Col. Alfred Roman of Beauregard’s staff thought “the day was ours” with Butler’s forces “driven back, hemmed in and reduced to comparative impotency, though not captured.” Beauregard’s 18,000 ragged, hungry men confronted Butler’s 30,000 well-equipped and fed Army of the James.
Lost Opportunity at Drewry’s Bluff, Mid-May 1864
“[Lt-Gen.] Beauregard’s plan showed the instinct of genius. They could not under the circumstances, notwithstanding the difficulty of handling rapidly and effectively an army so recently organized, have failed so substantially to have annihilated an antagonist, had not two of his division commanders failed him.
The shortcomings of Maj-General’s [Robert] Ransom and Whiting are indicated in the official report. The first failing to carry out his instructions with vigor and making strangely inaccurate reports of the condition of things in his part of the field, is pretty severely handled by Beauregard. [Whiting] did not move [his command] at all, notwithstanding reiterated orders, and as far as the record goes his inaction is not explained. There is but little doubt that it was due to the unfortunate use of narcotics.
Brig-Gen. [Henry] Wise subsequently described Whiting as stupefied from the use of these during the time of Beauregard’s reiterated orders to attack were received. Wise intended charges against Whiting on the ground of his condition but had withdrawn them upon a personal appeal from that officer. Gen. Whiting was relieved from this command and sent to Wilmington without an official investigation.
After the war, northern General [Adelbert] Ames told Brig-Gen. Hagood that during the evening and night when Butler’s routed and discouraged column was defiling within a mile of Whiting’s 4,000 men of all arms, nothing but a thin line of bluecoat skirmishers stood between them and destruction.”
(Memoirs of the War of Secession. Johnson Hagood. The State Company. 1910, p. 236)