A shattered and discomfited army were the hosts of McDowell when they
reached the banks of the Potomac, after that ill-fated July Sunday at Bull
Run. Dispirited by the sting of defeat, this motley and unorganized mass
of men became rather a mob than an army. The transformation of this chaos
of demoralization into the trained, disciplined, and splendid troops of
the Grand Army of the Potomac, was a triumph of the "young Napoleon"--Gen.
George Brinton McClellan. Fresh from his victories in the mountains of
West Virginia, he was called to Washington to transmute 200,000 American
citizens, fresh from shop and farm, into soldiers.
For months it was "drill, drill." Public opinion grew restless at the cry
"All's Quiet Along the Potomac." At last, on March 17th, McClellan moved.
On April 5th the Union army was advancing toward Richmond up the
Peninsula, but was stopped at Yorktown by the Confederate General
Magruder. Not until May 3rd were McClellan's siege guns in place. That
night the Confederates evacuated.
In hot pursuit the Union army followed. At Williamsburg the lines in Gray
stood again. "Jeb" Stuart, D. H. Hill, and Jubal Early fought nobly. They
gained their object--more time for their retreating comrades. But
McClellan's fighting leaders, Hooker, Kearny and Hancock, were not to be
denied. Williamsburg was occupied by the Federal army.
With Yorktown and Williamsburg inscribed upon its victorious banners, the
Army of the Potomac took up again its toilsome march from Cumberland
Landing toward the Confederate capital on the James.
It was the 16th of May, 1862, when the advanced corps reached White House,
the ancestral home of the Lees. On every side were fields of wheat, and,
were it not for the presence of one hundred thousand men, there was the
promise of a full harvest. It was here that General McClellan took up his
headquarters, a distance of twenty-four miles from Richmond.
In the Confederate capital a panic had seized the people. As the
retreating army of Johnston sought the environs of Richmond and news of
the invading hosts was brought in, fear took possession of the inhabitants
and many wild rumors were afloat as to the probable capture of the city.
But it was not a fear that Johnston would not fight. The strategic policy
of the Southern general had been to delay the advance of the Northern
army. Fortunately for him, the rainy weather proved a powerful ally. The
time had now come when he should change his position from the defensive to
the offensive. The Army of Northern Virginia had been brought to bay, and
it now turned to beat off the invaders and save its capital.
On the historic Peninsula lay two of the greatest and most splendid armies
that had ever confronted each other on the field of battle. The
engagement, now imminent, was to be the first in that series of contests,
between the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia, ending
three years thereafter, at Appomattox, when the war-worn veterans of gray
should lay down their arms, in honor, to the war-worn veterans of blue.
The Union advance was retarded by the condition of the weather and the
roads. Between McClellan's position at White House and the waiting
Confederate army lay the Chickahominy, an erratic and sluggish stream,
that spreads itself out in wooded swamps and flows around many islands,
forming a valley from half a mile to a mile wide, bordered by low bluffs.
In dry weather it is but a mere brook, but a moderate shower will cause it
to rise quickly and to offer formidable opposition to any army seeking its
passage. The valley is covered with trees whose tops reach to the level
of the adjacent highlands, thus forming a screen from either side. The
bridges crossing it had all been destroyed by the retreating army except
the one at Mechanicsville, and it was not an easy task that awaited the
forces of McClellan as they made their way across the spongy soil.
The van of the Union army reached the Chickahominy on May 20th. The bridge
was gone but the men under General Naglee forded the little river,
reaching the plateau beyond, and made a bold reconnaissance before the
Confederate lines. In the meantime, newly constructed bridges were
beginning to span the Chickahominy, and the Federal army soon was crossing
to the south bank of the river.
General McClellan had been promised reënforcements from the north. General
McDowell with forty thousand men had started from Fredericksburg to join
him north of the Chickahominy. For this reason, General McClellan had
thrown the right wing of his army on the north of the river while his left
would rest on the south side of the stream. This position of his army did
not escape the eagle eye of the Confederate general, Joseph E. Johnston,
who believed the time had now come to give battle, and perhaps destroy the
small portion of the Union forces south of the river.
Meanwhile, General "Stonewall" Jackson, in the Shenandoah, was making
threatening movements in the direction of Washington, and McDowell's
orders to unite with McClellan were recalled.
The roads in and about Richmond radiate from that city like the spokes of
a wheel. One of these is the Williamsburg stage-road, crossing the
Chickahominy at Bottom's Bridge, only eleven miles from Richmond. It was
along this road that the Federal corps of Keyes and Heintzelman had made
their way. Their orders were "to go prepared for battle at a moment's
notice" and "to bear in mind that the Army of the Potomac has never been
checked."
Parallel to this road, and about a mile to the northward, runs the
Richmond and York River Railroad. Seven miles from Richmond another
highway intersects the one from Williamsburg, known as the Nine Mile road.
At the point of this intersection once grew a clump of seven pines, hence
the name of "Seven Pines," often given to the battle fought on this spot.
A thousand yards beyond the pines were two farmhouses in a grove of oaks.
This was Fair Oaks Farm. Where the Nine Mile road crossed the railroad was
Fair Oaks Station.
Southeast of Seven Pines was White Oak Swamp. Casey's division of Keyes'
corps was stationed at Fair Oaks Farm. A fifth of a mile in front lay his
picket line, extending crescent shape, from the swamp to the Chickahominy.
Couch's division of the same corps was at Seven Pines, with his right wing
extending along the Nine Mile road to Fair Oaks Station. Heintzelman's
corps lay to the rear; Kearney's division guarded the railroad at Savage's
Station and Hooker's the approaches to the White Oak Swamp. This formed
three lines of defense. It was a well-wooded region and at this time was
in many places no more than a bog. No sooner had these positions been
taken, than trees were cut to form abatis, rifle-pits were hastily dug,
and redoubts for placing artillery were constructed. The picket line lay
along a dense growth of woods. Through an opening in the trees, the
Confederate army could be seen in force on the other side of the clearing.
The plans of the Confederate general were well matured. On Friday, May
30th, he gave orders that his army should be ready to move at daybreak.
That night the "windows of heaven seemed to have been opened" and the
"fountains of the deep broken up." The storm fell like a deluge. It was
the most violent storm that had swept over that region for a generation.
Throughout the night the tempest raged. The thunderbolts rolled without
cessation. The sky was white with the electric flashes. The earth was
thoroughly drenched. The lowlands became a morass. From mud-soaked beds
the soldiers arose the next morning to battle.
Owing to the storm the Confederates did not move so early as intended.
However, some of the troops were in readiness by eight o'clock. Hour after
hour the forces of Longstreet and Hill awaited the sound of the signal-gun
that would tell them General Huger was in his position to march. Still
they waited. It was near noon before General Hill, weary of waiting,
advanced to the front, preceded by a line of skirmishers, along the
Williamsburg road. The Union pickets were lying at the edge of the forest.
The soldiers in the pits had been under arms for several hours awaiting
the attack. Suddenly there burst through the woods the soldiers of the
South. A shower of bullets fell beneath the trees and the Union pickets
gave way. On and on came the lines of gray in close columns. In front of
the abatis had been planted a battery of four guns. General Naglee with
four regiments, the Fifty-sixth and One hundredth New York and Eleventh
Maine and One hundred and fourth Pennsylvania, had gone forward, and in
the open field met the attacking army. The contest was a stubborn one.
Naglee's men charged with their bayonets and pressed the gray lines back
again to the edge of the woods. Here they were met by a furious fire of
musketry and quickly gave way, seeking the cover of the rifle-pits at Fair
Oaks Farm. The Confederate infantrymen came rushing on.
But again they were held in check. In this position, for nearly three
hours the Federals waged an unequal combat against three times their
number. Then, suddenly a galling fire plowed in on them from the left. It
came from Rains' brigade, which had executed a flank movement. At the same
time the brigade of Rodes rushed toward them. The Federals saw the
hopelessness of the situation. The officers at the batteries tried to
spike their guns but were killed in the attempt. Hastily falling back,
five guns were left to be turned on them in their retreat. This move was
not too soon. In another minute they would have been entirely surrounded
and captured. The gray lines pressed on. The next stand would be made at
Seven Pines, where Couch was stationed. The forces here had been weakened
by sending relief to Casey. The situation of the Federals was growing
critical. At the same time General Longstreet sent reënforcements to
General Hill. Couch was forced out of his position toward the right in the
direction of Fair Oaks Station and was thus separated from the main body
of the army, then in action.
The Confederates pushed strongly against the Federal center. Heintzelman
came to the rescue. The fight waged was a gallant one. For an hour and a
half the lines of blue and gray surged back and forth. The Federals were
gradually giving way. The left wing, alone, next to the White Oak Swamp,
was holding its own.
At the same time over at Fair Oaks Station whither Couch had been forced,
were new developments. He was about to strike the Confederate army on its
left flank, but just when the guns were being trained, there burst across
the road the troops of General G. W. Smith, who up to this time had been
inactive. These men were fresh for the fight, superior in number, and soon
overpowered the Northerners. It looked for a time as if the whole Union
army south of the Chickahominy was doomed.
Over at Seven Pines the center of McClellan's army was about to be routed.
Now it was that General Heintzelman personally collected about eighteen
hundred men, the fragments of the broken regiments, and took a decided
stand at the edge of the timber. He was determined not to give way. But
this alone would not nor did not save the day. To the right of this new
line of battle, there was a rise of ground. From here the woods abruptly
sloped to the rear. If this elevation were once secured by the
Confederates, all would be lost and rout would be inevitable. The quick
eye of General Keyes took in the situation. He was stationed on the left;
to reach the hill would necessitate taking his men between the
battle-lines. The distance was nearly eight hundred yards. Calling on a
single regiment to follow he made a dash for the position. The Southern
troops, divining his intention, poured a deadly volley into his ranks and
likewise attempted to reach this key to the situation. The Federals gained
the spot just in time. The new line was formed as a heavy mass of
Confederates came upon them. The tremendous Union fire was too much for
the assaulting columns, which were checked. They had forced the Federal
troops back from their entrenchments a distance of two miles, but they
never got farther than these woods. The river fog now came up as the
evening fell and the Southern troops spent the night in the captured
camps, sleeping on their arms. The Federals fell back toward the river to
an entrenched camp.
Meanwhile at Fair Oaks Station the day was saved, too, in the nick of
time, for the Federals. On the north side of the Chickahominy were
stationed the two divisions of Sedgwick and Richardson, under command of
General Sumner. Scarcely had the battle opened when McClellan at his
headquarters, six miles away, heard the roar and rattle of artillery. He
was sick at the time, but he ordered General Sumner to be in readiness. At
this time there were four bridges across the river--two of them were
Bottom's Bridge and the railroad bridge. To go by either of these would
consume too much time in case of an emergency. General Sumner had himself
constructed two more bridges, lying between the others. The heavy flood of
the preceding night, which was still rising, had swept one of these
partially away. In order to save time, he put his men under arms and
marched them to the end of the upper bridge and there waited throughout
the greater part of the afternoon for orders to cross. Before them rolled
a muddy and swollen stream, above whose flood was built a rude and
unstable structure. From the other side could be distinctly heard the
roar of battle. The fate of the day and of the Army of the Potomac rested
upon these men at the end of the bridge.
The possibility of crossing was doubted by everyone, including the general
himself. The bridge had been built of logs, held together and kept from
drifting by the stumps of trees. Over the river proper it was suspended by
ropes attached to trees, felled across the stream.
At last the long-expected order to advance came. The men stepped upon the
floating bridge. It swayed to and fro as the solid column passed over it.
Beneath the men was the angry flood which would engulf all if the bridge
should fall. Gradually the weight pressed it down between the solid stumps
and it was made secure till the army had crossed. Had the passage been
delayed another hour the flood would have rendered it impassable.
Guided by the roar of battle the troops hurried on. The artillery was left
behind in the mud of the Chickahominy. The steady, rolling fire of
musketry and the boom of cannon told of deadly work in front. It was
nearly six o'clock before Sedgwick's column deployed into line in the rear
of Fair Oaks Station. They came not too soon. Just now there was a lull in
the battle. The Confederates were gathering themselves for a vigorous
assault on their opponents' flaming front. Their lines were re-forming.
General Joseph E. Johnston himself had immediate command. President
Jefferson Davis had come out from his capital to witness the contest.
Rapidly the Confederates moved forward. A heavy fusillade poured from
their batteries and muskets. Great rents were made in the line of blue. It
did not waver. The openings were quickly filled and a scorching fire was
sent into the approaching columns. Again and again the charge was repeated
only to be repulsed. Then came the order to fix bayonets. Five
regiments--Thirty-fourth and Eighty-second New York, Fifteenth and
Twentieth Massachusetts and Seventh Michigan--pushed to the front. Into
the woods where the Confederates had fallen back the charge was made.
Driving the Southern lines back in confusion, these dashing columns saved
the day for the Army of the Potomac.
Night was now settling over the wooded field. Here and there flashes of
light could be seen among the oaks, indicating a diligent search for the
wounded. General Johnston ordered his troops to sleep on the field. A few
minutes later he was struck by a rifle-ball and almost immediately a shell
hit him, throwing him from his horse, and he was borne off the field. The
first day of the battle was over.
The disability of the Southern commander made it possible for the
promotion of a new leader upon whom the fortunes of the Army of Northern
Virginia would soon rest. This was General Robert E. Lee; although the
immediate command for the next day's contest fell upon General G. W.
Smith. Early Sunday morning the battle was again in progress. The command
of Smith, near Fair Oaks Station, advanced down the railroad, attacking
Richardson, whose lines were north of it and were using the embankment as
a fortification. Longstreet's men were south of the railroad. The firing
was heavy all along this line, the opposing forces being not more than
fifty yards from each other. For an hour and a half the musketry fire was
intensely heavy. It was, indeed, a continuous roar. The line of gray could
not withstand the galling fire and for the first time that day fell back.
But the Union line had been broken, too. A brief lull ensued. Both sides
were gathering themselves for another onslaught. It was then that there
were heard loud shouts from the east of the railroad.
There, coming through the woods, was a large body of Federal troops. They
were the men of Hooker. They formed a magnificent body of soldiers and
seemed eager for the fray. Turning in on the Williamsburg road they
rapidly deployed to the right and the left. In front of them was an open
field, with a thick wood on the other side. The Confederates had posted
themselves in this forest and were waiting for their antagonists. The
Federals marched upon the field in double-quick time; their movements
became a run, and they began firing as they dashed forward. They were met
by a withering fire of field artillery and a wide gap being opened in
their ranks. It immediately filled. They reached the edge of the woods and
as they entered its leafy shadows the tide of battle rolled in with them.
The front line was lost to view in the forest, except for an occasional
gleam of arms from among the trees. The din and the clash and roar of
battle were heard for miles. Bayonets were brought into use. It was almost
a hand-to-hand combat in the heavy forest and tangled slashings. The sound
of battle gradually subsided, then ceased except for the intermittent
reports of small arms, and the second day's fight was over.
The Confederate forces withdrew toward Richmond. The Federal troops could
now occupy without molestation the positions they held the previous
morning. The forest paths were strewn with the dead and the dying. Many of
the wounded were compelled to lie under the scorching sun for hours before
help reached them. Every farmhouse became an improvised hospital where the
suffering soldiers lay. Many were placed upon cars and taken across the
Chickahominy. The dead horses were burned. The dead soldiers, blue and
gray, found sometimes lying within a few feet of each other, were buried
on the field of battle. The two giants had met in their first great combat
and were even now beginning to gird up their loins for a desperate
struggle before the capital of the Confederacy.
[Illustration: "LITTLE MAC" PREPARING FOR THE CAMPAIGN--A ROYAL AIDE