martial law, and commenced his administration without opposition. With
this peaceful and successful result was crowned one of the most
brilliant achievements in naval history.
THE EVACUATION OF YORKTOWN.
MAY 4, 1862.
As the month of April was passing away, dispatches from the peninsula
gave assurances that the two great armies now confronting each other
before Yorktown would in a few days be compelled to test their relative
strength in a general engagement, should neither, meantime, voluntarily
abandon the position. The daily bulletin of casualties gave evidence of
closer and more sanguinary contests among the working or reconnoitering
parties, or from the batteries erected on new parallels of rugged
embankments springing up daily in closer proximity. A most arduous
portion of the soldiers’ labor during the siege is thus graphically
described:
WORKING IN THE TRENCHES.—A working party is detailed for night duty.
With muskets slung on their backs and shovels and picks on their
shoulders, they proceed to the selected ground. The white tape marks the
line of excavation—the dark lanterns are “faced to the rear”—the muskets
are carefully laid aside—the shovels are in hand, and each man silently
commences to dig. Not a word is spoken—not one spade clicks against
another. Each man first digs a hole large enough to cover himself—he
then turns and digs to his right-hand neighbor. Then the ditch deepens
and widens, and the parapet rises. Yet all is silent—the relief comes
and the weary ones retire. The words and jests of the enemy are often
heard, while no noise from the men disturbs the stillness save the dull
rattle of the earth as each spadeful is thrown to the top. At daylight a
long line of earthworks, affording complete protection, greets the
astonished eyes of the enemy, while the sharpshooters’ bullets whisper
terror to his ears.
On the 2d of May the rebels opened fire from an immense gun mounted on a
pivot at a corner of the main fort on the heights of Yorktown, which
inflicted serious injury on the Federals, who replied with much spirit
from their No. 1 battery, mounting one and two hundred-pounder Parrot
guns. On the twenty-third discharge of the enemy’s gun it burst into a
thousand pieces, tearing up the parapet, and making fearful havoc among
the immense crowd surrounding it. The Federal guns on No. 1 battery were
then brought to bear on the rebel works at Yorktown and Gloucester, and
on their shipping, with marked effect, to which they were unable to
reply.
From the 1st to the 4th of May the Confederate army evacuated Yorktown,
without awaking the suspicions of the besiegers, making a safe retreat
with all their field artillery and most of their stores. Eighty heavy
guns at Yorktown and Gloucester, with large quantities of ordnance
stores, fell into possession of the Federals, who occupied the rebel
ramparts on the morning of the fourth.
On the same day the iron battery Merrimac made her appearance off
Sewall’s Point, and the Federal gunboats availed themselves of the
opportunity to go up the York river, convoying a portion of the army
transports, with the design of intercepting the retreating enemy, while
most of the cavalry and horse artillery, followed by the infantry,
started in immediate pursuit by land.
When within two and a half miles of Williamsburg, at two o’clock on May
4th, General Stoneman’s advance came up with the enemy, who threw out a
body of cavalry to check the pursuit. Captain Gibbon’s battery was
brought to bear on the horsemen, who on their approach were met by a
charge of the First and Sixth regular cavalry, who drove them back,
capturing twenty-five of their number. Two of the Federals were killed,
and about twenty wounded; and twenty of Captain Gibbon’s horses were
killed.
THE BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG.
MAY 5, 1862.
The evacuation of Yorktown, which occupied several days, was completed
on the morning of Sunday, the 4th of May, the main body of the
retreating rebels taking the principal road through Williamsburg, and
smaller portions of the army passing along the road near the banks of
the York river. A line of entrenchments had been run about two and a
half miles from Williamsburg, and became the scene of a fiercely
contested engagement on May 5th.
The rebel forces had succeeded in passing through the city, and left a
force of about five thousand men to engage and retard the advance of the
Union army.
The approach to Williamsburg from the lower part of the peninsula is by
two roads, one on the James river side, from Warwick court-house, and
the other from Yorktown, on the York river side. Both these roads lead
through a dense forest, broken only by occasional openings, and over
alternate soils of sand, reddish clay and swamp. The heavy rains had
saturated the soil, and the retreat of the rebels, with their ponderous
trains, had cut the roads up to an extent that made them almost
impassable. In very many places where they led over swampy ground,
horses and wagons would sink together, and other teams were necessary to
draw them out and place them upon soil that was firm only by comparison.
This was the general character of both these roads. They gradually
approach each other through the forest, and meet at a sharp angle about
forty rods beyond the edge of the forest, in a large open plain, which
stretches away on either side, and lies directly in front of the village
of Williamsburg, at a distance of about two miles. Beyond this
intersection of the two roads, and directly ahead, was a long earthwork,
some hundred rods in advance, called Fort Page, (also called Fort
Magruder,) commanding with its guns and the infantry who were concealed
behind its walls both these converging roads. Looking to the right, the
eye ranges over a broad open field, stretching a mile or more away, with
a rolling surface, backed by a swamp, and dotted with five separate
earthworks, placed to command the plain in advance and concentrate their
cross-fire upon the troops approaching by the roads. Looking to the
left, there are three other works of a similar character, commanding the
approaches on that side. Here the woods came closer up to the road, and
for a space of some twenty or thirty acres lying along the James river
road, the trees had been cut down, and the ground in part had been
filled with rifle-pits.
[Illustration:
BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF THE COUNTRY FROM RICHMOND TO YORKTOWN.
1. Richmond.—2. Manchester.—3. Hanover C. H.—4. Mechanicsville.—5.
Beaver Dam.—6. Gaines Mills.—7. New Bridge.—8. Cold Harbor.—9.
Garnetts.—10. Golding.—11. Trent.—12. Couch.—13. Savage’s
Station.—14. Fair Oaks.—15. Seven Oaks.—16. Bottoms Bridge.—17.
White Oaks Bridge and Swamp.—18. Charles City Roads.—19. Malvern
Hills.—20. Turkey Bridge.—21. Turkey Creek.—22. Turkey Island
Bend.—23. Berkeley.—24. Harrison’s Landing.—25. City Point.—26. Fort
Darling.—27. Dispatch Station.—28. Summit.—29. White House.—30.
Cumberland Landing.—31. New Kent C. H.—32. West Point.—33.
Williamsburg.—34. Yorktown.—35. Gloucester Point.—36. James
River.—37. Chickahominy River.—38. York River.—39. Pamunky
River.—40. Mattapony River.—41. Riemkatank River.—42. Rappahannock
River.—43. Richmond and York Railroad.—44. Virginia Central
Railroad.—45. Richmond and Fredericksburg Railroad.—46. Richmond and
Danville Railroad.—47. Petersburg and Richmond Railroad.—48.
Appamotox.
]
As soon as the evacuation of Yorktown was ascertained, on Sunday
morning, General Stoneman, with several regiments of cavalry, followed
by light field batteries, including horse artillery, started in pursuit
of the enemy. About noon General Hooker’s division left the camp in
front of Yorktown, followed by General Kearney’s division, both
belonging to General Heintzelman’s corps, and marched towards
Williamsburg, to support General Stoneman, and assist him in cutting off
the enemy’s retreat. The cavalry followed close upon the rear guard of
the enemy, and during the day there was occasional skirmishing between
them. After having advanced about six miles the cavalry halted to await
the arrival of the infantry. The divisions of Generals Smith and Hooker
met at a crossing of the roads, and continued on their routes, and met
again at the junction below Fort Page. It was now late in the day, and
General Sumner, who desired to engage the enemy, was compelled to defer
an attack until the morning.
The troops bivouacked at night in the best positions they could secure.
General Hooker’s division was in front of the centre of the enemy’s
works. General Smith’s infantry, and General Stoneman’s artillery and
cavalry were on the right. Generals Kearney and Couch had also come up,
and halted in the rear, while other divisions took position where they
could be disposed to the best advantage. Rain had fallen almost
constantly during the day, and now a stormy night drew its dark mantle
over them, while the wearied army lay upon the wet earth, and sought
repose.
Early on the following morning, the 5th, the troops commenced their
march, and soon came up to the point where the road passes out of the
woods into the open plain before the fort. The first who came up formed
a part of General Hooker’s division. As they advanced from the James
river road to the opening, they were greeted with a storm of balls and
grape from the bastion; and as the men were deployed in the woods, and
attempted to pass over the fallen timber, they were met by a heavy fire
from the rebel infantry, close in front, concealed in their rifle-pits
or behind the trees.
General Hooker ordered up Bramhall’s battery, but just as it left the
woods and was coming out into the open ground, the wheels stuck fast in
the deep clay mire, in which the horses vainly floundered in the effort
to draw them out. The rebels had pushed their infantry into the woods on
their right, and were pouring deadly volleys into the ranks of the
Federal troops, which compelled them to retire. One gun was abandoned.
General Hooker’s men struggled nobly against the terrible disadvantages
under which they were fighting,—for the rebels, seeing the progress they
were making, sent back for reinforcements, and they increased during the
day until not less than twenty-five thousand of their troops turned back
from their retreat.
As the enemy gradually augmented in number, the fight became more
severe, and was hotly contested on both sides. General Hooker had
resolved to maintain his position. General Grover’s brigade, (the First,
Eleventh and Sixteenth Massachusetts, and Second New Hampshire,) was on
the left; General Sickles’ brigade, (the First, Second, Third, Fourth
and Fifth Excelsior of New York,) and General Patterson’s New Jersey
brigade, (the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth,) occupied positions
nearer the right of the column. Near these were company “H,” United
States First Artillery, Captain Bramhall, and company “O,” New York
Volunteer Artillery, Captain Smith. These regiments took positions along
the edge of the woods, and the artillery opened on the forts, when the
struggle became general nearly along the whole line.
At an early period of the battle it was perceived that the enemy was
endeavoring to turn the left of the Federal line, when a part of the
First and the Eleventh Massachusetts were ordered forward to anticipate
and prevent the movement. While the Eleventh was engaged at a point
about fifty yards from the enemy, a rebel officer displayed a white
flag, and shouted, “Don’t fire on your friends!” Colonel Blaisdell
immediately ordered his men to cease firing, and Michael Doherty, a
private of company A, stepped forward to meet the flag, upon which the
officer called out to his men, “Now, give it to them!” The command was
immediately obeyed, and a heavy fire was poured into the regiment, by
which a number of men were cut down. Doherty fell among the rest, but he
fired his piece at the dastardly officer, who fell dead upon the spot.
The First Massachusetts remained at its post, doing severe execution
among the enemy until all its ammunition had been expended, when it was
relieved by the Seventy-second New York, Lieutenant-Colonel Moses, which
was in turn relieved by the Seventieth New York, Colonel Dwight, who was
also aided by a portion of the Second New Hampshire.
The reinforcements of the enemy were pouring in, and adding continually
to the severity of the struggle. Colonel Moses was ordered to the front,
for the purpose of silencing a battery on the left. He was soon
confronted with a most murderous fire, when he was relieved by the
Seventieth New York. The rebel regiments in front were reinforced by
another, and soon successfully engaged. Colonel Dwight was slightly
wounded in the leg, and Colonel Farnum, being severely wounded, was
carried to the rear. The regiment fought with determined bravery,
against superior numbers, when Colonel Dwight ordered a charge through
the fallen timber. The Soldiers, with invigorating cheers, advanced upon
the rebels, and with irresistible ardor put them to flight. The regiment
held its position till its ammunition was exhausted, and then supplied
themselves from the cartridge-boxes of their dead and wounded comrades.
On came the rebel reinforcements. Massive and determined columns pressed
forward, and at last the helpless regiment, which had expended all its
ammunition, was pressed vigorously by the enemy, and Colonel Dwight and
many of his men were taken prisoners. They were carried to Williamsburg,
where they were rescued the next day, when the Federal army reached that
city. The heroism of this regiment may be seen from the fact that out of
thirty-three commissioned officers who went into the action, no less
than twenty-two were killed or wounded.
[Illustration:
BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG.
]
The engagement had now become one of grand proportions. Two regiments of
the New Jersey brigade were conducted by General Patterson to the front,
to assist in repelling another attempt of the enemy to turn the Federal
left. They occupied the heavy timber which interrupted the view of the
enemy’s works. When they advanced they were also met by fresh regiments
of the enemy, and for a time the advantage alternated between the
contending forces, and the tide of battle was seen to ebb and flow on
either side, uncertain as to the issue. The forces of the enemy suffered
severely as well as the Federals, who delivered their fire while lying
upon the ground. Just then, Colonel Johnson came up with the Eighth New
Jersey, in time to check the flanking movement of the enemy, which was
rapidly reaching round to the left. Again the orders of the rebel
officers, to the front and rear were heard, and again the surging
columns of the foe were met and driven back. In this position for nearly
five hours the New Jersey brigade stood the fire of superior numbers,
and with all the coolness and determination of veterans resisted the
advance of the enemy. At a late hour in the day the arrival of fresh
troops relieved them from the ground they had disputed with such
undaunted courage.
Generals Heintzelman and Sumner united their commands toward the right,
on the line of the Yorktown road. General Hooker, finding himself so
severely pressed, sent to General Heintzelman for reinforcements, but he
was away, and the message was read and returned to General Hooker by
General Sumner, who endorsed it, “opened and read by the senior officer
on the field.” After some time spent in painful suspense by General
Hooker, he was cheered by the arrival of General Peck with his brigade,
forming the advance of General Couch’s division, which arrived on the
ground at one o’clock, having marched up from Lee’s Mills, ten or twelve
miles, that morning, in the midst of a pouring rain, and through mud
ankle deep. General Hooker being sorely pressed, the men were marched at
once into the field, taking a position on his right, in the centre of
the army, where they were at once exposed to the full force of the
enemy’s fire. For two hours they held their position against terrible
odds. Twice they were driven back, and twice they rallied again, and
recovered their ground.
When the brigade first reached the field, the One Hundred and Second
Pennsylvania advanced to the front, delivered its fire, and fell back,
giving place to the Ninety-eighth Pennsylvania, which held the ground
until the One Hundred and Second rallied, and the two maintained the
position. The Fifty-fifth New York, De Trobrian’s Zouaves, came up on
the left and then retired, while the Sixty-second New York held the
rebels in check, and the One Hundred and Second and Ninety-eighth
Pennsylvania delivered a cross-fire. The Fifty-fifth then formed a new
line of battle, and advanced to the support of the Sixty-second, and the
Ninety-third Pennsylvania came up and opened fire on a battery
commanding the road, until the rebels were driven back at all points.
The Federal reinforcements were at last coming up to the scene of
action. Urgent requests for aid had been sent to the rear, and Governor
Sprague rode back from the field to Yorktown, to report the facts to
General McClellan and urge forward the requisite assistance. In the mean
time General Kearney, with his division, a part of General Heintzelmar’s
corps, had received orders from him to press on with the utmost haste,
which was done. He arrived, closely followed by General Berry, with his
brigade, when they took a position on the extreme left, in order to
prevent flanking by the enemy. The Third Michigan was ordered to the
left as a support, while General Berry moved forward with the remaining
regiments, arriving on the ground at about half-past two o’clock, P. M.
The Fifth Michigan, Colonel Terry, proceeded to the left of the road, in
front of some fallen timber and the rifle-pits, while the Thirty-seventh
New York, Colonel Hayman, went still further to the left. The Second
Michigan occupied a position on the right of the road. As soon as these
arrangements were completed, an order was given for the troops under
General Berry to advance and charge, which they did in a splendid
manner, driving the enemy entirely out of the timber. At this charge the
enemy lost sixty-three men killed. The rebels, being posted in the
rifle-pits, caused the Federal troops much annoyance. The Fifth
Michigan, however, soon compelled them to retreat, although it lost a
great many of its men in the effort.
The enemy had the advantage of protection, while the Union men were
obliged to expose themselves in bold relief. The Federal bullets could
not penetrate the earthworks around the rifle-pits, and the only way to
drive the enemy out was to make a bayonet charge. This charge was made
in splendid style by the Fifth Michigan in front, and the Thirty-seventh
New York at the left, the men pushing up to the pits near enough to
bayonet the riflemen behind them. By this charge considerable loss was
occasioned on both sides.
When General Kearney’s troops were coming into action, they met the
lengthened files of General Hooker’s wounded being carried to the rear.
The shrieks of the lacerated and bleeding soldiers, who had been
fighting so long and so well, pierced the air, and this, joined to the
mud and rain, and the exhaustion of those who had come several miles on
a forced march, was not calculated to produce a favorable impression on
them as they were going into action. General Heintzelman, however,
ordered several of the bands to strike up national and martial airs;
and, when the strains of these familiar tunes reached the ears of the
wounded, their cheers mingled with those of the soldiers who were just
rushing into the battle. The effect was wonderful on the other side; for
some of the prisoners state that when they heard the bands strike up the
Star-Spangled Banner, followed by that enthusiastic cheer, they knew
that the victory would be ours.
The Third and Fourth Maine regiments having been detached from General
Birney’s brigade, and temporarily assigned to General Emory, General
Birney came forward with the two remaining regiments,—the Thirty-eighth
New York, Colonel J. H. Ward, and the Fortieth New York, Colonel Reilly.
These were deployed to the right of the Hampton road, and, like those
under General Berry on the left, relieved fragments of regiments which
had borne the brunt of the battle since its commencement. All this time
the rebel artillery was sending a rapid fire into the Federal ranks.
The Thirty-eighth New York regiment was ordered to charge down the road
and take the enemy’s rifle-pits in front by the flank. Colonel Ward led
seven companies of his regiment in this most brilliant and successful
charge. The other three companies, under Lieutenant-Colonel Strong, were
doing efficient service in an adjacent portion of the field.
The battle had now been raging uninterruptedly from an early hour in the
morning, and seemed at last to be checked by the heroic conduct and
successful charge of General Kearney’s troops. The extreme left was
still heavily pressed, however, by the obstinate force of the rebels in
that part of the line.
To General Hancock was intrusted the most dangerous, because the boldest
manœuvre of the day. He passed with his brigade—the Fifth Wisconsin,
Colonel Cobb; the Sixth Maine, Colonel Burnham; the Forty-ninth
Pennsylvania, Colonel Lowrie; the Seventh Maine, Colonel Mason, and the
Thirty-third New York, Colonel R. F. Taylor, supported by Lieutenant
Cowan’s and Captain Wheeler’s batteries—to the right, for a mile
parallel to the front, but completely hidden by the forest. Thence
across a fifty-acre heath edged with timber, north to the extreme left
of the enemy’s line of works. At this point the rebels had dammed a
creek which empties into York river, and straight across the narrow
causeway frowned an earthwork, which looked imposing as a castle from
its commanding position on the opposite hill.
General Hancock found this singular defence deserted, but it was with
caution his skirmishers ventured across the dam and planted the Federal
flag on the parapet, fifty feet above water mark. Then the whole force
went over at double-quick, turned to the left, and followed a narrow,
dangerous road, a gorge cut in the hill-side by the pond, till it
emerged in turn, from the east, on the open battle-field.
A splendid picture met the eye. Two miles distant Hooker was fighting
the rebels on the other side of Fort Page. From the latter point the
rebel artillery was playing upon his lines. Between Hancock and the fort
were two lesser works, at intervals of half a mile. Their garrisons
quickly retreated on seeing him, and retired on the main force—the
movement before practiced on the left, and one which plainly indicated
that the rebel force was too small to hold the line. But it was also
evident, from the determined stand made in and near Fort Page, that the
rear guard was under orders to make a desperate maintenance of its
position.
Although Hancock had a regiment with him besides his own, yet his force
was scarcely five thousand, all told, and totally separated from the
main body. If overpowered in front, retreat would be utterly impossible
through the narrow gorge behind them. General Keyes appeared on the
field at this moment, and told General Hancock that he did not visit him
to assume the command as ranking officer, but to see him, Hancock,
“carry the left.” General Keyes at once sent back for a support of
cavalry and artillery. This was about one o’clock in the afternoon. For
some reason, General Sumner omitted ordering the reinforcements forward.