THE SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES.
The army united--Plans and counter plans--Battle of Fair
Oaks--Lee's plan--The situation--Stonewall Jackson on the
flank--Battle of Mechanicsville--Joy in camp--Porter's corps
retreats--An astonished army--Battle of Gaines' Farm--Slocum's
division at Games' Farm--Retreat to the river--Battle of
Golden's Farm--A young hero--A Union victory--Our right
exposed--The sick abandoned--A night of sorrow--The grand
retreat commenced--Sad scenes at Savage's Station--A meteor
railroad train.
At length, after great labor, the bridge across the river, near our own
camps, was finished. It was an immense structure, spanning not only the
river, but the swampy banks on either side to a great distance. Sumner's
forces had also rebuilt and enlarged the bridge below, and now the two
wings of the army, after weeks of separation, were united by means of
these bridges. Communications were now rapid and easy, and there was no
difficulty in reinforcing one wing with troops from the other.
General McClellan now determined to act; and an advance of our picket
line was ordered on the 25th of June, preparatory to a general forward
movement.
But General McClellan was not alone in deciding upon this particular
time for commencing offensive operations.
General Lee, who had succeeded to the command of the rebel army when
Johnston was wounded, aware of McClellan's intentions of approaching the
city by regular approaches, and aware that it was in no condition long
to withstand a siege, determined to act on the offensive.
The two armies were now about equal in numbers, each consisting of a
little more than one hundred thousand men for duty. (Our army had
115,000 men for duty.) Our own army had recently been reinforced by
McCall's division, and five or six thousand troops from Fortress Monroe;
and the rebel army had been strengthened by the accession of Jackson's
force, of nearly twenty thousand, from the valley.
McClellan's first move was to advance the left wing, under Heintzelman,
who occupied the ground on which had been fought the battle of Fair
Oaks. General Hooker was ordered to advance his division about a mile
across a clearing in his front. This the gallant general essayed to do.
In front of his camp, before reaching the clearing, was a thick
entanglement of low pines and bushes, filled with swamps and ponds. This
chaparral was about five hundred yards wide. Beyond was the clearing, in
which were the rifle pits and strong redoubts of the enemy, and still
farther on a forest. Hooker's brigades, commanded by Sickles, Grover and
Robinson, protected on the left flank by Kearney's division, and on the
right by a Massachusetts regiment, moved into the tangled forest, about
eight o'clock on the morning of the 25th. Grover's pickets soon fell in
with those of the enemy, and sharp skirmishing commenced; but the rebel
picket line was steadily driven back into the clearing, where it was
strengthened by their reserve. The fighting now became general. The
woods rang with the sharp sounds of musketry and the deep tones of the
artillery, and clouds of smoke obscured the scene from view. Ambulances
were emerging from the woods bearing the wounded; and bloody forms on
stretchers, and the less seriously wounded leaning on the shoulders of
comrades, made up a melancholy procession.
The fire in the edge of the woods and in the open fields increased in
intensity, until all of Hooker's and part of Kearney's forces were
brought into action. The rebels finally retreated across the field to
the cover of their rifle pits. The retreat was slow and orderly, every
foot of the way being disputed.
Our men were exultingly pushing forward, determined to drive them from
their pits also, when an order from General McClellan directed General
Hooker to retire with his division to the original position. Here was
evidently a sad misconception of the state of affairs, for, when the
Commander-in-Chief, an hour later, arrived on the field and consulted
with General Hooker, the men were ordered forward once more to occupy
the ground they had once taken and surrendered.
This time there was less resistance. The rebels steadily gave way,
giving up their rifle pits and yielding the whole of the open field.
Under cover of the forest beyond the field they made another stand, and
late in the afternoon a brigade charged upon our lines; but they were
bravely met by men of Grover's brigade, and driven back, leaving three
hundred of their dead on the field.
By the action of this day, our line was advanced on the left nearly a
mile. The victory, such as it was, cost us six hundred and forty men in
killed and wounded. The men remained under arms all night, in readiness
to meet the frequent sorties of the enemy, who intended nothing more
serious than preventing reinforcements from being sent to the right of
our line.
Little did General Lee heed these operations on our left. It was all the
better for his plan that the attention of our army should be engaged in
this direction. He was ready now to execute his plan of raising the
siege of Richmond; and a tremendous force had been massed against our
right, ready to advance upon it and our rear, with the hope of cutting
the Union army off from its supplies, and placing it in the greatest
jeopardy.
Let us, for a moment, recall the position of our army, which, since the
first battle of Fair Oaks, has been somewhat changed. Porter's corps,
consisting of McCall's, Morrell's and Sykes' divisions, still held the
right, on the north bank of the Chickahominy, at Gaines' Farm and
Mechanicsville. The several bridges which had been constructed since the
1st of June, formed avenues of communication between the two portions of
the army separated by the river. Next, near the river, and opposite
Porter's corps, was our own Sixth corps, Slocum's and Smith's divisions,
Smith's nearest the stream. Then, on our left was Sumner's corps,
Sedgwick's and Richardson's divisions; and finally, on the left of all,
was Heintzelman, with his divisions under Hooker and Kearney, and
Couch's division, of Keyes' corps. Casey's shattered division was in the
rear, guarding Bottom's Bridge and the road to the White House.
The line stretched from Mechanicsville across the river to Golden's
Farm, and thence to Fair Oaks.
The whole of this extensive line was protected by earthworks of
marvelous magnitude, and whole forests of timber slashed in front of
some parts of the line formed almost impenetrable abattis.
On the other hand, Lee's army had been as actively engaged in ditching
and throwing up redoubts, and Richmond was surrounded by a cordon of
most powerful works. Stonewall Jackson had been recalled from the
Shenandoah Valley; and now, with an army of thirty thousand men, a very
large proportion of them being men of his original army, he hung upon
our right and rear, ready to come down upon our communications and flank
like an avalanche.
Scarcely had General McClellan finished his dispatch to the Secretary of
War, in which he announced the glad tidings that he had got his pickets
in the right place, preparatory to a general advance, before he was
aroused from his illusion by the intelligence that the pickets on the
right were being driven in. He had already, during the day, learned
something of Jackson's position, and it was now easy to divine the
intention of that energetic chief.
During the night, Hill and Longstreet crossed the upper Chickahominy;
and, by rapid marches, confronted the pickets of McCall's division at
Mechanicsville before daylight on the morning of the 26th. Jackson,
delayed by our skirmishers, was still behind. Without waiting for
Jackson, Hill ordered an attack by daylight. Our pickets were forced
back upon the main line, and the battle of Mechanicsville commenced.
McCall's division, consisting of Reynolds', Meade's and Seymour's
brigades, was strongly posted behind Beaver Dam creek; a stream about
twelve feet wide, wooded on either side, with water waist deep, and a
steep bank on the side held by the Union forces. Along this bank, timber
had been felled, rifle pits dug, and other careful preparations made for
meeting an attack. The only accessible places for artillery were the two
roads which crossed the stream, one at Ellison's Mills, and the other a
mile above. Against these two points the rebels directed their principal
efforts. Hill's division made the first assault. Clearing their rifle
pits, his men rushed forward with a yell, gaining the creek, within a
hundred yards of our line. Here the creek and the almost impenetrable
abattis checked their progress, and a murderous fire of shot, shells,
cannister and musketry was opened upon them, which threw them into
confusion, and repulsed them with fearful loss. Again and again the
charge was renewed; each time with equal want of success. More and more
grand and terrible the battle became, as the combatants struggled with
each other at close range. Thus far there had been no such terrific
artillery firing during the war. The uproar was incessant, and sublime
beyond description. Finding the position too strong to be carried by
direct assault, the confederates fell back to their rifle pits; leaving
their many dead and wounded on the ground. The men of McCall's division,
securely posted behind their breastworks, had suffered comparatively
little; our loss not exceeding three hundred in killed and wounded, out
of the six thousand belonging to the brigades engaged.
On the other hand, the rebels had lost heavily. From their own official
reports, it is known that of the twelve thousand engaged, the loss in
killed and wounded was fifteen hundred; Ripley's single brigade losing
five hundred and seventy-four men.
Both Davis and Lee were present on the field, directing in person the
movements, and exposed to the fire where the battle was fiercest.
General McClellan was at the head-quarters of General Porter, where he
remained until the close of the battle, when he rode over the field.
From the camp of the Sixth corps, the battle-field was not more than
four or five miles distant in a direct line, though by way of the bridge
it was much farther.
We could watch the columns of smoke as they rolled up from the scene of
carnage, and see the flashes of bursting shells, like sheets of
lightning in dark thunder-clouds, and hear the tremendous roar of arms.
In the afternoon, as the rebels charged upon a certain part of our
lines, we could watch the movements of both armies. Our only part in the
engagement was to stand to arms, ready to rush to the assistance of
those on the other side of the river, at a moment's notice. In the
evening, the news of our success spread through the army, creating the
wildest joy. Men who had, by constant hardships, and by continually
looking on death, almost forgotten the feelings of joy, now broke out in
loud shouts of gladness; and for the first time in many weeks the bands
played those heart-stirring national airs, which in times past had been
wont to fill the hearts of the soldiers with enthusiasm.
The night passed in constant watchfulness, the men resting upon their
arms; for a renewal of the attack might be expected at any moment.
Still, the men of the whole of the left wing of the army were exulting
in the glad hope that in the morning we were to march into Richmond,
almost without opposition; and that their high hopes of success were to
be speedily realized. The prize which they had so often been promised,
seemed almost within their grasp. Men shook hands with each other, sung
patriotic songs, and shouted in greatest glee.
Bands continued to ring out their notes of gladness until long after
nightfall; general officers rode about announcing a grand victory; all
was the most intense excitement; and the men lay down upon their arms to
dream of reveling in the streets of Richmond before another night. For
weeks, even the drum calls and the bugle notes had not been heard in our
camps. Now, as if suddenly waked from a long slumber, the strains of the
bugle and the roll of the drum were added to the general rejoicing.
It was known that the rebel troops engaged were not those of Jackson. He
then must be working around to our rear. He was known to have a very
large force; not less than thirty thousand. It was evident that our
communications were in great danger, and that unless the main force of
our army, now on the right bank of the Chickahominy, were hastily
concentrated on the left bank, we could not expect to hold the line to
the Pamunkey another day. If this were done, the rebels could easily
prevent our retreat to the James river, and leave us on the banks of the
Pamunkey. Accordingly, General McClellan gave up all hope of being able
to maintain the position of that portion of the army on the north side
of the Chickahominy, and at once issued orders with a view of preparing
for a change of base. The quartermaster at White House was directed to
"send cars to the last moment, and load them with provisions and
ammunition." "Load every wagon you have," said the dispatch, "with
subsistence, and send them to Savage's Station. If you are obliged to
abandon White House, burn everything you cannot get off."
The quartermaster was directed, also, to throw all his supplies, not
burned or sent to the army, up the James river, and there establish
depots of supplies. General Casey, who was now in command of the guard
at White House, was instructed to see these orders carried out. He
burned immense quantities of stores, consisting of clothing,
subsistence, and other war material, and then hastily marched his force
to rejoin the army.
The evening of the 26th was passed in gladness over our victory; but
while the army was rejoicing at this temporary success, it was losing
one of the grandest opportunities ever presented it for entering the
rebel capital. The whole plan of Lee had been based upon a false
calculation; and had this mistake been improved by our commanders, the
history of the war would have been entirely changed. Both Lee and Davis
believed that the main body of our army was on the north side of the
Chickahominy; whereas, of the five corps constituting our army, only
one, that of Porter, remained on that side. Under this erroneous
impression, Lee had brought nearly the whole of his army across the
river to assail the Union army on its right. This was known to our
generals, for while positive information had been received that Jackson,
with his large army, was making for our rear, the prisoners taken during
the day were from Hill's command, and from them it was known that the
troops of A. P. Hill, Longstreet and D. H. Hill, were confronting us on
the right. Thus, between our main force, of over seventy-six thousand
men, and Richmond, less than twenty-five thousand rebels guarded their
extensive line of works. A concentrated assault of the four corps on the
south side of the river must have resulted in the utter rout of the
force opposed to them, and the road to Richmond would have been opened.
But the error of General Lee was never suspected, and this grand
opportunity was lost.
During the night of the 26th, the heavy artillery and baggage of
Porter's corps was all sent across the river. McCall's whole division,
except a line of pickets left as a blind, also fell back five miles
below, to the vicinity of the bridge at Gaines' Farm, where the three
divisions of the corps united.
The astonishment of the men on the south side of the river on
discovering, in the morning, that Porter's corps had fallen back, was
only equaled by their mortification and disappointment, as they saw the
long lines of rebels advancing in the gray of the morning against our
retreating column.
They had believed, when night came on, that our arms had achieved the
first of a series of victories which was to give us the rebel capital.
Now they saw that our army was already in retreat, and they gazed at the
long train of artillery and wagons, which had parked near us, with
downcast faces. From our camp, Porter's division could be distinctly
seen, and we could watch the movements of the rebels as they arrived
upon the highlands, formed their line on the range of hills opposite
Porter, and planted their guns near the large barn on Dr. Gaines' farm.
The position of Porter's corps was a strong one; and he was ordered to
hold it till night, and then to cross the bridge and burn it after him;
the upper bridge having been burned during the night. The country
between the two lines was rolling, somewhat wooded, but in parts
cleared. Both parties went to work to cut down trees in their front.
The rebel forces, who supposed on the 26th that they were fighting our
main army, were surprised, on the morning of the 27th, to find that only
a picket line opposed them. They were early astir; and advancing against
the slender line, drove it back. The whole rebel force advanced
cautiously; A. P. Hill and Longstreet bearing to the right, while D. H.
Hill turned to the left, to unite with Jackson, who was supposed to be
coming in from the rear. Owing to the uneven country over which they
were advancing, their march was slow; for they might fall upon a Union
line of battle behind any rounding swell of land.
It was afternoon before the rebel army had fully formed its line on
Gaines' Farm. The position of that army was nearly that of the same army
when Grant attacked it at Coal Harbor two years later, only it was faced
about. The battle opened about one o'clock, by skirmishing on both
sides; but it was not till an hour later that Hill's division dashed
across the open space, rushing through the swamp, and under a severe
fire from our batteries and musketry, pushed up the slope on which was
posted our line. The confederate troops advanced almost up to Sykes'
line of battle on the right, and in other parts of the line actually
forced back the Union troops; but they were able to hold their position
only a short time, when they were forced back with great loss.
Longstreet now advanced against the left of our line, but he too met
with a stern reception, and he withdrew to rearrange his plan of attack.
By this time Jackson was approaching, and now the overwhelming forces of
the enemy promised to crush the single corps; but Slocum's division of
our Sixth corps was ordered to the relief of the Fifth corps, and
arrived at four o'clock. The division was sent into the fight at once,
each brigade being ordered separately to strengthen the weak points of
the line. Thus, while the division fought bravely, and suffered equally
in proportion with the Fifth corps, its incorporation with that corps
for the time deprived it of the honors to which it was justly entitled.
Bartlett, with his brigade, went to the aid of Sykes, who was doubtfully
struggling to hold his line; but who now, by the aid of the gallant
brigade, was able to hurl the assailants back from his front.
The rebel line being completed, Longstreet, A. P. Hill, and Jackson all
up with their troops, a general advance was made.
The charge was made with great spirit, the rebels rushing over the open
ground and floundering through the swamp under a most writhing fire, but
the position of our forces was still too strong for them. At all points
they were repulsed with terrible slaughter. First on the right, where
Sykes' regulars, supported by Bartlett's brigade, withstood the onset of
Hill, the disordered and disheartened confederates began to scatter in
all directions.
One of the confederate generals reported that had not his men fallen
back themselves he would have ordered it. "Men were leaving the field,"
says another general, "in every direction; two regiments ... were
actually marching back under fire. Men were skulking from the woods in a
shameful manner. The woods on our left and rear were full of troops in
safe cover, from which they never stirred." Such was the effect of the
reception given by the regulars. On our left they met with no better
success. These, too, fell back in disorder. Now a desperate attempt was
made against our center. The tactics with which we afterwards became so
familiar on the part of the rebels were brought to bear. This was in
massing troops against certain parts of our line and making desperate
onslaughts with a view of breaking the line. The forces of Jackson, Hill
and Longstreet threw themselves fiercely against our works, but without
being able to drive our men back. Here it was that the First and Third
brigades of Slocum's division saved the wavering line, and all the fury
of the rebels was spent in vain. General Porter directed Newton's
brigade to its position in the center; Newton leading the Thirty-first
New York and Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania into the woods on one side, and
the gallant Colonel Matheson with the Eighteenth and Thirty-second
entering on the other, both in the face of a destructive fire. The
rebels charged upon the brigade and gallantly the charge was met.
Newton, seeing the rebel line waver before the fire of his men, shouted
"Forward!" and the impetuous regiments cleared the woods and drove the
rebels more than seven hundred yards. But the confederates, reinforced,
pressed hard upon them with overwhelming numbers, and Newton demanded
aid. Regiments from the New Jersey brigade rushed to the assistance of
their brothers of the Third brigade, cheering as they advanced, and the
position was held until the left wing of Porter's corps gave way. For
two hours the conflict on this part of the line raged with terrible
violence; the columns surging backward and forward, neither party being
able to gain any permanent advantage. Never had we heard such volleys of
musketry as now rolled along the borders of the swampy Chickahominy.
Artillery was less used; a strip of pine woods intervening between the
position occupied by some of our batteries and the rebel line preventing
an accurate range. The attempt to break our center was abandoned, and
now immense forces were brought against the left. The roar of battle
became more loud than before. The thousand continuous volleys of
musketry mingled in one grand tumultuous concert of death; while the
booming of artillery, which was now brought more into action, shook the
earth for miles around. Under the pressure of overwhelming numbers, one
brigade gave way; and another on the extreme left, finding itself
outflanked, fought its way back to the upper bridge, which had been
partially destroyed during the night, and, crossing to the south side of
the river, gathered its shattered regiments behind the breastworks of
our Second division.
For two hours and a half the battle had raged fiercely on this part of
the line, and as these brigades on the right gave way, the confusion
spread all along. The rebels, seeing the disorder, and encouraged by
their success on the left, came on with redoubled fury; and the whole
line gave way, and fell back to some high grounds near the bridge. Here
two brigades from the Third corps appeared as reinforcements, and the
retreat was checked. The Fifth corps, with Slocum's division and the two
brigades from the Third corps, were able to hold their position on the
north side of the river till after dark.
But we had been beaten, and our losses were very great. Twenty-two
pieces of artillery fell into the hands of the enemy. We lost two
thousand prisoners, among whom was General Reynolds, commanding one of
McCall's brigades; and our killed and wounded numbered about four
thousand. The rebels had suffered greater losses in men, nine thousand
five hundred having been killed or wounded. The action, on the part of
the rebels, had been directed by General Lee in person, who was on the
field during the whole action, controlling the movements of his troops,
and attending to the details of the fight. On our part, the battle had
been fought entirely under the direction of General Porter. General
McClellan, believing he could best watch the movements at all parts of
his line from a central position, had remained during the day at the
Trent House, five miles from the scene of action, without deeming it
necessary even to ride down to the river by the Woodbury bridge.
(McClellan's Report.)
Meantime, while the battle raged with fury on the north side of the
Chickahominy, there was active work in our own front. Our Second
division, at Golden's Farm, was joined on the left by Sedgwick's
division, of the Third corps. The two divisions held the key to
Richmond; for, had the brave men composing them, under the leadership of
such men as Smith and Sedgwick, been ordered to break through the rebel
line, there was no power in their front to restrain them. The rebels,
aware of this, and designing to prevent reinforcements from going to
Porter, made frequent feints all along our line. Now with pickets, and
anon, gathering a considerable force, they would advance upon some part
of our works. From the nature of the ground, they could appear in large
force at one point, then withdrawing, pass under cover of the woods and
reappear at another point; thus keeping up the idea of a large force.
These skirmishes and the artillery duels had been kept up all day, to
the annoyance of all.
Just at sunset, Davidson's brigade was ordered to cross the river, by
the Woodbury bridge, to reinforce the Fifth corps. Preparations for
moving were not complete, when the enemy opened a fierce fire of
artillery and musketry. The idea of reinforcing the Fifth corps was at
once abandoned, and we hastily took refuge from the howling missiles
behind our breastworks. The artillery firing increased, until the scene
became in the highest degree exciting.
Our guns were answering the rebels with great spirit, hurling shells
fast and furiously, and clouds of smoke rolled up from both the opposing
lines. At length the rebel infantry was brought forward to charge our
line. Hancock's brigade of our Second division, and Burns' of Sedgwick's
division, were farthest in advance. Hancock had taken up a critical
position in front of the line of works, where his brigade was supporting
a strong battery. Against these two advance brigades the enemy pounced
with the hope of routing them by this sudden onset. Against Hancock they
made the most desperate attempt, but with no success further than
driving in the picket line. In return, the rebels were hurried back to
the cover of the woods from whence they came, leaving many dead and
wounded on the field. While the First brigade was thus bravely
withstanding the assault of the rebels, the Third brigade and the Second
occupied a second line, acting as support, but neither were actively
engaged; yet several of the regiments in the second line lost men by the
shells.
During the night our Third brigade relieved Hancock's regiments and
remained in possession of the advanced position until afternoon next
day. We had moved from our old position while the fight was in progress,
and had left everything except arms and ammunition.
We could hear the sound of ambulances in the front where the rebels were
gathering up their wounded, till after midnight; and toward morning they
made a sally upon a part of the line, but were quickly repulsed.
June 28th, the men of Davidson's brigade who had been ordered the day
before to leave haversacks, canteens, blankets and tents, found in the
morning that their camp was occupied by another division, tired and
hungry, who had lost their blankets in the fights of the two days
before, and who had now appropriated the haversacks and blankets of our
boys to their own use. Some confusion occurred upon making this
discovery, but our boys soon helped themselves to substitutes and bore
their loss on the whole very patiently.
Our picket line was relieved at 9 A.M., but before the whole line was
changed the rebel batteries opened upon the moving companies a
concentrated fire from twenty pieces of artillery, putting a stop to the
process. Shot and shell came tearing through our camps in every
direction, crashing through trees, throwing up great clouds of dust,
riddling tents and alarming the cooks and contraband servants who
remained in camp.
This artillery practice continued for an hour without eliciting much
reply from our side, as our guns had been nearly all withdrawn from the
front to join the train preparatory to the retreat.
The rebels ceased their fire and we inferred that they had withdrawn to
some other point; but at two o'clock the mistake was discovered. A
brigade of rebels was seen to leap over their breastworks and rush
toward our line with yells and shouts like so many madmen. Our picket
line was forced back before this impetuous charge, the pickets
retreating to the main line.
The Thirty-third New York held the principal part of the picket line,
but two companies from the Forty-ninth Pennsylvania of Hancock's
brigade, and a detachment from the Seventy-seventh New York also guarded
a part of the line in front of the Second division.
A part of the detachment from the Seventy-seventh held a small advance
redoubt or lunette which had been thrown up by Hancock's men. Over this
work the rebels rushed, unmindful of the bullets sent by the
skirmishers, and the guard was compelled to retreat in haste.
But all did not leave that picket line.
One youth, as brave a boy as ever shouldered a musket, John Ham, of the
Seventy-seventh regiment, had sworn never to retreat before the enemy.
Faithful to his word, when the handful of pickets were compelled to
retreat (and this was the first time that any part of his regiment had
ever fallen back before the enemy), he stood his ground, loading and
firing as rapidly as possible, alone defending the redoubt!
The rebels pressed upon him, and he fell riddled with bullets. When,
later in the day, we had driven the confederates back to their works, we
recovered his body, pierced by bullets and bayonets.
As the rebels neared our main line of battle, they were met by a
withering fire from our men, and, after maintaining the contest for a
few moments, they broke and fled in confusion, leaving the ground
thickly strewed with dead and wounded. Not satisfied with this repulse,
they reformed and came on again; this time with less audacity than at
first. Again a murderous fire compelled them to fall back, leaving more
of their number on the field. Among their wounded was Colonel Lamar, who
was in command of the charging regiments.
He was brought into our lines by Sergeant Bemis and another soldier of
the Seventy-seventh. He had been formerly a mischievous member of
congress from Georgia.
The final repulse of the rebels was made more complete and more fatal to
them by the timely aid of a section of Mott's battery, which had come up
and opened an enfilading fire upon them from the left. Joyous cheers
went up from our men as they saw the rebels fleeing in all directions,
and it was only by the peremptory orders of their commanders that they
were restrained from following the flying enemy.
A company of about fifteen rebels threw out a white flag and voluntarily
surrendered themselves. Fifty dead rebels and one hundred wounded
remained in our front, whom their comrades were allowed to remove, under
flag of truce.
The Thirty-third New York had, during this engagement, sustained the
principal shock of the enemy's charge; and with that gallantry for which
they bore during their two years of service an enviable reputation, they
met the charge and repulsed the enemy.
By the retreat of the Fifth corps to the south side of the Chickahominy,
which was accomplished during the night of the 27th and 28th, the rebel
army was allowed to approach the river at Gaines' Farm. By this movement
the camps of Davidson's brigade, which were upon the extreme right of
our line, near the river, and the two forts we had erected, were
rendered untenable; for the rebel guns shelled the whole position with
ease. Our men went in squads and brought away the most valuable
property, including regimental papers and the knapsacks and blankets. A
few days before this, our whole corps, as well as the other corps of the
army, had been supplied with an abundance of new tents. Staff and
company officers had their wall tents, and the private soldiers their
shelters. All these were destroyed by cutting them with knives; as it
was known that any attempt to remove them would be discovered by the
rebels, who would at once open all their batteries upon us.
Now, the feelings of the men underwent a terrible revolution. It was,
for the first time, told them that the army must _retreat_ in all haste
to the James river! Our brave fellows had looked with sad faces at
Porter's retreating column; but that was felicity compared with what
they now experienced. Even when the right wing was forced across the
river, they still had faith that their bravery was to be rewarded with
victory.
Now, they felt that all was lost. General Davidson rode through the
camps, and announced to the commanding officers of his regiments the
mysterious information, with directions to get off a few valuable
articles and abandon all else.
Already, by Porter's retreat, the brave fellows in Liberty Hall
Hospital, mangled and sick, groaning with wounds, and delirious with
fevers, were abandoned, _deserted_, to fall into the hands of an enemy
known to be merciless.
And now the siege of Richmond was to be abandoned, and the men who but
two days before had exulted in the glad hope of a speedy entrance into
the city, which even now lay just within our grasp, were to turn their
backs as _fugitives_ before their enemies! It was a time of humiliation
and sorrow. Every man was weighed down with a terrible anxiety. Officers
hurried to and fro, silently and hastily forwarding the preparations for
the retreat. The great caravan of army trains was on its way under the
direction of scores of officers, and with it were escorts of cavalry and
infantry.
At three o'clock Sunday morning the 29th, the Sixth corps quietly
evacuated its works and proceeded in the direction of Savage's Station.
The men slung their knapsacks and quietly moved off. A scene of
desolation met their view as they passed along. Tents cut to pieces,
commissary stores thrown upon the ground or burning in heaps, blankets
and clothing piled promiscuously about, not considered worth carrying
away; all indicating a retreat under most disastrous circumstances.
We had been preceded by Keyes' corps, which had started at noon the day
before, crossed White Oak creek and occupied the opposite side, acting
as advance guard for our long trains which were now making all haste
toward the James river.
The endless streams of army wagons, artillery trains and ambulances were
all pouring down the roads from the various camps, and crowding into the
narrow paths that led to the opposite side of the Peninsula. Porter's
infantry mingled with the trains, and thousands of cattle driven along
through the woods by the roadside made a strange scene. Franklin's,
Sumner's and Heintzelman's corps were to guard the rear, and it was with
secrecy that we had left the rifle pits; for the enemy was close upon us
ready to take advantage of every movement. A picket guard was left to
deceive the rebels, while regiment after regiment silently disappeared,
leaving only the pickets to hold the long line of earthworks. These
brave men waited hour after hour for the signal to retire. The gray
lights of the morning broke upon them, yet there was no sign for them to
join their commands. At length, when they had given up all hope of being
relieved, they were signaled to leave the breastworks, and under cover
of the morning mists, they quickly joined their comrades.
The Second division moved in the direction of Savage's Station, while
the First kept on to the crossing of White Oak Swamp, acting as
rear-guard to Porter's corps. We of the Second division kept along the
high lands which skirt the Chickahominy, when, after marching about two
miles, the division was brought to bay by the pursuing enemy. Facing
about we waited in line of battle for our trains to get out of the way;
when we again resumed the retreat. While here, General McClellan, with
his immense staff, rode by us on his way toward Harrison's Landing. He
passed White Oak Swamp the same day, and waited the arrival of the army;
which, hindered by battles and innumerable difficulties, did not come up
with its commander again till the 1st of July.
We arrived at Savage's Station at 4 P.M. Here trains and troops were
crowded together in wonderful confusion. Immense heaps of commissary
stores, arms and ammunition were waiting destruction lest they should
fall into the hands of the enemy, and hundreds of sick and wounded men
were taking sad leave of their friends; for it had been determined that
these brave unfortunate men must be left to the tender mercies of the
rebels. Again the division was formed in line of battle to protect our
pioneers and the regiments which were engaged in the destruction of the
stores. The long railroad bridge across the river at this point had been
burned. The work of destruction went on at a marvelous rate. Boxes of
hard bread, hundreds of barrels of flour, rice, sugar, coffee, salt and
pork were thrown upon the burning piles and consigned to the flames. One
heap of boxes of hard bread as large as a good sized dwelling made a
part of the sacrifice. Boxes of clothing and shoes were opened and every
man as he passed helped himself to whatever he thought worth carrying
away. Notwithstanding thousands helped themselves, and huge boxes of
clothing were cast into the flames, we found on our return to the
Peninsula two years afterwards, that the inhabitants for a long distance
around were clothed and shod with articles left by us at Savage's
Station on the grand retreat. The people had also made large gains by
gathering up the coats, pants, shirts and shoes left on the ground and
selling them in Richmond and elsewhere.
It was easy thus to dispose of commissary and quartermaster's stores,
but to destroy the immense magazines of cartridges, kegs of powder, and
shells, required more care. These were loaded into cars; a long train
was filled with these materials, and then, after setting fire to each
car, the train was set in motion down the steep grade. With wildest fury
the blazing train rushed; each revolution of the wheels adding new
impetus to the flying monster, and new volumes to the flames. The
distance to the bridge was two miles. On and on the burning train
thundered like a frightful meteor. Now, the flames being communicated to
the contents of the cars, terrific explosions of shells and kegs of
powder lent new excitement to the scene. The air was full of shrieking,
howling shells, the fragments of which tore through the trees and
branches of the forest; and huge fragments of cars were seen whirling
high in the air.
At length the train reached the river; and such was its momentum, that,
notwithstanding the bridge was burned, the engine and the first car
leaped over the first pier in the stream, and the cars hung suspended.
While this destruction was going on, Smith's division moved back beyond
Savage's Station, toward White Oak Swamp, marching, with frequent halts,
three or four miles, when we were ordered to retrace our steps with all
speed, to reinforce Sumner's corps, which was engaging the enemy. The
heat of the day was most oppressive. Many of our men fell with
sunstroke. Among those who thus suffered was General Davidson.