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diff --git a/43641-8.txt b/43641-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 598333f..0000000 --- a/43641-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9237 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Following the Flag, by Charles Carleton Coffin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Following the Flag - From August 1861 to November 1862 - -Author: Charles Carleton Coffin - -Release Date: September 4, 2013 [EBook #43641] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOLLOWING THE FLAG *** - - - - -Produced by D Alexander, Linda Hamilton, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: Yours truly Charles Carleton Coffin (signature)] - - - - - FOLLOWING THE FLAG - FROM AUGUST 1861 TO NOVEMBER 1862 - WITH THE - ARMY OF THE POTOMAC - - BY - CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN - - AUTHOR OF "MY DAYS AND NIGHTS ON THE BATTLEFIELD," "BOYS OF '76," - "BOYS OF '61," "WINNING HIS WAY," ETC. - - NEW YORK - HURST & COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - - - CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN SERIES - UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME - By CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN - - - Following the Flag. - Four Years of Fighting. - My Days and Nights on the Battlefield. - Winning His Way. - - - _Price, postpaid, 50c. each, or any three books for $1.25_ - - - HURST & COMPANY - PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK - - - - -PREFACE. - - -It will be many years before a complete history of the operations of -the armies of the Union can be written; but that is not a sufficient -reason why historical pictures may not now be painted from such -materials as have come to hand. This volume, therefore, is a sketch -of the operations of the Army of the Potomac from August, 1861, to -November, 1862, while commanded by General McClellan. To avoid detail, -the organization of the army is given in an Appendix. It has not been -possible, in a book of this size, to give the movements of regiments; -but the narrative has been limited to the operations of brigades and -divisions. It will be comparatively easy, however, for the reader -to ascertain the general position of any regiment in the different -battles, by consulting the Appendix in connection with the narrative. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER PAGE - Introductory 9 - - I. Organization of the Army of the Potomac 11 - - II. Ball's Bluff 22 - - III. Battle of Dranesville, and the Winter of - 1862 38 - - IV. Siege of Yorktown 49 - - V. Battle of Williamsburg 65 - - VI. On the Chickahominy 82 - Affair at Hanover Court-House 84 - - VII. Fair Oaks 88 - - VIII. Seven Days of Fighting 108 - Battle of Mechanicsville 111 - Battle of Gaines's Mills 115 - Movement to James River 121 - Battle of Savage Station 123 - Battle of Glendale 125 - Battle of Malvern 131 - - IX. Affairs in front of Washington 138 - Battle of Cedar Mountain 140 - - X. Battle of Groveton 147 - The Retreat to Washington 157 - - XI. Invasion of Maryland 158 - Barbara Frietchie 160 - Battle of South Mountain 165 - Surrender of Harper's Ferry 171 - - XII. Battle of Antietam 175 - Hooker's Attack 187 - Sumner's Attack 194 - The Attack upon the Center 206 - Richardson's Attack 212 - General Franklin's Arrival 216 - Burnside's Attack 221 - - XIII. After the Battle 238 - - XIV. The March from Harper's Ferry to - Warrenton 250 - Removal of General McClellan 269 - - -APPENDIX. - - The Organization of the Army of the Potomac, - April, 1862 278 - - - - -LIST OF DIAGRAMS. - - PAGE - Ball's Bluff 29 - - Battle of Dranesville 41 - - Battle of Williamsburg 69 - - Battle of Fair Oaks 91 - - Battle of Mechanicsville 112 - - Battle of Gaines's Mills 116 - - Battle of Glendale 128 - - Battle of Malvern 134 - - Battle of Groveton 149 - - Battle-Field of Antietam 180 - - Sedgwick's Attack 198 - - French's and Richardson's Attack 208 - - Burnside's Second Attack 232 - - - - -INTRODUCTORY. - - -For more than three years I have followed the flag of our country -in the East and in the West and in the South,--on the ocean, on the -land, and on the great rivers. A year ago I gave in a volume entitled -"My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field" a description of the Battle -of Bull Run, and other battles in Kentucky, Tennessee, and on the -Mississippi. - -It has been my privilege to witness nearly all the great battles fought -by the Army of the Potomac,--Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, -at the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, the North Anna, Coal Harbor and at -Petersburg. Letters have been received from those who are strangers to -me as well as from friends, expressing a desire that I should give a -connected account, not only of the operations of that army, from its -organization, but of other armies; also of the glorious achievements of -the navy in this great struggle of our country for national existence. -The present volume, therefore, will be the second of the contemplated -series. - -During the late campaign in Virginia, many facts and incidents were -obtained which give an insight into the operations of the armies of the -South, not before known. Time will undoubtedly reveal other important -facts, which will be made use of in the future. It will be my endeavor -to sift from the immense amount of material already accumulated a -concise and trustworthy account, that we may know how our patriot -brothers have fought to save the country and to secure to all who may -live after them the blessings of a free government. - - - - -FOLLOWING THE FLAG. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. - - -The battle of Bull Run, or of Manassas, as the Rebels call it, which -was fought on the 21st of July, 1861, was the first great battle of the -war. It was disastrous to the Union army. But the people of the North -were not disheartened by it. Their pride was mortified, for they had -confidently expected a victory, and had not taken into consideration -the possibility of a defeat. The victory was all but won, as has been -narrated in "My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field," when the arrival -of a brigade of Rebels and the great mistake of Captain Barry, who -supposed them to be Union troops, turned the scale, and the battle was -lost to the Union army. - -But the people of the North, who loved the Union, could not think of -giving up the contest,--of having the country divided, and the old flag -trailed in the dust. They felt that it would be impossible to live -peaceably side by side with those who declared themselves superior to -the laboring men of the Free States, and were their rightful masters. -They were not willing to acknowledge that the slaveholders were their -masters. They felt that there could not be friendship and amity -between themselves and a nation which had declared that slavery was -its cornerstone. Besides all this, the slaveholders wanted Maryland, -Kentucky, and Missouri in the Southern Confederacy, while the majority -of the people of those States wanted to stay in the Union. The Rebels -professed that they were willing that each State should choose for -itself, but they were insincere and treacherous in their professions. -Kentucky would not join the Confederacy; therefore they invaded the -State to compel the people to forsake the old flag. - -A gentleman from Ohio accompanied a Southern lady to Columbus, on the -Mississippi, to see her safely among her friends. General Polk was -commander of the Rebel forces at that place, and they talked about the -war. - -"I wish it might be settled," said the General. - -"How will you settle?" - -"O, all we ask is to have all that belongs to us, and to be let alone." - -"What belongs to you?" - -"All that has always been acknowledged as ours." - -"Do you want Missouri?" - -"Yes, that is ours." - -"Do you want Kentucky?" - -"Yes, certainly. The Ohio River has always been considered as the -boundary line." - -"But Kentucky don't want you." - -"We must have her." - -"You want all of Virginia?" - -"Of course." - -"You want Maryland?" - -"Most certainly." - -"What will you do with Washington?" - -"We don't want it. Remove it if you want to; but Maryland is ours."[1] - - [Footnote 1: Ohio State Journal.] - -Such was the conversation; and this feeling, that they must have -all the Slave States to form a great slaveholding confederacy, was -universal in the South. - -Besides this, they held the people in the Free States in contempt. Even -the children of the South were so influenced by the system of slavery -that they thought themselves superior to the people of the Free States -who worked for a living. - -I heard a girl, who was not more than ten years old, say that the -Northern people were all "old scrubs"! Not to be a scrub was to own -slaves,--to work them hard and pay them nothing,--to sell them, to -raise children for the market,--to separate mothers from their babes, -wives from their husbands,--to live solely for their own interests, -happiness, and pleasure, without regard to the natural rights of -others. This little girl, although her mother kept a boarding-house, -felt that she was too good to play with Northern children, or if she -noticed them at all, it was as a superior. - -Feeling themselves the superiors of the Northern people, having been -victorious at Manassas, the people of the South became enthusiastic for -continuing the war. Thousands of volunteers joined the Rebels already -in arms. Before the summer of 1861 had passed, General Johnston had a -large army in front of Washington, which was called the Army of the -Potomac. - -At the same time thousands rushed to arms in the North. They saw -clearly that there was but one course to pursue,--to fight it out, -defeat the Rebels, vindicate their honor, and save the country. - -The Union army which gathered at Washington was also styled the Army -of the Potomac. Many of the soldiers who fought at Manassas were three -months' men. As their terms of service expired their places were filled -by men who enlisted for three years, if not sooner discharged. - -General George B. McClellan, who with General Rosecrans had been -successfully conducting the war in Western Virginia, was called to -Washington to organize an army which, it was hoped, would defeat the -Rebels, and move on to Richmond. - -The people wanted a leader. General Scott, who had fought at Niagara -and Lundy's Lane, who had captured the city of Mexico, was too old and -infirm to take the field. General McDowell, although his plan of attack -at Bull Run was approved, had failed of victory. General McClellan had -been successful in the skirmishes at Philippi and at Rich Mountain. -He was known to be a good engineer. He had been a visitor to Russia -during the Crimean war, and had written a book upon that war, which was -published by Congress. He was a native of Pennsylvania and a resident -of Ohio when the war broke out. The governors of both of those States -sent him a commission as a brigadier-general, because he had had -military experience in Mexico, and because he was known as a military -man, and because they were in great need of experienced men to command -the troops. Having all these things in his favor, he was called to -Washington and made commander of the Army of the Potomac on the 27th of -July. - -He immediately submitted a plan of operations to the President for -suppressing the rebellion. He thought that if Kentucky remained loyal, -twenty thousand men moving down the Mississippi would be sufficient -to quell the rebellion in the West. Western Virginia could be held -by five or ten thousand more. He would have ten thousand protect the -Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Potomac River, five thousand -at Baltimore, twenty thousand at Washington, and three thousand at -Fortress Monroe. One grand army for active operations was needed, to -consist of two hundred and twenty-five thousand infantry, six hundred -pieces of field artillery, twenty-five thousand cavalry, and seven -thousand five hundred engineers, making a total of two hundred and -seventy-three thousand men. In his letter to the President, General -McClellan says: "I propose, with the force which I have requested, not -only to drive the enemy out of Virginia, and occupy Richmond, but to -occupy Charleston, Savannah, Montgomery, Pensacola, Mobile, and New -Orleans; in other words, to move into the heart of the enemy's country, -and crush the rebellion in its very heart."[2] - - [Footnote 2: General McClellan's Report, p. 4.] - -It was found a very difficult matter to obtain arms for the soldiers; -for President Buchanan's Secretary of War, Floyd, had sent most of the -arms in Northern arsenals to the South before the war commenced. But, -notwithstanding this, so earnest were the people, and so energetic the -government, that on the 1st of October, two months from the time that -General McClellan took command, there were one hundred and sixty-eight -thousand men in the Army of the Potomac, with two hundred and twenty -pieces of artillery; besides this, the government had a large army -in Kentucky, and another in Missouri. The Rebels had large armies in -those States, and were making great efforts to secure them to the -Confederacy. It was not possible to send all the troops to Washington, -as General McClellan desired. - -The Rebel army was commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston. He had -about seventy thousand men, with his headquarters at Manassas. Some -of the spies which were sent out by General McClellan reported a much -larger force under Johnston, and General McClellan believed that he -had one hundred and fifty thousand men. Strong fortifications were -erected to defend Washington; General Johnston wished very much to -take the city, and the people of the South expected that he would gain -possession of it and drive out the hated Yankees. He pushed his troops -almost up to General McClellan's lines, taking possession of Munson's -Hill, which is only five miles from the Long Bridge at Washington. - -The Rebels erected breastworks upon the hill, and threw shot and shells -almost to Arlington House. From the hill they could see the spires of -the city of Washington, the white dome of the capitol, and its marble -pillars. No doubt they longed to have it in their possession; but there -were thousands of men in arms and hundreds of cannon and a wide river -between them and the city. - -One bright October morning I rode to Bailey's Cross-roads, which is -about a mile from Munson's Hill. Looking across a cornfield, I could -see the Rebels behind their breastworks. Their battle-flags were waving -gayly. Their bayonets gleamed in the sunshine. A group of officers had -gathered on the summit of the hill. With my field-glass, I could see -what they were doing. They examined maps, looked towards Washington, -and pointed out the position of the Union fortifications. There were -ladies present, who looked earnestly towards the city, and chatted -merrily with the officers. A few days after, I saw in a Richmond paper -that the officers were Generals Lee, Beauregard, and Johnston, and that -one of the ladies was Mrs. Lee. - -General Lee was within sight of his old home; but he had become a -traitor to his country, and it was to be his no more. Never again would -he sit in the spacious parlors, or walk the verdant lawn, or look upon -the beautiful panorama of city and country, forest and field, hill and -valley, land and water,--upon the ripened wheat on the hillside or the -waving corn in the meadows,--upon the broad Potomac, gleaming in the -sunshine, or upon the white-winged ships sailing upon its bosom,--upon -the city, with its magnificent buildings, upon the marble shaft rising -to the memory of Washington, or upon the outline of the hills of -Bladensburg, faint and dim in the distance. - -He joined the rebellion because he believed that a state was more than -the nation, that Virginia was greater than the Union, that she had a -right to leave it, and was justified in seceding from it. He belonged -to an old family, which, when Virginia was a colony of Great Britain, -had influence and power. He owned many slaves. He believed that the -institution of slavery was right. He left the Union to serve Virginia, -resigned his command as colonel of cavalry, which he held under the -United States. He accepted a commission from Jefferson Davis, forswore -his allegiance to his country, turned his back upon the old flag, -proved recreant in the hour of trial, and became an enemy to the nation -which had trusted and honored him. - -The summer passed away and the golden months of autumn came round. The -troops were organized into brigades and divisions. They were drilled -daily. In the morning at six o'clock the drummers beat the reveille. -The soldiers sprang to their feet at the sound, and formed in company -lines to answer the roll-call. Then they had breakfast of hard-tack -and coffee. After breakfast the guards were sent out. At eight o'clock -there were company drills in marching, in handling their muskets, in -charging bayonet, and resisting an imaginary onset from the enemy. At -twelve o'clock they had dinner,--more hard-tack, pork or beef, or rice -and molasses. In the afternoon there were regimental, brigade, and -sometimes division drills,--the men carrying their knapsacks, canteens, -haversacks, and blankets,--just as if they were on the march. At -sunset each regiment had a dress parade. Then each soldier was expected -to be in his best trim. In well-disciplined regiments, all wore white -gloves when they appeared on dress parade. It was a fine sight,--the -long line of men in blue, the ranks straight and even, each soldier -doing his best. Marching proudly to the music of the band, the light -of the setting sun falling aslant upon their bright bayonets, and the -flag they loved waving above them, thrilling them with remembrances of -the glorious deeds of their fathers, who bore it aloft at Saratoga, -Trenton, and Princeton, at Queenstown and New Orleans, at Buena Vista -and Chapultepec, who beneath its endearing folds laid the foundations -of the nation and secured the rights of civil and religious liberty. -Each soldier felt that he would be an unworthy son, if traitors and -rebels were permitted to overthrow a government which had cost so -much sacrifice and blood and treasure, and which was the hope of the -oppressed throughout all the world. - -In the evening there were no military duties to be performed, and the -soldiers told stories around the camp-fires, or sang songs, or had a -dance; for in each company there was usually one who could play the -violin. Many merry times they had. Some sat in their tents and read the -newspapers or whatever they could find to interest them, with a bayonet -stuck in the ground for a candle-stick. There were some who, at home, -had attended the Sabbath school. Although in camp, they did not forget -what they had left behind. The Bible was precious to them. They read -its sacred pages and treasured its holy truths. Sometimes they had a -prayer-meeting, and asked God to bless them, the friends they had left -behind, and the country for which they were ready to die, if need be, -to save it from destruction. - -But at the tap of the drum at nine o'clock the laughter, the songs, -the dances, the stories, the readings, and the prayer-meetings, all -were brought to a close, the lights were put out, and silence reigned -throughout the camp, broken only by the step of the watchful sentinel. - -The soldiers soon grew weary of this monotony. They had been accustomed -to an active life. It was an army different from any ever before -organized. It was composed in a great degree of thinking men. Many of -them were leading citizens in the towns where they lived. They were -well educated and were refined in their manners. They knew there was to -be hard fighting and a desperate contest, that many never would return -to their homes, but would find their graves upon the field of battle; -yet they were ready to meet the enemy, and waited impatiently for -orders to march. - -There were grand reviews of troops during the fall, by which the -officers and soldiers became somewhat accustomed to moving in large -bodies. All of the troops which could be spared from the fortifications -and advanced positions were brought together at Bailey's Cross-roads, -after the Rebels evacuated Munson's Hill, to be reviewed by the -President and General McClellan. There were seventy thousand men. -It was a grand sight. Each regiment tried to outdo all others in -its appearance and its marching. They moved by companies past the -President, bands playing national airs, the drums beating, and the -flags waving. There were several hundred pieces of artillery, and -several thousand cavalrymen. The ground shook beneath the steady -marching of the great mass of men, and the tread of thousands of hoofs. -It was the finest military display ever seen in America. - -It was expected that the army would soon move upon the enemy. General -McClellan, in a letter to the President, advised that the advance -should not be postponed later than the 25th of November. The time -passed rapidly. The roads were smooth and hard. The days were golden -with sunshine, and the stars shone from a cloudless sky at night; but -there were no movements during the month, except reconnaissances by -brigades and divisions. - -The Rebels erected batteries on the south side of the Potomac, below -the Occoquan, and blockaded it. They had destroyed the Baltimore and -Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake Canal, so that the Union army and -the city of Washington were dependent on the one line of railroad to -Baltimore for all its supplies. It was very desirable that the Potomac -should be opened. General Hooker, who commanded a division at Budd's -Ferry, wished very much to attack the Rebels, with the aid of the navy, -and capture the batteries, but General McClellan did not wish one -division to move till the whole army was ready. December passed, and -the year completed its round. Cold nights and blustering days came, -and the army, numbering two hundred thousand men, went into winter -quarters. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -BALL'S BLUFF. - - -There were but two events of importance during the long period of -inactivity in the autumn of 1861,--a disaster at Ball's Bluff and a -victory at Dranesville. - -In October General Stone's division of the Army of the Potomac was at -Poolesville in Maryland. General Banks's division was at Darnestown, -between Poolesville and Washington. General McCall's division was at -a little hamlet called Lewinsville, on the turnpike leading from the -chain bridge to Leesburg, on the Virginia side. The main body of the -Rebels was at Centreville, but there was a brigade at Leesburg. - -It is a beautiful and fertile country around that pleasant Virginia -town. West of the town are high hills, called the Catoctin Mountains. -If we were standing on their summits, and looking east, we should -see the town of Leesburg at our feet. It is a place of three or four -thousand inhabitants. There are several churches, a court-house, a -market-place, where, before the war, the farmers sold their wheat, and -corn, oats, and garden vegetables. Three miles east of the town we -behold the Potomac sparkling in the sunlight, its current divided by -Harrison's Island. The distance from the Virginia shore to the island -is about one hundred and eighty feet; from the island to the Maryland -shore it is six or seven hundred feet. The bank on the Virginia side -is steep, and seventy-five or eighty feet high, and is called Ball's -Bluff. A canal runs along the Maryland shore. Four miles below the -island is Edward's Ferry, and three miles east of it is Poolesville. - -In October, General McClellan desired to make a movement which would -compel General Evans, commanding the Rebels at Leesburg, to leave the -place. He therefore directed General McCall to move up to Dranesville, -on the Leesburg turnpike. Such a movement would threaten to cut General -Evans off from Centreville. At the same time he sent word to General -Stone, that if he were to make a demonstration towards Leesburg it -might drive them away. - -On Sunday night, at sundown, October 20th, General Stone ordered -Colonel Devens of the Massachusetts Fifteenth to send a squad of -men across the river, to see if there were any Rebels in and around -Leesburg. - -Captain Philbrick, with twenty men of that regiment, crossed in three -small boats, hauled them upon the bank, went up the bluff by a winding -path, moved cautiously through the woods, also through a cornfield, and -went within a mile and a half of Leesburg, seeing no pickets, hearing -no alarm. But the men saw what they thought was an encampment. They -returned at midnight and reported to General Stone, who ordered Colonel -Devens to go over with about half of his regiment and hold the bluff. - -The only means which General Stone had for crossing troops was one -flat-boat, an old ferry-boat, and three small boats. - -Colonel Devens embarked his men on the boats about three o'clock in -the morning. The soldiers pushed them to the foot of the bluff, then -returned for other detachments. The men went up the path and formed in -line on the top of the bluff. By daybreak he had five companies on the -Virginia shore. He moved through the open field towards the encampment -which Captain Philbrick and his men had seen, as they thought, but -which proved to be only an opening in the woods. But just as the sun's -first rays were lighting the Catoctin hills he came upon the Rebel -pickets in the woods beyond the field. The pickets fired a few shots -and fled towards Leesburg, giving the alarm. - -The town was soon in commotion. The drums beat, the Rebel troops then -rushed out of their tents and formed in line, and the people of the -town jumped from their breakfast-tables at the startling cry, "The -Yankees are coming!" - -General Evans, the Rebel commander, the day before had moved to Goose -Creek to meet General McCall, if he should push beyond Dranesville. He -had the Eighth Virginia, the Thirteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth -Mississippi Regiments, and a squadron of cavalry and four pieces of -artillery. - -Captain Duff, commanding a detachment of the Seventeenth Mississippi, -was left at Leesburg. As soon as Colonel Devens's advance was -discovered, he formed his men in the woods and sent word to General -Evans, who hastened with his whole brigade to the spot. - -General Stone placed Colonel Baker, commanding the First California -Regiment, in command of the forces upon the Virginia side of the -river. Colonel Baker was a Senator from Oregon,--a noble man, an -eloquent orator, a patriot, and as brave as he was patriotic. During -the forenoon a portion of the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment, -commanded by Colonel Lee, was sent over. - -Just before twelve o'clock General Stone sent word to Colonel Baker -that the force of the enemy was supposed to be about four thousand. -Colonel Baker was in doubt whether to remain or whether to send over -more troops; but word came to him that the Rebels were advancing, and -he ordered over the Tammany Regiment of New York troops, commanded by -Colonel Cogswell, and Lieutenant-Colonel Wistar's California Regiment. -Colonel Baker went over about two o'clock in the afternoon. By constant -effort, he succeeded in getting about seventeen hundred men over during -the day, and three cannon,--two mountain howitzers and one rifled gun. -It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon before General Evans began -the attack. He had captured a courier the day before, sent by General -McCall to General Meade, and from the despatches learned that General -McCall was only making a reconnaissance. This information led him to -bring all his forces back to Leesburg, and it also delayed his attack -until late in the afternoon. - -Captain Duff, of the Seventeenth Mississippi, was reinforced first by -four companies of the Thirteenth and Eighteenth Mississippi, commanded -by Colonel Jennifer. About two o'clock the Eighth Virginia arrived from -Goose Creek, commanded by Colonel Huntoon. Other reinforcements were -near at hand. - -"Drive the Yankees into the river!" was General Evans's order. - -He had the advantage of position, being on higher ground than that -occupied by Colonel Baker. But he advanced very cautiously. - -Colonel Baker formed his men on the eastern border of the field in the -edge of the woods. The Fifteenth Massachusetts was on the right,--next -there was a portion of the Twentieth Massachusetts, which had been -sent over, and then the California and Tammany regiments. The Rebels -began to fire at long range. Some of them climbed into the trees,--some -secreted themselves in the shocks of corn which were standing in the -field,--some crouched behind the fences and trees. Colonel Baker, to -save his men, ordered them to lie down. - -Colonel Jennifer, commanding a Rebel regiment, with a party of -skirmishers, went round the north side of the field and came upon the -Fifteenth Massachusetts, but the men of that regiment fired so steadily -that the Rebels were forced to retire. - -At the southwest corner of the field was a farm road, down which the -Rebels advanced. The howitzers and the cannon were placed in position -to rake that road, and the Rebels were compelled to leave it and form -in the woods. - -It was apparent to Colonel Baker and all of his command at three -o'clock that the Rebels outnumbered them, but they prepared to make a -brave fight. The fire from both sides began to be more fierce and rapid. - -At this time General Gorman had crossed the river at Edward's Ferry, -three miles below, with fifteen hundred men. General Evans, to prevent -a junction of the Union forces, moved his troops into a ravine, and -came upon the left flank of Colonel Baker's command. - -"I want to find out what the Rebels are doing out there," said Colonel -Baker to Colonel Wistar, "and I want you to send out two companies." - -Colonel Wistar sent out Captain Marco with one company, and went -himself with the other. About fifty yards in front of Colonel Wistar -was a hill, and behind this Evans was preparing to make a charge. -Suddenly the Eighth Virginia, who had been lying upon the ground, -sprang to their feet, and, without firing a shot, advanced upon Captain -Marco. His men, without waiting for orders, fired, and for fifteen -minutes there was a very hot time of it,--the two companies holding -their ground against the superior force. Captain Marco had deployed his -men as skirmishers, while the Virginians were in close rank, and so -destructive was the fire from Captain Marco's command, that the Rebel -lines gave way. - -But it was at a fearful cost that the brave men held their ground so -long. During this time all their officers, and all their corporals and -sergeants but three, and two-thirds of the men, were killed or wounded! -They fell back at last under command of a sergeant, carrying with them -a lieutenant and fourteen men of the Eighth Virginia prisoners. - -The Rebels having reformed their line, came down upon the left flank of -the California regiment. Colonel Wistar saw them in the ravine, faced -four of his companies to meet them, and gave them a volley which threw -them into confusion, and, after firing a few scattering shots, they -ran up the ravine, and disappeared behind the hill. - -For an hour or more the firing was at long range, each party availing -themselves of the shelter of the woods. The men were ordered by Colonel -Baker to shield themselves as much as possible, but himself and the -other officers stood boldly out in the hottest fire. - -"That is pretty close!" said Colonel Baker to Colonel Wistar, as a -bullet came between them. Soon another ball cut off a twig over Colonel -Baker's head. - -"That fellow means _us_," he said, pointing to a Rebel in a distant -tree. "Boys, do you see him? Now some of you try him," he said to -company C, of Colonel Wistar's regiment. The soldiers singled out -the man, who soon tumbled from the tree. He repeatedly cautioned his -men about exposing themselves. He wanted to save them for the final -conflict, which he knew must come before long. - -"Lie close, don't expose yourself," he said to a brave soldier who was -deliberately loading and firing. - -"Colonel, you expose yourself, and why shouldn't I?" - -"Ah! my son, when you get to be a United States senator and a colonel, -you will feel that you must not lie down in face of the 'enemy.'" - -He knew that it would be asked if he was brave in the hour of battle. -It was his duty to expose himself, to show his men and all the world -that he was not afraid to meet the enemy, and was worthy of the -position he held. - - [Illustration: - 1 Union Troops. - 2 Rebel Troops. - 3 Road by which the Rebels advanced.] - -One of the Mississippi regiments tried again to outflank Colonel -Baker's left. The Rebels came within fifty feet of the California -regiment; but the constant and steady fire given by that regiment again -forced them back. It was an unbroken roll of musketry through the -afternoon. The Union soldiers held their ground manfully, but their -ammunition was giving out. The men, as fast as their cartridge-boxes -became empty, helped themselves from the boxes of their fallen -comrades. They could not obtain reinforcements for want of boats, -although there were troops enough upon the Maryland shore to overwhelm -the enemy. The boats were old and leaky, and were used to carry the -wounded to the island. General Stone had taken no measures to obtain -other boats. He was at Edward's Ferry, within sight and sound of the -battle. He had fifteen hundred troops across the river at that point, -and he might have ordered their advance towards Leesburg. They could -have gained General Evans's rear, for there was no force to oppose -them. The troops stood idly upon the bank, wondering that they were not -ordered to march. So the brave men on the bluff, confronted by nearly -twice their number, were left to their fate. - -"We can cut our way through to Edward's Ferry," said Colonel Devens. - -"If I had two more such regiments as the Massachusetts Fifteenth, I -would cut my way to Leesburg," said Colonel Baker. - -He went along the line encouraging the men to hold out to the last. -His cool bearing, and the glance of his eagle eye, inspired the -men and they compelled the Rebels again and again to fall back. -Lieutenant-Colonel Wistar was wounded, but refused to leave the field. -He remained with his men and kept a close watch upon the ravine and -the hillock at his left hand. He saw that General Evans was making -preparations for a desperate onset. He was gathering his troops in a -mass behind the hill. - -"Drive the Yankees into the Potomac," said General Evans, again. He had -more than two thousand men. - -"There is not a moment to lose. A heavy column is behind the hill and -they are getting ready to advance," said Colonel Wistar, hastening to -Colonel Baker. - -Lieutenant Bramhall was ordered to open upon them with his rifled -gun. He brought it into position and fired a round or two, but two -of his cannoneers were instantly killed and five others wounded. -Colonel Baker, Colonel Wistar, and Colonel Cogswell used the rammer and -sponges, and aided in firing it till other cannoneers arrived. Colonel -Wistar was wounded again while serving the gun. They could not reach -the main body of Rebels behind the hill, but kept the others in check -with canister as often as they attempted to advance. - -The force behind the hill suddenly came over it, yelling and whooping -like savages. Colonel Baker was in front of his men, urging them to -resist the impending shock. He was calm and collected, standing with -his face to the foe, his left hand in his bosom. A man sprang from the -Rebel ranks, ran up behind him, and with a self-cocking revolver fired -six bullets into him. Two soldiers in front of him fired at the same -time. One bullet tore open his side, another passed through his skull. -Without a murmur, a groan, or a sigh, he fell dead. - -But as he fell, Captain Beirel of the California regiment leaped from -the ranks and blew out the fellow's brains with his pistol. - -There was a fierce and terrible fight. The Californians rushed forward -to save the body of their beloved commander. They fell upon the enemy -with the fury of madmen. They thought not of life or death. They had no -fear. Each man was a host in himself. There was a close hand-to-hand -contest, bayonet-thrusts, desperate struggles, trials of strength. Men -fell, but rose again, bleeding, yet still fighting, driving home the -bayonet, pushing back the foe, clearing a space around the body of the -fallen hero, and bearing it from the field. - -While this contest was going on, some one said, "Fall back to the -river." Some of the soldiers started upon the run. - -"Stand your ground!" shouted Colonel Devens. - -Some who had started for the river came back, but others kept on. The -line was broken, and it was too late to recover what had been lost. -They all ran to the bank of the river. Some halted on the edge of the -bluff and formed in line, to make another stand, but hundreds rushed -down the banks to the boats. They pushed off into the stream, but the -overloaded flat-boat was whirled under by the swift current, and the -soldiers were thrown into the water. Some sank instantly, others came -up and clutched at sticks, thrust their arms towards the light, and -with a wild, despairing cry went down. Some clung to floating planks, -and floated far down the river, gaining the shore at Edward's Ferry. A -few who could swim reached the island. All the while the Rebels from -the bank poured a murderous fire upon the struggling victims in the -water and upon the bank. - -Lieutenant Bramhall ran his cannon down the bank into the river, -to save them from falling into the hands of the enemy. Some of the -officers and soldiers secreted themselves in the bushes till darkness -came on, then sprung into the river and swam to the island, and thus -escaped,--reaching it naked, chilled, exhausted, to shiver through -the long hours of a cold October night. Of the seventeen hundred who -crossed the Potomac, nearly one half were killed, wounded, or captured -by the enemy. - -There was great rejoicing at Leesburg that night. The citizens who had -been so frightened in the morning when they heard that the Yankees were -coming, now illuminated their houses, and spread a feast for the Rebel -soldiers. When the Union prisoners arrived in the town, the men and -women called them hard names, shouted "Bull Run," "Yankee Invaders," -but the men who had fought so bravely under such disadvantages were -too noble to take any notice of the insults. Indians seldom taunt -or insult their captives taken in war. Civilized nations everywhere -respect those whom the fortunes of war have placed in their hands; -but slavery uncivilizes men. It makes them intolerant, imperious, -and brutal, and hence the men and women of the South, who accepted -secession, who became traitors to their country, manifested a malignity -and fiendishness towards Union prisoners which has no parallel in the -history of civilized nations. - -There was great rejoicing throughout the South. It gave the leaders and -fomenters of the rebellion arguments which they used to prove that the -Yankees were cowards, and would not fight, and that the North would -soon be a conquered nation. - -It was a sad sight at Poolesville. Tidings of the disaster reached -the place during the evening. The wounded began to arrive. It was -heart-rending to hear their accounts of the scene at the river bank, -when the line gave way. Hundreds of soldiers came into the lines -naked, having thrown away everything to enable them to swim the river. -The night set in dark and stormy. After swimming the river, they -had crowded along the Maryland shore, through briers, thorns, and -thistles, stumbling over fallen trees and stones in the darkness, while -endeavoring to reach their encampments. Many were found in the woods in -the morning, having fallen through exhaustion. - -Thus by the incompetency of those in command, a terrible disaster was -brought about. General McClellan and General Stone were both severely -censured by the people for this needless, inexcusable sacrifice. Grave -doubts were entertained in regard to the loyalty of General Stone, for -he permitted the wives of officers in the Rebel service to pass into -Maryland and return to Virginia, with packages and bundles, whenever -they pleased, and he ordered his pickets to heed any signals they might -see from the Rebels, and to receive any packages they might send, and -forward them to his quarters.[3] - - [Footnote 3: Testimony before Committee of Congress.] - -When these facts became known to the War Department, General Stone -was arrested and confined in Fort Warren in Boston Harbor, but he was -subsequently released, having no charges preferred against him. - -Lieutenant Putnam of the Twentieth Massachusetts, who was so young -that he was called the "boy soldier," was mortally wounded in the -battle, was carried to Poolesville, where he died the next day. He -came of noble blood. His father was descended from the ancestor of old -General Putnam, who fought the French and Indians on the shores of Lake -Champlain, who did not stop to unyoke his oxen in the field, when he -heard of the affair at Lexington, and hastened to meet the enemy. - -Rev. James Freeman Clarke, at his funeral said:-- - -"His mother's family has given to us statesmen, sages, patriots, poets, -scholars, orators, economists, philanthropists, and now gives us also a -hero and a martyr. His great grandfather, Judge Lowell, inserted in the -Bill of Rights, prefixed to the Constitution of this State, the clause -declaring that 'all men are born free and equal,' for the purpose, as -he avowed at the time, of abolishing slavery in Massachusetts, and he -was appointed by Washington, federal judge of the district. - -"His grandfather was minister of this church, [West Church, Boston,] -honored and loved as few men have been, for more than half a century. - -"Born in Boston in 1840, he was educated in Europe, where he went -when eleven years old, and where in France, Germany, and Italy he -showed that he possessed the ancestral faculty of mastering easily -all languages, and where he faithfully studied classic and Christian -antiquity and art. Under the best and most loving guidance, he read -with joy the vivid descriptions of Virgil, while looking down from -the hill of Posilippo, on the headland of Misenum, and the ruins of -Cumæ. He studied with diligence the remains of Etruscan art, of which, -perhaps, no American scholar, though he was so young, knew more. - -"Thus accomplished, he returned to his native land, but, modest and -earnest, he made no display of his acquisitions, and very few knew -that he had acquired anything. When the war broke out, his conscience -and heart urged him to go to the service of his country. His strong -sense of duty overcame the reluctance of his parents, and they -consented. A presentiment that he should not return alive was very -strong in his mind and theirs, but he gave himself cheerfully, and -said, in entire strength of his purpose, that 'to die would be easy in -such a cause.' In the full conviction of immortality he added, 'What is -death, mother? it is nothing but a step in our life.' - -"His fidelity to every duty gained him the respect of his superior -officers, and his generous, constant interest in his companions and -soldiers brought to him an unexampled affection. He realized fully that -this war must enlarge the area of freedom, if it was to attain its true -end,--and in one of his last letters he expressed the earnest prayer -that it might not cease till it opened the way for universal liberty. -These earnest opinions were connected with a feeling of the wrong done -to the African race and an interest in its improvement. He took with -him to the war as a body servant a colored lad named George Brown, who -repaid the kindness of Lieutenant Lowell by gratitude and faithful -service. George Brown followed his master across the Potomac into the -battle, nursed him in his tent, and tended his remains back to Boston. -Nor let the devoted courage of Lieutenant Henry Sturgis be forgotten, -who lifted his wounded friend and comrade from the ground, and carried -him on his back a long distance to the boat, and returned again into -the fight. - -"Farewell, dear child, brave heart, soul of sweetness and fire! We -shall see no more that fair, candid brow, with its sunny hair, those -sincere eyes, that cheek flushed with the commingling roses of modesty -and courage! Go and join the noble group of devoted souls, our heroes -and saints! Go with Ellsworth, protomartyr of this great cause of -freedom. Go with Winthrop, poet and soldier, our Korner, with sword and -lyre. Go with the chivalric Lyon, bravest of the brave, leader of men. -Go with Baker, to whose utterance the united murmurs of Atlantic and -Pacific Oceans gave eloquent rhythm, and whose words flowed so early -into heroic action. Go with our noble Massachusetts boys, in whose -veins runs the best blood of the age!" - -I saw Colonel Baker often as I rode through the army. He had a great -love for his soldiers. I had a long talk with him a few days before his -death. He felt keenly the humiliations which had come upon the nation -at Bull Run, but was confident that in the next battle the soldiers -would redeem their good name. - -Colonel Baker was mourned for by the whole nation. Eloquent eulogies -were pronounced upon him in the Senate of the United States. It was on -the 11th of December, and President Lincoln was present to do honor to -the dead. - -Senator McDougall spoke of his noble character, his great gifts, his -love of music and poetry. Many years before they were out together upon -the plains of the West riding at night, and Colonel Baker recited the -"Battle of Ivry" as if in anticipation of the hour when he was to stand -upon the battle-field:-- - - "The king has come to marshal us, in all his armor drest; - And he has bound a snow-white plume upon his gallant crest. - He looked upon his people, and a tear was in his eye; - He looked upon the traitors, and his glance was stern and high. - Right graciously he smiled on us, as ran from wing to wing, - Down all our line a deafening shout, 'God save our Lord the King!' - And if my standard-bearer fall, as fall full well he may, - For never saw I promise yet of such a bloody fray, - Press where ye see my white plume shines amid the ranks of war, - And be your oriflamme to-day the helmet of Navarre." - -Senator Summer said of him:-- - -"He died with his face to the foe; and he died so instantly that he -passed without pain from the service of his country to the service of -his God, while with him was more than one gallant youth, the hope of -family and friends, sent forth by my own honored Commonwealth. It is -sweet and becoming to die for one's country. Such a death, sudden, but -not unprepared for, is the crown of the patriot soldier's life." - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -BATTLE OF DRANESVILLE AND THE WINTER OF 1862. - - -On the old turnpike which leads from the Chain Bridge above Georgetown -to Leesburg there is a hamlet of a half-dozen houses, called -Dranesville. The great road to Alexandria joins the turnpike there, -also a road which leads to Centreville. Near the junction of the roads, -on the west side of the turnpike, there is a large brick house, a -fine old Virginia mansion, owned by Mr. Thornton, surrounded by old -trees. Just beyond Mr. Thornton's, as we go toward Leesburg, is Mr. -Coleman's store, and a small church. Doctor Day's house is opposite the -store. There are other small, white-washed houses scattered along the -roadside, and years ago, before the Alexandria and Leesburg railroad -was built, before Virginia gave up the cultivation of corn and wheat -for the raising of negroes for the South, it was a great highway. -Stage-coaches filled with passengers rumbled over the road, and long -lines of canvas-covered wagons, like a moving caravan. - -It is a rich and fertile country. The fields of Loudon are ever -verdant; there are no hillsides more sunny or valleys more pleasant. -Wheat and corn and cattle are raised in great abundance. - -On the 20th of December, 1861, General McCall, whose division of Union -troops was at Lewinsville, sent General Ord with a brigade and a large -number of wagons to Dranesville to gather forage. On the same morning -the Rebel General Stuart started from Centreville with a brigade bound -on the same errand. - -General Ord had the Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, and Twelfth Regiments of -Pennsylvania Reserves, with four guns of Easton's battery, and a -company of cavalry. One of the regiments wore bucktails in their -caps instead of plumes. The soldiers of that regiment were excellent -marksmen. They were from the Alleghany Mountains, and often had the -valleys and forests and hillsides rung with the crack of their rifles. -They had hunted the deer, the squirrels, and partridges, and could -bring down a squirrel from the tallest tree by their unerring aim. - -General Stuart had the First Kentucky, Sixth South Carolina, Tenth -Alabama, Eleventh Virginia, with the First South Carolina Battery, -commanded by Captain Cutts, also a company of cavalry. The two forces -were nearly equal. - -General Ord started early in the morning. The ground was frozen, the -air was clear, there was a beautiful sunshine, and the men marched -cheerily along the road, thinking of the chickens and turkeys which -might fall into their hands, and would be very acceptable for Christmas -dinners. They reached Difficult Creek at noon where the troops halted, -kindled their fires, cooked their coffee, ate their beef and bread, and -then pushed on towards Dranesville. - -An officer of the cavalry came back in haste from the advance, and -reported having seen a rebel cavalryman. - -"Keep a sharp lookout," was the order. The column moved on; but General -Ord was prudent and threw out companies of flankers, who threaded their -way through the woods, keeping a sharp eye for Rebels, for they had -heard that the enemy was near at hand. - -On reaching Dranesville, General Ord sent a company down the -Centreville road to reconnoitre. It was not long before they reported -that the woods were full of Rebels. General Ord formed his men on both -sides of the Centreville road. He sent the Ninth and Twelfth west of -Mr. Thornton's house, into the woods, posted the Bucktails in front of -the house, put three of Easton's guns into position on a hill east of -it, put the Tenth Regiment and the cavalry in rear of the battery on -the Chain Bridge road, sent one cannon down the Chain Bridge road a -short distance to open a flank fire, and directed the Sixth Regiment to -take position west of the Centreville road, to support the Bucktails, -and detached one company of the Tenth to move down the Alexandria road -to cover the flanking cannon. - - [Illustration: BATTLE OF DRANESVILLE. - 1 General Ord's line. - 2 General Stuart's line. - 3 Road to Georgetown. - 4 Road to Alexandria. - 5 Road to Centreville.] - -Standing by Thornton's house, and looking south, we see the Rebels on -a hill, about half a mile distant. General Stuart plants his six guns -on both sides of the road, to fire toward the Bucktails. The Eleventh -Virginia and Tenth Alabama are deployed on the right of the road, and -the Sixth South Carolina and the First Kentucky are sent to the left. -The cavalry is drawn up behind the battery. - -Having defeated the Yankees at Manassas and Ball's Bluff, the rebel -soldiers were confident that they would win an easy victory. As soon -as General Stuart formed his line, Cutt's Battery opened fire, sending -shells down the road towards the Bucktails. The guns were not well -aimed and did no damage. Easton's battery was hurried up from the -turnpike. So eager were the artillerymen to get into position, that one -gun was upset, and the men were obliged to lift it from the ground. -But General Ord told the men where to place the guns. He jumped from -his horse and sighted them so accurately, that they threw their shells -with great precision into the Rebel ranks. The cannonade went on for a -half-hour, Easton's shells tearing the Rebel ranks, while those fired -by the Rebels did no damage whatever. One of Easton's shells went -through a Rebel caisson, which exploded and killed several men and -horses. So severe was his fire, that, although the Rebels had two more -guns than he, they were obliged to retreat. - -Meanwhile General Ord's infantry advanced. The Ninth came upon the -First Kentucky in the woods. The pines were very dense, shutting out -completely the rays of the winter sun, then low down in the western -horizon. At the same time the Bucktails were advancing directly south. -The men of the Ninth, when they discovered the Rebels, thought they -were the Bucktails. - -"Don't fire on us,--we are your friends!" shouted a Rebel. - -"Are you the Bucktails?" asked one of the Ninth. - -"Yes!" was the reply, followed by a terrific volley from the Rebel line. - -The Ninth, though deceived, were not thrown into confusion. They gave -an answering volley. The Bucktails hearing the firing advanced, while -the Twelfth followed, the Ninth supporting them. - -Upon the other side of the road a body of Rebels had taken shelter in -a house. "Let them fellows have some shells," was the order to the -gunners. - -Crash! crash! went the shells into and through the house, smashing in -the sides, knocking two rooms into one, strewing the floor with laths -and plaster, and making the house smoke with dust. The Rebels came out -in a hurry, and took shelter behind the fences, trees, and outbuildings. - -"Colonel, I wish you to advance and drive back those fellows," said -General Ord to the commander of the Sixth Regiment. - -Captain Easton ordered his gunners to cease firing, for fear of -injuring the advancing troops. The Sixth moved rapidly across the -field, firing as they advanced. The Rebels behind the fences fired a -volley, but so wild was their aim that nearly all the bullets passed -over the heads of the Sixth. In the field and in the woods there was a -constant rattle of musketry. The men on both sides sheltered themselves -behind trees and fences, or crept like Indians through the almost -impenetrable thickets. - -The Bucktails were accustomed to creeping through the forests, and -taking partridges and pigeons on the wing. Their fire was very -destructive to the enemy. Stuart's lines began to waver before them. -The South Carolinians fell back a little, and then a little more, as -the Bucktails kept edging on. The fire of the skilled mountaineers was -constant and steady. It was too severe for the Rebels to withstand. -They gave way suddenly on all sides, and fled in wild confusion down -the Centreville road, throwing away their guns, clothing, knapsacks, -and cartridge-boxes, leaving one caisson and limber of their artillery -behind in their haste to get away. Nearly all of their severely wounded -were left on the field. The Union loss was seven killed and sixty-one -wounded, while so destructive was the fire of the Pennsylvanians that -the Rebel loss was two hundred and thirty.[4] - - [Footnote 4: Norfolk Day-Book.] - -The affair, though short, was decisive. The effect was thrilling -throughout the army. The Union troops,--held in contempt by the -Rebels,--defeated at Manassas, Ball's Bluff, and at Bethel, by superior -forces, had met an equal number of the enemy, and in a fair fight had -won a signal victory. It was a proud day to the brave men who had thus -shown their ability to conquer a foe equal in numbers. They returned -from Dranesville in high spirits, and were received with cheers, long -and loud, by their comrades, who had heard the distant firing, and who -had been informed of their victory. - -Christmas came. The men were in winter quarters, and merry times they -had,--dinners of roast turkey, plum-pudding and mince-pies, sent by -their friends at home. After dinner they had games, sports, and dances, -chasing a greased pig, climbing a greasy pole, running in a meal-bag, -playing ball, pitching quoits, playing leap-frog, singing and dancing, -around the camp-fires through the long Christmas evening. - -The winter passed away without any event to break the monotony of -camp-life. - -Officers and soldiers alike became disaffected at the long delay of -General McClellan. The President and the people also were dissatisfied. -President Lincoln, being commander-in-chief, selected the 22d of -February, the birthday of Washington, on which all the armies of the -Union were to make an advance upon the enemy; but it was midwinter, the -roads were deep with mud, and the order was withdrawn. General Grant -all the while was winning victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, -and General Sherman and the navy had taken Port Royal, while the great -Army of the Potomac, on which the country had lavished its means, and -granted all that its commander asked for, was doing nothing. - -The President, in March, issued an order to General McClellan to -complete the organization of the army into corps, with such promptness -and despatch as not to delay the commencement of the operations which -he had already directed to be undertaken by the Army of the Potomac. -General McClellan complied with the order. - -The First Corps was composed of Franklin's, McCall's, and King's -Divisions, and was commanded by Major-General McDowell. - -The Second Corps was composed of Richardson's, Blenker's, and -Sedgwick's Divisions, and was commanded by Major-General Sumner. - -The Third Corps was commanded by Major-General Heintzelman, and was -composed of Fitz-John Porter's, Hooker's, and Hamilton's Divisions. - -The Fourth Corps was commanded by Major-General Keyes, and was composed -of Couch's, Smith's, and Casey's Divisions. - -The Fifth Corps was composed of Shields's and Williams's Divisions, and -was commanded by Major-General Banks. - -It was a long, dull winter to the soldiers. They waited impatiently for -action. Camp-life was not all song-singing and dancing. There were days -and weeks of stormy weather, when there could be no drills. The mud -was deep, and the soldiers had little to do but doze by the camp-fires -through the long winter days and nights. Thousands who had led correct -lives at home fell into habits of dissipation and vice. Their wives and -children haunted their dreams at night. A sorrow settled upon them,--a -longing for home, which became a disease, and sent thousands to the -hospital, and finally to the grave. The army early in the winter began -to suffer for want of something to do. - -Some of the colonels and chaplains saw that it was of the utmost -importance that something should be done to take up the minds -of the men and turn their thoughts from the scenes of home. -Lyceums, debating-societies, schools, in which Latin, German, -arithmetic, reading, and writing were taught, were established. The -chaplains,--those who were true, earnest men, established Sunday -schools, and organized churches, and held prayer-meetings. God blessed -their efforts, and hundreds of soldiers became sincere Christians, -attesting their faith in Jesus Christ as the Saviour of men by living -correct lives and breaking off their evil habits. Under the influence -of the religious teachings there was a great reform in the army. The -men became sober. They no longer gambled away their money. They became -quiet and orderly, obeyed the commands of their officers in doing -unpleasant duties with alacrity. Some who had been drunkards for years -signed the temperance pledge. They became cheerful. They took new views -of their duties and obligations to their country and their God, and -looked through the gloom and darkness to the better life beyond the -grave. Several of the chaplains organized churches. One noble chaplain -says of the church in his regiment:-- - -"I received into its communion one hundred and seventy members, about -sixty of whom for the first time confessed Christ. At the commencement -of the services I baptized six young soldiers. They kneeled before me, -and I consecrated them to God for life and for death,--the majority -of them baptized, as it proved, for death. I then read the form of -covenant, the system of faith, to which all gave their assent. I -then read the names of those who wished to enter this fold in the -Wilderness; those who had made a profession of religion at home, and -came to us as members of Christian churches, and those who now came as -disciples of the Redeemer. - -"Then followed the communion service. This was one of the most -affecting and impressive seasons of my life. The powers of the world -to come rested on all minds. The shadow of the great events so soon -to follow was creeping over us, giving earnestness and impressive -solemnity to all hearts. It was a day never to be forgotten as a -commencement of a new era in the life of many. It was a scene on which -angels might look down with unmingled pleasure, for here the weary -found rest, the burdened the peace of forgiveness, the broken in heart, -beauty for ashes. - -"Our position increased in a high degree the interest of the occasion. -We were far from our churches and homes. Yet we found here the sacred -emblems of our religion, and looking into the future, which we knew -was full of danger, sickness, and death to many, we have girded -ourselves for the conflict. It much resembled the solemn communion of -Christians in the time of persecution. Our friends who were present -from a distance, of whom there were several, rejoiced greatly that -there was such a scene in the army. General Jameson was deeply moved -and afterwards said it was the most solemn and interesting scene of his -life. - -"Again, on Sabbath, March 9th, the religious interest continuing, we -held another communion. At this time twenty-eight were received into -the church. Seven young men were baptized. The interest was greater -than at the former communion, and it gives me the greatest satisfaction -to know that this season, which gave to many the highest enjoyment ever -known on earth, when the cup of thanksgiving was mingled with tears of -gratitude, prepared for the sacrifice that was to follow. Many who were -there never again partook of the wine of promise until they drank it -new in the kingdom of God, and sat down at the marriage supper of the -Lamb."[5] - - [Footnote 5: Peninsular Campaign. Rev. Dr. Marks.] - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE SIEGE OF YORKTOWN. - - -The Rebel army suddenly evacuated Centreville, Manassas, and the line -of the Potomac, carrying off everything of value. The Army of the -Potomac moved on the 9th of March to Manassas, beheld the deserted -encampments, returned to Alexandria, and sailed for Fortress Monroe. -General McClellan decided to advance upon Richmond by the Peninsula, -between the York and James Rivers. General McDowell, with McCall's and -King's divisions, was stationed at Fredericksburg, to cover Washington. -Blenker's division was detached from Sumner's Corps, and sent to the -Shenandoah Valley. All the other divisions sailed down the Chesapeake. -The troops landed at Newport News and went into camp. - -The Rebel General Magruder occupied Yorktown. He was fortifying it and -the Peninsula, erecting batteries to command York River, and to cover -the approaches by land. The iron-clad Merrimack, with the Teazer and -Jamestown gunboats, were in the James River. Admiral Goldsborough, with -the Monitor, the Minnesota, and several gunboats, was watching them, -and guarding the shipping at Fortress Monroe. - -General McClellan submitted his plans to the President. He had two -methods of operation in view;--one, to attack Magruder's works, between -the York and the James, which might require siege operations, and a -delay of many weeks; the other, to obtain aid from the navy, attack -the water-batteries at Yorktown, silence them, and then go up the York -River with his army, sailing to West Point, within twenty-five miles -of Richmond. Admiral Goldsborough could not spare gunboats enough to -attack the batteries, and therefore General McClellan adopted the other -plan.[6] - - [Footnote 6: General McClellan's Report, p. 66.] - -On the evening of April 3d the army received orders to march the next -morning. - -It was a beautiful night. The sky was cloudless. A new moon shed its -silver light upon the vast encampment. The soldiers had been waiting -two weeks. They were one hundred thousand strong, while the Rebel force -did not number more than ten or twelve thousand.[7] - - [Footnote 7: General Heintzelman's testimony.] - -They expected to move to victory. They sang songs, wrote letters to -their friends, burnished their guns, heaped the fires with fresh fuel, -and rejoiced that after so many months of waiting they were to be -active. - -There were some who had a true appreciation of the work before them, -and realized that they might fall in the hour of battle. - -One who had fought at Bull Run, whose heart was in the great cause, -prepared his last will and testament. At the close of it he wrote:-- - -"And now, having arranged for the disposition of my worldly estate, I -will say that, possessing a full confidence in the Christian religion, -and believing in the righteousness of the cause in which I am engaged, -I am ready to offer my poor life in vindication of that cause, and in -sustaining a government the mildest and most beneficent the world has -ever known."[8] - - [Footnote 8: Maine Adjutant-General's Report, 1862, p. 142. Captain - B. M. Smith.] - -At three o'clock in the morning the soldiers were astir, roused by -the drum-beat and the bugle. The fading fires were rekindled. Their -coffee was soon bubbling on the coals. Before daylight they had their -knapsacks packed, their tents taken down, and all things ready for the -march. By sunrise they were on the road, General Heintzelman's corps -leading the column. The roads were deep with mud, and the marching was -heavy, but so enthusiastic were the soldiers that by ten o'clock the -head of the column encountered the enemy's pickets in front of Yorktown. - -Both armies were upon historic ground. It was at Yorktown that the -British army under Lord Cornwallis laid down its arms in 1781. It -was a flourishing village then. There were fine mansions, surrounded -with shrubbery, shaded by old oaks and lindens. Virginia in those -days had many wealthy families. The Peninsula was the first settled -territory in America, and many of the planters had immense estates. -One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence resided at -Yorktown,--Governor Nelson. His house is yet standing,--a large -two-story brick building, which General Magruder occupied for his -head-quarters. It bears the marks of shot which were fired by the -Americans during the siege in 1781. Governor Nelson commanded the -Virginia militia then. He was a noble patriot, and aimed the cannon -himself at his own house to drive out the British who had possession of -it. - -Cornwallis had a line of earthworks around Yorktown, and those which -Magruder erected were on pretty much the same line, only Magruder's, -besides encircling the town, also reached across the Peninsula. The -English general had between seven and eight thousand men. General -Washington and Count Rochambeau had about fifteen thousand. They were -large armies for those days, but very small when compared with that -commanded by General McClellan. - -It was a long march which the French and American troops made to reach -Yorktown. They marched from New York, in July, through Philadelphia, -Baltimore, Annapolis, Mount Vernon, and Williamsburg. They had no -transports to take them down the Chesapeake, besides, there was an -English fleet in the bay which might have captured the entire army had -it moved by water. - -In the American army were officers whose names are inseparably -connected with the history of our country,--General Knox, Baron -Steuben, Lafayette, General Clinton, General Lincoln, Colonel Scammell, -the brave New Hampshire officer who was shot by a Hessian soldier. In -the French army were Count Rochambeau, Marquis St. Simon, and Baron -Viomeil. In the bay floated the English ships of war, and outside, near -Cape Henry, was the Count de Grasse, with his formidable fleet. - -On Sunday morning, the 13th of October, the place was completely -invested. The Americans of the allied army moved down the road leading -to Hampton, and swung round by Wormley Creek. General Lincoln -commanded the right wing, and had his head-quarters near the creek. -Lafayette, with his light infantry, and Governor Nelson, with the -Virginia militia, were on the north side of the Hampton road, while -south of it were the New England and New Jersey and New York troops, -under General Clinton. They held the center of the American line. The -left wing of the Americans, on Warwick River, was composed of Maryland -and Pennsylvania troops, under Baron Steuben. On the west side of the -Warwick were Washington's and Rochambeau's head-quarters, on the south -side of the road. The French troops held the ground from this point to -York River west of the town. - -Lord Cornwallis capitulated on the 16th of October. On the 17th his -fine army marched out from the town along the Hampton road about a mile -to a field, where the soldiers laid down their arms. The American army -was drawn up on the north side of the road and the French on the south -side,--two long lines of troops. The British army marched between them, -the drums beating a slow march, and the colors which had waved proudly -on so many battle-fields closely encased. It was a sorrowful march to -the British soldiers. Some of them cried with vexation, and drew their -caps over their faces to hide their tears. Lord Cornwallis felt the -humiliation so deeply that he delegated General O'Hara to surrender up -his sword. - -It was an imposing scene. Washington and all the generals of the army, -with their suits, in rich uniforms and on fine horses, the long lines -of soldiers, the colors waving in the breeze, the British army in its -scarlet uniforms, the crowd of spectators from the country who had -heard of the news, and had hastened to see the surrender, made it one -of the grandest sights ever seen in America. - -On such ground, hallowed by noble deeds, the troops of the Union, as -their fathers had done before them, were to carry on the siege of -Yorktown. - -The Rebels also undoubtedly felt the influence of those stirring times -of the Revolution. They believed that they were fighting for their -liberty, and were engaged in a just war. But sincerity is not certain -proof of the righteousness of a cause. Chaplain Davis, of the Fourth -Texas regiment, has this vindication of the rebellion, written by the -camp-fires at Yorktown:-- - -"How many pleasing recollections crowd upon the mind of each soldier -as he walks over these grounds, or sitting thoughtfully by his fagots, -recalls the history of the past, and compares it with the scenes of the -present. The patriots of the Revolution were struggling for liberty, -and so are we. They had been oppressed with burdensome taxation,--so -were we. They remonstrated,--so did we. They submitted till submission -ceased to be a virtue,--and so have we. They appealed to Parliament, -but were unheard. Our Representatives in Congress pointed to the -maelstrom to which they were driving the ship, but they refused to -see it. Our fathers asked for equalities of rights and privileges, -but it was refused. The South asked that their claim to territory won -by the common blood and treasure of the country be recognized, and -that our domestic institutions, as guaranteed by the Constitution, -be respected. These petitions were answered by professed ministers of -the Church of Jesus Christ in raising contributions from the sacred -pulpit on the holy Sabbath of Sharpe's Rifles, to shed Southern blood -on common territory. Their Representatives declared, upon the floors -of Congress, that they were in favor of 'An Antislavery Constitution, -an Antislavery Bible, and an Antislavery God!' What is now left us? -Naught but the refuge our fathers had,--the God of Justice and the God -of Battles. To him have we appealed, and by his aid and our good right -arms we will pass through the ordeal of blood and come out conquerors -in the end."[9] - - [Footnote 9: Campaign from Texas to Maryland, by Rev. Nicholas A. - Davis, Chaplain Fourth Texas. Richmond, 1863.] - -Many thousands of the Union soldiers were thinking, reflecting men. -There were ministers, professors in colleges, school-teachers, and -learned and scientific men. Few there were who could not read and -write. Thousands of them had been teachers and scholars in the Sunday -schools. They had thought the war all over, and discussed the causes -which led to it. They were familiar with the history of events,--of the -struggle between Slavery and Freedom; for the possession of Kansas, -where men and women were driven out, their buildings burned, or -themselves thrown into rivers, or deliberately murdered, for preferring -freedom to slavery. They recalled the attempt to compel the people of -the North to return the slaves who were escaping to Canada,--also the -kidnapping of free citizens of the North; the imprisonment of men and -women for teaching a slave to read the Bible. They remembered that a -Northern man could not travel with safety in the South before the war, -that Slavery was opposed always to Freedom, that the system crushed -the poor laboring men without distinction of color, race, or clime or -country; that it was overbearing, imperious, aristocratic, arrogant, -and cruel; that it kept the people from obtaining knowledge; that it -was the foe of industry, the enemy of science, art, and religion. - -They remembered the words of Mr. Stephens, of Georgia, the -Vice-President of the Confederacy, who in the beginning opposed -secession; who said to his associates in the convention which carried -his State out of the Union:-- - -"It is the best and freest government, the most equal in its rights, -the most just in its decisions, the most lenient in its measures, and -the most inspiring in its principles to elevate the race of man that -the sun of heaven ever shone upon. Now for you to attempt to overthrow -such a government as this, unassailed, is the height of madness, folly, -and wickedness."[10] - - [Footnote 10: Stephens's speech.] - -They remembered that Mr. Stephens asked those who were plotting treason -these questions: "What reasons can you give to the nations of the earth -to justify it? They will be calm and deliberate judges in the case; -and to what law, to what one overt act, can you point on which to rest -the plea of justification? What right has the North assailed? What -interest of the South has been invaded? What justice has been denied, -or what claim founded in justice and right has been withheld? Can any -of you name one governmental act of wrong deliberately and purposely -done by the government at Washington of which the South had a right to -complain? I challenge the answer." - -They remembered that the Secretary of War under President Buchanan, Mr. -Floyd of Virginia, had removed all the arms from the Northern arsenals -to the South, that the slaveholders might be well prepared for war, and -ready to seize the city of Washington. - -They remembered that Mr. Toucey of Connecticut, who was President -Buchanan's Secretary of the Navy, had sent nearly all the ships of -war into foreign seas, that they might not be at hand in the hour of -rebellion, when the government should pass into new hands, and that -the Secretary of the Treasury stole millions of dollars of public -funds intrusted to his care. They reflected that all of these men had -forsworn themselves, that they were traitors and robbers, that they had -deliberately, through years of power, planned to rebel, to destroy the -government, and bring ruin upon the people if they could not have their -way. They believed that without cause the Rebels had fired upon the -flag, and inaugurated the war, and that to defend the flag and restore -the Union, by crushing out the rebellion, was a duty they owed to -their country and to God. They recalled the words of Thomas Jefferson, -uttered long ago, in his notes on Virginia, who said, in view of the -complicity of the South with slavery:-- - -"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that his -justice cannot sleep forever. The Almighty has no attribute that can -take side with us in such a contest."[11] - - [Footnote 11: Notes on Virginia.] - -Those thinking men remembered the words of the great man who wrote -the Declaration of Independence, and they also remembered that the -oppressed and down-trodden of all lands were looking to America,--to -the principles of the government of the United States,--as their hope -for the future. They did not forget their homes on the breezy hills -of the North and in the sunny valleys, nor the church-bell, nor the -school-house, and other things dearer to them than life. They must -fight to maintain them. Their liberties were assailed. They could not -falter in such a contest. - -So they reflected as they sat by their camp-fires in the starry night, -or lay upon the ground where their fathers achieved the last great -victory which secured their independence. - -The corps commanded by General Heintzelman, when it came into position -before Yorktown, stood upon the ground which General Lincoln had -occupied in the siege of 1781. General Sumner's corps had the center, -and occupied the ground which Baron Steuben and General Clinton held -in that siege. General Keyes's corps came to the Warwick River, at -Lee's Mills, almost opposite the spot where General Washington had his -head-quarters, while General Franklin was held in reserve to move up -York River on transports when the enemy was driven from Yorktown. - -General Heintzelman arrived in front of the works, and was greeted with -shells from Magruder's batteries. While the cannon were booming on -that afternoon of the 4th, the following brief telegram was sent over -the wires from Washington to Fortress Monroe:-- - -"By direction of the President, General McDowell's army corps has been -detached from the force under your immediate command, and the General -is ordered to report to the Secretary of War." - -General McClellan received it on the 5th. He remarks:-- - -"To me the blow was most discouraging. It frustrated all my plans -for impending operations. It fell when I was too deeply committed to -withdraw. It left me incapable of continuing operations which had been -begun. It compelled the adoption of another, a different, and a less -effective plan of campaign. It made rapid and brilliant operations -impossible. It was a fatal error. It was now of course out of my power -to turn Yorktown by West Point. I had therefore no choice left but -to attack it directly in front as I best could with the force at my -command."[12] - - [Footnote 12: McClellan's Report, p. 79.] - -This brief despatch will demand the patient consideration of historians -in the future, who, when the passions and prejudices of men have passed -away, calmly and dispassionately review the causes of the failure of -the Peninsular campaign. On one hand, it is alleged to have been the -fatal error; that it was an unwarrantable interference, which made -it impossible for General McClellan to conduct the campaign to a -successful issue. - -On the other hand, it is asked how the presence of McDowell would have -enabled him to go to West Point without the aid of the navy, which he -could not have.[13] - - [Footnote 13: See page 50.] - -How did it compel the adoption of another plan, inasmuch as the order -for the troops to advance and attack the works at Yorktown was issued -on the 3d, and they marched on the 4th, and were engaged with the -enemy before General McClellan received the orders? It is claimed, -therefore, that the issuing of the order was not a fatal error; that -it did not compel the adoption of another plan; that no other plan -was adopted; that it did not leave General McClellan incapable of -continuing operations already begun; that it did not deprive him of -the power of taking West Point, inasmuch as he never had had the -power; neither did it compel an attack directly in front, for that had -already begun; and that the President in making the change was only -enforcing the conditions on which he accepted the plan of a movement -to the Peninsula,--the retention of a force sufficient to cover -Washington,--which General McClellan had not complied with. - -In the correspondence which passed between the President and General -McClellan, the President has this explanation and vindication of his -course:-- - -"My explicit directions that Washington should, by the judgment of -all commanders of corps, be left entirely secure, had been entirely -neglected. It was precisely this that drove me to detain McDowell. I do -not forget that I was satisfied with your arrangement to leave Banks -at Manassas Junction, but when that arrangement was broken up, and -nothing was substituted for it, of course I was not satisfied. I was -constrained to substitute something for it. - -"And now allow me to ask you: Do you really think I should permit the -line from Richmond _via_ Manassas Junction to this city to be entirely -open, except what resistance could be presented by less than twenty -thousand unorganized troops? This is a question which the country will -not allow me to evade."[14] - - [Footnote 14: President Lincoln's letter,--Testimony, p. 321.] - -It will be interesting to see how the situation was viewed by the -commanders of the two armies on the Peninsula. General McClellan's -troops in front of the enemy, present and fit for duty, numbered one -hundred thousand strong.[15] He asked for reinforcements. He wrote thus -to the Secretary of War:-- - - [Footnote 15: Adjutant-General's Report,--Testimony, p. 315.] - -"It seems clear that I shall have the whole force of the enemy on my -hands, probably not less than one hundred thousand men, and probably -more. In consequence of the loss of Blenker's division and the First -Corps (McDowell's), my force is possibly less than that of the enemy, -while they have the advantage of position."[16] - - [Footnote 16: McClellan's Report, p. 79.] - -"I was compelled," says General Magruder, "to place in Gloucester -Point, Yorktown, and Mulberry Island, fixed garrisons, amounting to six -thousand men, my whole force being eleven thousand; so that it will -be seen that the balance of the line, embracing a length of thirteen -miles, was defended by about five thousand men. On the 5th of April -the enemy's columns appeared along the whole front of my line. I have -no accurate data upon which to base an exact statement of his force; -but, from various sources of information, I was satisfied that I had -before me the enemy's Army of the Potomac, with the exception of the -two _corps d'armée_ of Banks and McDowell, forming an aggregate number -certainly of not less than one hundred thousand, since ascertained to -have been one hundred and twenty thousand.... Thus with five thousand -men, exclusive of the garrisons, we stopped and held in check over -one hundred thousand of the enemy. Every preparation was made in -anticipation of another attack. The men slept in the trenches and under -arms, but to my utter surprise he permitted day after day to elapse -without an assault."[17] - - [Footnote 17: Confederate Reports, Official, p. 516.] - -Siege operations commenced,--spades, picks, and shovels were given to -the troops, and they began to throw up the breastworks. It was a slow, -tedious, laborious undertaking. The mud was very deep, the ground -soft, and it rained nearly every day. The woods were very dense. There -were new roads made. The brooks were bridged. Some of the soldiers -made gabions, or baskets of wicker-work, for the batteries. The teams -floundered through the mud axle-deep. Thousands of horses gave out from -sheer exhaustion. When the breastworks were ready, the heavy guns, -their carriages, and the ammunition had to be hauled. - -It was almost impossible to accomplish the work. The horses could not -do it, and regiments of men were detailed to drag the cannon through -the mud. - -The soldiers worked faithfully and enthusiastically day and night, -through drenching rains, lying down to sleep in their wet garments, -upon the water-soaked ground. Fever made its appearance, and thousands -were sent to the hospitals, worn down by their hard labor and exposure. -The bullets of the enemy killed very few of those noble men, but -thousands sickened and died. - -While the batteries were getting ready, there was a spirited affair at -Lee's Mills on the 16th of April. General McClellan decided to make -a reconnaissance at that point, and, if everything was favorable, to -throw a portion of his force across the Warwick River, and gain a -foothold upon the western shore. There was an old field on the east -side of the stream, which was overgrown with young pines and oaks. A -line of skirmishers, under cover of a heavy artillery fire, crept down -through the pines to the edge of the stream. The Rebel battery upon the -other side answered the Union artillery with solid shot and shells. - -Colonel Hyde of the Third Vermont was ordered to cover the stream -with two companies. The crossing was just below the dam, over which -the water poured in a silver sheet. The creek was swollen with rains, -but the sons of Vermont were not the men to falter. They plunged -in up to their necks. Their ammunition was soaked, but they pushed -on up the other bank, with a cheer. They were met by the Fifteenth -North Carolina. They did not stop an instant, but rushed upon -the Carolinians, who fled to the rear in great confusion, and the -Vermonters took possession of their rifle-pits. The commander of the -Carolinians, Colonel McVining, fell mortally wounded, also many of his -men, before the impetuous charge of the Green Mountaineers. But Rebel -reinforcements were at hand. Anderson's brigade advanced, and the -handful of men was obliged to recross the stream. The golden moment -for throwing a division across and breaking the enemy's line was lost. -Later in the day a second attempt was made by the Fourth and Fifth -Vermont regiments to cross upon the dam, but the Rebel batteries swept -it, and the attempt was not successful. The losses during the day were -about one hundred on each side. - -The month of April passed before the first siege guns were ready to -open fire. Meanwhile Magruder was reinforced. On the first day of May a -heavy battery near York River began to throw shells and solid shot into -Yorktown. That night negroes came into General McClellan's lines and -reported that the Rebels were leaving Yorktown, but their story was not -believed by the General. Preparations were made to open a fire from all -the guns and mortars on the 4th of May. - -General Magruder kept close watch of the operations, and when General -McClellan was ready, quietly retreated towards Williamsburg. He ordered -his artillerymen to keep up a heavy fire through the night, to spike -the guns just before daybreak, and leave the place. So through the -night there was a grand uproar of artillery along the Rebel lines. The -gunners seemed to vie with each other to see which could fire most -rapidly and throw away the most shot and shells. They took no aim, but -fired at random towards the Union lines. - -At daybreak it was discovered that there was no sign of life or -motion in the Rebel camp. The guns still looked frowningly from the -fortifications, tents were standing; but the troops were all gone, and -Yorktown was deserted. - -They carried off all their light artillery, nearly all their provisions -and supplies, but left fifty-two heavy guns in the intrenchments. They -planted torpedoes, and connected them with wires and cords. A Union -soldier hit his foot against a wire and an explosion followed, which -blew off his legs. - -General Magruder, by showing a bold front, with eleven thousand men at -first, had held an army of a hundred thousand in check, and gained a -month of valuable time for preparations for the defense of Richmond. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG. - - -The first battle in the Peninsular campaign of the Army of the Potomac -was fought at Williamsburg, one of the oldest towns in Virginia. It was -settled in 1632, and was capital of the Colony for many years before -the Revolution. William and Mary's College is there, which was endowed -by the king and queen of England with twenty thousand acres of land, -and a penny on every pound of tobacco sent out of the Colony, and -duties on all the furs and skins. The college buildings were designed -by Sir Christopher Wren, architect of St. Paul's in London. - -The colonial governors resided at Williamsburg. The courts were held -there. The government buildings were the noblest in America. The -Governor's residence was a magnificent edifice, with a great estate -of three hundred acres attached, laid out in lawns, parks, groves, -flower-gardens, and peach-orchards. It was intersected by a brook. -There were winding graveled walks, shaded by oaks and lindens. - -On public occasions, and on birth-nights, there were grand receptions -at the palace, as it was called, where all the public officers and -gentlemen assembled to pay their respects to the governor. The judges -and counselors, in flowing robes and powdered wigs, the gentlemen of -the Colony in broidered waistcoats, ruffled shirts, buff breeches, -black stockings, and red, yellow, green, blue, or purple coats, with -gold and silver shoe-buckles, and ladies in silks and satins, rode up -in their carriages, driven by coachmen, and attended by footmen in -livery. - -During the sessions of the House of Burgesses there were gay times. -The town was filled with visitors. The wealth, fashion, and refinement -of the Colony gathered there. It was there in the House of Burgesses -that Patrick Henry uttered the patriotic sentiment,--"Give me liberty, -or give me death." It was from Williamsburg that Sir William Berkeley -wrote to the King's commissioners, thanking God that there were no -common schools or printing-presses in Virginia. Washington, when but -twenty-one years of age, mounted his horse at the palace-gate, for -his long journey to the head-waters of the Ohio, chosen by Governor -Dinwiddie, out of all the aristocratic families of the Colony, to bear -a message to the French commander in that far-off region; and there, -at the same gate, he dismounted from his horse on the 22d of January, -1754, having faithfully accomplished what he had undertaken. - -East of this old town, a small stream, which rises in the center of -the Peninsula, runs southeast and empties into College Creek. Very -near the head-waters of this stream another has its rise, which runs -north to the York River, and is called Queen's Creek. On both streams -there are mills. The main road from Yorktown to Williamsburg runs on -the high land between the head-waters of the creeks. About a mile east -of the town the road forks. General Magruder had thrown up a strong -fortification at that point, which contained thirteen guns, and was -called Fort Magruder. There were ten other earthworks which effectually -commanded the roads, the ravines, and all the approaches from the east. - -In pursuing Magruder, General Stoneman, with the cavalry and Gibson's -battery, went up the Yorktown road, and came out of the dense forest -in front of Fort Magruder. The guns opened fire, throwing shells, -which killed and wounded several of the cavalrymen. Gibson brought his -battery into position and replied. The Sixth United States Cavalry -moved on towards the fort, but were met by infantry and cavalry, and -were compelled to fall back with the loss of thirty men. Gibson was -obliged to move his guns, for the batteries in the fort had the range -of his position. The mud was deep, and one of the guns sunk to the -axle. The horses tugged and pulled, but they also sunk. Other horses -were added, but the ground was marshy, and gun and horses went still -deeper. - -The Rebel gunners saw the confusion, and threw their shells upon the -spot. Some burst harmlessly in the air, some fell into the mud, others -tore up the ground and covered the artillerymen and teamsters with -earth, others burst among the horses and men. The Rebel infantry came -down upon the run, and Captain Gibson was obliged to leave. - -The night came on dark and dismal. The rain fell in torrents. The -troops who had been marching all day were drenched. The roads were -narrow and muddy. There was a want of arrangement in the order of -marching, and the divisions became confused. Wagons broke down, -artillery sunk in the mire; but the troops were eager to get at the -enemy, who had eluded their commander, first at Manassas, and now at -Yorktown. They marched, some of them, till midnight, and then, without -kindling a fire, lay down drenched, upon the dead forest leaves, having -had no dinner, and without a supper. The rain-drops dripped from the -trees through the night, but the soldiers were in line at daybreak, -ready to move again in pursuit of the enemy. - -General Hooker being in advance upon the Lee's Mills road, came upon -the enemy's pickets posted along a deep ravine above the mill-pond, on -the stream which empties into College Creek. - -General Smith's division, when the army advanced from Yorktown, was on -the Lee's Mills road, but it moved towards the north and came in front -of the enemy on the Yorktown road. - - [Illustration: BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG. - 1 Hooker. - 2 Hancock. - 3 Sumner. - 4 Longstreet. - 5 Hill. - 6 Fort Magruder. - 7 Williamsburg.] - -General Hooker's skirmishers, as soon as they saw the enemy, dashed on -and drove them across the ravine, and approached within musket-shot of -the fort. The artillery in the fort opened with a rapid fire of shells, -but the skirmishers concealed themselves in the underbrush, and gave -so deadly a fire that they silenced the guns. No gunner could show his -head without getting a ball through it. - -General Hooker formed his division in line of battle. His first -brigade was commanded by General Sickles, and was composed of the -First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Excelsior regiments from New -York. His second brigade, General Grover's, was composed of the First -and Eleventh Massachusetts, Second New Hampshire, and Twenty-sixth -Pennsylvania. The third brigade was composed of the Fifth, Sixth, -Seventh, and Eighth New Jersey regiments, and was commanded by Colonel -Starr,--in all, about eight thousand men. - -The First Massachusetts had the left of the line, then the Second New -Hampshire, Eleventh Massachusetts, with the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania -on the right. The other brigades did not arrive till nearly noon. They -formed on the left of Grover's brigade, towards the mill-pond. - -The Rebel force in position behind the forts is supposed to have been -about thirty thousand, commanded by General Longstreet. A Rebel officer -states that it numbered not over twenty-five thousand.[18] - - [Footnote 18: Battle-Fields of the South, by an English Officer in - the Confederate Army. London.] - -During the forenoon but a small force confronted General Grover's -brigade, but in the afternoon dark columns appeared south of the fort, -and, advancing down the ravines, crossed the stream above the mill-pond. - -They attacked General Hooker's left wing in great force. The -skirmishers were driven in. Bramhall's battery came into position as -the enemy advanced. "Shell with short fuses!" shouted the captain to -his gunners. - -The shells exploded in, around, and above the advancing columns, which -still kept coming on. The musketry began,--quick and sharp volleys; yet -the lines came on, across the open space, through the woods. - -"Canister and spherical case!" was the order to the gunners. The cannon -spouted a deadly fire, filling the air with terrible hail. The Rebel -lines were checked. Foiled in the attack upon the center, they advanced -once more upon the left flank, and the contest went on with increasing -fury, like the rising of a winter tempest. - -Grover and Sickles held their ground tenaciously, but were forced back -inch by inch and step by step. - -The contest was in the edge of the forest, over fallen trees, where men -fell headlong in their endeavors to take new positions. The rain was -falling, the ground was miry. The men were worn and weary; but they -fought on, minding not hunger or thirst or exhaustion, calling for -ammunition. Their cartridge-boxes were empty, but they would not turn -their backs upon the enemy, or desert their comrades whose cartridges -still held out. - -From noon till four o'clock General Hooker fought unaided. He sent to -Sumner for reinforcements, but Sumner felt that he could not spare any -men from his front. He sent officers to bring up the brigades in the -rear. - -General McClellan was at Yorktown, and did not know there was a battle -going on till late in the day. - -The Rebels saw that Hooker received no reinforcements, and pressed him -heavily. His troops supporting some of the batteries gave way. The -Rebels came on in a desperate charge, shot the horses, and five cannon -fell into their hands. - -"Reinforcements! I want reinforcements!" was Hooker's cry. The -impetuous Kearney, whose division was the last to leave Yorktown, had -heard the roar of battle, and rode ahead of his troops. He was an old -soldier, had stormed the heights of Chapultepec, and was with Louis -Napoleon in the great battle of Solferino. He started back to hasten -forward his division, but it was already advancing. - -The brave, energetic, resolute Berry, who commanded one of Kearney's -brigades, met an aide of General Sumner's. - -"Who is engaged at the front?" he asked. - -"Hooker is at it." - -"Is he supported by Sumner?" - -"No. Sumner is taking position farther to the right." - -The road was filled with teams and troops of other brigades belonging -to Sumner's corps. Berry looked at the blockade a moment, then said to -a captain of one of his batteries,-- - -"Captain, go ahead and clear the road for my brigade." - -"Let the march be upon the double-quick," was the order sent down the -line. - -"Clear the road!" was the authoritative order sent up the line. The -troops, the wagons, the artillery, the ambulances, turned aside, and -the brigade went on. - -His quick ear caught the sound of musketry,--a constant, steady rattle, -like the pattering of the rain-drops on the dead leaves. - -"Throw aside your knapsacks, and place a guard over them," was his -order. The men, panting for breath, came to a halt, threw their heavy -knapsacks into a heap, and went on again, faster than before. - -Kearney met them. "You have done well, General," was his salutation to -Berry. He stimulated the men, and fired their ardor with his own wild -enthusiasm. They rushed on through by-paths, across pastures and fields. - -Hooker's line was giving way. It had been pushed back a mile, had -lost a portion of its guns, and the exultant enemy were advancing for -a decisive, a finishing stroke. Many had fired their last round of -ammunition, and stood with empty muskets. How earnestly they looked -towards the rear to see if the promised aid was ever to arrive! - -Help at last. A dark column comes through the woods upon the run. A -wild, tumultuous cheer rends the air. The men who are ready to drop -from sheer exhaustion, who have confronted the enemy through the -lagging hours, feel new strength as Berry sweeps past them, deploys his -line right and left, and becomes a living barrier between them and the -tide already rolling on over the bloody field. The enemy advances, but -whole ranks go down before the deadly volleys given point-blank into -their faces by that body of men whose brows are wet with the sweat of -their fast running. The breaker is broken. The wave which was ready -to sweep Hooker from the face of the earth, instead of setting onward, -begins to recede. It is beaten down before the fiery breath pouring -like a furnace blast from the three thousand muskets. - -The Rebels retreat. Berry advances. His volleys are steady and regular. -Nothing can daunt his men. They feel that they are a power. Kearney -sees that the time has come to decide the day. - -"Give them the bayonet!" is the thrilling order which rings along the -line. - -An officer, young in years, fair of countenance, polished in manner, -who has traveled at home and abroad, the same who in the silent hours -of the last night at Yorktown wrote his last will and testament, the -adjutant of General Berry, leads the men from Michigan. His voice rings -loud and clear above the wild uproar. The men follow where he leads, -into the leaden rain. They fall by scores, but on--on--on,--over the -bloody field,--over fallen friends and foes,--they press the foe, -regaining the ground, the lost cannon,--the victory! - -"You are the hero of the day," said Kearney to Captain Smith, who had -led the charge so gallantly, as he returned and reported for further -duty, his clothes torn by the bullets of the enemy. - -While this was transpiring on the left, there was its counterpart on -the right. - -General Hancock was detached by General Smith to cross the milldam at -Queen's Creek, and attack the Rebels in that direction. He crossed -the stream with the Sixth Maine, Fourth Wisconsin, Forty-ninth -Pennsylvania, and Forty-third New York, Wheeler's battery, and a -squadron of cavalry. - -He came upon a small party of Rebels, who rapidly retreated. - -"I can go to Fort Magruder if well supported," was the despatch he sent -back to General Smith. - -He could see the fort across the open plain, smoking and flaming and -throwing shells upon Hooker's command. General Smith sent the message -to General Sumner, requesting permission to send supports. - -"Stay where you are," was the reply. - -Again Hancock sent for permission to go on. Smith sent the request to -Sumner. - -"Go," was the welcome answer. - -The troops were on the march, when an aide from Sumner stopped the -movement. The Rebels were threatening an attack on the center. - -"I want more force to support us. The enemy is coming in superior force -to attack me," was Hancock's third message. - -His position was in a field near a farm-house, where the Rebels had -thrown up a square redoubt, which they had abandoned. - -From the farm-house to the woods west of it there was a rail-fence. -Hancock threw out his skirmishers towards Fort Magruder, beyond -the farm-house. Wheeler's battery was brought up and placed upon a -knoll near the house. The Fifth Wisconsin and Forty-Third New York -were stationed west of the house behind the fence. The Forty-ninth -Pennsylvania was placed behind the house. Two companies of the Sixth -Maine held the abandoned redoubt, while the other companies of that -regiment were placed in support of the battery. - -Two brigades of Rebels marched out from the forest into the field. -Wheeler's battery opened with shells. The Rebels were half a mile -distant, but, notwithstanding the fire, they moved steadily and rapidly -over the intervening space. The skirmishers which had been thrown out -from Hancock returned to the lines. The Rebels were near enough for -canister, and the six pieces of cannon threw it into the advancing -line. The Rebel cavalry dashed upon the Fifth Wisconsin, but only to -lose a dozen men and horses. The infantry were close upon Wheeler, who -covered the hillock with a murky cloud. Suddenly his fire ceased, then -with whip and spur and shout the pieces went to the rear and took a new -position and opened again. The regiments by the fence fell back and -closed up in closer order. The Rebels again advanced, and the musketry -began. The fight was at short range. The battery fired shell, canister, -and shrapnel, and made terrible havoc. - -Hancock saw that the moment for decisive action had come. He waved his -cap to his troops. The officers along the line understood the meaning -of the signal. They spoke but one magical word. The men, as if animated -by an electric impulse, moved towards the enemy. Their bayonets became -a gleaming, glittering, bristling, moving hedge. They broke into a run. -Each man felt the enthusiasm of the moment. They heeded not the deadly -volleys, but went on through the storm, with a cheer louder than the -roar of the battle. - -The Rebels did not wait to receive the blow, but fled in confusion from -the field. - -It was a glorious moment. Berry at that instant was throwing in a -living barrier against the flood which had swept Hooker back. The -battle was won. Night came on. It had rained through the day, and the -men, victorious at last, lay down to sleep upon the field, while the -Rebels fled towards Richmond, leaving several cannon, many wagons, and -several hundred of their wounded in Williamsburg. - -The total Union loss was two thousand two hundred and eighty-eight. The -loss to the Rebels was from two thousand five hundred to three thousand. - -"Our loss amounted to about two thousand five hundred," says the -chaplain of the Fourth Texas. - -When the news of the battle reached Richmond there was great -consternation, which was increased by the news of the blowing up of the -Merrimack on the morning of the 11th of May. - -"In the President's mansion about this time all was consternation and -dismay," says Pollard, the Southern historian.[19] - - [Footnote 19: Southern History of the War, Vol. II. p. 31.] - -Jefferson Davis's niece wrote a letter to a friend in Vicksburg, but -the mail-bag was captured by the Yankee pickets. - -"General Johnston," said the young lady, "is falling back from the -Peninsula, and Uncle Jeff thinks we had better go to a safer place than -Richmond. O mother! Uncle Jeff is miserable. He tries to be cheerful -and bear up against such a continuation of troubles, but oh! I fear he -cannot live long, if he does not get some rest and quiet. - -"Our reverses distressed him so much, and he is so weak and feeble, it -makes my heart ache to look at him. He knows that he ought to send his -wife and children away, and yet he cannot bear to part with them, and -we all dread to leave him too. Varina and I had a hard cry about it -to-day. - -"O, what a blow the fall of New Orleans was! It like to have set us all -crazy here. Everybody looks depressed, and the cause of the Confederacy -looks drooping and sinking; but if God is with us, who can be against -us? Our troops are not doing as well as we expected.... The regiments -most apt to run are from North Carolina and Tennessee.... I am afraid -that Richmond will fall into the hands of the enemy, as there is no way -to keep back the gunboats. James River is so high that all obstructions -are in danger of being washed away, so that there is no help for the -city.... - -"Uncle Jeff was confirmed last Tuesday in St. Paul's Church, by Bishop -Johns. He was baptized at home, in the morning, before church."[20] - - [Footnote 20: Southern History, Vol. II. p. 31.] - -The Confederate Congress adjourned hastily. They sent off their -families. The railroad trains going out were crowded with passengers. -The public documents were boxed up and sent away. Mrs. Jefferson Davis -took down her window-curtains, tore up the carpets, packed her silver -plate and pictures, and left the city.[21] The Treasury Department -removed its printing-presses to Georgia, and everybody prepared to -leave the city, which they feared was doomed to fall into the hands of -the Yankees. - - [Footnote 21: Estvan's War Pictures from the South, p. 271.] - -When the Merrimack was blown up, the James River was open to the -gunboats to Fort Darling, within ten miles of Richmond. The fort -mounted four guns. Three of the gunboats bombarded it on the 13th, but -were not able to silence the guns. - -General McClellan's transports were at Yorktown and Fortress -Monroe,--an immense fleet. His army was within five miles of the James. -It will be for the future historian to inquire whether the army ought -not to have been sent up the James instead of the Chickahominy. - -After the battle of Antietam, a wounded Rebel officer who was -left behind when Lee retreated, and who was General Magruder's -Adjutant-General, conversed freely upon the Peninsular campaign. - -"We were very much surprised at Yorktown," he said, "when we saw -General McClellan make preparations for a siege." - -"Indeed!" - -"Yes, for we were ready to retreat at any moment. We had only a handful -of men compared with his great army." - -"How many men had Magruder at that time?" - -"Not more than nine thousand and five hundred fit for duty, and they -were strung out on a line thirteen miles long, from Gloucester to James -River. If General McClellan had acted with vigor, and pushed our center -as soon as he landed, he could have trampled us all down in the mud." - -"But you had a large number of cannon, which swept the approaches, and -could have inflicted great damage." - -"He could have covered his real attack by feints on distant parts of -the line, and Magruder's force was so small that he could not have -resisted an earnest attack. The woods were so dense that McClellan -could have effectually concealed all his movements." - -"Some of General McClellan's officers were in favor of advancing at -once." - -"It was, in my judgment, if you will allow a Rebel to criticise your -generals," said the officer with a smile, "his first mistake." - -"Then you think it was a mistake on the part of General McClellan." - -"Yes, for Lee's army had not reached us. Every day's delay on the -part of General McClellan gave us reinforcements. It gave us time -to fortify Richmond. The Confederate army was much reduced at that -time. The term of enlistments of many regiments had expired, and the -Conscription Act had not been enforced. The fortunes of the Confederacy -at that time were not very bright, I must confess. Even the Confederate -Congress closed its session and left Richmond, and, had it not been for -McClellan's delay and the energy with which troops from all quarters -were conscripted and rushed into Richmond, it would have gone hard with -us. And when we evacuated Yorktown, General McClellan did not do as I -should have done, had I commanded you Yankees." - -"Ah! how so?" - -"The Virginia, or the Merrimack, as you call her, was blown up on the -10th. It was a bitter pill to us, and if I were Jefferson Davis I would -hang old Huger, who commanded at Norfolk, for his cowardly conduct -in evacuating the place. When the Merrimack was destroyed, General -McClellan, instead of following us up the Peninsula through the mud, -ought to have re-embarked his troops and made all haste up the James. -Your gunboats went up to Fort Darling and got smashed, but if he had -landed below the Fort he could have carried it from the rear with his -infantry, for we had few troops there. He could have then brought his -gunboats to Richmond ahead of us who were paddling in the mud of the -Chickahominy." - -"I suppose that General McClellan did what he thought was best at the -time." - -"Probably; but it happened to be the very best movement he could have -made for us," said the officer, with a smile. - -There was much suffering in the hospitals on the Peninsula. The medical -department was not well organized, but the delegates of the Christian -and Sanitary Commissions were present, and saved the lives of many men. - -They saw a soldier in a tent one day who was fast passing away. He had -fought his last battle with the enemy of his country. He was a noble -man, but he was worn out by disease. He had worked in the slimy swamps, -on the fortifications, and was covered with filth. He had lost all his -strength, and was so weak that he could not raise his hand to his head. -They washed him, changed his clothing, lifted him from the damp ground -and placed him on a cot, gave him nourishing food, talked to him of -home, of mother, of Jesus, his best friend, of a better world. The -soldier tried to thank them, but was too weak to articulate the words. -He could only take the chaplain's hand, press it to his cheek, and -bathe it with tears of gratitude. - -Thus the friends at home, by their Christian sympathy and charity, -sustained and comforted the brave defenders of their country, in their -last hours. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -ON THE CHICKAHOMINY. - - -On the 16th of May the whole army, with the exception of Hooker's -division, which remained at Williamsburg, was at the White House on the -Pamunkey, where a permanent depot was established. The cavalry under -General Stoneman, and the infantry pickets, were on the banks of the -Chickahominy. - -General McClellan called for reinforcements. In response, the President -informed him, on the 18th, that General McDowell had been ordered to -march from Fredericksburg to join him by the shortest route, but was -also ordered to keep himself in position to cover Washington, and -General McClellan was instructed to open communication with him. - -"This order," says General McClellan, "rendered it impossible for -me to use the James River as a line of operations, and forced me to -establish our depots on the Pamunkey, and to approach Richmond from -the north. It frustrated the plan of the campaign." - -It will be for the future historian to determine whether the order to -General McDowell to move overland compelled General McClellan to take -the Chickahominy route, and frustrated the plan of the campaign, or -whether, on the other hand, he had not chosen the route, by moving from -Williamsburg on the 10th, and establishing his head-quarters and depots -at White House, and throwing out his cavalry and pickets to Bottom's -Bridge on the Chickahominy on the 16th, two days before the orders were -issued. - -The Chickahominy River runs north of Richmond, flows southeast, and -becomes an affluent of the James above Williamsburg. It is fringed -with forests and bordered by marshy lands, which at high water become -impassable swamps, but at low water the stream is fordable in many -places. The Rebels destroyed all the bridges as they retreated to -Richmond. - -The army came to the river at Bottom's Bridge. The Eleventh Maine was -in the advance. They were brave, hardy men, from the lumber-swamps of -the Pine-Tree State. The Rebel pickets saw them, set the bridge on -fire, and fled. The Maine men gave them a volley, rushed forward, used -their caps for fire-buckets, and extinguished the flames, and with -their axes soon had it repaired for the use of the army. - -Heintzelman's and Keyes's corps crossed to the southern bank, while -the other corps pushed up the northern bank, towards Coal Harbor and -Mechanicsville. - - -THE AFFAIR AT HANOVER COURT-HOUSE. - -Fourteen miles north of Richmond is Hanover Court-House. A Rebel -force was stationed there, commanded by General Branch. On the 27th -of May, General Fitz-John Porter, with Emory's brigade of cavalry, -and Martindale's, Butterfield's, McQuade's, and Warren's brigades of -infantry, proceeded to drive the Rebels from the place, and make a -junction with McDowell. At noon General Emory, with the cavalry, came -upon the enemy about two miles east of the Court-House, where the road -forks,--the right hand road leading to the Court-House, the left hand -to Ashland. - -Berdan's sharpshooters and Martindale's brigade were near by, and -General Porter formed in line of battle. The sharpshooters were thrown -forward as skirmishers. Benson's battery came into position in a field -on the right-hand side of the road, and commenced throwing shells over -the heads of the sharpshooters. - -The Rebels were posted on a hill near a farm-house,--their line -reaching across both roads. General Martindale went up the Ashland -road, driving in the skirmishers. The soldiers heard the whistle of -a locomotive, and saw a train of cars upon the Virginia Central road -bringing reinforcements to the Rebels. Captain Griffin's batteries -were brought up, and a vigorous fire opened upon the railroad. The -Twenty-second Massachusetts and Second Maine were thrown forward to the -railroad. They tore up the track, and cut the telegraph-wire, under -cover of the heavy fire of the artillery. - -While this was transpiring on the Ashland road, there was a sharp -contest on the road leading to Hanover. The Rebel infantry, concealed -in the woods, opened a rapid fire upon the Twenty-fifth New York, which -killed Lieutenant Fisk and wounded Lieutenant-Colonel Savage, and a -number of the men. The Rebels sprang from the woods upon the regiment, -and captured several prisoners. Colonel Johnson, commanding the -regiment, fell back upon the reserve, which was coming into position -in the rear, composed of the Seventeenth New York, Eighty-third -Pennsylvania in the front line, and the Twelfth New York and Sixteenth -Michigan in the second. They charged over the field, through the -hollow, up the slope beyond, and came upon the Rebel batteries by -the farm-house so rapidly, and with such force, that they captured a -twelve-pound gun, which the enemy had not time to remove. The Rebels -retreated towards the Court-House, followed by the cavalry, and all the -artillery and infantry except Martindale's brigade. General Martindale -sent two of his regiments up the railroad to join the main force at the -Court-House, while he remained with the Second Maine, Twenty-fifth New -York, a portion of the Forty-fourth New York, and two guns of Martin's -battery. - -While waiting and resting with this small force, after the exciting -encounter of the afternoon, he was suddenly attacked by the Rebels, who -greatly outnumbered him, and who by a surprise hoped to rout and defeat -him, and cut off General Porter from the main command. But for more -than an hour he held his ground, till the column which had gone to the -Court-House turned back and rejoined him. - -As soon as General Porter heard the firing, he moved the Thirteenth -and Fourteenth New York and Griffin's batteries down the road upon the -double-quick. The Ninth Massachusetts and Sixty-second Pennsylvania -were sent through the woods, across the angle between the Hanover -and Ashland roads, while the Eighty-third Pennsylvania and Sixteenth -Michigan pushed down the railroad. The troops last named moved with -great rapidity. They came suddenly upon the left flank of the enemy. -The Rebels evidently were not expecting to be attacked from that -quarter. They fled through the woods in great confusion. The cavalry -rode among them, and hundreds threw down their arms and gave themselves -up as prisoners. - -General McClellan, in his Report, thus speaks of this gallant affair: -"Some two hundred of the enemy's dead were buried by our troops, -seven hundred and thirty prisoners sent to the rear, one twelve-pound -howitzer, one caisson, a large number of small arms, and two railroad -trains captured." The Union loss amounted to fifty-three killed and -three hundred and forty-four wounded and missing. - -The force encountered was General Branch's division of North Carolina -and Georgia troops, numbering about nine thousand. Their camp at -Hanover Court-House was taken and destroyed. - -General Porter fell back to Coal Harbor. The engineers made a survey of -the Chickahominy and of the approaches to Richmond, and began to build -bridges across the stream and throw up earthworks. - -The days were hot and sultry. There were heavy thunder-storms, -succeeded by intense heat. The soldiers were provided with axes and -shovels, and were set to work in the dark, miry swamps, working all day -up to their waists in the muddy water. Disease in all its frightful -forms of fever and dysentery made its appearance. The air was full of -malaria. Hundreds died and thousands were sent to the hospitals. - -One day a fine youth, who with ardor and enthusiasm had enlisted as a -soldier, was brought into the hospital. He had been taken violently and -suddenly with fever while in the marshes. The nurses laid him on a cot, -gave him cold water, bathed his hot brows. He had a likeness of his -mother, who had gone into the better land, and of his sister, who was -far away in his pleasant home, in a gold locket on his neck. He dreamed -and talked of home, and said, "I have a sister on my heart,--a sister -on my heart,--a sister,--a sister." - -The disease made rapid progress. The fever burned within,--a consuming -flame which, before sunrise, had devoured all his young life. He was -buried in the afternoon beneath the forest trees. - -It was wearing work, the bridge-building, the construction of roads, -and throwing up of intrenchments. Besides, there was the necessity of -keeping close watch upon the enemy. If there were sad scenes, there -were also amusing incidents. - -A party of Maine boys, on picket, one day, saw a pair of wagon-wheels. -Not far off were the Rebel pickets, in an open field. The Down-East -Yankees thought they would have some fun. They mounted a log upon the -wheels, brought the mock cannon into position. One of them pretended -to sponge it, another put in the cartridge, a third primed, a fourth -sighted it, while a fifth stood ready to fire. The Rebels watched the -operation a moment, and then scampered for the woods to get under -cover! The Maine boys did not fire, but had a merry chuckle among -themselves, and a hearty laugh with their comrades when they told the -story in camp. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -FAIR OAKS. - - -Seven miles from Richmond, near the York River Railroad, there is a -grove of oaks, so green, so beautiful and fair, that the railroad -station has received the name of Fair Oaks. A highway from Richmond -crosses the railroad near the station called the Nine-Mile Road. The -railroad runs east and the Nine-Mile Road southeast. The highway from -Richmond to Williamsburg runs parallel to the railroad about a mile -south of it, and is crossed by the Nine-Mile Road, a mile southeast -from Fair Oaks. At the junction of the two highways are seven pines, -standing in a cluster on the south side of the Williamsburg road. - -The country around is level and covered mainly by a dense forest, but -there is cleared land along the Williamsburg road toward Richmond. On -the 23d of May, General Keyes was ordered to advance to Fair Oaks and -hold the position. General Couch's division was halted at Seven Pines, -while Casey's was thrown forward to Fair Oaks, encamped on Baker's -farm. General Keyes cut down the trees in front of his line beyond Fair -Oaks to form an abattis. They were also felled in front of Couch. - -On Friday night, the 30th of May, there was a terrific thunder-storm. -The heavens were sheets of flame, and the clouds poured torrents of -water which deluged the country and flooded the Chickahominy. - -Early in the morning on Saturday, the 31st, it was whispered in the -Rebel camp that General Johnston was going to attack the Yankees who -were South of the Chickahominy.[22] - - [Footnote 22: Battle-Fields of the South.] - -"In such weather?" it was asked. - -"The bridges are washed away, and it is impossible for McClellan to -send over his right and center to the assistance of his left. His army -is divided, and we can crush the force on the south side before he can -reinforce it," was the answer. - -General Huger's division moved out from Richmond at six o'clock, taking -the Charles City road, which is south of the Williamsburg road, and -which runs south of White-Oak Swamp. He was to make a long and rapid -march east, then turn north, cross the Swamp, gain the rear of General -Couch, and cut off his retreat to Bottom's Bridge. He was to reach his -position and begin the attack at eight o'clock. General Longstreet's -division moved down the Williamsburg road and halted in the woods. -General Whiting moved down the Nine-Mile Road and halted in the woods -in front of Fair Oaks. - -President Davis and his Cabinet went out with Longstreet to see the -fight. Eight o'clock--nine o'clock--ten--passed, and there was no -sound of Huger's guns. He was toiling in the mud, moving at a snail's -pace. Longstreet and Whiting were impatiently waiting, concealed from -observation in the woods. - -At ten o'clock, General Keyes's pickets captured an aide of General -Johnston in the edge of the woods. He was brought before General Keyes. -While the General was talking with him, two musket-shots were fired in -the woods, which produced an emotion in the young officer so marked -that it was noticed by General Keyes, who feared that something might -be going on in his front, and who immediately issued orders for his -troops to be under arms. - -Eleven o'clock came, and General Longstreet, getting out of patience -at Huger's delay, ordered his troops to advance and begin the attack. -His skirmishers went through the woods quickly, and came upon Casey's -skirmishers on the Williamsburg road, and the firing began. But his -regiments were slow in getting on. His artillery sank in the mud. - -The rapid increase of the fire along the picket line alarmed General -Keyes, who made quick preparations for whatever might happen. - - [Illustration: BATTLE OF FAIR OAKS. - - =UNION TROOPS.= - 1 Casey's division. - 2 Couch's " - 3 Heintzelman's corps. - 4 Sumner's " - - =REBEL TROOPS.= - 5 Whiting. - 6 Longstreet. - 7 Anderson. - - 8 Fair Oaks. - 9 Seven Pines.][23] - - [Footnote 23: The diagram represents the position of the troops - at the beginning of the battle.] - -Casey's division faced towards Richmond; Naglee's brigade was on the -railroad,--two regiments north of it; Wessell's brigade was in the -center, near "Fair Oaks," and Palmer's was on the left, south of the -Williamsburg road. Spratt's battery was near the Oaks. Regan's battery -was in rear of Spratt's. Bates's battery was south of the Williamsburg -road, in a redoubt, while Fitch's battery was in rear of the redoubt. -Couch's division at Seven Pines was lying with Graham's brigade between -the Williamsburg road and the railroad, Devens's brigade on the -Williamsburg road, and Peck's brigade on the left. - -Up to twelve o'clock there was little firing except by the pickets, and -the men in Casey's command laid aside their arms and prepared to eat -dinner. Soon after noon two shells were thrown into Casey's camp. - -Suddenly there was a heavy roll of musketry in the woods. Officers -sprang to their feet. They knew that it portended trouble. There was a -quick saddling of horses and buckling on of belts. Orders were issued -in imperious tones. - -The men left their coffee-pots and plates of rice, seized their guns, -and formed in line. - -Casey's division was composed of undisciplined troops which had joined -the army after its arrival upon the Peninsula. The men had had no -experience, and yet they were placed in advance, nearest the enemy,--an -oversight which was dearly paid for. - -The force which Johnston had brought out numbered not far from thirty -thousand. Casey's division numbered not far from seven thousand. -Like an avalanche was the advance of the Rebels upon this small, -undisciplined force. Generals Anderson, D. H. Hill, Jenkins, Pegram, -and Wilcox swept along the Williamsburg road, striking Palmer's brigade -on the left flank. - -General Casey's pickets were but a short distance from camp, and -they came streaming back in confusion, followed by the Rebels in -masses. General Keyes saw that it was no feint, but an attack by an -overwhelming force. He despatched a messenger to General Heintzelman, -who was behind him towards Bottom's Bridge, for reinforcements. The -firing became quick and heavy. General Sumner, three miles distant -across the Chickahominy, heard it, and ordered his command under arms. -The aide sent to Heintzelman lost his way in the woods, and was a long -while in bearing the important message. Keyes saw that there was danger -on Casey's left, south of the Williamsburg road, where the Rebels were -appearing in great force, and he ordered Peck's brigade of Couch's -division to advance and support Palmer. Spratt's battery, near Fair -Oaks, opened upon the Rebels as they came through the woods on the -right, supported by the Eleventh Maine, One Hundredth New York, One -Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania, and Ninety-Second New York. - -In the center, the One Hundred and Third Pennsylvania was sent forward -to sustain the pickets, but quickly returned in confusion. - -The Rebel lines came into the open field, following the retreating -pickets. All of Casey's guns opened with canister, and the fire was -so severe that General Hill ordered his men to lie down, as it was -impossible to advance in the face of such a storm.[24] General Hill -dismounted from his horse, and criticised the fire of the different -batteries. Longstreet's line was more than a mile in extent, and yet -Huger and Whiting had not fired a cartridge. The fire was so terrible -from the batteries, and from Palmer's, Wessell's, and Naglee's lines, -that Longstreet changed his plan of attack, and, instead of advancing -directly upon the center, attacked on both flanks. Some of his -regiments filed towards the south, and crept through the bushes unseen -by Casey. The others moved north, some in front of Naglee, and prepared -to charge upon Spratt's battery. General Casey saw the plan. He rode -along the line, called upon three of Naglee's regiments to drive the -enemy into the woods. There was a rail-fence between the combatants, -but the troops sprang over it with a cheer, formed in line, and fought -the enemy face to face. The battle raged with great fury around the -Oaks. - - [Footnote 24: Battle-Fields of the South, Vol. II. p. 4] - -The enemy was held in check a few minutes by the three regiments, but, -being superior, advanced once more, firing as they came on. Naglee held -his ground till the fighting was at close quarters,--till some of the -Eleventh Maine were bayoneted. The order to retreat was given, and the -lines fell back, followed closely by the enemy, who made a rush for -Spratt's battery, and captured one of the guns. - -Elated, the Rebels halted to reform their lines, before pushing on to -other successes. But while re-forming, Bates and Fitch opened wide gaps -in their ranks at every discharge of grape and canister. Once more -they came on, shouting and screaming, and delivering their volleys and -receiving the steady fire streaming from the rifles of Naglee's line, -reinforced now by a regiment from General Peck's brigade of Couch's -division. - -Their line of march is from southwest to northeast. They come upon the -left of Naglee's position, curling round his flank, and pouring a -cross fire into the rifle-pits. Colonel Bailey, Major Van Valkenburg, -and Adjutant Ramsey of the artillery are killed, other officers are -wounded. The advancing host leap over the slight earthworks, seize the -guns, and prepare to turn them upon the backs of the men on Naglee's -right. It is no use to contend for the ground or the guns against the -superior force, and the men fall back once more. Casey's whole line -also retreats to that held by General Couch. - -Up to this moment, Longstreet's grand division only has been engaged; -but two regiments of General Couch's division, who are moving up the -railroad to support Naglee, see across the field beyond the Fair Oaks -long lines of men,--some standing in battle line, and others advancing -in column along the railroad. It is Whiting, who is deploying his -forces from the Nine-Mile Road. - -General Couch is made acquainted with the fact. He sends for the other -two regiments of the brigade. Whiting pours his troops into the gap -between Naglee and Couch, and cuts off the four regiments from the -troops at Seven Pines. - -The regiments thus isolated are thrown back towards Grape-Vine Bridge. - -While this is transpiring on the right, there is disaster in the -center, and on the left. The Rebels there are pushing on. Keyes rallies -his troops. He sends forward regiment after regiment from his second -line, to strengthen that in front, to hold his ground if possible, -but it is growing thin. It sways to and fro, and breaks at last. It -crumbles, piecemeal,--the troops hastening towards the Seven Pines. He -has one regiment still in reserve,--the Tenth Massachusetts. - -He throws it into the broken gap. It requires nerve and muscle to -march in where all are fleeing,--to be a breakwater where the flood -sweeps all before it. But the regiment goes in as cheerfully as to a -dress-parade. They deliver their volleys with deliberate aim. They hold -their ground. - -Three hundred yards in the rear, Heintzelman, Keyes, Casey, Naglee, and -other officers are rallying the men. Fugitives are stopped, regiments -which have been so stubbornly contesting the ground are induced to try -it once more. - -"Had that regiment been two minutes later," says General Keyes, "they -would have been too late to occupy that fine position, and it would -have been impossible to have formed the next and last line of battle, -which stemmed the tide of defeat and turned it toward a victory."[25] - - [Footnote 25: Keyes's Report.] - -Thus far the Rebels have had it all their own way. Casey has been -driven a mile. His camp is in the hands of Longstreet. He has lost many -guns. Longstreet has made so good a beginning that, although Huger -has not made his appearance from the South, the prospect is good for -overwhelming the Union force on the southern bank. - -But other actors arrive upon the ground,--the men who tossed their -knapsacks into the woods at Williamsburg,--who became a wall of adamant -on that memorable field. Berry and Jameson march up the Williamsburg -road and move out upon the left of the line forming behind the Tenth -Massachusetts. Berry pushes down into the border of the swamp; Jameson -sends one regiment to Peck and one to Birney, and moves straight on -towards the abattis of fallen trees in front of Couch's line along the -Williamsburg road with his two remaining regiments. His men lie down -behind the fallen trees and pour their volleys into the advancing foe, -moving on in stately grandeur. Jameson, unmindful of the storm around -him, rides up and down the line, exposed to the fire of the enemy, not -a hundred yards distant. Sheltered by the abattis, his two regiments -are immovable. Like a hillock in the path of an avalanche, they turn -the overwhelming force aside. It flows round them, right and left, but -does not advance along the road. - -Berry, far down in the woods towards White Oak Swamp, is pouring -a terrible fire upon the masses, who still press toward Seven -Pines. He holds them in check, repulsing all the assaults. There, -in the thickest of the fight, is that young officer who made his -last will and testament at Yorktown,--the "hero of the day" at -Williamsburg,--animating the troops by his fearless daring, and there -he gives his life to his country, shot through the brain. - -In the rear of Seven Pines is the hospital, full of weak and sickly -men, prostrated by fevers. They hear the tide of battle rolling nearer -hour by hour. A soldier from the front says that the line is giving way -and the Rebels are sweeping all before them. The words fall on the ears -of Lieutenant Rice, of the Eleventh Maine. He springs to his feet, and -grasps a gun. "All of you who can hold up your heads, follow me!" he -shouts.[26] Men who have not been able to stand upon their feet spring -up at the word. They are pale, sallow, emaciated, with sunken eyes and -hollow cheeks. They form in line, twenty of them, seize their muskets. -The fever is consuming them, but there is a warmer flame within their -breasts,--the unquenchable desire to save their comrades from defeat -and their country from destruction. Lieutenant Rice leads the weak and -tottering party to the front. He moves on close to the enemy. He is one -of the best marksmen of his regiment, and soldier after soldier falls -from the ranks of the enemy by his unerring aim. He fires seven times, -and then goes down before the bullets of the foe. - - [Footnote 26: Adjutant-General's Report, Maine, 1862.] - -There is Willie Parker of the Eleventh Maine, a mere boy, who beholds -the Rebel colors advancing from the woods, borne by a stalwart soldier. - -"That flag must come down!" he says, as he raises his gun. There is a -flash, a screaming in the air, as the swiftly-whirling bullet passes -on. The color-bearer reels, staggers, and falls. - -There is Sergeant Katon, the standard-bearer of the Eleventh, holding -up, as high as he can reach, the broken flag-staff, while kneeling -beside the dead body of Corporal Maddocks, who has fallen while -guarding the torn and tattered but precious standard,--all this while -the tempest surges around them, over them, through them; the very blast -of death! - -An officer with one hundred men, who has been out on picket, comes up -the road. - -"Where is my regiment?" he asks of the grim and veteran Heintzelman. - -"I cannot tell you, sir." - -"But I would like to join it." - -"Very well, but if it is fighting you want, just go in, Colonel, for -there is good fighting all along the line." - -The battle rages furiously. Five o'clock--six o'clock--half past -six--Berry holds them by the swamp, Jameson holds them with his three -hundred men on the Williamsburg road; but between Seven Pines and Fair -Oaks the tide is drifting on. - -Jameson resolves to advance. The Rebels in front of him fall back along -the road to Richmond. Thus, while Whiting is pushing east over the -Nine-Mile Road, Jameson is marching west towards the Rebel capital, -driving all before him. - -"Fall back" is the imperative order which he receives. He would a great -deal rather go on. - -"What would you have done, if you had not been ordered back?" a friend -asked. - -"I would have been in Richmond or in Heaven before night," was the -reply.[27] - - [Footnote 27: Adjutant-General's Report.] - -But he obeys orders. Yet he cannot go back the way he advanced; the -enemy is between him and Seven Pines. He faces south, picks his -way through White Oak Swamp, comes round to Seven Pines, and again -confronts the enemy. - -The day is closing. Darkness is coming on. The Yankees are not yet -swept into the Chickahominy. Longstreet has had success, but it is not -a great victory. The Union line has been pushed back a mile and a half. -It has been broken,--almost disorganized. Berry's brigade is as firm -and solid as ever. Jameson's has been divided and sent to different -parts of the field. Casey's division has crumbled. Couch's has been -broken. A great crowd of stragglers is moving towards Bottom's Bridge. -Couch with two regiments and a battery have been pushed north towards -Grape Vine Bridge. Such is the position at seven o'clock, as Whiting, -fresh and vigorous, brings his brigade down the railroad to finish the -work of this day. - -But now there is another actor,--General Sumner, who has crossed the -Chickahominy at Grape-Vine Bridge, and is pushing on with Sedgwick's -gallant division. - -General Sumner ordered his corps to be under arms at one o'clock. As -the firing grew loud, he moved his troops to the Chickahominy and -waited for orders to cross. He commenced crossing at three o'clock, -but the swamp was flooded, and it was only by great exertion and -perseverance that he was able to get Kirby's battery to the south bank. - -Gorman's brigade led the column, composed of the First Minnesota, -Fifteenth Massachusetts, Second New York Volunteers, and Thirty-Fourth -New York,--Gorman joined General Couch. Kirby, with his six Napoleon -guns, followed, and Dana's brigade closed the column, composed of -the Nineteenth and Twentieth Massachusetts, Seventh Michigan, and -Forty-Second New York. General Sumner rapidly formed his line, facing -south. Whiting, up to this time, had been pressing straight on towards -the Seven Pines. He turned to crush this new force which had appeared -unexpectedly on his flank. - -It is a cloudy night and darkness is stealing on, as the Rebels change -their front and move towards the north to sweep all before them. They -advance across the field and through the woods, delivering a rapid -fire. Suddenly there bursts a sheet of flame from Sumner's ranks. - -The Rebels fall back, rally their broken lines, advance again, nearer -and with desperation. "Canister! Canister! Give them canister!" is -Kirby's order as he moves from gun to gun. The battle-cloud grows -thick beneath the heavy vapors rising from the swamp. Quick, incessant -flashes momentarily light up the deepening darkness. It is not possible -for men to face so terrible a storm. Vain are all the efforts of the -Rebel officers to rally their bleeding ranks. - -Sumner has stood his ground. The time has come to advance. The -Thirty-Fourth and Forty-Second New York, Fifteenth and Twentieth -Massachusetts, and Seventh Michigan move forward. - -There are two fences in front of them, and beyond the farthest one is -the Rebel line waiting their advance. The soldiers know that it will -be the last march of many, but with a cheer heard above the roar of -battle, they rush into the darkness, dash the fences under foot, and -spring upon the enemy's lines. It is the work of a minute. One short -struggle, a volley, a holding of the breath, muttered curses, shouts, -groans, a clashing of bayonets, the trampling of ten thousand feet, and -the field is clear of the enemy! - -General Johnston has failed in what he intended to accomplish. He is -borne from the field at this hour, wounded by a shell from Kirby's -battery. - -"As I rode down through the field," says a Rebel officer, "I met -Franks, one of Longstreet's aides, looking as blue as indigo. What is -the matter, Franks? Not satisfied with the day's work?" I inquired. - -"Satisfied be hanged! I saw old Jeff, Mallory, Longstreet, and Whiting, -and all of them, looking as mad as thunder. Just to think that Huger's -slowness has spoiled everything! There he has been on our right all day -and hasn't fired a shot, although he had positive orders to open the -fight at eight o'clock in the morning."[28] - - [Footnote 28: Battle-Fields of the South.] - -There are indescribable scenes of horror after a great battle,--the -removal of the wounded, bleeding, dying, giving utterances to groans -extorted by the intense pain,--the work at the hospitals, where the -disabled, one by one, are laid before the surgeons. Yet, amid their -terrible sufferings, the men are often cheerful, and hopeful for this -life and the life which is to come. - -A chaplain says: "Amongst the badly wounded was Joseph Bynon of -Alleghany City, Pennsylvania, a young man of the most generous nature, -universally popular in his regiment, and the staff of a widowed mother. -He was lying on a blanket near the house, wounded in the bowels. I -asked him about his sufferings. He replied, that he did not suffer -much, that he was faint from the loss of blood as he supposed. I saw -from his pulse that he had but a few moments to live, and said to him, - -"'Joseph, are you willing and ready to die? I am afraid you cannot -live.' - -"'Well, doctor,' he whispered, 'I should like to live; I love my -mother; this will be a great sorrow to her. And I should like to do -something for my little nephew and niece. But there is another life, -and I know I shall find mother there. I feel I have been a great -sinner; in many things I have done wrong; but ever since my conversion -I experienced in Camp Johnson, I have tried to follow my Saviour, and -now I die trusting. My mind wanders; I find it difficult to think and -speak. In praying to God, I may not say the things that are right; do, -doctor, lift up my hands and clasp them together, and pray for me!' - -"I lifted up the hands crimsoned with his own blood, and pressing them -in mine, commended him to the Merciful One, who for us all had suffered -the bitterness of death. He repeated word for word, prayed for his -mother, and then said, 'O Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the -world, take away my sin; into Thine hand I commend my spirit!' - -"The storm of battle raged again. The enemy's shells burst around -the hospital, and the wounded were removed. He was lifted into an -ambulance, but died before it reached Savage Station. Thus giving his -life to his country, he passed on into the service of his God."[29] - - [Footnote 29: Chaplain Marks.] - -At daybreak on Sunday morning, an orderly belonging to the Rebel army -rode out of the woods into the Union lines. - -"Where is General Anderson," he asked. - -"Here he is. What do you want of him?" said a colonel. - -"I have a despatch for him from General Pryor." - -"I will take it. Soldiers, guard this man. You are my prisoner." - -The orderly was much astonished to find himself a prisoner. The -despatch gave information of the disposition of the Rebel forces for -the battle soon to recommence. - -During the night the balance of Sumner's corps crossed the -Chickahominy, and at daybreak the troops, thus strengthened, were able -to renew the battle. Sedgwick remained where he fought on Saturday. -Richardson's division was next on his right. He formed in two -lines,--with French's brigade in front on the railroad, and Howard and -Meagher in the second line in his rear. Kearney, Couch, and Hooker, -with the remnants of Casey's division, were in the vicinity of Seven -Pines. - -It would require many pages to give in detail the fight of Sunday -morning. It must be given as a picture. - -It began at five o'clock. At that hour, the Rebels are discovered -south of the railroad in the woods in front of Richardson. Pettit -opens with shells, and the stillness of the Sabbath is broken by -deep reverberations rolling along the Chickahominy. There is a gap -between Richardson and Kearney. Richardson moves toward Seven Pines -to close it. From the woods where Pettit drops his shells, there is a -volley--another--another--and the men drop from Richardson's ranks. The -Rebels advance and attack French's brigade at short range. For an hour -the men stand in their places, and deliver their fire upon the columns -which are pushed against them. Reinforcements come up from Longstreet's -reserves. Howard is brought up from the second line to meet them. His -horse is shot. He is twice wounded in the right arm, and is forced to -leave the field. His arm is shattered, and the surgeon says it must -come off. He meets Kearney, who lost his left arm years ago. - -"We will buy our gloves together, Kearney," is the salutation of this -Christian soldier and patriot. - -But the onset of his brigade is magnificent. The rebel line is -shattered by the resistless charge. - -Hooker comes up the railroad. He falls like a thunderbolt upon the -enemy in front, breaking, dividing, shattering them. They flee in -confusion. Sickles is advancing along the Williamsburg road, Berry and -Jameson are moving over the ground of Saturday between the Seven Pines -and White-Oak Swamp. Richardson and Sedgwick are also in motion. From -Fair Oaks to the swamp south of Seven Pines, the Union line advances -over the bloody field. It is like the swinging of a wide gate, with its -hinges near Fair Oaks, and reaching past Seven Pines to the swamp. - -It is a triumphant march. The Rebels have failed in what they -attempted, and are fleeing with broken, demoralized ranks to Richmond. -Hats, caps, blankets, knapsacks, guns, all are thrown aside. The road -is filled with the fleeing fugitives. Heintzelman and Sumner press on -within four miles of the city. No troops oppose them. - -"I have no doubt but we might have gone right into Richmond," says -General Heintzelman.[30]--"I think that if the army had pressed after -the enemy with great vigor, we should have gone to Richmond," is the -opinion of General Keyes.[31] - - [Footnote 30: Testimony, p. 352.] - - [Footnote 31: Testimony, p. 609.] - -"They (the Federals) missed an opportunity of striking a decisive blow. -These opportunities never returned," writes Prince de Joinville of -France.[32] - - [Footnote 32: Army of the Potomac, p. 79.] - -General McClellan recalled the troops from their pursuit, and -established his lines as they were on the morning of Saturday. - -The loss on the Union side was 5,737. The Rebel loss, as reported in -Smith's, Longstreet's, and Hill's divisions, was 6,783. Whiting's -division also suffered severely, so that the entire Rebel loss was -about 8,000. - -A month passed by. General McClellan was preparing for a siege. There -were six bridges built across the Chickahominy, which required labor -day and night. The men were obliged to work up to their arms in the -water. Miles of corduroy roads were constructed. The ground was so -swampy and marshy that nothing could be done by horses. All the -timber hauled to construct the bridges and the batteries was drawn -by the men. The month of June was rainy. There were frequent storms, -succeeded by hot sunshine. Sickness, in all its frightful forms, made -its appearance. The men became discouraged. It was expected, day after -day, that the attack would commence; but the commanding officers -issued orders that no batteries should open till all were ready. The -army, meanwhile, began to be depleted of troops. Thousands were sent -to the hospitals, and other thousands were carried out to their last -resting-place, on the banks of the dark, dismal, sluggish stream, which -soon became the river of death. - -Reinforcements were called for and received: McCall's division of -Pennsylvania Reserves, which reached the army on the 12th and 13th of -June. - -On the night of the 13th, General Stewart, with 1,800 Rebel cavalry, -appeared in rear of the army. He came first upon two squadrons of -Regular cavalry, at Hanover Old Church, overpowering and capturing -them; then pushed on to Gorlick's Landing, on the Pamunkey, burning two -schooners and fourteen wagons; then moved to the railroad at Tunstall's -Station. - -The train first arriving was one going east with sick and wounded men. -The engineer saw the cavalrymen on the track as he rounded a curve. -They motioned him to stop, but he put on more steam, and the train -rushed past with lightning speed. Hundreds of bullets were aimed at -him, but he escaped unharmed. - -General Stewart crossed the Chickahominy at Long Bridge, below Bottom's -Bridge, and came upon a Union hospital at Baltimore Cross Roads. He -placed a guard over the hospital, and treated the sick men humanely. -But the fright was very disastrous to many who found themselves thus -suddenly in the hands of the enemy. Several died during the night. -In the pockets of one Union soldier, after death, the chaplain found -some touching and beautiful letters from a little brother and sister, -telling him how much they missed him, how they longed for his return, -how they counted the days until he might come back, but above all -telling how proud they were of their soldier brother. And they never -heard a drum beat nor a fife play without thinking of him, and feeling -glad that they had one noble brother to fight for their country.[33] - - [Footnote 33: Chaplain Marks.] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -SEVEN DAYS OF FIGHTING. - - -The chances for taking Richmond became less with each day's delay. -While the Army of the Potomac were digging and delving in the swamps, -and constructing batteries, their ranks thinning out by disease, the -Rebels, also, were hard at work erecting defensive batteries, on firm -ground, and mounting guns of large caliber. Their ranks, instead of -growing thin, were filling up. Troops were hurried in from all parts of -the South. The Conscript law which the Confederate Congress had passed -was in operation, and was carried out with remorseless energy. Men were -compelled to enter the service. - -The Union army in front of Richmond, on the 20th of June, numbered, -fit for duty, 115,102 men. There were 12,225 sick, and 20,511 absent. -Leaves of absence and furloughs had been granted freely. Officers and -men, on a slight pretext, found it not very difficult to obtain leave -of absence, and thus this army, through no fault of the government, -became greatly depleted. - -At this time General Jackson was in the Shenandoah Valley with a large -force. By his operations there, it was found necessary to keep General -McDowell in position to cover Washington. On the 18th of June, General -McClellan informed the Secretary of War that deserters said troops were -on their way from Richmond to reinforce Jackson. - -On the same day, a man entered the Union lines at Fredericksburg, who -pretended to be a Frenchman. He stated that he met from ten to fifteen -thousand men on their way to Gordonsville, going to join Jackson. - -A despatch was also received from General Sigel, who was in the Valley, -that a large body of Rebels had arrived at Gordonsville. - -All of this went to show that a grand movement was to be made in the -Valley, or upon Washington. Such, undoubtedly, the Rebel commanders -intended the government at Washington should understand their plan -to be. But they had no intention of marching down the Shenandoah -Valley, or of attacking Washington. They wished to prevent any more -reinforcements from joining General McClellan, and also to cover their -real point of attack. - -General McClellan's army was still divided by the Chickahominy. Sumner, -Heintzelman, and Keyes were on the south side, and Porter and Franklin, -with McCall's newly arrived troops, were on the north bank. - -The real object of the Rebels was to crush the force on the north -bank by a sudden stroke with their whole army. By the movement to -Gordonsville they allayed suspicion, and transferred a division to -a position from which it could be hurled upon the flank of General -McClellan's force on the northern bank. - -All of the railroad cars and engines which could be obtained were -brought to Richmond over the Lynchburg road. Whiting's and Ewell's -divisions were placed on board and taken to Lynchburg, and thence to -Gordonsville where they joined Jackson; but not stopping there, were -brought with Jackson's army to Frederickshall, on the Virginia Central -Railroad. From thence this large force marched to Ashland, arriving -there on the 25th.[34] - - [Footnote 34: Campaign from Texas to Maryland.] - -General McClellan was informed by a deserter, on the 24th, that -Jackson, Whiting, and Ewell were at Frederickshall, and that it was -intended to attack his rear on the 28th.[35] The information was -confirmed on the 25th by negroes who arrived at the Union lines, and -stated that Jackson was at Hanover Court-House. - - [Footnote 35: McClellan's Despatch. Testimony, p. 338.] - -General McClellan's lines were more than twenty miles in length. His -extreme right was north of the city of Richmond, on the road called -the Brooke Turnpike. No change was made in the position of the troops, -no breastworks were thrown up to protect the rear and flank. The only -change was the removal of the head-quarters' camp to the south side of -the Chickahominy. General Fitz-John Porter was left in command of the -troops on the north side. - -On the morning of the 26th, the Rebel forces in Richmond moved out -to join Jackson. General Branch's division marched by the Brooke -road. General A. P. Hill moved over the Mechanicsville Turnpike; -while General Longstreet and General D. H. Hill took the Coal-Harbor -road still farther east, and came to the Chickahominy at New Bridge. -General Magruder, with one division, was left on the south side of the -stream.[36] The Rebel force north of the Chickahominy numbered about -60,000; south of it, about 20,000. The Union army north numbered about -30,000; south, 70,000. - - [Footnote 36: Pollard's Southern History, p. 329.] - - -BATTLE OF MECHANICSVILLE. - -If we were to start in a skiff at the bridge on the Brooke road, -and float down the slow and winding Chickahominy three miles, we -should come first to Meadow Bridge, on the road leading from Richmond -to Shady-Grove Church. Two miles farther would bring us to the -Mechanicsville Turnpike. The little village of Mechanicsville is two -miles towards the north. Two miles below the Mechanicsville Bridge is -the Upper Trestle Bridge, built by General McClellan. Two miles farther -down is New Bridge, on the road leading from Richmond to Coal Harbor. -There is a high hill on the south side of the stream, on the plantation -of Dr. Lewis, where the Rebels had a battery which commanded the bridge -and prevented General McClellan from using it. There was also a battery -on the north side, which General McClellan had planted to prevent the -Rebels from crossing at that point, and cutting off the force which -he had advanced to Mechanicsville. Still farther down the stream were -other bridges which had been erected by General McClellan's engineers. - - [Illustration: BATTLE OF MECHANICSVILLE. - - =UNION TROOPS.= - 1 Seymour's Brigade. - 2 Reynolds's " - 3 Griffin's " - 4 Martindale's " - - =REBEL TROOPS.= - A Hill's division. - B Branch's Brigade. - C Mechanicsville. - D Ellison's Mills.] - -At noon the enemy was seen advancing upon Meadow Bridge. The long -column descended the bank, forded the stream above the bridge, and -disappeared in the woods. - -The Bucktails, who had driven Stewart at Dranesville, were sent out -to support the pickets, but were surprised to see a body of cavalry -dashing into the road behind them. They faced about, drove the cavalry, -fell back to Mechanicsville, followed by the pickets. - -General McCall, who commanded there, had thrown up a line of -breastworks on the east side of the creek. He formed his troops on the -slope, with his batteries on the crest of the hill. General Reynolds's -brigade had the right, and General Seymour's the left. General Meade's -brigade was brought up as a reserve. General Porter sent forward -Griffin's and Martindale's brigades, which took position on the right -of Reynolds. Having thus formed his line, he waited the advance of the -enemy. - -The force which came in sight first was A. P. Hill's division, followed -by General Branch's. - -A short distance from the Chickahominy, on the creek, was Ellison's -Mills. The road from Mechanicsville to New Bridge crossed the creek at -that point. Another road leading from Mechanicsville to Coal Harbor -crossed it farther up. Timber had been felled, rifle-pits dug, and the -artillery planted so as to rake the only two feasible approaches. - -General Hill formed his line for the attack on Ellison's Mills, while -General Branch advanced along the upper road against Reynolds. - -The battle began at three o'clock, and raged with fury till nine -o'clock. There were no movements in the Union lines. The men stood -in their places and poured an uninterrupted fire upon the enemy, who -were vainly endeavoring to cross the ravine and scale the heights. The -artillery, fifty pieces, rained solid shot, shells, grape, canister, -shrapnel, all sorts of missiles, producing great slaughter. - -General D. H. Hill arrived with his division, and joined in the attack -upon Seymour at the Mills, but was received with a "murderous fire."[37] - - [Footnote 37: Confederate Narrative, Rebellion Record, Vol. V. - p. 250.] - -The united efforts of the two Hills and General Branch were not -sufficient to dislodge the two brigades which held the position. -Griffin, Martindale, and Meade were ready to lend assistance, but were -not engaged. Griffin only fired a few shots. The Union loss was eighty -killed and about two hundred wounded. The Rebel loss is supposed to -have been nearly three thousand. The assaults upon the rifle-pits were -made with great desperation, but the men could not get through the -impassable abattis, and were cut down by the constant and steady fire -of musketry and canister at short range. - -But the advance of General Jackson by Coal Harbor made it necessary -to withdraw the troops from this strong position and concentrate the -entire force on the north bank, to cover the bridges which had been -constructed between the two wings of the army. During the night General -McCall's division was withdrawn, contrary to the remonstrances of the -brave men who had held the ground against five times their force; but -they did not know that Jackson was on their rear with 40,000 men. - -General McClellan ordered the heavy guns and all the baggage to be sent -across the Chickahominy. He had already meditated a retreat to the -James River. - -"Run the cars to the last moment, and load them with provisions and -ammunition. Load every wagon you have with subsistence, and send them -to Savage Station," was the order sent to Colonel Ingalls, the Chief -Quarter-Master at White-House. - - -THE BATTLE OF GAINES'S MILLS. - -The battle which was fought on the 27th of June is known in the South -as the battle of Coal Harbor; in the North, as the battle of Gaines's -Mills. General Fitz-John Porter commanded the Union troops, and General -Lee the Rebel army. - -Starting from the Chickahominy and traveling up the little creek which -supplies Dr. Gaines's Mill with water, we come to the battle-field, -which lies on our right hand, east of the creek. The ravine is narrow -and the banks on both sides are steep. General Porter has cut down -the trees which stood on the hillside, and has thrown up rifle-pits -and intrenchments. He is to hold the enemy in check, while General -McClellan makes preparations for a retreat to James River. He has -thirty thousand men against seventy thousand. Commencing on the creek -near the Chickahominy, we see on our right hand General Morrell's -division, with Butterfield's, Martindale's, and Griffin's brigades. -Upon the other side is Longstreet, A. P. Hill, and Whiting. - -General Griffin's brigade is south of the road which comes down from -Coal Harbor. Across the road is General Sykes's division of regulars, -composed of Warren's, Chapman's and Buchanan's brigades, confronted -by Ewell's, D. H. Hill's, and Jackson's divisions. General Porter's -second line at the beginning of the battle is composed of McCall's -division, stationed near the center, in rear of Griffin. He has some -cavalry on the road leading to Alexander's Bridge. - - [Illustration: BATTLE OF GAINES'S MILLS. - - =UNION TROOPS.= - 1 Butterfield's Brigade. - 2 Martindale's " - 3 Griffin's " - 4 Sykes's Division. - 5 McCall's " - 6 Slocum's " - - =REBEL TROOPS.= - A Longstreet's Division. - B A. P. Hill's " - C Whiting's " - D Ewell's " - E D. H. Hill's " - F Jackson's " - G New Coal-Harbor, Lee's Head-Quarters.] - -Late in the day Slocum's division, of Sumner's corps, crosses Sumner's -Bridge and takes position in rear of Sykes's. - -It is a hot, sultry day. General Lee is at Hogan's plantation, near -New Coal-Harbor, sitting beneath the portico of the farm-house, -absorbed in thought. He is neatly dressed in a gray uniform, buttoned -to the throat. Longstreet is sitting in an old chair at the foot of -the steps beneath the trees, eating a lunch, with his feet against a -tree, his uniform faded and torn, buttons missing, and his boots old -and dusty. Gregg, Wilcox, Pryor, Featherstone, and other generals are -there waiting for Jackson, who has been marching hard all the morning -to get into position. A courier comes down the Coal-Harbor road, -delivers a message to Lee, who mounts his horse and rides away to New -Coal-Harbor.[38] - - [Footnote 38: Battle-Fields of the South.] - -It is past two o'clock in the afternoon before Lee is ready to begin -the attack. There has been a cannonade all along the line north -and south of the Chickahominy. Magruder, on the south side, has -instructions to make a grand demonstration, as if he was going to -attack McClellan. It is his intention to keep him from sending troops -to Porter's aid. - -Lee intends to make a grand onset and sweep Porter into the -Chickahominy. Under cover of a tremendous fire from the artillery, -A. P. Hill begins the attack upon Griffin and Martindale, but under -the superior and effective fire of Captain Griffin's United States -battery, Weeden's Rhode Island, and Allen's and Martin's Massachusetts -batteries, the Rebel batteries are "overpowered and driven from the -field."[39] The Rebel infantry advances through the belt of timber, and -descends the ravine. From the rifle-pits there are sudden flashes and -quick spirts of flame, and the battle-cloud becomes thick and heavy. - - [Footnote 39: Campaign from Texas to Maryland, p. 46.] - -It would require many pages to make a full record of the terrible -combat. How Longstreet urged his men into the woods,--how the battle -rolled through the forest and surged back again,--how brigade after -brigade marched against Martindale, Griffin, and Butterfield, only -to fall back with broken and shattered ranks,--how the ground became -thick with the dead and wounded,--how men fired into each other's faces -and fell almost into each other's arms, mingling their life-blood in -one crimson stream,--how Jackson pressed on over the plain, urging -his men nearer and nearer,--how the Pennsylvania Reserves went up to -aid the Regulars,--how couriers dashed through the woods, over the -bridges to General McClellan, who was on the southern bank, asking -for reinforcements,--how Slocum's division went over, reached the -field, held in check the dark masses forming upon the flank of the -Regulars and Reserves, and held the ground. The hours hung heavily. -Three o'clock,--four o'clock,--five o'clock,--and no break in the line. -Thirty-five thousand against seventy! But the pressure is terrible. -French's and Meagher's brigades are ordered over. But moments are -precious. Six o'clock; the onset is greater than ever. Every regiment, -every man, is brought to the front, on both sides. The artillery still -thunders, but the infantry are out of ammunition. Longstreet has been -hurled back as often as he has advanced, and so has A. P. Hill and D. -H. Hill, but Jackson is working toward the Chickahominy on the left. -Sykes's men, who have been facing north, are obliged to face east to -meet the troops moving in a steady stream down the road leading to Old -Coal-Harbor. Men begin to leave the ranks and move toward the rear. -There is a desperate rush from Jackson's brigades upon the guns. The -Union line gives way. - -If there was a fresh division or a brigade even at hand, the tide might -be stopped. There are sixty thousand men upon the southern bank of the -river, but General McClellan is afraid that Magruder with his division -will make an attack. - -Whiting's division, which has been held in reserve by Lee, is ordered -up. All of his desperate charges and onsets have failed. If Whiting -fails, the battle is lost. - -The Regulars and the Pennsylvania Reserves are worn out. Their -ammunition is nearly gone. Porter orders up his last man. They can have -no more support. At this moment, after they have held at bay for four -hours the great host, they are called upon to withstand the last grand -charge of Jackson. - -Whiting advances, he is received with grape and canister. His line -halts, wavers, almost breaks; but Jackson, Whiting, Hood, and Law -urge the men to push on. They leap across the ravine, halt a moment, -sheltered by the bank above them from the fire of the Union batteries, -and then leap the breastwork and seize the guns. There is a short -struggle, a falling back, a retreat, and the battle of Gaines's Mills -is lost to General McClellan. - -Meagher and French have reached the field, but they are too late to -save the day. Twenty guns have fallen into Lee's hands, and several -hundred prisoners. The cavalry in the rear draw their sabers, dash -upon the exultant foe, but it is an ineffectual charge. The retreating -troops fall in behind French and Meagher, form a new line nearer the -Chickahominy, as the darkness comes on. They have been driven from -their first position, but Lee has not power enough to drive them into -the Chickahominy. He decides to wait till morning before renewing the -attack. - -The morning dawns, and Porter is beyond his reach across the river, -with all his siege guns, ammunition, and supplies. - -How near Lee came to losing the battle may be seen by the following -extract from the narration of a Rebel correspondent of the Richmond -Whig:-- - -"It was absolutely necessary that we should carry their line, and, -to do this, regiment after regiment, and brigade after brigade was -successively led forward; still our repeated charges, gallant and -dashing though they were, failed to accomplish the end, and our troops, -still fighting, fell steadily back. Thus for more than two mortal hours -the momentous issue stood trembling in the balance. The sun was getting -far in the west, darkness would soon be upon us, and the point must be -carried. At this juncture--it was now five o'clock--the division of -the gallant Whiting hove in sight. On reaching the field their troops -rapidly deployed in line.... The charge was made under the most galling -fire I ever witnessed; shot, shell, grape, canister, and ball swept -through our lines like a storm of leaden hail, and our noble boys fell -thick and fast; and yet still, with the irresistible determination of -men who fight for all that men hold dear, our gallant boys rushed on. - -"Suddenly a halt was made,--there was a deep pause, and the line -wavered from right to left. We now saw the character of the enemy's -works. A ravine deep and wide yawned before us, while from the other -side of the crest of the almost perpendicular bank, a breastwork of -logs was erected, from behind which the dastard invaders were pouring -murderous volleys upon our troops. The pause made by our troops was but -a brief breathing space. The voice of Law was heard, 'Forward, boys! -charge them!' and with a wild, mad shout our impetuous soldiery dashed -forward."[40] - - [Footnote 40: Richmond Whig, June 29, 1862.] - - -THE MOVEMENT TO JAMES RIVER. - -On the morning of the 28th, General Keyes and General Porter, followed -by long trains of wagons and herds of cattle, moved towards the south, -through the dark forests of White-Oak Swamp. At White-House landing, -sloops, schooners, barges, and steamers were departing for Yorktown. -At Savage Station the torch was applied to all the stores which could -not be removed. Barrels of pork, beef, sugar, bags of coffee, boxes -of bread, were destroyed. A railroad train loaded with ammunition was -standing on the track. The engine was ready for use. Far down the -track, there was a pillar of cloud rising from the burnt bridge across -the Chickahominy. The cars were set on fire. The engineer stepped upon -the engine for the last time, and pulled the throttle. The wheels -began to turn. He opened the valve to its full width, and jumped upon -the ground. The engine sprang down the descending grade, propelled by -the pent-up power. It is two miles from the station to the bridge, -and over this distance it rushed like an unchained tiger. Sparkling, -crackling, roaring with increasing velocity, dashing along the fields, -over the meadows, through the forests, a trail of fire, a streaming -banner of flame and smoke, a linked thunderbolt, rumbling, growling, -exploding, leaping from the abutment full forty feet, bursting into a -million fragments, jarring the earth with the mighty concussion, and -disappearing beneath the waters, a wreck, a ruin forever! - -General McClellan was obliged to leave some of his sick and wounded. -Many soldiers shed tears as they bade a last farewell to their comrades. - -"I would rather die than fall into the hands of the Rebels," said one. - -"O my God! is this the reward I deserve for all the sacrifices I have -made, the battles I have fought, and the agony I have endured from my -wounds?"[41] was the despairing cry of another. - - [Footnote 41: Peninsular Campaign.] - -"Do not be ashamed of your cause. Defend it boldly, and put your trust -in God"; were the words of one noble chaplain, Rev. Mr. Marks, who -would not leave them, but who remained to be a prisoner for their -sakes. They prayed together and sang a hymn. - - "Jesus, my God, I know his name, - His name is all my trust; - He will not put my soul to shame, - Nor let it e'er be lost." - -They were comforted, and resolved to meet their fate like men. - -The Rebels made no attack on Saturday. They were compelled to repair -the bridges which had been destroyed, before they could cross the -Chickahominy. General Sumner commanded the rear-guard. He retreated -slowly on Saturday to Peach Orchard, and halted to destroy the supplies. - -On Sunday morning a portion of Lee's army advanced to attack Sumner, -who was at Peach Orchard and Allen's Farm; but Hazard's and Pettit's -batteries, with Sedgwick's division, quickly repulsed them. - - -BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION. - -Lee's divisions, one after another, filed across the hastily repaired -bridges. General Franklin was north of the railroad. He saw them, and -sent word to General Sumner, who fell back with Franklin to Savage -Station. General Franklin was on the right, Sumner in the center, and -Heintzelman nearer Richmond on the left. There was a misunderstanding -of orders; and General Heintzelman moved across White-Oak Swamp, which -exposed Sumner's left flank to the enemy. - -Through the long Sabbath hours, these troops stood upon the wide plain -facing northwest, seemingly motionless almost as statues, while the -long wagon trains moved into the woods towards the south. They were -the rear-guard, and on them depended the salvation of the army. - -Following the wagons were thousands of sick and wounded, working their -way towards the swamp, urged on by hope of escaping the hands of the -Rebels. It was heart-rending to hear the words of those who were too -badly wounded to be moved, or who could not be taken away. - -The sun went down. Evening was coming on, yet the twenty thousand -men remained upon that field awaiting the attack,--three lines of -resolute, determined men. Brooks's, Hancock's, and Burns's brigades -were in front; with Osborn's, Bramhall's, Hazard's, and Pettit's -batteries,--twenty-four guns. - -It was past five o'clock before the enemy opened the battle. An hour -passed of constant artillery firing. Then the Rebels advanced across -the wide and level plain with yellings and howlings. - -There was a stream of fire from Sumner's line,--a steady outpouring of -deadly volleys. It was twenty thousand against forty thousand. There -were answering volleys from the Rebel lines. Sumner's batteries left -off firing shell and threw canister, and the lines, which had advanced -so triumphantly, were sent in confusion across the field. Again they -advanced, and were again repulsed. Longstreet and Jackson, once more -under cover of the gathering darkness, urged on their reluctant -troops. Sumner brought up his reserve brigades. It was a short, sharp -struggle,--a wild night-tempest,--the roaring of fifty cannon, and -thirty thousand muskets. The evening was unusually calm. Not a breath -of air stirred the leaves of the trees. The stars shone brightly. -Strange the scene,--so weird and terrible upon that plain! A thousand -men dropped from the Union ranks, and thrice that number from the ranks -of the Rebels. - -"Who are you?" asked an officer of the Fifth Vermont, dimly seeing a -regiment in the darkness. - -There was a momentary silence, and then the question, "Who are you?" - -"The Fifth Vermont." - -"Let them have it, boys," were the words of command shouted by the -Rebel officer. The Vermonters heard it. There was no flinching. -Instantly their rifles came to their cheeks. - -There were two broad flashes of light, two rows of dead and wounded. -But the Vermonters held their ground; and the Rebels, shattered, -repulsed, and utterly defeated, disappeared in the gloom of night. It -was hard for the brave men to go away from their fallen comrades and -leave them upon the field which they had defended with their life's -blood, but it was impossible to remove them; and the long lines closed -in upon the wagons, marched down the forest road, and at daylight were -south of White-Oak Swamp. - - -BATTLE OF GLENDALE. - -"Glendale" is the euphonious name given by Mr. Nelson to his farm, -which is located two miles south of White-Oak Swamp. It is a place -where several roads meet; from the north, the Swamp road; from the -east, the Long-Bridge road; from the south, the road leading to Malvern -Hill; from the southwest, the Newmarket road; from the northwest, the -Charles City road, leading to Richmond. There are farm-houses, groves, -ravines, wheat-fields waving with grain. Upon the Malvern road, there -is a church. West of the church, a half-mile, is the mansion of Mr. -Frazier, where the Rebel lines were formed on the 30th of June. - -At sunrise on that morning, all the divisions of the Union army were -south of the swamp. Richardson and Smith, with Naglee's brigade, of -Casey's division, were guarding the passage at the swamp. Slocum was -on the Charles City road, northwest of the church. Kearney was between -that road and the Newmarket road. McCall was on the Newmarket road, -with Hooker and Sedgwick behind him, nearer the church. - -Porter and Keyes were at Malvern with the trains, two miles distant. - -Lee divided his army. Jackson, D. H. Hill, and Ewell followed McClellan -down the Swamp road; while A. P. Hill, Longstreet, Huger, Magruder, -and Holmes made all haste down the Charles City road from Richmond, to -strike McClellan on the flank and divide his army. The President of -the Confederacy went out with A. P. Hill to see the Union army cut to -pieces. - -Jackson reached the bridge across the sluggish stream in the swamp, but -it was torn up; and on the southern bank stood Smith and Richardson. -Hazard's, Ayres's, and Pettit's batteries were in position. Jackson -brought up all his guns. There was a fierce artillery fight, lasting -through the day. Jackson succeeded in getting a small infantry force -across towards evening, but it was not strong enough to make an attack, -and nothing came of all his efforts to harass the rear. - -During the afternoon, the pickets on the Charles City road discovered -A. P. Hill's troops filing off from the road, west of Frazier's farm, -toward the south. They went across the fields, and through the woods -to the Newmarket road. While the main body was thus taking position, a -small body of infantry and a battery opened fire upon Slocum; but he -had cut down the forest in his front, forming an impassable barrier, so -that he was secure from attack. - -General McCall formed his division of six thousand men, with -Meade's brigade, north of the road, Seymour's south of it, and -Reynolds's,--commanded in this battle by Colonel Simmons,--in reserve. -He had five batteries,--Randall's on the right, Kerns's and Cooper's in -the center, and Dietrich's and Kanerhun's on the left,--all in front of -his infantry, looking down a gentle slope upon an open field; on the -west there was a brook, fringed with a forest growth, with the farm of -Mr. Frazier beyond. - -It was half past two before Hill was ready to make the attack. He -threw out two regiments as skirmishers, which advanced to feel of -McCall's lines; but they were repulsed by the Seventh and Twelfth -Pennsylvania Reserves. Hill had twelve brigades, six of his own and six -of Longstreet's. Magruder and Huger had not arrived. His plan was to -strike with all his force at once. - -Brigade after brigade advanced, but recoiled before the direct fire of -the batteries, sustained by the infantry. - -"The thunder of the cannon, the cracking of the musketry, from -thousands of combatants, mingled with screams from the wounded and -dying, were terrific to the ear and to the imagination," says a -correspondent of the Cologne Gazette. - - [Illustration: BATTLE OF GLENDALE. - - 1 Smith and Richardson. - 2 Slocum. - 3 Kearney. - 4 Sumner. - 5 Hooker. - 6 McCall. - - A Jackson, Ewell, and D. H. Hill. - B A. P. Hill and Longstreet. - C Newmarket road. - D Quaker road. ] - -"Volleys upon volleys streamed across our front in such quick -succession that it seemed impossible for any human being to live under -it,"[42] writes a Rebel officer. - - [Footnote 42: Battle-Fields of the South, p. 170.] - -Five o'clock! The battle has raged two hours and a half, sustained -wholly by McCall, and Hill has not driven him an inch. - -The Rebels desist from their direct attack in front, and throw all -their force upon Seymour's left, south of the road. McCall sends over -the Fifth and Eighth Regiments from his second line. - -"Change front with the infantry and artillery," is his order. - -Hill is pushing along his left flank to gain his rear. - -McCall orders a charge, and it is executed with a promptness and vigor -sufficient to check the advancing troops. But his line has become -disordered by the charge. Hill improves the opportunity, and hurries up -his reserve brigades, which fire while advancing. - -The gunners of the German batteries leave their pieces. McCall rides -among them, rallies them a moment, but the drivers are panic-stricken. -They dash off to the rear, breaking through the infantry, and trampling -down the men. The Rebels rush upon the deserted guns with unparalleled -frenzy. The line of McCall is broken, and portions of his troops follow -the fleeing cannoneers. - -General McCall tries to rally the fugitives, but they are deaf to all -his orders. They stream on through Hooker's and Sumner's line. - -Will Hooker's men join the drifting current? Now or never they must be -brave. Now or never their country is to be saved. All hearts feel it; -all hands are ready. They stand in the gateway of centuries. Unnumbered -millions are beckoning them to do their duty. - -Hooker has Grover's brigade on the right, Carr's in the center, -and Sickles's on the left,--just the order in which they stood at -Williamsburg. - -The Sixteenth Massachusetts, led by the heroic Colonel Wyman, met the -pursuers. The Sixty-Ninth Pennsylvania, of Sedgwick's division, joining -upon Hooker's right, delivered at the same moment a fire upon the flank -of the enemy. Along Sumner's front, from King's, Kirby's, Tompkins's -Owen's, and Bartlett's batteries, flashed double-shotted guns. It was -as if a voice had said, "Thus far and no farther!" Hooker's infantry -came into close battle-line, delivered a fire, which forced the Rebels -over against Sumner's batteries; which, in turn, threw them against -Kearney, and against Meade's brigade, which had not joined in the -fight. Grover pushed on with the First and Sixteenth Massachusetts, -the Second New Hampshire, and Twenty-Sixth Pennsylvania, with reckless -daring. Hill was driven back over all the ground he had won, with great -slaughter. - -It was a decided repulse, but costly to the Sixteenth Massachusetts. -Its noble colonel fell at the head of his regiment. These were the last -words of one of the soldiers of that regiment: "I thank God that I am -permitted to die for my country, and I thank him yet more that I am -prepared,--or at least I hope I am." - -So complete was the repulse that the Rebel troops became a mob, and -fled in terror towards Richmond. - -"Many old soldiers," says a Rebel officer, "who had served on the -plains of Arkansas and Missouri wept in the bitterness of their souls -like children. Of what avail had it been to us that our best blood -had flowed for six long days? Of what avail all of our unceasing and -exhaustless endurance? Everything seemed lost, and a general depression -came over all our hearts. Batteries dashed past in headlong flight. -Ammunition, hospital, and supply wagons rushed along, and swept the -troops away with them from the battle-field. In vain the most frantic -exertions, entreaty, and self-sacrifice of the staff officers! The -troops had lost their foothold, and all was over with the Southern -Confederacy!"[43] - - [Footnote 43: Cologne Gazette account.] - -General Magruder's arrival alone saved Hill from an ignominious flight. - -Through the night there was the red glare of torches upon the -battle-field where the Rebel wounded were being gathered up. Great -was the loss. Up to daylight there was no apparent diminution of the -heart-rending cries and groans of the wounded. A mournful wail was -heard from Glendale during that long, dismal night.[44] - - [Footnote 44: Hooker's Report.] - - -THE BATTLE OF MALVERN. - -The battle-field of July 1st, 1862, bears the pleasant name of Malvern. -It is on the north bank of the James,--an elevated plain near the -river, but declining gently towards the north,--divided into corn -and wheat fields, bordered on the east and west and south by wooded -ravines. The estate is owned by Dr. Carter. Although it bears a name so -pleasant, there have been sad scenes upon those fertile fields,--not -alone the shock, roar, and horror of a great battle, but the low -wail of mothers for their infants, torn from their arms and sold to -slave-traders,--the agonies of men under torture of the whip, their -flesh torn and mangled by an unfeeling master. - -"Was he a good master?" I asked of an old negro at City Point, in July, -1864. - -"No, sir. He was very bad, sir. He was de wussest dat eber was, sir. He -was so bad dat we call him Hell Carter, sir. 'Cause we tink dat de Lord -will send him to de bad place one ob dese days, sir. He go dere sure, -sir." - -The mansion is a quaint old structure, built of red bricks, surrounded -by elms, and commanding a wide panorama of the James, of the valley of -the Appomattox, and the distant Richmond hills. - -The house was standing in the time of the Revolution, and was marked on -the map of Cornwallis. - -West of Malvern are the Strawberry Plains. A streamlet, which rises in -the vicinity of Glendale, courses to the James through a wooded ravine -between the Strawberry grounds and Malvern. The hill is so sharp and -steep and high that General Barnard was able to plant two tiers of -guns upon the slope, and crown it with heavy siege guns. The trees in -the ravine were felled, and rifle-pits thrown up, extending along the -western side and across the open field towards the north, where the -slope of the hill shades into the level plain. - -Eastward, the trees were felled and their branches lopped by the -pioneers. It was a strong position, and these preparations made it -impregnable. Lee must assail it from the northwest,--over the wide -plain, exposed to the fire of sixty cannon. - -Porter's corps occupied the ravine between Malvern and the Plains. -Couch's, Kearney's, and Hooker's divisions held the front towards the -north. Sumner's and Franklin's corps held the left; the Pennsylvania -Reserves and the remainder of Keyes's corps, the center. The line -was semicircular, and so well concentrated were the troops, that -reinforcements, if needed, might be had with little delay. - -In the James River, two miles distant, lay a fleet of five gunboats, -carrying heavy guns,--near enough to throw shells upon the Strawberry -Plains. - -The Rebels advanced cautiously. Jackson, Ewell, Whiting, and D. H. -Hill moved down the Quaker road, while Magruder, Longstreet, Huger, -and Holmes came down the Richmond road. Jackson, D. H. Hill, and Ewell -appeared in front of Couch; Huger and Magruder, in front of Morell's -division of Porter's corps; while Holmes filed through the woods -towards the James, along the western edge of Strawberry Plains. - -Although the distance from Glendale is but two and a half miles, it -was past ten o'clock before the head of Magruder's columns appeared in -sight. A. P. Hill's division, which had been so terribly shattered at -Glendale, was left behind. - -Magruder shelled the woods and advanced cautiously. There was a -pattering skirmish fire through the forenoon, with an artillery duel at -long range. - -Noon passed, and there was no apparent disposition on the part of the -Rebels to make an attack. They dreaded the terrible fire from the -numerous guns gleaming in the sun upon the hillside. - - [Illustration: BATTLE OF MALVERN. - - 1 Warren's Brig., Sykes's Div. - 2 Buchanan's " " " - 8 Chapman's " " " - 4 Griffin's " Morell's " - 5 Martindale's " " " - 6 Butterfield's " " " - 7 Couch's Division. - 8 Sumner's and Heintzelman's Corps. - 9 McCall's Division. - 10 Abatis. - - A Jackson, D. H. Hill, and Ewell. - B Longstreet. - C Magruder and Huger. - D A. P. Hill. - E Holmes.] - -General Magruder brought all of the cannon into position which could be -advantageously posted, and at two o'clock opened a rapid fire, which -was replied to by the batteries on the hill. He threw forward his -skirmishers at an earlier hour. - -Jackson moved forward a division upon Couch an hour later, but it was -hurled back in confusion by the fire of the batteries, and the deadly -volley delivered from the rifle-pits. - -Holmes, all the while, had been edging towards the river, to gain the -rear of McClellan, but the enormous shells from the gunboats, which -tore down the forests, paralyzed his soldiers. - -There was a consultation among the Rebel commanders. Lee had intrusted -the command in his center to Magruder. His brigadier-generals did not -want to advance over the plain. - -"I am unwilling to slaughter my brigade," said General Cobb, "but, if -you command me, I shall make the charge if my last man falls." - -"I intend to make the charge, no matter what it costs," said Magruder. - -The commanders went to their brigades, murmuring that Magruder was -drunk, that it would be madness to make the attack.[45] - - [Footnote 45: Pollard, Southern Hist.] - -Magruder formed his line in the woods. Armistead's brigade moved upon -the Union picket line and drove it back. "Advance rapidly, press -forward your whole line, and follow up Armistead's successes. They are -reported to be getting off," was Lee's message to Magruder. - -It was past six o'clock before Mahone, Ransom, Wright, Jones, and -Cobb were ready. At the word of command, fifteen thousand men move -from the shelter of the woods and appear upon the open plain, moving -in solid phalanx,--close, compact, shoulder to shoulder, to capture, -by a desperate charge, the batteries upon the hillside. It is madness! -Success has made them reckless. - -With shoutings and howlings they break into a run. Instantly the hill -is all aflame, from base to summit. Shells, shrapnel, and canister are -poured upon them. There is the bellowing of a hundred cannon, mingled -with the multitudinous rattling of thousands of small arms. - -The Rebel lines melt away,--whole squadrons tumbling headlong. In vain -the effort, the men waver, turn, and disappear within the woods. - -Magruder is furious at the failure. Again the attempt,--again the same -result. - -The sun is going down behind the hills when he makes his last -effort. Meagher and Sickles go up from the right, and strengthen -Porter's center. There is a shifting of batteries,--a movement to new -positions,--a re-arranging of regiments. The artillery on both sides, -and the gunboats, keep up a constant fire. - -The Rebels advance, but they are not able to reach the base of the -hill. "From sixteen batteries," says the chaplain of the Fourth Texas, -"and from their gunboats they beclouded the day and lit the night with -a lurid glare. Add to this the light and noise of our own artillery, -which had been brought forward, and, like an opposing volcano with -a hundred craters, it gleamed, and flashed streams and sheets of -fire,--while long lines of human forms cast their shadows upon the -darkness in the background, and each joined with his firelock in hand -to contribute to the terrors of the awful scene."[46] - - [Footnote 46: Campaign from Texas to Maryland.] - -Officers and men, in this contest, go down in one indiscriminate -slaughter. They are whirled into the air, torn, mangled, blown into -fragments. They struggle against the merciless storm, break, and -disappear in the darkness, panting, exhausted, foiled, dispirited, -demoralized, refusing to be murdered, and uttering execrations upon the -drunken Magruder.[47] - - [Footnote 47: Battle-Fields of the South.] - -Although the army was upon James River, and in communication with -the gunboats, and although the Rebels had been repulsed mainly by -the artillery, orders were issued by General McClellan to retreat to -Harrison's Landing. At midnight the troops were on the march, stealing -noiselessly away, abandoning the wounded. - -"Although," says General McClellan, "the result of the battle of -Malvern was a complete victory, it was necessary to fall back still -farther, in order to reach a point where our supplies could be brought -to us with certainty."[48] - - [Footnote 48: Report, p. 140.] - -There were some officers who were much amazed at this order. They felt -that having reached the river and defeated the enemy with terrible -slaughter there should be no more falling back. - -"It is one of the strangest things in this week of disaster," says -Chaplain Marks, "that General McClellan ordered a retreat to Harrison's -Landing, six miles down James River, after we had gained so decided a -victory. When the order was received by the impatient and eager army, -consternation and amazement overwhelmed our patriotic and ardent hosts. -Some refused to obey the command. General Martindale shed tears of -shame. The brave and chivalrous Kearny said in the presence of many -officers, 'I, Philip Kearny, an old soldier, enter my solemn protest -against this order for retreat; we ought, instead of retreating, to -follow up the enemy and take Richmond. And, in full view of all the -responsibility of such a declaration, I say to you all, such an order -can only be prompted by cowardice or treason.'"[49] - - [Footnote 49: Peninsular Campaign, p. 294.] - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -AFFAIRS IN FRONT OF WASHINGTON. - - -The prospects of the Rebels, which were so gloomy in April, were -bright once more. They had driven the Army of the Potomac away from -Richmond. It was August. A month had passed and General McClellan had -shown no disposition to advance again upon Richmond. A consultation -was held in that city. President Davis said that the time had come to -strike a great blow. General Pope was in front of Washington with forty -thousand men. It was determined to crush him, invade Maryland, and -capture Baltimore and Washington. The Southern newspapers hinted that -Tennessee, Kentucky, and the whole of Virginia were to be recovered, -that Maryland was to be liberated from oppression, Philadelphia, -Pittsburg, and Cincinnati assailed. - -General Lee's army numbered not far from one hundred thousand, having -been reinforced by troops from the South. Those troops who had fought -Burnside in North Carolina were hurried up; others were sent from South -Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. Conscription was enforced vigorously. -General Lee proposed to leave a force in Richmond large enough to hold -it against McClellan, while he sent the main body of the army to fall -like a thunderbolt on General Pope. - -These preparations were known in Washington, and on the 3d of August -General Halleck, who had been placed in command of all the troops in -the field, telegraphed to General McClellan to send his army to Aquia -Creek as soon as possible. General Burnside's troops were withdrawn -from Fortress Monroe, and united to Pope's army. - -General McClellan wished to remain upon the James and attack Richmond -from that quarter, but General Halleck felt that it was absolutely -necessary to unite the two armies. "You must move with all possible -celerity," was the telegram sent on the 9th of August. - -But it was not till the 16th that the army broke up its camp and moved -down the Peninsula, to Yorktown. - -While that despatch of the 9th was on the wires, Jackson, D. H. Hill, -Ewell, and Winder were engaged with Pope on the Rapidan. - -General Pope had advanced from the Rappahannock, to hold the enemy -in check till the Army of the Potomac could be brought back from the -Peninsula. - - -BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN. - -Fertile and fair are the farms of Culpepper, as beautiful as any in -the Old Dominion. They are watered by swiftly running streams. Their -slopes are verdant and sunny, sheltered by the Blue Ridge from wintry -blasts. Beyond the town of Culpepper, towards the south, there is a -hillock, called Cedar Mountain, which rises abruptly, and in shape like -a sugar-loaf. Near the Mountain is the house of Rev. Mr. Slaughter. -Robinson's Creek winds through his farm, south of the Mountain, on its -course to the Rapidan. North of the Mountain is the residence of Mrs. -Crittenden. The house is shaded by overhanging trees. It stands on the -west side of the highway leading from Culpepper to Madison. Standing -there and looking towards the Mountain, we see fields of corn and -wheat, groves and woods, bordering the field. - -General Crawford's brigade of Banks's corps, in the advance from -Culpepper to the Rapidan, on the 8th of August, encountered Jackson's -pickets at the base of the Mountain, upon the farm of Mr. Slaughter. - -On Saturday morning, the 9th instant, General Williams's division -joined Crawford. As the troops approached the farm of Mrs. Crittenden, -the base and summit of the Mountain seemingly became volcanic. There -was an outburst of flame and smoke, a screaming in the air, and the -deep reverberation of the cannonade. - -Williams's batteries were soon in position, and replied with shot and -shells. - -General Banks arrived. He formed a line of battle, placing Williams's -division west of the Madison road, near Mrs. Crittenden's house, and -Augur's division east of it, nearer the Mountain. On the right of the -line west of the house was Gordon's brigade, next Crawford, Geary, -Greene, and Prince. - -Jackson, from his lookout on the Mountain, could see all the movements -of General Banks. He threw out a line of skirmishers. Banks did the -same. They met midway the armies, and began the contest. An hour -passed of rapid artillery firing. Then the infantry became engaged, -Jackson throwing his brigades upon Prince, turning his flank, and -pushing him back. At the same time there was a furious attack upon -Crawford. His men stood it awhile, then charged the Rebel lines, but -were repulsed. Gordon moved in to take his place. The left of the -line, Prince and Geary and Greene, was swinging back. Jackson was -moving fresh brigades upon the center, but Gordon held them in check. -His men dropped rapidly, but so destructive were his volleys that the -Rebel line wavered and then retreated. But other brigades were thrown -upon Gordon's right flank. They swept him with an enfilading fire, and -he, too, was compelled to retreat or be cut off. He retired past Mrs. -Crittenden's, across Cedar Creek. There Banks formed again, planted his -artillery, and waited the advance of the enemy. - -Ricketts's division came up from McDowell's corps, ready to receive -Jackson, but the Rebel general was content with what he had already -accomplished. - -During the night there was an artillery duel, and a skirmish among the -pickets. - -In the morning, a white flag was displayed on the field, and the -wounded were gathered, and the dead buried. Officers from both armies -met and conversed freely of the war. General Hartsuff, and the Rebel -General Stuart, who were old acquaintances, shook hands upon the ground -where the contest had been so fierce. - -General Jackson withdrew his forces after the battle towards -Gordonsville, to wait the advance of the main army, under Lee, while -General Pope pushed south to the Rapidan. - -On the 16th, General Pope's cavalry captured a Rebel courier, who was -bearing a letter from Lee to Jackson, from which it was ascertained -that the whole of Lee's army was moving north from Richmond, to -crush Pope before McClellan could join him. General Pope was prompt -to act upon this information. He retreated to the north bank of the -Rappahannock, planted his artillery to cover the fords, hoping to hold -Lee in check till he was reinforced. - -Lee followed rapidly with his whole army. He reached the Rappahannock -on the 21st, attempted to cross, but was foiled in all his movements. - -Suddenly, on the night of the 22d, General Stuart fell upon the Orange -and Alexandria Railroad at Catlett's Station, in General Pope's rear. -It was a dark, rainy night. Many army wagons were there, and some were -burned. All the horses were taken. General Pope lost his personal -baggage. - -In the morning, General Pope understood that it was Lee's intention -to gain his rear, and cut him off from Washington. Jackson was moving -along the base of the Blue Ridge by swift marches. - -The mountains, which at Leesburg are called the Catoctin Range, farther -south are called the Bull Run Mountains. There is a gap at Aldie, and -another one at the head of Broad Run, called Thoroughfare Gap. There -the mountain is cut down sharp and square. There is room for the -railroad, the turnpike, and the creek. A hundred men might hold it -against a thousand. That part of the mountain south of the gap is about -ten miles long. - -One day I climbed the ridge to take a look at the surrounding country. -Northward I could see the gap. A mile or two east of it, on the -Manassas Gap Railroad, was the little village of Gainsville. Directly -east was the cluster of houses called Greenwich, on the Warrenton and -Centreville Turnpike. Ten miles distant, a little south of east, was -Manassas Junction. Bristow's Station is south; Catlett's, southwest. -Warrenton, one of the prettiest towns in Virginia, lies at the foot of -the mountain, southwest, with roads radiating in all directions, as if -it were the body of a spider, and the highways were legs. Westward is -the Blue Ridge, looming dark and high, like an ocean billow ready to -break over all the surrounding plains. In the northwest are the Cobble -Mountains,--hillocks which lie between Bull Run and the Blue Ridge. -Upon the railroad which winds towards Manassas Gap is the town of Salem. - -If I had stood there on the 26th of August, I should have seen a body -of Rebel troops moving across from the base of the Blue Ridge, through -fields, through forests, and along the highways, towards Salem with -great rapidity,--the men footsore, weary,--many of them barefoot, -few of them decently dressed,--but urged on by their officers. It is -Jackson's corps pushing for Thoroughfare Gap. - -At Warrenton, General McDowell is breaking camp, and moving east over -the Centreville turnpike to reach Gainsville. General Sigel follows -him. General Reno, with Burnside's troops, is marching for Greenwich. -General Kearny's and General Hooker's men, who have fought at -Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Glendale, and Malvern, have joined Pope, and -are moving along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. General Porter is -at Warrenton Junction. General Banks is coming up near the Rappahannock -to join Porter. - -On the 26th, General Ewell's division, having passed through -Thoroughfare Gap, fell upon Manassas Junction, burnt the depot, an -immense amount of stores, a railroad train, and the bridge across Bull -Run. - -General Taylor's brigade, of Franklin's corps, reached the spot, but -were obliged to fall back towards Fairfax, their commander mortally -wounded. - -Lee was following Pope. He hoped to crush him,--to grind him to powder -between his own and Jackson's force then in Pope's rear. - -West of Manassas Junction is Kettle Run. General Ewell formed his line -on the eastern bank, and waited Pope's advance. Hooker fell upon him -on the afternoon of the 27th, and defeated him. Ewell fell back upon -Jackson and A. P. Hill. - -Hooker was out of ammunition. Pope ordered Porter to join him, but he -did not obey the order. - -Jackson was in a dangerous place. He was not strong enough to advance -and give battle to Pope, who was now pressing him. He must retreat and -gain time,--delay an engagement till Lee could come up. He fell back -before Pope from Manassas to Centreville, then turned west over the -Warrenton turnpike, along which McDowell's army marched in the first -battle of Bull Run, the 21st of July, 1861. - -At this moment McDowell was moving east on the same turnpike. - -At six o'clock King's division of McDowell's corps, which was in -advance, came in collision with Jackson at Groveton, on the western -edge of the old battle-field. Gibbon's and Doubleday's brigades were -engaged a short time, but darkness put an end to the conflict. - -Pope, with Hooker, Kearny, and Reno, had reached Centreville; Porter -was at Manassas Junction; Banks, south of it; while Sigel and McDowell -were southwest of Jackson, towards Warrenton. Jackson was in danger of -being crushed. Pope, instead of being ground to powder, had maneuvered -so admirably that he felt almost sure that Jackson would be utterly -routed. - -He lost no time in sending out orders. "Hold your ground at all -hazards," was his despatch to General King. "Push on at one o'clock -to-night," was the word sent to Kearny, who was to move west over -Warrenton turnpike and attack Jackson's rear. "Assault vigorously at -daylight," he added, "for Hooker and Reno will be on hand to help you." - -"Move on Centreville at the earliest dawn," was the order sent to -Porter at Manassas. - -General Pope was sure that he could crumble Jackson before Longstreet, -who, he knew, was rapidly advancing towards Thoroughfare Gap, could -arrive. Ricketts's division was thrown north, to hold the gap. - -But General King's troops were exhausted. Instead of holding the -ground, he fell back towards the junction. - -General Ricketts sent a small force up to the gap, but Longstreet, who -had reached Salem, sent a part of his troops over the mountains north, -gained their rear, forced them back, and thus opened the gate for the -advance of his corps. Ricketts joined McDowell at the junction. - -All this made it necessary for General Pope to issue new orders. He -sent out his aides. - -"Attack at once," was the word to Sigel. - -"Push down the turnpike, as soon as possible, towards any heavy firing -you may hear," was the despatch to Kearny and Hooker, also to Reno, -commanding a division of Burnside's corps. - -"Be on the field at daybreak," was the message to Porter. - -"Send your train to Manassas and Centreville. Repair the railroad to -Bull Run. Work night and day," were the instructions to Banks, who was -guarding the trains. - -It was of the utmost importance that the attack should be made -instantly, before Longstreet arrived; and to that end General Pope -directed all his energies. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -BATTLE OF GROVETON. - - -The morning of the 29th dawned calm, clear, and beautiful. Sigel obeyed -orders. He was on the northwest corner of the old battle-field, near -Dogan's house. Jackson was north of the turnpike, his right resting -on Bull Run, at Sudley Springs, and his left on the turnpike near -Groveton, along the line of an unfinished railway. - -Schurz was on the right in Sigel's corps, Milroy in the center, Schenck -on the left, with Steinwehr in reserve. For an hour there was the deep -roll of artillery. - -Then the line advanced. There was a sharp contest,--Sigel occupying -the ground which Jackson held in the first fight on that memorable -field, and Jackson upon the ground, where Burnside, Howard, and Hunter -formed their lines. Milroy was driven, but Schurz and Schenck held -their position. Hooker and Kearny were astir at daylight. They crossed -the stream at the Stone Bridge, swung out into the fields, and moved -north towards Sudley Springs, forcing Jackson back on Longstreet, who -was resting after his hard march, his men eating a hearty meal from the -stores captured at Manassas. He was in no condition to fight at that -early hour. - -Time slipped away--precious hours! McDowell had not come. Porter had -not been heard from. "Longstreet is getting ready," was the report from -the scouts. - -Noon passed. One o'clock came round. "Longstreet is joining Jackson," -was the word from the pickets. The attack must be made at once if ever. - -It began at two o'clock by Hooker and Kearny on the right, pushing -through the woods and across the fields between Dogan's house and -Sudley Church.[50] - - [Footnote 50: See "My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field."] - -The veterans of the Peninsula move upon an enemy whom they have met -before. Jackson has made the line of a half-finished railroad his -defense, and his men are behind the embankments and in the excavations. -It is a long, desperate conflict. There are charges upon the enemy's -lines and repulses. Three,--four,--five o'clock, and Porter has not -come. McDowell, who should have marched northwest to Groveton to meet -Longstreet, has, through some mistake, marched east of that place, and -joined the line where Kearny and Hooker are driving Jackson. - -At this hour, sunset, on August 29th, Kearny, Hooker, and Reno are -pushing west, north of the turnpike, close upon the heels of Jackson. -King's division of McDowell's corps is moving west along the turnpike -past Dogan's house, to attack what has been Jackson's right center, -but which is now the left center of the united forces of Jackson and -Longstreet. Sigel's brigades have been shattered, and are merely -holding their ground south of the turnpike. O, if Porter with his -twelve thousand fresh troops was only there to fall on Jackson's right -flank! But he is not in sight. Nothing has been heard from him. He has -had all day to march five miles over an unobstructed road. He has had -his imperative orders,--has heard the roar of battle. He is an officer -in the Regular service, and knows that it is the first requisite of an -officer or a soldier to obey orders. - - [Illustration: BATTLE OF GROVETON. - - 1 Hooker. - 2 Kearny. - 3 Reno. - 4 Porter. - 5 McDowell. - 6 Sigel. - - A Rebel left wing, commanded by Jackson. - B Rebel right wing, commanded by Longstreet. - C Stone Bridge. - D Dogan's House. - RR Unfinished Railroad.] - -Longstreet is too late upon the ground to make an attack with his whole -force. The sun goes down and darkness comes on. The contest for the day -is over. Jackson has been driven on his right, and Heintzelman's corps -holds the ground. Both armies sleep on their arms. - -The auspicious moment for crushing Jackson had passed. The most that -Pope could hope for was to hold his ground till Franklin and Sumner, -who had landed at Alexandria, could join him. Thus far the battle had -been in his favor. He wished to save his wagons which were at Manassas. -If he retreated across Bull Run and made that his line of defense, he -must abandon his trains at Manassas. If he did this, Banks would be cut -off. He hoped, with Porter's magnificent corps holding his left flank, -to defeat Lee. - -The morning of the 30th dawned. The pickets of the two armies were -within a hundred yards of each other. The air was calm, the sky clear, -and the morning as bright and beautiful as that Sabbath when the first -great battle of the war was fought. - -The Rebel line was crescent-shaped. Its left under Jackson reached from -Sudley Springs to a point near the turnpike, about a mile and a half -west of Groveton. Longstreet commanded the right wing, which extended -from Jackson's command far to the southwest, stretching beyond the -Manassas Gap Railroad. - -This point was the center of the Rebel line. It was a high knoll or -ridge of land which commanded two thirds of Lee's front. Here were -forty-eight pieces of artillery. It was a very strong position. From -this knoll eastward, the Rebel artillerymen looked down a long slope -broken by undulations, the ground partitioned by fences, dividing it -into fields, pastures, and wooded hills and hollows. - -Pope had about forty thousand men, who stood face to face with the army -which had driven McClellan from the Chickahominy, and which met him a -few days later at Antietam. - -The troops which had come from the Army of the Potomac were worn and -dispirited. Hooker's and Kearny's divisions had been in nearly all the -battles of the Peninsula. Almost alone they had fought the battle of -Williamsburg. They were at Seven Pines, in skirmish after skirmish on -the Chickahominy, and at Glendale and Malvern. Hooker on this morning -of the 30th had but two thousand four hundred and forty-one men--so -sadly had disease and battle thinned the ranks. - -Porter came up tardily. He had twelve thousand men, but they did not -like General Pope. They believed that General McClellan had been -cruelly sacrificed by the government. There was no hearty co-operation -by the officers of Porter's command with General Pope. Griffin's and -Piatt's brigades took the road to Centreville, either by mistake or -otherwise, and were not in the battle.[51] Instead of twelve thousand, -Porter brought but seven thousand to the field. Sigel's troops were -mainly Germans, wanting in discipline, vigor, energy, and endurance. -Pope's army was a conglomeration, wanting coherence. He had, besides -the troops from the Army of the Potomac, McDowell's, who had been -an army by themselves; Sigel's, who had served under Fremont, whom -they idolized; Reno's, who looked upon Burnside as the only commander -who had achieved victories. General Pope was from the West. He was -unacquainted with his troops, and they with him. He had issued an -order permitting them to forage at will, which had produced laxity of -discipline and demoralization. Yet with all these things against him, -he felt it to be his duty to offer battle to Lee. - - [Footnote 51: Pope's Report.] - -Porter arrived with his seven thousand about nine o'clock, more than -twenty-four hours late. He came into position in front of Sigel on the -turnpike. Pope's line was thus complete. Hooker on the right at Sudley; -Kearny and Reno next reaching to the turnpike; Porter next, with Sigel -in rear; and McDowell commanding Reynolds's, King's, and Ricketts's -divisions on the left, near the ground where the Rebels made their last -stand in the first battle of Manassas. - -Had General Pope awaited an attack, the battle might have had a -different ending, but his provisions were exhausted, and he could not -wait. He must fight at once and win a victory or retreat. - -He had sent to Alexandria for provisions. General McClellan was there. -The Army of the Potomac, when it arrived there, was in the department -commanded by General Pope, and was therefore subject to his orders, -which left McClellan without a command. Franklin and Sumner, with -thirty thousand men, were moving out and could guard the trains. At -daylight, while General Pope was forming his lines, endeavoring to -hold at bay the army before which McClellan had retired from the -Chickahominy, Savage Station, Glendale, and Malvern, General McClellan -informed General Pope that the supplies would be loaded into cars and -wagons as soon as Pope would send in a cavalry escort, to guard the -trains! - -"Such a letter," says General Pope, "when we were fighting the enemy, -and Alexandria swarming with troops, needs no comment. Bad as was the -situation of the cavalry, I was in no situation to spare troops from -the front, nor could they have gone to Alexandria and returned within -a time by which we must have had provisions or have fallen back in the -direction of Washington. Nor do I see what service cavalry could give -in guarding railroad trains. It was not till I received this letter, -that I began to feel discouraged and nearly hopeless of any successful -issue to the operations with which I was charged."[52] - - [Footnote 52: Pope's Report.] - -The battle at that moment was beginning; the reveille of the cannonade -at that early hour was waking thousands to engage in their last day's -work in the service of their country. Through the forenoon there was a -lively picket firing, accompanying an artillery duel. - -"The enemy is making a movement to turn our left," was Sigel's message -to Pope a little past noon. Lee's division, as they passed down from -Thoroughfare Gap, marched towards Manassas Junction, and came into line -beyond McDowell. - -General Reynolds, who was south of the turnpike, advanced to feel of -Longstreet's position. He found the enemy sheltered in the woods. The -musketry began. Porter, southwest of Dogan's house, moved into the -forest, where the battle had raged the night before. He was received -with sharp volleys. His men fought but a short time and retreated. - -"Why are you retreating so soon?" General Sigel asked of the men. - -"We are out of ammunition."[53] - - [Footnote 53: Sigel's Report.] - -They passed on to Sigel's rear. - -Suddenly there were thundering volleys on the left. Lee was attacking -with great vigor. At the same moment, Hooker, Kearny, and Reno were -driving Jackson towards Sudley, swinging him back from his advanced -position. - -The battle line was swinging like a gate pivoted on its center. The -Rebels followed Porter, cheering and shouting. Grover's brigade of -Hooker's division, which had been facing west, changed its line of -march to the south, came down past Dogan's house, to the line of -unfinished railroad which Lee had taken for his defense. - -Milroy's brigade of Sigel's corps was lying in the road which leads -from Groveton towards the south. - -The Rebels were advancing upon him. Schurz, who was still farther -south, was retiring before the mass of Rebel troops, who came within -reach of Milroy's guns, which thinned their ranks at every discharge. -But the Rebels were on Milroy's left flank, which was bending like a -bruised reed before their advance. Grover came down with those men who -had never failed to do their whole duty. - -"We stood in three lines," said a wounded Rebel officer to me at -Warrington, two months after the battle. "They fell upon us like a -thunderbolt. They paid no attention to our volleys. We mowed them down, -but they went right through our first line, through our second, and -advanced to the railroad embankment, and there we stopped them. They -did it so splendidly that we couldn't help cheering them. It made me -feel bad to fire on such brave fellows." - -They had charged into the thickest of the enemy's columns, but could -not hold the position, and were forced back. - -Lee formed his lines for the decisive onset. Making the point on the -turnpike, where Longstreet's command joined Jackson's, he swung his -right against McDowell, Sigel, and Porter. - -Hood was on the left of the charging column, nearest the turnpike; -then Pickett, Jenkins, Toombs, and Kemper. Evans and Anderson were in -reserve. - -It was impossible to withstand this force; yet it was a furious, -obstinate, bloody fight. - -"It had been a task of almost superhuman labor," writes Pollard, -the Southern historian, "to drive the enemy from his strong points, -defended as they were by the best artillery and infantry in the Federal -army, but in less than four hours from the commencement of the battle, -our indomitable energy had accomplished everything. The arrival of -Anderson with his reserves, proved a timely acquisition, and the -handsome manner in which he brought his troops into position showed the -cool and skilful general. Our generals, Lee, Longstreet, Hood, Kemper, -Evans, Jones, Jenkins, and others, all shared the dangers to which they -exposed their men."[54] - - [Footnote 54: Southern History, Second Year, p. 113.] - -Night put an end to the conflict. When darkness came on, Lee found that -he was still confronted by men in line, with cannon well posted on the -eminences towards Stone Bridge. He had gained the battle-ground, but -had not routed the Union army. - -The retreat was conducted in good order across Bull Run. General -Stahl's brigade was the last to cross Stone Bridge, which was -accomplished at midnight, without molestation from Lee, who was too -much exhausted to make the attempt to rout the forty thousand men, who -had resisted the attack of all his troops,--the same army which had -compelled General McClellan, commanding an army of a hundred thousand, -to move from the Chickahominy to the James. - -General Pope states his own force to have been not over forty thousand. -If the whole of Porter's corps had been engaged, and if Banks had -been available, he would have had about fifty thousand men. The force -against him numbered not less than eighty thousand. In the subsequent -battle of Antietam, Lee had the same army which fought this battle, -estimated by General McClellan to number ninety-seven thousand men,[55] -with the exception of those lost him at South Mountain and Harper's -Ferry. - - [Footnote 55: General McClellan's Report, p. 213.] - -The battle of Groveton was therefore one of the most bravely fought and -obstinate contests of the war,--fought by General Pope under adverse -circumstances,--great inferiority of numbers, with a subordinate -commander who disobeyed orders; with other officers who manifested no -hearty co-operation. It will be for the future historian to do full -justice to the brave men who made so noble a fight, who, had they been -supported as they should have been, would doubtless have won a glorious -victory. - - -THE RETREAT TO WASHINGTON. - -General Sumner and General Franklin joined General Pope at Centreville. -But the army was disorganized. The defeat, the want of co-operation -on the part of some of the officers of the Army of the Potomac, had a -demoralizing influence. - -General McClellan was at Alexandria. On the 29th, while Pope was trying -to crush Jackson before the arrival of Longstreet, waiting anxiously -for the appearance of Porter, who had disobeyed the order given him, -the President, solicitous to hear from the army, inquired by telegram -of him: "What's the news from Manassas?" - -"Stragglers report," was the reply, "that the enemy are evacuating -Centreville, and retiring through Thoroughfare Gap. I am clear that -one of two courses should be adopted: first, to concentrate all our -available force, to open communication with Pope; second, to leave Pope -to get out of his scrape, and at once use all our means to make the -capital safe."[56] - - [Footnote 56: McClellan's Report.] - -General Pope had opened his communications unaided by General -McClellan. He had moved to the Rapidan, to enable General McClellan to -withdraw from the Peninsula; had held his ground till the Rebel cavalry -cut the railroad at Manassas; then with great rapidity he had moved to -crush Jackson, and had failed only through the deliberate disobedience -of orders by General Porter. - -Lee, on the second day after the battle of Groveton, made another -flank movement north of Centreville, to cut off the Union army from -Washington. There was a fight at Chantilly, where the brave and -impetuous Kearny was killed, and the enemy fell back behind the -intrenchments in front of Washington, and passed from the hands of -General Pope into the hands of General McClellan. - -It will be for the future historian to determine the measure of blame -or praise upon him,--the causes of disaster to the Army of the Potomac -on the Peninsula, and to the Army of Virginia at Manassas. A military -tribunal, composed of the peers of General Porter, has pronounced its -verdict upon him. He has been cashiered,--lost his place and his good -name forever. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -INVASION OF MARYLAND. - - -"We are going to liberate Maryland," said a Rebel officer to a friend -of mine who was taken prisoner at Catlett's Station. Throughout the -South it was believed that the people of Maryland were down-trodden and -oppressed, that the soldiers of President Lincoln prevented them from -expressing their sympathy with the rebellion. In every Southern home -and in the Rebel army, there was one song more popular than all others, -entitled "Maryland." - - "The despot's heel is on thy shore, - Maryland! - His touch is at the temple door, - Maryland! - Avenge the patriotic gore - That flecked the streets of Baltimore, - And be the battle queen of yore, - Maryland! My Maryland! - - Dear mother! burst the tyrant's chain, - Maryland! - Virginia should not call in vain, - Maryland! - She meets her sisters on the plain; - "_Sic semper!_" 'tis the fond refrain - That baffles millions back amain, - Maryland! My Maryland! - - I hear the distant thunder hum, - Maryland! - The Old Line's bugle, fife, and drum. - Maryland! - She is not dead, nor deaf, nor dumb. - Huzza! she spurns the Northern scum. - She breathes,--she burns,--she'll come! she'll come! - Maryland! My Maryland!" - -General Lee had no intention of attacking Washington. It was his plan -to raise the standard of revolt in Maryland, bring about a second -uprising of the people of Baltimore, and transfer the war to the North. -He issued strict orders that all private property in Maryland should be -respected, that everything should be paid for. - -On the 5th of September, he crossed the Potomac at Noland's Ford, near -Point of Rocks. Jackson led the column. When he reached the middle -of the stream he halted his men, pulled off his cap, while the bands -struck up "My Maryland," which was sung by the whole army with great -enthusiasm.[57] - - [Footnote 57: Life of Stonewall Jackson, p. 197.] - -Lee moved towards Frederick, a quiet old town, between the mountains -and the Monocacy. It was the harvest season. The orchards were loaded -with fruit; the barns were filled with hay; the granaries with wheat; -and there were thousands of acres of corn rustling in the autumn winds. - -At ten o'clock on the morning of the 6th, General Stuart's cavalry -entered the city. There were some Marylanders in the Rebel army, -who were warmly welcomed by their friends. A few ladies waved their -handkerchiefs, but the majority of the people of the city had made up -their minds to stand by the old flag, and manifested no demonstrations -of joy. Many of them, however, took down the stars and stripes, when -they saw the Rebels advancing; but over one house it waved proudly in -the morning breeze, as General Jackson rode into town. His soldiers -dashed forward to tear it down. - -What followed has been beautifully told by Whittier. - - -BARBARA FRIETCHIE. - - "Up from the meadows rich with corn, - Clear in the cool September morn, - The clustered spires of Frederick stand, - Green-walled by the hills of Maryland. - Round about them orchards sweep, - Apple and peach-tree fruited deep, - Fair as the garden of the Lord - To the eyes of the famished Rebel horde, - On that pleasant morn of the early fall, - When Lee marched over the mountain-wall. - Over the mountain winding down, - Horse and foot, into Frederick town. - Forty flags with their silver stars, - Forty flags with their crimson bars, - Flapped in the morning wind: the sun - Of noon looked down and saw not one. - Up rose old Barbara Frietchie then, - Bowed with her four score years and ten; - Bravest of all in Frederick town, - She took up the flag the men hauled down; - In her attic window the staff she set, - To show that one heart was loyal yet. - Up the street came the Rebel tread, - Stonewall Jackson riding ahead. - Under his slouched hat left and right - He glanced, the Old Flag met his sight. - 'Halt!' the dust brown ranks stood fast. - 'Fire!' out blazed the rifle blast. - It shivered the window, pane, and sash. - It rent the banner with seam and gash. - Quick as it fell from the broken staff, - Dame Barbara snatched the silken scarf. - She leaned far out on the window-sill, - And shook it forth with a royal will. - 'Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, - But spare your country's flag,' she said. - A shade of sadness, a blush of shame, - Over the face of the leader came. - The nobler nature within him stirred - To life, at that woman's deed and word. - 'Who touches a hair of yon gray head - Dies like a dog! March on!' he said. - All day long through Frederick street - Sounded the tread of marching feet. - All day long that free flag tost - Over the heads of the Rebel host. - Ever its torn folds rose and fell - On the loyal winds that loved it well, - And through the hill-gap sunset light - Shone over it with a warm good night. - Barbara Frietchie's work is o'er; - And the Rebel rides on his raids no more. - Honor to her! And let a tear - Fall for her sake on Stonewall's bier, - Over Barbara Frietchie's grave, - Flag of freedom and union wave! - Peace, and order, and beauty draw - Round thy symbol of light and law. - And ever the stars above look down - On the stars below in Frederick town." - -General Lee had a plan to execute other than the liberation of -Maryland,--the invasion of Pennsylvania. - -"We treat the people of Maryland well, for they are our brothers, but -we intend to make the North howl," one of the officers said. - -"Lee will cut his way to Philadelphia, and dictate terms of peace -in Independence Square. He will stand with torch in hand and demand -Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri, and peace, or he will lay -that city in ashes," said another. - -But before he could venture on an invasion of Pennsylvania he must have -an open communication with Richmond. There were eleven thousand men -under Colonel Mills at Harper's Ferry, who were strongly fortified. It -would not do to leave them in his rear. If that place were captured he -could move north. - -The geographical features of the country were favorable to the -execution of his plans. - -Ten miles west of Frederick the South Mountain rises above the -surrounding country, dark, steep, rocky, and clothed with forests. Its -most northern spur is near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. There are two -gaps in the range west of Frederick. If Lee could hold these with a -portion of his force, he could surround Harper's Ferry, situated on the -Potomac, where that winding and impetuous river leaps through the rocky -gorge. - -If successful in capturing it, he could still hold the mountain gates, -and pour the great bulk of his army north through the rich Cumberland -valley. If McClellan was held at bay in his efforts to take the passes, -and should move north, and come down the valley, then, pointing his -guns in the passes westward upon McClellan, Lee could spring like a -tiger on Baltimore and Washington. - -The first thing to be done after resting his army was to seize Harper's -Ferry. - -The people of Frederick and the farmers round the city had a chance to -sell all their goods,--their boots, shoes, clothes, flour, bacon, pigs, -cattle, and horses, but they were paid in Confederate money, which was -worth so many rags. - -Lee's army was very dirty and filthy. It had made hard marches. The -men had no tents. They had slept on the ground, had lived some of the -time on green corn and apples, had fought battles, had been for weeks -exposed to storms, sunshine, rain, mud, and dust, with no change of -clothing. They had thrown all their strength into this one grand -invasion of the North, and had shown a wonderful vigor. The rest and -repose, the good living which they found, were very acceptable. They -obeyed General Lee's orders, and behaved well. - -General Lee issued an address to the people of Maryland. - -"The people of the South have seen with profound indignation their -sister State deprived of every right and reduced to the condition of a -conquered province. - -"Believing that the people of Maryland possessed a spirit too lofty to -submit to such a government, the people of the South have long wished -to aid you in throwing off this foreign yoke, to enable you again to -enjoy the inalienable rights of freemen," read the address. - -But the people were not conscious of living under a foreign yoke, -neither that they were a conquered province, and therefore did not -respond to the call to rise in rebellion against the old flag. - -It was time for Lee to proceed to the execution of his plans. The Army -of the Potomac was approaching Frederick. Lee directed Jackson to -move on the 10th of September directly west, cross South Mountain at -Boonsboro' Gap, move through the town of Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac, -and fall upon Martinsburg, where Colonel White, with a brigade of Union -troops, was guarding a large amount of stores. General McLaw's and -Anderson's divisions were to occupy Maryland Heights--the termination -of the South Mountain range in Maryland--while General Walker was -sent across the river into Virginia to occupy Loudon Heights. Thus -approaching from the north, east, south, and west, Colonel Miles would -have no chance to escape. Longstreet was to move to Hagerstown to be -ready for a sudden spring into Pennsylvania. Howell Cobb was to hold -Crampton's Pass, and D. H. Hill the Boonsboro' Gap. - -"The commands of General Jackson, McLaw, and Walker, after having -accomplished the objects for which they have been detached, will join -the main body of the army at Boonsboro' or Hagerstown," read the order. - -On the 11th, the last regiment of Rebels departed from Frederick, and -soon after the advance of the Army of the Potomac entered the place. -The inhabitants shouted, waved their flags once more, and hailed -McClellan as their deliverer. - - -BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN. - -Early in the forenoon of Sunday, the 14th of September, General -Burnside, leading the Union army, ascended a high hill, a few miles -west of Frederick, and looked down upon one of the loveliest valleys -in the world. At his feet was the village of Middletown; beyond it, -in the bottom of the valley, the Catoctin Creek winds through ever -verdant meadows, past old mansions, surrounded with well-filled barns. -North and south, far as the eye can reach, are wheat and clover fields, -and acres of corn putting on its russet hues. Beyond the creek, the -road winds along the mountain side, past the little hamlet called -Bolivar. There are ledges, loose stones, groves of oak, and thickets -of mountain shrubs. There is a house on the summit,--once a tavern, -where the teamsters and stagemen of former days watered their tired -horses, and drank their ale, and ate a lunch. It is old and dilapidated -now. But standing there and looking east, it seems as if a strong -armed man might cast a stone upon Middletown, hundreds of feet below. -Twelve miles away to the east are the spires of Frederick, gleaming in -the sun. Westward from this mountain gate we many behold at our feet -Boonsboro' and Keedysville, and the crooked Antietam; and still farther -westward, the Potomac, making its great northern sweep to Williamsport. -In the northwest, twelve miles distant, is Hagerstown, at the head of -the Cumberland valley. Longstreet is there on this Sunday morning, -sending his cavalry up to the Pennsylvania lines, gathering cattle, -horses, and pigs. - -General D. H. Hill beholds the Union army spread out upon the plains -before him, reaching all the way to Frederick city,--dark-blue masses -moving towards him along the road, through the fields, with banners -waving, their bright arms reflecting the morning sunshine. - -He is confident that he can hold the place,--so narrow,--the mountain -sides so steep, and one Southerner equal to five Yankees. He hates the -men of the north. He is a native of South Carolina, and was educated -by the government at West Point. He was teacher of the North Carolina -Military School. Before the war, he did what he could to stir up the -people of the South to rebel. He told them that the South won nearly -all the battles of the Revolution, but that the Northern historians -had given the credit to the North, which was a "Yankee trick." He -published an Algebra in 1857, which Stonewall Jackson pronounced -superior to all others, in which his inveterate hatred appears. His -problems are expressive of hatred and contempt. - -"A Yankee," he states, "mixes a certain number of wooden nutmegs, which -cost him one fourth of a cent apiece, with real nutmegs worth four -cents apiece, and sells the whole assortment for $44, and gains $3.75 -by the fraud. How many wooden nutmegs are there?" - -"At the Woman's Rights Convention, held at Syracuse, New York, composed -of one hundred and fifty delegates, the old maids, childless wives, and -bedlamites were to each other as the numbers 5, 7, and 3. How many were -there of each class?" - -"The field of Buena Vista is six and a half miles from Saltillo. Two -Indiana volunteers ran away from the field of battle at the same -time; one ran half a mile per hour faster than the other, and reached -Saltillo five minutes and fifty four and six elevenths seconds sooner -than the other. Required their respective rates of travel."[58] - - [Footnote 58: The Church and the Rebellion, p. 196.] - -On this bright morning, the men of the Nineteenth Indiana, troops -from Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine,--from nearly all the loyal -States,--are preparing to climb the mountain to meet the man who has -violated his oath, and who hates the government that gave him an -education. - -The line of battle is formed by General Burnside along the Catoctin -Creek. The Ninth corps, with General Cox's division in advance, is -thrown south of the turnpike, and directed to move along a narrow road -which unites with the turnpike in the gap. - -It is seven o'clock in the morning when Scammon's brigade of Ohio -troops moves into position. Robertson's battery is south of the -turnpike in a field, throwing shells up the mountain into the woods -where Hill's men are lying sheltered from sight by the foliage. - -There is a reply from the gap. Solid shot and shells fly from the -mountain to the valley. Hayne's battery joins with Robertson's, Simmons -opens with his twenty-pounders, and McMullin with four heavy guns, and -while church-bells far away are tolling the hour of worship, these -cannon in the valley and on the mountain side wake the slumbering -echoes, and play the prelude to the approaching strife. - -Scammon's brigade leads the way by the old Sharpsburg road, the men -toiling slowly up the hill,--through the fields and pastures, over -fences and walls, sometimes losing foothold, and falling headlong, or -sliding downward. - -The brigade was preceded by a line of skirmishers, and was followed by -Crook's brigade. - -The woods were full of Rebels, but the men moved on, driving back -Hill's skirmishers, working up step by step, pushing them and the line -supporting them toward the gap. A battery opened with canister, but -the shot flew wild and high over their heads, and they pressed on. -McMullin sent up two guns, but the gunners were picked off by the Rebel -sharpshooters. The Twelfth Ohio charged up the hill, through a pasture, -with a hurrah. Louder, deeper, longer was the cheer which rose from the -valley far below, where Sturgis, and Wilcox, and Rodman were forming -into line. On,--into the fire,--close up to the stonewall, where the -Rebels were lying,--they charged, routing them from their shelter, and -holding the ground. There were places on the hillside, where the green -grass became crimson,--where brave men had stood a moment before full -of life and vigor and devotion to their country, but motionless and -silent now,--their part in the great struggle faithfully performed, -their work done. - -Hill rallied his men. They dashed down the mountain to regain the -ground. But having obtained it through costly sacrifice, the men from -Ohio were not willing to yield it. - -There was a lull in the battle at noon. Hill, finding that the chances -were against him, sent to Hagerstown for Longstreet. - -Burnside, on the other hand, waited for Hooker to arrive, who was next -in the column. He commanded the First corps, composed of Ricketts's and -King's divisions, and the Pennsylvania Reserves. He filed north of the -turnpike, threw Ricketts's upon the extreme right, with the Reserves in -the center, and King on the left. King was on the turnpike. There is -a deep gorge between the turnpike and the old road south of it, which -made a gap between Reno and Hooker. - -The afternoon wore away before the troops were ready. Longstreet's men -were panting up the mountain on the western side, Hood's division in -advance. They were thrown upon the hillside south of the old tavern in -the gap. It was past four o'clock when the order to advance was given. -Wilcox's division led upon the extreme left. - -It is a movement which will be decisive, for victory or defeat. The -artillery--all the batteries which can be brought into position--send -their shells up the mountain. Steadily onward moves the long line -across the fields at the foot, up the pasture lands of the slope into -the woods. - -There is a rattling of musketry,--then heavy rolls, peal on peal, wave -on wave, and a steady, constant roar; giving not an inch, but advancing -slowly, or holding their ground, the veterans of the Peninsula continue -their fire. The mountain is white with the rising battle-cloud. The -line of fire goes up the mountain. The Rebels are falling back, -fighting bravely, but yielding. There are shouts, yells, outcries, -mingling with the thunder of the artillery, echoing and reverberating -along the valleys. - -Right and left and center are pushing on. Thousands on the plains below -behold it, and wish that they were there to aid their brothers in arms. -The day wanes, the shadows begin to deepen, revealing the flashes from -cannon and musket. There is no giving back of Burnside's men, neither -of Hooker's, but nearer to the crest, nearer the clouds, moves the -starry banner. - -"Please open upon that house with your battery," was the order of -Colonel Meredith, of the Nineteenth Indiana, commanding a brigade in -King's division, to Lieutenant Stewart of the Fourth United States -Artillery. The house was filled with sharpshooters. Lieutenant Stewart -sights his guns. The second shell crashes through the side as if it -were paper, tears through the rooms. The Rebels swarm out from doors -and windows in hasty flight. The men from Indiana give a lusty cheer, -and move nearer the enemy. - -In vain the efforts of Hill and Longstreet and Hood to stop the -fiery tide, rising higher, rolling nearer, overflowing the mountain, -threatening to sweep them into the western valley. The lines surge -on. It is like the sweep of a great tidal wave. There is a rush, a -short, desperate, decisive struggle. The Rebel line gives way. The -men from Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, and -Massachusetts, pour into the gap, shouting their victorious hurrahs. - -General Hill has lost the battle. He has despised those men. He tried -to injure their fair fame before the world in time of peace; he -intimated that Northern men were arrant cowards; but after this battle -at South Mountain he can issue an Algebra with a new statement of the -wooden nutmeg and Buena Vista problems. - - -SURRENDER OF HARPER'S FERRY. - -Lee was successful in what he had undertaken at Harper's Ferry. While -Burnside was winning this victory, Colonel Miles was yielding that -important post. He abandoned the strong position on Maryland Heights, -tumbled the cannon down the mountain, when he might have kept McLaw -and Anderson from gaining possession of the place. Jackson kept up a -furious bombardment. Miles hung out the white flag, and was killed -immediately after by a shell. - -His troops were indignant at the surrender. Some shed tears. - -"We have no country now," said one officer, wiping the tears from -his face. If Miles had held out a little longer, he would have been -relieved, for Franklin was driving General Cobb from Crampton's Pass, -and would have been upon the rear of McLaw and Anderson. - -The cavalry made their escape under cover of the night. They followed -winding forest-paths through the woods, at dead of night, avoiding -the roads till they were north of Sharpsburg. While crossing the -Williamsport and Hagerstown road they came upon Longstreet's ammunition -train. - -"Hold!" said the officer commanding the cavalry to the forward driver, -"you are on the wrong road. That is the way." - -The driver turned towards the north as directed, not knowing that the -officer was a Yankee. - -"Hold on there! you are on the wrong road. Who told you to turn off -here, I should like to know?" shouted the Rebel officer in charge of -the train, dashing up on his horse. - -"I gave the order, sir." - -"Who are you, and what right have you to interfere with my train, sir," -said the officer, coming up in the darkness. - -"I am colonel of the Eighth New York cavalry, and you are my prisoner," -said the Union officer, presenting his pistol. - -The Rebel officer was astounded. He swore bad words, and said it was a -mean Yankee trick. - -One hundred wagons and seventy-four men were thus quietly cut out from -the Rebel trains. - -I saw the prisoners as they entered Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. There -were several negroes among them. - -"As soon as I heard dat we was in de hands of de Yankees, I was mighty -glad, sir, 'cause we darkees want to get to de Norf," he said. - -"Why do you want to get to the North?" - -"'Cause we be free up here. We don't get much to eat in the Souf," he -said. - -At the head of this company of prisoners marched a man with downcast -eyes, sunburned, dusty, dressed in gray, with a black feather in his -hat. His name was Fitz Hugh Miller. He was a Pennsylvanian. It was he -who arrested Cook, one of John Brown's accomplices, and delivered him -over to Governor Wise. Cook was tried, found guilty, and hung. When the -war broke out, Miller went South, and was a captain in Lee's army. The -people of Chambersburg knew him. He was a traitor. - -"Hang him!" they shouted. "A rope!" "Get a rope!" There was a rush of -men and women towards him. They were greatly excited. Some picked up -stones to hurl at him, some shook their fists in his face, but the -guards closed round him, and hurried the pale and trembling wretch off -to prison as quickly as possible, and saved him from a violent death. - -General Lee had been successful in taking Harper's Ferry, but he was -not in position to spring upon the North. The eastern gates were wide -open. Burnside had pushed D. H. Hill and Longstreet down the Mountain, -and the whole Yankee army which he intended to keep out of the Antietam -and Cumberland valleys was pouring upon him. He had been successful -in most of his battles. He had driven McClellan from Richmond to the -gunboats, had defeated Pope at Groveton, had taken eleven thousand -prisoners and immense supplies at Harper's Ferry. All that he had to -do now was to defeat the new Army of the Potomac in a great pitched -battle; then he could move on to Philadelphia and dictate terms of -peace. - -He resolved to concentrate his army, choose his ground, and give battle -to McClellan. He must do that before he could move on. The advance -of the Rebel army towards Pennsylvania roused the citizens of that -Commonwealth to take active measures for its defense. - -There were glorious exhibitions of pure patriotism. Governor Curtin -called upon the people to organize at once; and fifty thousand men -hastened to the various places of rendezvous. The old Revolutionary -flame was rekindled. Disaster had not dispirited the people. The -ministers from their pulpits urged their congregations to go, and -themselves set the example. Judges, members of Congress, presidents of -colleges, and professors took place in the ranks, and became soldiers. -In every town the pulses of the people beat to the exigencies of the -hour. Telegrams and letters poured in upon the Governor. "We are -ready," "We shall march to-morrow," "Give us guns," they said. - -Mothers, wives, and daughters said, "Go!" - -There were tearful eyes and swelling bosoms, but brave hearts. Old men, -gray-haired, weak, weary with the weight of years, encouraged the young -and strong, and bestowed their blessings on those departing for the -battle-field. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. - - -The army had been re-organized. It was not altogether the same army -which had fought the battles of the Peninsula. The First corps, under -the command of General Hooker, contained Doubleday's, Meade's, and -Ricketts's divisions. Doubleday's troops were formerly under McDowell. -They had been under fire at Cedar Mountain, and held the left at -Groveton. - -Meade commanded the Pennsylvania Reserves. McCall, their first -commander, was a prisoner. Reynolds, who succeeded to the command, was -in Pennsylvania organizing the militia. The Reserves had been in many -of the battles,--Dranesville, Mechanicsville, Gaines's Mills, Glendale, -Malvern, Groveton, and South Mountain. - -Ricketts's troops were of McDowell's corps, formerly King's division. -They too had been in the hottest of the fight at Groveton. - -The Second corps was still in the hands of the veteran Sumner. -Sedgwick, Richardson, and French were his division commanders. - -Sedgwick and Richardson had been through the Peninsular campaign. They -came up at Fair Oaks in a critical moment, and decided the day in that -hard-fought battle. They had stood motionless through the long summer -day at Savage Station,--a wall of adamant against Stonewall Jackson -and Magruder. Richardson held the bridge at White-Oak Swamp, while -Sedgwick with Hooker repulsed A. P. Hill at Glendale. French's troops -had been under General Wool at Fortress Monroe and Norfolk. They -had seen skirmishes, but had never been engaged in a great battle. -French had one brigade of new troops, fresh from the home barracks, -inexperienced in drill and discipline, and unacquainted with the -indescribable realities of a great battle. It was a powerful corps. - -The Sixth corps was commanded by Franklin, and was composed of Smith's -and Slocum's divisions, old soldiers of the Peninsula. A portion of -them were engaged in the battle of Williamsburg. Smith's division was -in the fight at Fair Oaks; and Slocum crossed to the north bank of the -Chickahominy, in season to save Fitz-John Porter from annihilation in -the battle of Gaines's Mills. They held the rear at White-Oak Swamp, -and had borne their share in the battle of Malvern. - -The Fifth corps was commanded by Porter, and was composed of Sykes's -division of Regulars and Morell's division; the same which had fought -gloriously at Gaines's Mills, and Malvern, and reluctantly at Groveton. - -The Ninth corps was commanded by Burnside. He had four -divisions,--Wilcox's, Sturgis's, Rodman's, and Cox's. - -Sturgis's and Rodman's troops were Burnside's own, which had a good -record at Roanoke and Newbern. Wilcox's were of Sherman's army from -Port Royal, and had seen some of the hardships of campaigning. They -had been hurried up from the South, when it was discovered that Lee -contemplated an invasion of the North. The Thirty-fifth Massachusetts -in this corps had been but a few days in the service. How well they -fought, we shall see hereafter. - -The troops commanded by General Cox were of the Kanawha -division,--Western Virginia and Ohio soldiers, who had seen service -among the mountains. - -The Twelfth corps, which had fought at Winchester and Cedar Mountain -under Banks, was now commanded by General Mansfield. It contained but -two divisions, Williams's and Greene's. - -Couch commanded an independent division, the troops which had stemmed -the tide at Seven Pines. - -These corps composed the Army of the Potomac, which was organized into -three grand divisions. - -Burnside commanded the right wing, having his own,--the Ninth and First -corps. General Cox commanded the Ninth after the death of Reno at South -Mountain, and the appointment of Burnside to the command of the grand -division. - -The center was under the command of Sumner, and was composed of the -Second and Twelfth corps,--his own and Mansfield's. - -The left wing was commanded by Franklin, and was composed of the Fifth -and Sixth corps. - -General Lee's army was composed of the commands of Jackson, Longstreet, -D. H. Hill, McLaw, and Walker. - -An estimate of his forces in the battle of Antietam, obtained from -prisoners, deserters, and spies, is ninety-seven thousand. - -"It was fought for half a day with forty-five thousand men on the -Confederate side, and for the remaining half with no more than an -aggregate of seventy thousand,"[59] writes a Southern historian, who -estimates McClellan's force at a hundred and thirty thousand. - - [Footnote 59: Pollard, Vol. II. p. 137.] - -The ground which General Lee selected for a decisive trial of the -strength of the two armies is near the village of Sharpsburg, between -the Antietam and Potomac Rivers. It is a quiet little village at -the junction of the Hagerstown turnpike, with the pike leading from -Boonsboro' to Shepardstown. Hagerstown is twelve miles distant, due -north; Shepardstown, three and a half miles, a little south of west, on -the Potomac. - -In former years, it was a lively place. There were always country teams -and market wagons rumbling through the town, but now the innkeepers -have few travelers to eat their bacon and eggs. The villagers meet -at nightfall at the hotel, smoke their pipes, drink a glass of the -landlord's ale, and tell the story of the great battle. - -The Antietam is a rapid, crooked mill-stream. It rises north of -Hagerstown, on the borders of Pennsylvania, runs toward the south, and -empties into the Potomac, three miles south of Sharpsburg. Its banks -are steep. In some places there are limestone ledges cropping out. At -low water, it is fordable in many places, but when the clouds hang low -upon the mountains and give out their showers, it roars, foams, tumbles -like a cataract. - -Three miles northwest of the town, the Potomac makes a great bend to -the east, comes within a half mile of the Hagerstown pike, then bears -south toward Shepardstown. - -Across the Antietam, three miles from Sharpsburg, to the southeast, is -the northern end of Elk Ridge,--a mountain running south to Harper's -Ferry, forming the west wall of Pleasant Valley. - -The Antietam, below the Boonesboro' road, runs along the western -base of the ridge. It is not more than four miles from the Antietam, -opposite the head of the ridge, to the great bend in the Potomac, -northwest of Sharpsburg. General Lee selected this narrow gate for his -line of battle. It had many advantages. It was a short line. It could -not be flanked. It was on commanding ground. General McClellan must -attack in front. He must cross the Antietam, ascend the steep bank, -over ground swept by hundreds of guns, and face a direct as well as a -flanking fire. McClellan could not turn the right flank of the Rebels, -because there the Antietam runs close to the base of Elk Ridge, then -turns due west, and empties into the Potomac. He could not turn the -left flank, for there the Rebel army leaned upon the Potomac. - - [Illustration: The Battle Field of Antietam. - - POSITIONS OF THE TWO ARMIES. - - The diagram represents the general positions of the divisions as - they came upon the field. - - 1 Hooker's corps. - 2 Mansfield's corps. - 3 Sedgwick's division, Sumner's corps. - 4 French's " " " - 5 Richardson's " " " - 6 Franklin's corps. - 7 Porter's corps. - 8 Burnside's corps. - 9 McClellan's head-quarters. - - A Jackson. - B D. H. Hill. - C Longstreet. - D A. P. Hill. - E Lee's head-quarters. - - The dotted line passing through Jackson's position is a narrow - farm road, along which Jackson erected his defensive works.] - -Besides these protections to the flank, the line itself was very -strong. There were hills, hollows, ravines, groves, ledges, fences, -cornfields, orchards, stone-walls,--all of which are important in a -great battle. Besides all of those natural defenses, General Lee threw -up breastworks and rifle-pits to make his line as strong as possible. -His line was on the ridge, between the Antietam and the Potomac. - -There are three stone bridges across the Antietam near where the battle -was fought. One of them will be known in history as the Burnside -Bridge, for there the troops commanded by General Burnside forced back -the Rebel right wing, and crossed the stream. It is on the road which -leads from Sharpsburg to the little village of Roherville in Pleasant -Valley. - -A mile north, there is another at the crossing of the Boonesboro' and -Sharpsburg turnpike. A half mile above, on the eastern bank, there is a -large brick farm-house, where General McClellan had his head-quarters -during the battle. Following the windings of the stream, we reach -the upper bridge, on the road from Keedysville to Hagerstown. On the -western bank are the farms of John Hoffman and D. Miller. There is a -little cluster of houses called Smoketown. - -Traveling directly west from Hoffman's one mile across the fields, we -reach the Sharpsburg and Hagerstown pike, near the residence of Mr. -Middlekauff. A quarter of a mile farther would carry us to the great -bend of the Potomac. But turning south, and traveling the turnpike, we -reach the farm-house of Mr. John Poffenberger,[60] a wooden building -standing with its gable towards the turnpike. There are peach-trees in -front, and a workshop, and a bee-bench. - - [Footnote 60: Upon the map accompanying General McClellan's Report - there are several residences marked Poffenberger; also several marked - D. Miller. But the residence here described was the one around which - the severest fighting occurred on the right,--Joseph Poffenberger's.] - -There is a high ridge behind the house, crowned by Poffenberger's barn. -Standing upon the ridge and looking west, we behold the turnpike at our -feet, a mown field beyond, and fifty or sixty rods distant a cornfield, -and a grove of oaks. That cornfield and those oaks is the ground -occupied by Jackson's left wing. - -A few rods south of Poffenberger's is the toll-gate. There a narrow -lane runs west towards the Potomac. Another leads southwest, past an -old house and barn, winding through the woods, and over the uneven -ground where Jackson established his center. There is a grove of -oaks between the toll-gate and the farm-house of Mr. J. Miller, a -few rods further south. Mr. Miller had a large field in corn on the -hillside east of his house at the time of the battle. Standing there -upon the crest and looking east, we have a full view of the farm of -John Hoffman. Here and on the ridge behind Poffenberger's, Jackson -established his advanced line one half of a mile from his main line, -west of the turnpike. - -The cornfield was bordered on the east by a narrow strip of woodland, -on the south by a newly mown field extending to the turnpike. - -Walking across the smooth field to the turnpike again, we behold a -small one-story brick building on the west side of the road, with an -oak grove behind it. It has no tower or spire, but it is known as the -Dunker Church. A road joins the turnpike in front of the church, coming -in from the northeast from Hoffman's farm and the upper bridge across -the Antietam. - -This building is on elevated ground. It was the pivot on which the -fortunes of the day swung to and fro, where hinged the destiny of the -nation. There Jackson's right wing joined D. H. Hill's division. There, -around the church, fifty thousand men met in deadly strife. - -The land slopes towards the east. Rivulets spring from the hillside, -and flow towards the Antietam. Seventy or eighty rods east of the -church is the residence of Mr. Muma. There is a graveyard north of -his dwelling, white headstones marking the burial-place. There is a -farm-road leading past his house to Mr. Rulet's beyond. It winds along -the hillside into the ravine by Mr. Rulet's. There are branch roads; -one leading to Sharpsburg, one down the hill to the middle bridge -across the Antietam. The farms of Mr. Muma, Mr. Rulet, and Dr. Piper -are broken lands, hills, ravines, corn and wheat fields, orchards, -pastures, and mowing-grounds. D. H. Hill occupied the high grounds on -Mr. Muma's farm; Longstreet held Rulet's, Dr. Piper's, Sharpsburg, and -the hills south of the town. - -Standing by the church and looking north, we see Poffenberger's house, -three fourths of a mile distant; northeast we see Hoffman's farm, -a mile and a half distant. Looking directly east over the house of -Mr. Rulet, we behold the Antietam, one mile distant, with General -McClellan's head-quarters on the hill beyond. - -Southeast, a mile and a quarter distant, is the middle bridge on the -Boonesboro' pike. Directly south, along the Hagerstown turnpike, is -Sharpsburg. Lee's head-quarters are in a field west of the town. Two -miles distant, at the base of Elk Ridge, is the lower bridge. There the -banks of the river are high, sharp, and steep. Behind the church are -limestone ledges; in the woods, strong natural defenses. - -These are the main features of the field:-- - -Hoffman's farm. - -Poffenberger's house, the ridge behind it, the woods, and cornfields -west of it. - -Miller's house, the cornfield east, the mown field south, the turnpike -and the woods west. - -The church, the field in front, the woods behind it. - -Muma's farm, Rulet's house, the orchard around it, the farm-road, and -cornfield west of it. - -The lower bridge, and the hills on both sides of the stream. - -At daylight on Monday morning, after the battle at South Mountain, -General Richardson's division of the Second Corps moved down the -mountain side through Boonesboro' to Keedysville. It was found that -General Lee was massing his troops on the west bank of the Antietam, -and planting his batteries on the hills north of Sharpsburg. General -Richardson deployed his troops. Captain Tidball and Captain Pettit -ran their batteries up on the hills near Porterstown, and commenced a -cannonade which lasted till night. - -General Hooker's, General Mansfield's, General Burnside's, General -Sumner's, and General Porter's troops arrived during the night. - -On the morning of Tuesday, the 16th, General McClellan reconnoitered -the position which Lee had chosen. The forenoon passed before the corps -were in position to make an attack. - -General McClellan's plan was to attack the enemy's left with Hooker's -and Mansfield's corps, supported by Sumner's; and, as soon as matters -looked favorably there, to move Burnside across the lower bridge, and -attack Lee's right, south of Sharpsburg. If either of these flank -movements were successful, then he would move upon the center with all -the forces at his disposal. - -About two o'clock in the afternoon, Hooker crossed the Antietam by the -upper bridge and by the ford near Pray's Mill. The Rebel pickets were -in the cornfields on Mr. Hoffman's farm, and their first line in the -strip of woods east of Miller's cornfield. The Pennsylvania Reserves -were in advance. There was a sharp skirmish and a brisk cannonade which -lasted till dark. The Rebels were forced back. They retreated almost -to Poffenberger's house. General Hooker advanced, planted his guns on -the hill near Hoffman's, and threw out his pickets. His men lay down to -sleep in the fields and amid the rustling corn. - -Mansfield crossed during the night. He went up from the stream but a -short distance, halting nearly a mile in rear of Hooker. Sumner's corps -remained east of the stream, near Pray's Mill. Porter was posted on the -east side near General McClellan's head-quarters, while Burnside passed -down through Porterstown and came into position on the farm of Mr. -Rohrbach at the base of Elk Ridge, near the lower bridge. - -An auspicious hour had passed by never to return. Lee had only -Longstreet, D. H. Hill, and two divisions of Jackson's corps on the -ground on Tuesday, the 16th. Jackson arrived on the morning of the -16th, after a hard night-march from Harper's Ferry. His troops were -exhausted. They were not in condition to fight on Tuesday; but by the -delay of General McClellan they obtained rest and strength. McLaw's, -Anderson's, Walker's, and A. P. Hill's divisions had not arrived even -when the great contest began on the 17th.[61] - - [Footnote 61: Pollard, Vol. II. p. 125.] - -A portion of Lee's line on the morning of that day was weak and thin. -Longstreet held the right, opposite Burnside; D. H. Hill was on Rulet's -farm, Hood was at the Dunker Church, and Jackson northwest of it, in -front of Poffenberger's house. Hood's men were exhausted; they had -marched rapidly to reach the field, and had been sent to the front upon -their arrival, to keep Hooker in check, as he moved through Hoffman's -cornfields on the afternoon of the 16th. Lawton, commanding Ewell's old -division in Jackson's corps, relieved him during the night. At daybreak -the "Ragged Texans," as Hood's men were called by their comrades, -were cooking their cakes and frying their pork in the fields south of -the church. Lee's head-quarters were on a hill beyond Sharpsburg, so -high that he could overlook a large portion of the field. He saw that -McClellan intended to turn his left, and threw all his available troops -towards the Dunker Church. - -On the morning of the 17th a breeze from the south swept up the valley, -rolling dark clouds upon the mountains. There was a light fog upon -the Antietam. Long before daylight the word, which roused the men -from sleep, passed along the lines of Hooker's divisions. Without a -drum-beat or bugle-call the soldiers rose, shook the dewdrops from -their locks, rolled their blankets, and ate their breakfast. - -The pickets of the two armies were so near each other that each could -hear the rustle of the corn as they paced to and fro amid the rows. -Occasionally there was a shot. Once, in the night, there was a volley -beyond the woods towards Muma's. General Hooker was asleep in a barn -near Hoffman's. He sprang to his feet, stood by the door, and listened. -"We have no troops in that direction. They are shooting at nothing," he -said, and lay down once more. - - -HOOKER'S ATTACK. - -Five o'clock. It is hardly daylight, as the pickets, straining their -sight, bringing their muskets to a level with their eyes, aim at the -dusky forms stirring amid the corn-leaves, and renew the contest. There -are bright flashes from the strip of woods, and from the ridge behind -Poffenberger's. The first Rebel shell bursts in the Sixth Wisconsin, -prostrating eight men. Hooker's guns, in the edge of the woods west of -Hoffman's, are quick to respond. - -Meade's division, composed of Seymour's, Magilton's, and Anderson's -brigades, was in the center of Hooker's corps, and also in the -advance. Doubleday was on the right, and Ricketts behind Meade. - -The order was given to Meade to move on, and to Ricketts and Doubleday -to keep within close supporting distance. The direction taken by Meade -brought him through the strip of woods northeast of Miller's house. -Lawton's division of Jackson's corps held the ground by Miller's house, -with Ripley, of D. H. Hill's division, joining on the narrow road north -of Muma's, a quarter of a mile in front of the church. - -At this early hour, before any movement was made, Tuft, Langner, Von -Kleizer, Weaver, Weed, and Benjamin, with twenty-pounder Parrott guns, -planted on the hills east of the Antietam, between the center and -lower bridges, opened upon Lee's lines, throwing shells and solid shot -into Sharpsburg, and upon D. H. Hill on Rulet's farm. "It enfiladed my -line, and was a damaging fire,"[62] says Stonewall Jackson, who brought -up his batteries of heavy guns,--Prague's, Carpenter's, Raine's, -Brokenbrough's, Caskie's, and Wooding's batteries. - - [Footnote 62: Jackson's Report, Southern History, Vol. II. p. 132.] - -Meade's men went cheerily to the work. They began at long range to give -their volleys; they were in the hollow, northeast of Miller's. Lawton's -troops looked down upon them from their shelter beneath the trees and -behind the hills. - -The Reserves began to drop beneath the galling fire. Hooker rode up to -them upon a powerful white horse. The bullets flew past him, cutting -down the corn, and bursting shells sprinkled him with earth; but he was -calm amid it all, directing the troops and holding them up to the work -by his mighty will. - -Nearer to the woods now, shorter the range, more deadly the fire. -Ricketts came up on the left with Duryea's and Christian's brigades. - -There were heavier volleys from the cornfield and open ground, fainter -replies from the woods. It was an indication that Lawton was growing -weaker. - -"Forward!" It was an electric word. The Reserves, with Ricketts's two -brigades, went up with a cheer into the woods, through into the open -field, following the fleeing Rebels, who were streaming past Miller's, -over the field in front of the church, into the woods behind it. The -Reserves reached the middle of the field; but now from the woods into -which Lawton had fled there were quick volleys of musketry and rapid -cannon shots from Hayes's, and Trimble's, and Walker's, and Douglas's, -and Starke's brigades of Jackson's division. - -The Reserves stopped in the middle of the field. They gave a few -volleys. The men dropped fast. Some of the wounded crawled, some -hobbled away; others lay where they fell, motionless forever. The -living turned and sought the shelter of the woods, from which they had -driven the enemy. - -The aspect of affairs suddenly changed. Jackson moved forward his whole -line, not only across the field in front of the church, but extended -farther north, towards Poffenberger's. "Send me your best brigade," was -the message from Hooker to Ricketts. Hartsuff, of Ricketts's division, -had not been engaged. A portion only of Doubleday's troops had been -in. Hartsuff was on the hill behind Poffenberger. His troops, the -Twelfth and Thirteenth Massachusetts, Ninth New York, and Eleventh -Pennsylvania, went down the hill upon the run, south towards Miller's, -past the retreating brigades, closing in like an iron gate between them -and the exultant enemy. They came into line upon the crest of the hill, -crowning it with their dark forms, and covering it with flame and smoke. - -"I think they will hold it," said General Hooker, as he watched them -presenting an unbroken front. Jackson pushed on his brigades, but -they recoiled before the steady and destructive fire rolled out by -Hartsuff, also by Gibbons, and Patrick, who were holding the ridge by -Poffenberger's. Jackson's line melted away. "At this early hour," says -Jackson, in his report, "General Starke was killed; Colonel Douglas, -commanding Lawton's brigade, was killed; General Lawton, commanding -a division, and Colonel Walker, commanding a brigade, were severely -wounded. More than half of the brigades of Lawton and Hayes were killed -or wounded; and more than a third of Trimble's; and all the regimental -commanders in those brigades except two, were killed or wounded."[63] - - [Footnote 63: Southern Hist., Vol. II. p. 132.] - -Once more the Rebels retired to the woods behind the church. There was -a lull in the storm. The shattered brigades of Jackson went to the -rear, taking shelter behind the ledges. Hood, with his ragged Texans, -came to the front by the church. Stuart, who was out on Jackson's left, -towards the Potomac, came up with his artillery. Early's division also -came to the front, all forming on the uneven ground west and northwest -of the church in the woods; also Taliaferro's, Jones's, and Winder's -brigades. - -Hooker was quick to plant his batteries. Those of Doubleday's division -galloped to the ridge northeast of Poffenberger's house. Gibbons's, -Cooper's, Easton's, Gerrish's, Durell's, and Monroe's, were wheeled -into position. Projectiles of every form cut the air. The oak-trees -of the grove by Miller's were splintered and torn, the branches were -wrenched from the trunks, and hurled to the earth. - -Rebel shells tore through Poffenberger's house knocking out the gable, -ripping up the roof, tossing boards and shingles into the air. The -beehives in the yard were tumbled over, and the angry swarms went out, -stinging friend and foe. - -Hooker had crossed the turnpike, and was a few hundred feet beyond -the toll-house. Hartsuff was wounded and carried from the field. The -Reserves, broken and exhausted, were in the rear, too much shattered to -be relied on in an emergency. Ricketts's brigades, which had met D. H. -Hill, had fallen back. Hartsuff's, Gibbons's, and Patrick's alone were -in front. - -It was nearly eight o'clock, and Hooker's troops thus far had borne the -whole of the contest unaided. They had driven Jackson from his front -line, had assaulted his second, had received, like a stalwart knight of -the olden time, unflinchingly the heavy blow which the Rebel commander -had given. - -Hooker rode forward and reconnoitered. - -"That is the key to the position," he said, pointing toward the church. - -"Tell Mansfield to send up a division," was the order sent to this -venerable officer, who was slowly advancing from Hoffman's farm. - -Williams's division went up into the strip of woods east of the -cornfield, Crawford's brigade on the right, and Gordon's on the left. - -"Tell Doubleday to hold them on the right. Don't let them turn our -flank," was the word sent up to Doubleday, who was quietly watching the -Rebels from the cornfield west of Poffenberger's. - -There were signs of an advance of Jackson's line. - -"Keep them well stirred up," was the message to the artillerymen. The -thirty-six guns planted on the ridge reopened. - -"I cannot advance, but I can hold my ground," said Ricketts. - -While Crawford and Gordon were forming, General Mansfield was mortally -wounded and borne to the rear, and the command of the corps devolved on -General Williams. Green's division came up and formed on the right of -Williams's, now commanded by Gordon, reaching south nearly to Muma's -house. King's, Cothran's and Hampton's batteries, belonging to the -Twelfth Corps, opened a rapid fire. The One Hundred and Twenty-third -Pennsylvania was pushed across the turnpike into the woods west of -Miller's, near the toll-gate. - -While making these dispositions General Hooker dismounted and walked -to the extreme front. There was a constant fire of musketry from the -woods. He passed through it all, returned to his horse, and once -more was in the saddle. He was in range of the Rebels. There was a -heavy volley. A bullet entered his foot, inflicting a painful wound. -Three men fell near him on the instant. But he issued his orders with -coolness and deliberation. "Tell Crawford and Gordon to carry those -woods and hold them," he said to his aide as he rode slowly to the -rear. He tried to keep in the saddle, but fainted. "You must leave the -field and have your wound attended to," said the surgeon. It was with -great reluctance that he rode to the rear; but Sumner at that moment -was going up with his superb corps, the Second, which had never quailed -before the enemy. - -Williams formed his line, his own division on the right, and Green's on -the left. - -Patrick and Gibbons were moved down to the turnpike. The troops were -enthusiastic. They had driven the enemy, had captured battle-flags and -prisoners. - -Gordon and Crawford advanced over the mown field, across the turnpike, -into the woods, and poured in their fire. Jackson replied. The woods -were all aflame. From every tree, and knoll, and ledge, and hillock, -there were volleys of musketry, and flashes of artillery. - -It was a terrible fire. Gordon and Crawford were close upon the Rebel -lines, behind the ledges and the breastwork which they had thrown up. -They almost broke through. A little more power, the support of another -brigade, the pushing in of another division at this moment, and Jackson -would have been forced from his stronghold; and if driven from that -position he must fight in the smooth fields beyond, or be folded back -upon the center and right, with the door half opened for Hooker to -march upon Shepardstown and cut off the retreat. - -It is nearly nine o'clock when Gordon and Crawford stand within three -hundred feet of the Rebel line, in the woods northwest of the church. -They face west. They fight Grigsby, Stafford, and Stuart of Jackson's -corps. - -It is a critical moment with Jackson. The Yankees must be repulsed or -all is lost. Early's and Hood's divisions are behind the church. - -Early moves north, sweeping past the church. He strikes Crawford's -flank and rear, and forces him back. Green hastens up to sustain -Crawford, and is also driven across the turnpike into the field nearly -to the strip of woods west of it. - - -SUMNER'S ATTACK. - -Sedgwick's division of Sumner's corps has been coming into line in -Miller's cornfield. If it had been earlier on the ground it would -have been of infinite value. It is a noble division, led by an able -commander. - -General Sumner himself is there, gray-haired, sober, vigilant, -watchful. He examines the ground and the positions of the enemy. - -Sedgwick forms his division in three lines. Dana in front, Gorman -in the second, and Howard in the third line. They pass in front of -Mansfield's troops towards the church. - -Jackson has been hurrying up reinforcements. The troops which have been -on the march from Harper's Ferry are brought in. - -"By this time," says Jackson, "the expected reinforcements, consisting -of Semmes's, and Anderson's, and a part of Barksdale's, of McLaw's -division, arrived, and the whole, including Grigsby's command, now -united, charged upon the enemy, checking his advance, then driving him -back with great slaughter."[64] - - [Footnote 64: Jackson's Report, Southern History, Vol. II. p. 133.] - -Jackson's line unites with D. H. Hill's in the field between the church -and Muma's house. Muma's is east of the church. Sedgwick is northeast -of it. As Sedgwick approaches the church, Jackson swings up his right -wing from the field by Muma's. Sedgwick's second and third lines are -close upon the first. The solid shot which the Rebel batteries fire -cut through all the lines. The bullets which miss the men in Dana's -brigade take effect in Gorman's, and those which pass Gorman strike -down Howard's men. - -Dana's brigade was close upon the enemy. The hot blasts from the -Rebel artillery, and the sheets of flame from the infantry, scorched -and withered the line. The volleys given in return were exceedingly -destructive. But Gorman's and Howard's men stood with ordered arms, -chafing under the terrible fire, without being able to give a reply. -They were so close upon Dana that they could do nothing. Fifteen -minutes has passed. Dana's brigade is lost from sight. By stooping, and -laying my eyes near the ground, I can see the dusky forms of the men -through the drifting cloud. They are holding their position. - -But the troops which Jackson has been swinging up on his right, which -have been hidden from Sedgwick and Sumner, suddenly appear. They seem -to rise from the ground as they come over the ridge of land in the -field between the church and Muma's house. They move northeast to gain -Sedgwick's rear. - -"Change front!" is the quick, imperative order from Sumner to Howard. -The third line under Howard has been facing southwest. The regiments -break rank, move out in files, and form once more, facing southeast. - -There is confusion. Some men think it an order to retreat, and move -towards Miller's cornfield. The Rebel line advances in beautiful order. -Howard is beset by three times his number of men. Gorman is attacked on -his left. The Rebels pour a volley into the backs of his men. The whole -force is outflanked. - -A retreat is ordered, and the regiments fall back through Miller's -cornfield to the woods. - -The Rebels are strong and exultant. They cheer and scream and swing -their caps. They think that they have won a victory. They press on to -regain the woods from which they were driven in the morning. - -"Form behind the batteries," shouts Sumner, riding along the lines. The -troops are not panic-stricken. They are cool and deliberate. - -Tompkins, Kirby, Bartlett, and Owen are ready with their howitzers. -"Give them canister!" is the order. - -The batteries are posted along the ridge, in the cornfield. The limbers -and caissons are a few rods down the slope. The horses nibble the corn, -they prick up their ears a little when a shot screams past, but are so -accustomed to the firing that they do not mind it much. - -Gorman, Dana, and lastly Howard, who has stood like a protecting wall, -gain the rear of the batteries, and the field is open for them. - -The Rebels advance. The batteries open. The discharges are rapid. No -troops can live under such a fire. In five minutes it is decided that -they cannot force the Union troops from the cornfield, nor from the -woods east of it. They retreat once more to the church and to the -ravine by Muma's. - -Sedgwick has been engaged a half hour, but his loss has been great. - -The Fifteenth Massachusetts was in Gorman's brigade,--the regiment -which fought so nobly at Poolesville. - -Twenty-four officers and five hundred and eighty-two men marched -towards the church, but in twenty minutes three hundred and forty-three -were killed and wounded. Other regiments suffered as much. - -Jackson's loss was as severe as Sedgwick's. - -General Hood, in his official report, says: "Here I witnessed the most -terrible clash of arms by far that has occurred during the war."[65] - - [Footnote 65: Campaign from Texas to Maryland, p. 89.] - -"A little world of artillery was turned loose upon us," says the -chaplain of the Fourth Texas.[66] - - [Footnote 66: Ibid, p. 90.] - - [Illustration: SEDGWICK'S ATTACK. - - The diagram gives the position of the troops on this part of the - field at the time of Sedgwick's attack. - - 1 Dana's Brigade. - 2 Gorman's Brigade. - 3 Howard's, after change of front. - 4 Green's and Williams's Divisions. - 5 Ricketts's Division. - 6 Meade's Division. - 7 Doubleday's Division. - 8 Position reached by Green and Williams. - 9 Union batteries in Miller's cornfield. - - J Jackson's head-quarters. - L Ledges with breastworks. - M Miller's. - P Poffenberger's. - T Toll House. - R Rebels attacking Sedgwick's flank. - - The road running north from the church in the Hagerstown - turnpike. That running northeast from the church leads to - Hoffman's farm. The narrow way in the woods where Jackson - established his head-quarters, is a farm-road.] - -In Dana's line is the Nineteenth Massachusetts. It fought at Fair Oaks, -Savage Station, White-Oak Swamp, Glendale, and Malvern. Its ranks have -been sadly thinned. A great many brave men have fallen, but those who -survive emulate the deeds of their comrades. They remember one who fell -in front of Richmond,--a descendant of a glorious Revolutionary sire, -the patriot Putnam, relative of the young officer,--Lieutenant Putnam, -who fell mortally wounded at Ball's Bluff. He was born where the old -General played in his childhood, before he became a rifle-ranger -fighting the Indians in the dark forest bordering Lake Champlain. They -could not forget Robert Winthrop Putnam, the frail and feeble boy. He -was but sixteen years old when the flag was insulted at Sumter. His -whole soul was on fire. He resolved to enlist. The surgeons would not -accept him, he was so weak and slender. Again and again he tried to -become a soldier, but was as often rejected. - -The fire of patriotism burned within his breast. He slept in the room -which his great ancestor had occupied in his youth. He sat by the -window through the moonlit nights, and carved a wooden sword, thus -feeding the consuming flame. On one side he cut this motto:-- - - "NOT TO BE DRAWN WITHOUT JUSTICE; - NOT TO BE SHEATHED WITHOUT HONOR." - -Upon the other side, giving vent to his pent-up soul, were these -words:-- - - "DEATH TO TRAITORS!" - -He brooded upon his disappointment by day and dreamed of it at night. -He made one more effort. No questions were asked; he was accepted, and -became a soldier. He was intelligent, manly, courageous, and temperate. -His drink was cold water. Calmly and deliberately he bade farewell to -his aged parents and his young sister and brother, turned from the -dear scenes of home and childhood, hallowed by ever fragrant memories, -buckled on his knapsack, and took his place in the ranks. When mortally -wounded he refused to leave the field, but cheered his comrades in the -fight. In his last letter, written to his sister, dated on the eve of -battle, he wrote:-- - -"I left home to help defend a Constitution that was second to none in -the world, a flag which every nation on earth respected; and if I am to -die, I shall be happy to die in the service of my country." - -The boy-soldier was gone from the ranks, but his spirit was there, an -all-animating presence. - -When the battle began in the morning, I was at Hagerstown. It was ten -miles to the field, but though so far, the cannonade seemed very near. -It rolled along the valley and rumbled among the mountains. The people -left their breakfasts, and climbed the hills and steeples to behold -the battle-cloud. The women were pale, and stood with tearful eyes, -forgetting their household cares. - -A ride directly down the Sharpsburg pike would have taken me to the -rear of Lee's army. It would be a new and interesting experience to -witness the fight from that side. I started down the pike, my horse -upon the gallop. A mile out of town I met a farmer. - -"Where are you going?" he asked. - -"To see the battle." - -"You will run right into the Rebels if you keep on." - -"That is what I want to do. I want to see the battle from their side." - -"Let me advise you not to go. I was in their clutches yesterday. They -threatened to take me to Richmond. They stole my horse and my money, -and I am glad enough to get clear. Let me advise you again not to go. -You had better go down to Boonesboro', and see the battle from our -side." - -It was good advice, and I was soon upon the Boonesboro' road. - -I came across a Rebel soldier lying at the foot of an oak-tree. He was -weak with sickness, worn down by long marches, and had dropped from the -ranks. He belonged to Longstreet's corps. He was too weak to speak. His -breathing was short and quick and faint. His cheeks were hollow, his -eyes sunken. Two kind-hearted farmers came and took him into a house. - -"I am sorry I came up here to fight you," he whispered. He had lain -beneath the oak a day and a night, waiting death, expecting no help or -mercy from any one. The unexpected kindness filled his eyes with tears. - -Striking off from the turnpike I galloped across the fields, through -woods, over hills and hollows, reached the Antietam, crossed it by a -ford, and ascended the hill to Hoffman's farm. - -Sedgwick and Williams were fighting to hold their ground. It was -a terrific fire. There were heavy surges, like breakers upon the -sea-beaches, like angry thunder in the clouds,--ripples, rolls, waves, -crashes! It was not like the voice of many waters, for that is deep, -solemn, sweet, peaceful; the symbol of the song of the redeemed ones, -which will ascend forever before the throne of God, when all war shall -have ceased. - -It was a fearful contest in front of Sumner. Miller's cornfield was all -aflame. The woods by the church smoked like a furnace. Hooker's cannon -were silent, cooling their brazen lips after the morning's fever; but -the men stood beside the guns, looking eagerly into the forest beyond -the turnpike, watching for the first sign of advance from the Rebels. - -All the houses and barns near Hoffman's were taken for hospitals. -There were thousands of wounded. Long lines of ambulances were coming -down from the field. The surgeons were at work. It was not a pleasant -sight to see so many torn, mangled arms, legs, heads; men with their -eyes shot out, their arms off at the shoulders, their legs broken and -crushed by cannon shot. But they were patient, cheerful, and hopeful. -The nurses and attendants made them comfortable beds of straw upon the -ground. The agents of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions gave them -coffee and crackers. Many a noble hero said, "I thank you! God bless -you!" - -In the hollow between Poffenberger's and Hoffman's were the -Pennsylvania Reserves, what was left of them. Once they were fifteen -thousand; now, a remnant. They were sad, but not disheartened. "We have -had a terrible fight," said one. "Yes, and we thrashed the Rebels. Joe -Hooker knows how to do it," another said. "We are badly cut up, though. -We can't lose many more, because there ar'n't many more to lose," said -the first. - -"I am sorry Hooker is wounded. We had licked the Rebels fairly when he -left the field. I guess they won't put us in again to-day; we have -done our share; but if they do, we are ready," said the others. - -The shells and solid shot from the Rebel batteries in the woods north -of the church were dropping around us. - -"See there! see it tear the ground!" one shouted, and pointed towards -the spot where a solid shot was throwing up the earth. "The man who -owns that land is getting his plowing done for nothing," said another. - -"Ha! ha! ha!" - -Another shot struck near a soldier, and covered him with earth. "Fire -away! you can't do that again, I'll bet," he said, as he brushed the -dirt from his clothes. - -"Stand by the guns!" was the quick, imperative order. The men sprang to -their feet. Those who were at the spring, in the hollow of the field, -filling their canteens, came to the lines upon the run. - -"What's up?" asked an officer. "The Rebels are massing in front, and it -looks as though they were going to attack." - -"Gibbons's brigade is across the turnpike; he will hold them, I -reckon," said another officer. - -I rode up on the hill in rear of Poffenberger's. Captain Gibbons was in -front of his battery, looking across the turnpike into the woods. - -"It is a little risky for you to be on horseback. Do you see that fence -over there?" - -"Yes." - -"Well, the Rebel skirmishers are there, and we are in easy range. If -you want to get a sight of them, you had better dismount, tie your -horse, and creep down under the shelter of this fence." - -The cannon balls were thick upon the ground, and there were pools of -blood where the artillery horses had fallen. - -"This was a warm place an hour ago, and may be again; for I see that -the Rebels are up to something over there." - -I look as he directs, and see a column of troops moving through the -woods. They are in sight but a moment. I walk along the line, past -Gibbons's, Cooper's, Easton's, Durrell's, Muma's, and Gerrish's -batteries, to Poffenberger's barn. Gerrish's battery is very near -the building. The gunners are tired with their morning's work, and -are sound asleep under the wheat-stacks, undisturbed by the roar a -half-mile distant, where Sedgwick is at it, or by the shot and shells -which scream past them. - -Dead and wounded men are lying in Poffenberger's door-yard. The ground -is stained with blood. Two noble white horses are there, one with his -head smashed, the other with his neck torn,--both killed by the same -shot. There are dead men in the turnpike. Gibbons's brigade is behind -the stone wall. The toll-house is riddled with bullets. There are -flattened pieces of lead among the stones. The trees are scarred. There -are fragments of shells. The ground is strown with knapsacks, guns, -belts, canteens, and articles dropped in the fight. - -"I guess you are about near enough. This is the front line," says a -soldier. - -I think so, too, for the bullets are singing over our heads and past -us. I go up through the woods, south of Poffenberger's, to Miller's -cornfield. The contest has lost some of its fury. The Rebels have been -repulsed, and both sides are taking breath. - -Mansfield's corps is in the woods, east of Miller's. Sedgwick's -division is in the cornfield, behind the batteries of Cothran, -Woodruff, Mathews, and Thompson. The batteries are pouring a constant -stream of shells into the woods beyond the church. - -The Union loss has been very heavy,--Hooker, Sedgwick, Dana, Hartsuff, -wounded, and Mansfield killed. Meade commands Hooker's corps, and -Howard, with his one arm, commands Sedgwick's division. He lost his -right arm at Fair Oaks, but he is in the saddle again. The Rebel dead -are thick around the church, and in the field in front of it, and along -the turnpike, mingled with those who had fallen from the Union ranks. -Five times the tide of battle has swept over the ground during the -morning. The officers point out the exact spot where they stood. They -tell what happened. - -"We stood out there, in the center of the field," says an officer of -the Tenth Maine. "We came up just as Ricketts was giving way. The -Rebels were outflanking him, and his troops were streaming through -the cornfield. The Rebels were pushing north towards Miller's. Our -line of march was towards the west, which brought us partly in rear -of their line. Those dead men which you see out there belonged to the -Twentieth Georgia. They were on the right of the Rebel line. We gave -them a volley right into their backs. They didn't know what to make of -it at first. They looked round, saw that we were in their rear, then -they cut for the woods. It forced back the whole Rebel line. Just then -Corporal Viele, of company K, of our regiment, and a corporal of the -Second Massachusetts, dashed after them, and captured the Colonel of -the Twentieth Georgia, and a lieutenant." - -"And Lieutenant-Colonel Dwight, of the Second Massachusetts, captured a -battle-flag," says a soldier of that regiment, his eyes sparkling with -enthusiasm. "He brought it in under a shower of bullets, waving it over -his head. He got clear back to the lines, and then was wounded, they -say mortally." - - -THE CENTER. - -There was a lull in the battle after the terrible fight around the -church. - -General French's division, of Sumner's corps, followed Sedgwick across -the Antietam. The division, after crossing the stream, turned to the -left, marching through the fields towards the house of Mr. Muma. -Richardson, as soon as he crossed the bridge, filed to the left, moved -along the bank of the river, crossed a little brook which springs from -the hillside near Rulet's, encountered Hill's skirmishers, drove them -up the ravine, and formed his line under cover of a hill. - -French is in the ravine. Half of his division is north of the brook, -the other half south. He has Weber's, Kimball's, and Morris's brigades. -He forms his brigades, as Sedgwick did his, in three lines,--Weber in -front, Morris in the second, and Kimball in the third line. - -Morris's men have never been under fire. They are new troops. They -have heard the roar of battle through the morning, and now, as they -advance across the fields, the Rebel batteries on the hills all around -Rulet's house open upon them, gun after gun, battery after battery. The -hillside grows white. A silver cloud floats down the ravine. They are -so near that it infolds them. There are flashes, jets of smoke, iron -bolts in the air above, also tearing up the ground or cutting through -the ranks; they feel the breath of the shot, the puff of air in their -faces, and hear the terrifying shriek. A comrade leaps into the air, -spins round, or falls like a log to the ground. They behold a torn and -mangled body. They saw not the shot which wounded him. It is a terrible -experience, yet they bear the trial firmly. They drop upon the ground -while the lines are forming, and the shells do them little damage. - -Hill has his front line in the ravine by Muma's. The Rebel soldiers -have an excellent opportunity to fill their canteens from the cool -water bubbling up from his spring-house. The sharpshooters are in -Muma's chambers, firing from the windows at French's troops as they -advance over the field east of the house. There is a graveyard east of -the house, and the skirmishers lie behind the graves, their muskets -resting upon the white headstones. - -French's division joins Sedgwick's; it faces southwest, while -Richardson's faces west. French arrives while Sedgwick is having the -great struggle in front of the church. Kirby's, Bartlett's, and Owen's -batteries of Sedgwick's division are on the hillside east of Miller's -field, raking the Rebel lines. - - [Illustration: FRENCH'S AND RICHARDSON'S ATTACK. - - The diagram shows the positions occupied by French and Richardson, - also by Franklin's and Porter's corps. - - 1 French's Division in brigades. - 2 Richardson's " " " - 3 Richardson's batteries, with Sykes, of Porter's corps, in support. - 4 Taft's and Weber's heavy batteries, and Porter's corps. - 5 Slocum's and Smith's Divisions, Franklin's corps. - 6 Sedgwick's. - - B Boonesboro' Bridge. - H D. H. Hill. - Hd Hood in reserve. - L Longstreet. - M Muma's house, and burial-ground. - P Dr. Piper's. - R Rulet's. - - Smith relieved French in the afternoon. - - The roads are narrow carriage-ways leading to the farm-houses.] - -The Rebels occupying Muma's house and barn annoy Sumner's artillerymen, -who in turn aim their guns at the buildings. A shell bursts in the -barn and sets it on fire. A black cloud rises. The flames burst forth. -The Rebels, finding the place too hot for them, apply the torch to the -house, and retreat to Rulet's orchard. The dark pillar of cloud, the -bright flames beneath, the constant flashing of the artillery, and the -hillsides alive with thousands of troops, their banners waving, their -bayonets gleaming, is a scene of terrible grandeur. - -Weber's brigade advances steadily, throwing down the fences, scaling -the stone-walls, preserving a regular line. Not so with Morris's, which -is thrown into confusion. The time has come to strike a great blow. - -"Tell General Kimball to move to the front, and come in on the left of -Weber," was French's order to General Kimball. - -The brigade swings towards the south, past Morris's brigade, enters the -ravine, and pushes on towards Rulet's. - -It is a magnificent movement. Richardson at the moment is crowning the -hill south of the brook, while Tidball's battery is throwing shells up -the ravine into the orchard beyond Rulet's. - -The hills are covered with troops. Far up the hillside in Rulet's, -Muma's, and Dr. Piper's cornfields are Longstreet's and D. H. Hill's -troops. On the hills south of Sharpsburg is A. P. Hill, just arriving -from Harper's Ferry. The Rebel infantry is behind the stone walls and -rail fences. All of the hills are smoking with artillery. Jackson's -batteries by the church are still thundering at Howard, who, now that -Sedgwick has been carried from the field, commands that division of -Sumner's corps. Burnside's batteries by the bridge are all in operation. - -Mr. Rulet and Mr. Muma live about half a mile from the Hagerstown -pike. A narrow path leads along the hillside to the pike. Just beyond -Mr. Muma's, the road is sunk below the surface of the ground. It has -been used many years, and has been washed by rains, forming a natural -rifle-pit, in which D. H. Hill posts his first line. Between this -pathway and the pike is a cornfield, in which he stations his second -line. His artillery is planted on the knoll, higher up, near the -turnpike. - -It is but a few rods from Muma's to the road. "Bloody Lane," the -inhabitants call it now. The distance from Rulet's is less. There is an -apple-orchard west of Rulet's house. Beyond that the ground rises sharp -and steep. It is a rounded knoll, sloping towards the west into the -sunken path. - -The line of advance taken by Weber carries him directly towards the -smoking ruins of Muma's buildings, while Kimball passes between Muma's -and Rulet's. - -It is a gallant advance which they make. Weber's troops move over the -mown field, past the burial-ground, leaping the fences. Some of the men -pause a moment, rest their rifles on the rails and the tombstones, and -take a long shot at the dark line in the cornfield. They cannot see the -nearer line of Hill's division, lying close in the hidden road. - -Kimball, a little farther south, joining his right to Weber's left, -sweeps on in splendid order past Muma's spring-house, his left wing -touching the apple-trees around Rulet's. The Rebel cannon on the hills -are sending down a steady stream of shells. The Union batteries east of -the Antietam--the twenty-pounder Parrotts--are throwing rifled shot -in reply. Richardson's batteries on the hillock beyond the ravine are -firing from the southeast, while Kirby, Owen, Thompson, and Bartlett, -are raining all kinds of shot from the north. It is a tumultuous roar. -Under cover of this tremendous fire, French moves up the hill. His men -reach the crest, and stand within ten rods of the sunken road. There is -a rail fence between them and the road. Suddenly, thousands of men seem -to grow out of the ground. The long line rises. The Rebels thrust the -muzzles of their muskets between the rails. The work of death begins. -French's men, instead of fleeing from this unexpected foe, intrenched -in so strong a position, rush with a loud hurrah towards the fence. -Hundreds fall while running, but those who survive pour their fire -into the road. The combatants are not ten paces apart. Hill's line in -the road is consumed like a straw in a candle's flame. It melts like -lead in a crucible. Officers and men go down, falling in heaps. The -few who are left after the tremendous volleys flee into the cornfield, -towards the turnpike. French's men are wild with the enthusiasm which -comes with success. They tear away the rails, leap over the fence, -plunge into the road, trampling down the dying and dead, over the -second fence, into the cornfield, and rush upon the second line with -uncontrollable fury, scattering it, breaking it, like a bundle of -brittle fagots. It is a terrible struggle. There are hand to hand -fights in the corn-rows; Union and Rebel fall together, literally in -heaps, like sticks of wood tossed together by choppers! - - "See the smoke how the lightning is cleaving asunder, - Hark! the guns, peal and peal, how they boom in the thunder! - From host to host with kindling sound, - The shouting circle signals round; - Ay, shout it forth to life or death,-- - Freer already breathes the breath! - The war is waging, slaughter raging, - And heavy through the reeking pall - The iron death-dice fall! - Nearer they close--foes upon foes; - 'Ready!' from square to square it goes. - - "They kneel as one man from flank to flank, - And the sharp fire comes from the foremost rank. - Many a soldier to earth is sent, - Many a gap by the ball is rent; - O'er the corpse before springs the hinder man, - That the line may not fail to the fearless van. - To the right, to the left, and around and around, - Death whirls in its dance on the bloody ground. - God's sunlight is quenched in the fiery fight, - Over the host falls a brooding night! - _Brothers, God grant, when this life is o'er, - In the life to come that we meet once more!_" - - -RICHARDSON'S ATTACK. - -While French was thus dealing with General D. H. Hill, Richardson was -engaging Longstreet. Richardson crossed the Antietam about ten o'clock. -He marched down the western bank, across the farm of Mr. Newkirch, -crossing the little stream coming down from Rulet's. - -He moved to gain the high knolls between Rulet's and the Boonesboro' -road. Having crossed the brook, he faced west, drove in the Rebel -pickets, and ascended the nearest knoll. - -All of Longstreet's batteries opened upon him, but his men moved round -the hillock, through the hollows, and marched well up to the Rebel -lines with little loss. General Meagher, with his Irish brigade, was -on the right, the tip of its wing touching Rulet's garden. Caldwell's -brigade was on the left, reaching down nearly to the Boonesboro' -turnpike. Brooks's brigade was in reserve. - -Longstreet's batteries were on the hills around Dr. Piper's, and his -troops a part of them in the pathway, the upper end of which was held -by D. H. Hill. His line was so formed, and such was the ground, that -Caldwell, instead of swinging round upon Sharpsburg, was obliged to -fall in rear of Meagher, and become a second line, instead of a part of -the first. - -It was eleven o'clock when Richardson moved forward. French was -pouring in his volleys north of Rulet's, and now Meagher, climbing -the knolls, and rushing up the ravines, came upon the Rebels in the -road. It was a repetition, or rather a continuation, of the terrible -scene then enacting a few rods further north,--hundreds falling at -every discharge. The courage of the Irish brigade did not flag for an -instant. They fought till their ammunition was exhausted. They drove -the Rebels from the road and held it. Again and again Longstreet -endeavored to recover it, but could not succeed. - -General Richardson was wounded and carried from the field. General -Meagher was bruised by the falling of his horse. His men worn, -exhausted, half their number killed and wounded, were withdrawn. He -retired by breaking ranks and filing to the rear, Caldwell's troops -filing to the front at the same moment and taking their places. It was -done as deliberately as a dress parade. - -The ground towards the Boonesboro' pike is very much broken. There are -numerous hillocks and ravines, cornfields, stone walls, and fences. -Under shelter of these, Longstreet stealthily moved a division to -attack Caldwell's right flank in the cornfield west of the sunken road. -It was a part of the force attacking French. Brooks's brigade went upon -the run up the ravine, and filled the gap between Caldwell and Kimball, -and held it against all the assaults of the enemy. - -On Caldwell's left, the sunken road winds among the hills. The Rebels -still held that section. Colonel Barlow reconnoitered the ground. He -commanded the Sixty-first and Sixty-fourth New York regiments. He -ordered them to march by the left flank. They pushed out into the -fields towards Sharpsburg, gained the rear of the Rebels still holding -the road, and forced three hundred to surrender. He also captured their -stand of colors. - -There is once more a lull in the battle. Longstreet is making -preparations to regain his lost ground. Having failed on French's -right, by Rulet's, he renews the attack on the left. But Colonel Cross -of the Fifth New Hampshire, who has watched with eagle eye the Indians -of the western plains, who has tracked the grizzly bears of the Rocky -Mountains, who is brave as well as vigilant, discovers the movement. -It is the same which has been successful against Sedgwick. The left -of Caldwell is far advanced towards Dr. Piper's, when Colonel Cross -discovers the Rebel force making a rapid movement to gain a hill in his -rear. He changes front, and moves his regiment to gain the hill. The -two lines are within close musket range. They make a parallel movement, -firing as they run. It is an exciting race. Colonel Cross cheers his -men, and inspires them with his own untamable enthusiasm. He gains -the hill, faces his troops towards the enemy, and delivers a volley. -It checks their advance a moment, but, rallied by the officers, they -rush on, charging up the hill. Cross, reinforced by the Eighty-first -Pennsylvania, which has followed him, gives the word. - -"At them, boys!" He leads the counter charge. His troops rush down the -hill. The Rebels do not wait their coming, but break in confusion. -Another stand of colors, those of the Fourth North Carolina, and more -prisoners, are the trophies. - -Again Longstreet tries to drive back the center, and regain the road; -and again Barlow repulses him, charging up through the cornfield, -almost up to the Hagerstown turnpike, and gaining Dr. Piper's house. -Vincent's and Graham's batteries gallop to the hills south of Rulet's, -wheel into position, and reply to the batteries on the hills along -the turnpike, north of Piper's. But the Rebel batteries by the church -enfilade the ground west of the sunken road. Hancock, who now commands -Richardson's division, can hold his ground, but he cannot advance. -Thus by one o'clock, Lee has been pushed from his advanced lines on -the right and on the center. He still holds the rocky ledges in -the woods behind the church; he maintains his position along the -turnpike, and holds the lower bridge, where Burnside is endeavoring -to force a crossing. All the while, there is a continuous cannonade -by Poffenberger's, by Miller's, and in front of the church. There -are occasional volleys of musketry, and a rattling fire from the -skirmishers. - - -GENERAL FRANKLIN'S ARRIVAL. - -It was past noon when General Franklin's corps arrived upon the -field. The troops had marched all the morning from Crampton's Pass. -General Smith's division was in advance, followed by Slocum's. The -corps crossed the Antietam, following the line over which Sedgwick had -marched. - -The Rebels were, at that hour, moving down from Sharpsburg to turn -Caldwell's left flank. Hancock had just taken command of the division. -He sent to Franklin for help. He was short of artillery. Franklin sent -him Hexamer's battery, and two regiments. One of them was the Seventh -Maine, commanded by Major Hyde. They were of Hancock's own brigade. -He had tried them at Williamsburg, at White-Oak Swamp, and Malvern. -General Hancock assigned them a perilous duty. "The Rebel skirmishers -behind the hill are picking off our gunners. I want them driven from -that position," he said. The regiment started towards the hill. The -Rebels saw the movement and commenced a rapid fire. Major Hyde halted, -gave a volley and marched on, the men loading their muskets as they -advanced. - -It was a brave movement. Unsupported by other troops, the small body, -numbering only one hundred and sixty-five men, and fifteen officers, -struck out boldly towards the enemy. The batteries on the hills beyond -Dr. Piper's played on them. The guns on the hill towards the church -sent down their shells. The cannon on the knolls north of Sharpsburg -sent solid shot across the ravine, diagonally through the line. The -infantry in front of them gave rapid volleys. Shells from the Union -batteries north of Muma's, mistaking them for Rebels, fired upon them. -Yet not a man faltered.[67] - - [Footnote 67: Major Hyde's Report.] - -Once more beneath the terrible storm from foe and friend, Major Hyde -halts his men, delivers a volley, and then with a cheer dashes upon the -Rebel skirmishers, who are behind a wall, driving them back to the main -line. Then marching by the left flank, seeking the shelter of a hill, -he keeps up a steady fire. Officers and men fight with great bravery. -Among the officers is Lieutenant Brown. He left the classic halls of -Bowdoin College when his country called for the services of patriots. -His captain falls. The company show signs of faltering. He springs to -the front. He is their commander now. - -"_Rally, boys! Rally!_" he shouts. But while the words are on his lips, -he falls, shot through the brain.[68] - - [Footnote 68: Maine Adjutant General's Report, 1862.] - -The Rebels came down in great force, and Major Hyde is obliged to fall -back. Hexamer has used up his ammunition. He has been of great service. -Woodruff takes his place. Pleasanton, commanding the artillery, brings -sixteen guns to bear upon the advancing troops. The fire is so steady -and effective that the Rebel line retires without making an attack. - -While this is taking place on the left, or south of Rulet's, the -contest is still raging by Muma's. Hill is making desperate efforts to -recover his lost ground in the cornfield and the sunken road. - -French has been compelled to fall back into the shelter of the ravine -by Muma's. His men are out of ammunition, and unless reinforced must -yield. - -It is at this moment that Franklin's two divisions move over the field -northeast of Muma's. The men are weary with their long marching. They -have heard the battle echoing along Pleasant Valley all the morning, -and have hastened on to aid their comrades. They cross the fields -with their standards waving. Irwin's brigade is in advance. It pushes -through the corner of the woods, east of Miller's cornfield, passes -Thomas's battery, and reaches the open field north of Muma's. Hill has -a brigade lying upon the ground, behind a ledge. Irwin charges them. -There is a short contest at the ledge. The Rebels yield and retreat -across the turnpike, followed by Irwin. - -The ground slopes gently from the church to the east. Jackson's -batteries are where they have been all the morning, in the woods behind -the church. They have full sweep of the field. They open upon Irwin, -whose right flank is near the church, on the ground which Howard -occupied in the forenoon. It is an enfilading fire. It is impossible -for Irwin to advance. He cannot remain. He retires a short distance, -and his men drop upon the ground, sheltered by the ridge from the -enemy's batteries, holding their position through the remainder of the -day. - -The Vermont brigade relieves General French. The Rebels have come down -into the cornfield west of Muma's, from which they have been driven, -and are rifling the pockets of the dead and wounded. General Smith -gives the word. The Vermont brigade charges over the ground once more, -driving the Rebels to the hills along the turnpike. - -Slocum's division relieves Sedgwick's in the woods east of Miller's. -General Franklin, as soon as he comes into position, orders an -assault. Slocum forms his men to make the advance across the field -where Mansfield and Sedgwick have fought. General Sumner is Franklin's -superior officer, and he does not think it advisable to attack. He -is not always free from despondent moods. His own corps has suffered -severely. Sedgwick has been driven. French and Richardson are -exhausted. There is a consultation among the officers commanding the -corps and divisions and brigades, in the woods, in rear of Slocum's -line. Sumner, Franklin, Smith, Slocum, Newton are there; also General -Hunt, commanding the artillery. - -Franklin wishes to attack with all his force. Smith, Slocum, and Newton -second his wishes. Sumner alone is opposed. "My plan is," said General -Franklin, "to bring up fifty pieces of the reserve artillery, plant -them here, rain shells upon the enemy for a half hour, and then charge -with my two divisions, and break their line." - -Gen. McClellan visits the field, and directs the commanders to hold -their positions, but to make no attack.[69] - - [Footnote 69: McClellan's Report, p. 208.] - -Some of the subordinate commanders retire gloomily to their commands. -They disagree in opinion with their commander. They believe that the -hour has come when the decisive blow can be given. As good soldiers, -it is their duty to obey; but they sit down by the fence in the edge -of the woods, dissatisfied with the decision of General McClellan. The -reserve artillery is in the field northeast, a few rods distant,--a -hundred guns. They believe that the time has come to use it. They -do not like the plan of fighting in detachments--Hooker in the -morning--then Mansfield--then Sedgwick's division--then French, and -Richardson, and Burnside--who is separated from the main army, and has -a hard task assigned him. - -During the afternoon, the Rebels made a demonstration on the right by -Poffenberger's. It was done to cover up their real intentions. I was -talking with General Howard when an officer dashed up. - -"The Rebels are advancing to attack us," said he. - -"Let them have the heaviest fire possible from the batteries," was the -reply. - -As I rode towards the batteries on the ridge by Poffenberger's, thirty -guns opened their brazen lips, each piece speaking three times a -minute. The dark gray masses, dimly discerned through the woods and -among the tasseled corn, wavered, staggered, reeled, swayed to and fro, -advanced a few steps, then disappeared. - - -GENERAL BURNSIDE'S ATTACK. - -General Burnside's task was the hardest of all. The banks of the river -by the lower bridge are steep and high, and the land on both sides is -broken. The road leading to the bridge winds down a narrow ravine. The -bridge is of stone, with three arches. It is twelve feet wide, and one -hundred and fifty feet long. - -The western bank is so steep that one can hardly climb it. -Oak-trees shade it. Half-way up the hill there is a limestone -quarry,--excavations affording shelter to sharpshooters. At the top -there is a stone wall, a hundred feet above the water of the winding -stream, and yet so near that a stone may be thrown by a strong-armed -man across the stream. - -A brigade of Rebels, with four pieces of artillery, guarded the -bridge. There were sharpshooters beneath the willows, and in the thick -underbrush along the bank of the stream. There were riflemen in the -excavations on the hillside and behind the trees. The four cannon -were behind the wall, with the great body of infantry in support. -The bridge, the hills and hollows on the eastern bank, are raked and -searched in every part by the infantry. - -South of Sharpsburg there are numerous batteries ready to throw solid -shot and shells over the heads of the brigade by the bridge. If -Burnside carries the bridge, there are the heights beyond, the ground -in front all open, swept and enfiladed by batteries arranged in a -semicircle, supported by A. P. Hill's and a portion of Longstreet's -troops. A. P. Hill was not on the ground in the morning, but arrived -while the battle was in progress on the right and center. - -General Burnside formed his troops on the farm of Mr. Rohrbach, with -Sturgis's division on the right, Wilcox in the center, Rodman on the -left, and Cox's division, commanded by Crook, in reserve. Benjamin's -battery of twenty-pounder Parrotts, Simmons's, McMullen's, Durrell's, -Clark's, Muhlenburgh's, and Cook's batteries were stationed on the -hills and knolls of Rohrbach's estate during the night of the 16th. The -troops lay on their arms, prepared to move whenever General McClellan -issued the order. - -At daybreak the Rebel batteries on the Sharpsburg hills began a rapid -fire. The shells fell among the troops. Here and there a man was struck -down, but they maintained their ground with great endurance. It was a -severe test to the new regiments, which never had been under fire. It -requires strong nerves to lie passive, hour after hour, exposed to a -cannonade. But the men soon learned to be indifferent to the screaming -of the something unseen in the air. They ate their hard tack, and -watched the distant flashes from the white cloud upon the Sharpsburg -hills. They talked of the guns, and learned to distinguish them by the -sound. - -"That is a rifle shot." - -"There comes a shell." - -"I wonder where that will strike." - -With such remarks they whiled away the moments. - -The Rebel brigade holding the bridge was commanded by General Toombs. -Before the arrival of A. P. Hill, the force of the enemy on this part -of the field was about six thousand. - -So vigorous was Burnside's attack, that nothing but the arrival of Hill -prevented an irretrievable defeat.[70] - - [Footnote 70: Charleston Courier's account of the battle.] - -Burnside received his orders at ten o'clock.[71] Hooker had been at it -all the morning. Standing by his head-quarters, Burnside could see the -dark lines moving to and fro on Miller's field. Mansfield was going up -the slope. Sumner was crossing the Antietam. The batteries all along -the line were thundering. - - [Footnote 71: Burnside's Testimony.] - -"You are to carry the bridge, gain the heights beyond, and advance -along their crest to Sharpsburg, and reach the rear of the enemy," was -the order from General McClellan to General Burnside. Easily ordered; -not so easily accomplished. Burnside has less than fourteen thousand -men to accomplish a task harder than that assigned to any other -commander. He must carry the bridge, gain the ridge, then move over an -open field to attack the heights beyond, which are steeper and more -easily defended than the ledges by the church, or the hills west of the -sunken road. It is by nature the strongest part of the line. - -Burnside's batteries opened with renewed vigor. Cox, commanding the -corps (Burnside commanding the left wing), detailed Colonel Kingsbury -with the Eleventh Connecticut to act as skirmishers, and drive the -Rebel sharpshooters from the head of the bridge. - -A short distance--a third of a mile--below the bridge there is a ford. -Rodman's division was ordered to cross at that point, while Crook and -Sturgis were ordered to carry the bridge. - -The Eleventh Connecticut advanced, winding among the hills, deploying -in the fields, firing from the fences, the trees, and stone walls. But -from the woods, the quarry, the wall upon the crest of the hill, the -road upon the western bank, they received a murderous fire. Crook's -column, which had been sheltered by a ridge, marched down the road. The -cannon upon the opposite bank threw shells with short fuses. The column -halted and opened fire. Sturgis's division passed in their rear, and -reached the bridge, under cover of the hot fire kept up by Crook. - -The Second Maryland and Sixth New Hampshire charged upon the bridge. -Instantly the hillside blazed anew with musketry. There were broad -sheets of flame from the wall upon the crest, where the cannon, -double-shotted, poured streams of canister upon the narrow passage. The -head of the column melted in an instant. Vain the effort. The troops -fell back under cover of the ridge sheltering the road leading to -Rohrbach's. - -General McClellan sent an aide to General Burnside with the message:-- - -"Assault the bridge and carry it at all hazards." - -It was nearly one o'clock before the dispositions were all made for -another attempt. Ferrero's brigade, consisting of the Fifty-first -New York, Fifty-first Pennsylvania, Thirty-fifth and Twenty-first -Massachusetts, was selected to make the decisive attack. - -In Napoleon's campaigns, the bridge of Lodi and the causeway at -Arcola, swept by artillery and infantry, were carried by the bravery -and daring and enthusiasm of his troops; but the task assigned to -Ferrero's brigade was not a whit easier than those historic efforts. -The Thirty-fifth Massachusetts had been in the service less than a -month. They were hardy mechanics and farmers; Napoleon's soldiers -were such by profession, who had endured the trials, hardships, and -discipline of successive campaigns; but these men, gathering in solid -column at noon behind the ridge, on this September day, had left their -plows and anvils and benches, not because they loved military life, -or the excitement of battle, or the routine of camp life, but because -they loved their country. The Twenty-first Massachusetts had been with -Burnside in North Carolina. Their commander, Colonel Clark, at home, -was a teacher of youth, accustomed to the lecture-room of Amherst; but -he had left his crucibles and retorts, and the shaded walks of the -college he loved, and the pleasant society of the beautiful town, to -serve his country. He was wounded at South Mountain, and Major King -commanded them now. - -The men from New York left their wheat-fields and mills, and the -men from Pennsylvania their coal-mines and foundries, to be citizen -soldiers. They have not learned the art of war. - -The troops upon the opposite bank were also citizen soldiers, serving -the so-called Confederacy with bravery and valor. They were sheltered -by woods, by excavations, by walls and fences, ravines and hills. They -had great advantage in position, and confidently expected to hold the -ground. Their commander could look down from his head-quarters on the -Sharpsburg hills, and behold their gallantry. - -To carry that bridge would be an achievement which would have forever a -place in the history of the nation. Men, when preparing to do a great -duty, where life and honor are at stake, sometimes, with clear vision, -look down the path of ages. The mind asks itself, How will those who -come after me look upon the work of to-day? The soul feels the weight -of the hour, the responsibility of the moment, the duty of the instant. -With the truly brave there can be no faltering then, in the face of -danger. They can die if need be, but they cannot turn from their duty. - -Once more the effort. Simmons plants two of his guns to sweep the -hillside across the stream. The brave and noble Colonel Kingsbury leads -out his regiment once more. The assaulting column prepare for the -decisive movement. They fix their bayonets firmly, throw aside their -knapsacks and all that encumbers them. - -All is ready. The signal is given. The Eleventh Connecticut spring to -their work. They dash down to the river, firing rapidly. Their Colonel -falls, mortally wounded, but his men fight on. Enraged now at their -loss, they fight to avenge him. The long, dark column is in motion. It -emerges from the shelter of the ridge. Again the hillside and the wall -above become a sheet of flame. Up to the bridge, upon it, dash the men -in blue, their eyes glaring, their muscles iron, their nerves steel. -The front rank goes down. Men pitch headlong from the parapet into the -water. Stones fly from the arches. Shells, shrapnel, canister, tear -the ranks asunder, but on, to the center of the bridge and across it, -with a yell louder than the battle, up the steep hillside, creeping, -climbing, holding their breath, summoning all the heroism of life, all -energy, into one effort, charging with the gleaming bayonet, they drive -the Rebels from the bushes, the trees, the quarries, the wall! - -The work is accomplished. The ground is theirs, won from General -Toombs, who, before the war began, boasted that the time would come -when he would call the roll of his slaves on Bunker Hill. - -The Rebels flee in confusion across the field to gain the heights -nearer the town. Ferrero's men lie down behind the wall and on the -hillside, under shelter at last. They bathe their fevered brows, and -satisfy their thirst in the stream, while the other divisions of the -corps move down from their positions of the morning. It was gloriously -done, and the place will be known, forever, in history, as the Burnside -Bridge. - -General Burnside was now separated from the main army. Longstreet held -the hills east of the town, and from his batteries there, could partly -enfilade Richardson on the one hand, and Burnside on the other. His -cannon swept the bridge on the Boonesboro' pike. None of McClellan's -troops had crossed there. It was nearly two miles from Richardson to -Burnside. General McClellan was fearful that Lee would cross the middle -bridge to the east side of the Antietam and cut off Burnside; therefore -General Porter's corps was held in reserve east of the river by the -heavy guns.[72] But Lee would have found it a difficult task, for -Porter's heavy guns commanded the approach to the bridge from the west. -If McClellan could not cross the bridge because Longstreet's guns swept -it, neither could Lee have crossed under the fire of Taft, Langner, Von -Kleizer, Weaver, Weed, and Benjamin. - - [Footnote 72: McClellan's Report, p. 207.] - -The Antietam, a half-mile below Burnside's bridge, makes a sudden -curve toward the west. It is crossed by one other bridge, at Antietam -Iron-works, and then joins the Potomac. By throwing General Burnside -across the Antietam, General McClellan designed not to turn the right -of Lee and gain possession of his only line of retreat to Shepardstown, -but to carry the heights, then pass along the crest towards the -right.[73] But this movement isolated General Burnside from the army. -He must hold the bridge or be cut off. He would be in a _cul de sac_, a -bag with only one place of escape, at the Antietam Iron-works. - - [Footnote 73: McClellan's Report, p. 201.] - -When General Lee saw the preparations of Burnside to advance, after -having carried the bridge, he weakened his left to strengthen his -right. Hood, who was lying in reserve behind Jackson, was sent down. -Longstreet moved some of his brigades. Jackson made a demonstration at -Poffenberger's, already noticed, to make McClellan fear an attack at -that point. - -General Lee intended to do more than merely hold his line against -Burnside.[74] By massing his troops at Sharpsburg, when Burnside was -far enough advanced, Lee intended to seize the bridge and cut off -Burnside's retreat. - - [Footnote 74: Statement of a Rebel officer after the battle,--a - prisoner.] - -Burnside's divisions crossed the stream at the bridge and at the ford, -and formed for an advance upon the heights near the town. Wilcox was on -the right, supported by Rodman in the center, Scammon's brigade on the -left, and Sturgis in rear of Rodman. - -While the troops were crossing and forming, Longstreet's and A. P. -Hill's batteries kept up a constant fire of shells. Clark's, Durrell's, -Cook's, and Simmons's batteries went across the bridge, gained the -crest of the hill beyond, came into position, and opened fire in reply. - -General Wilcox was on the road leading from the bridge to Sharpsburg, -which passes up a ravine. A brook which has its rise beyond the town, -gurgles by the roadside. Rebel batteries on the hills in front of the -town enfiladed the ravine, sweeping it from the town to the river. -There was no shelter for the troops while advancing. They must take the -storm in their faces. - -Neither was there any cover for Rodman, Sturgis, and Scammon. The -ground, from the stone wall on the top of the river bank to the hills -occupied by Hill and Longstreet, was all tillage land,--wheat-fields, -and pastures, and patches of corn. There were fences to throw down, -hills to climb, all to be done under fire from cannon arranged in -crescent form, pouring down a concentrated fire from the heights. - -The signal officer, upon Elk Ridge, five hundred feet above the -battle-field, beholds all the operations of the Rebel army. From his -lookout, with his telescope, he can sweep the entire field. His -assistant waves a flag, and an officer, with his eye at the telescope -by McClellan's head-quarters, reads a message of this import, -transmitted by the little flag. - -"The Rebels are weakening their left, and concentrating their troops -upon their right." - -The officer writes it in his message book, tears out the leaf, and -hands it to General McClellan. He thus knows Lee's movements, the -disposition of his forces, as well as if he himself had looked from the -mountain summit upon the moving column. - -He can make a counter movement, if he chooses, by weakening his own -right to help Burnside, or he can throw in Porter's corps of twelve -thousand strong, to help Burnside, by a dash upon the center, or leave -Burnside to struggle against the superior force in front of him, move -Porter upon the double quick to the right, unite him with Franklin, -order up fifty or eighty guns from his reserve artillery, gather the -brigades of Hooker's, Williams's, and Sumner's corps to hold the -line, while Franklin and Porter, twenty thousand strong, fall like a -thunderbolt upon Jackson, and break him in pieces. He can adopt one -other plan,--hold what has already been gained. He adopts the last, and -makes no movement. - -It was three o'clock before Burnside's troops were in position for the -advance. The entire line moved, Wilcox and Crook up the ravine and on -both sides of it, Rodman across the fields south of the highway, and -Scammon along the river bank. - -A. P. Hill, from his position, enfiladed Rodman, who was obliged to -change his line of march. He severed his right from Wilcox, and -wheeled towards the southwest. - -He was obliged to make this maneuver, to meet Hill face to face, but it -brought upon his line an enfilading fire from the cannon and infantry -nearer the town, and it opened a wide gap in the line, which Burnside -was obliged to fill by pushing in Sturgis,--his only reserve. - -The troops move quickly to the attack. Wilcox and Crook sweep all -before them. The Rebel batteries which have had possession of the hills -east of the town through the day are compelled to fall back from knoll -to knoll. - -There is a mill by the roadside, a half-mile east of the town. The -hills opposite the mill on the right hand are sharp and steep. It is -about half a mile across the fields to the Boonesboro' pike, where -Richardson's left has been struggling to gain a foothold. - -The Rebel batteries, which have been thundering all day from these -hillocks between the Boonesboro' road and the highway to Burnside's -bridge, have enfiladed Richardson. They have answered Taft, and Weber -and Porter's batteries upon the east bank of the river; they have -thrown solid shot almost to the head-quarters of General McClellan; but -now, under the resolute advance of Wilcox and Crook, they are forced to -withdraw. - -Rodman meanwhile is wheeling in the open field, under a fire from -front, right and left, pouring hot upon him like the concentrating rays -of a lens. - -Hill had his own division, consisting of Branch's, Gregg's, Field's, -Pender's and Archer's brigades, also Jenkins and Toombs. Hood was sent -down from the church, and held in reserve.[75] - - [Footnote 75: Campaign from Texas to Maryland, and Charleston - Courier.] - - [Illustration: BURNSIDE'S SECOND ATTACK. - - 1 Wilcox's Division. - 2 Sturgis's " - 3 Rodman's " - 4 Scammon's brigade. - 5 Union batteries on ground from which the Rebels had been driven. - 6 Batteries of heavy guns. - - H A. P. Hill. - L Part of Longstreet's command. - Hd Hood. - T Toombs's brigade. - S Sharpsburg. - M Mill. - R Rohrbach's house.] - -Rodman and Fairchild's and Harland's brigades; Scammon had his own and -Ewing's. They drove Hill's first line back upon the second. Fairchild -ordered a charge. His troops went across the field, through the waving -corn with a huzzah. They faced a destructive fire. One shell killed -eight men of the Ninth New York. The color-bearers were shot. The -guards fell. Captain Leboir seized one, Captain Lehay the other, and -led the regiment up the hill to the road leading south from Sharpsburg. -They found shelter under the wall, and halted. - -The other regiments of the brigade joined them. Harland found greater -opposition. His troops were cut down by a volley from a brigade of -Rebels lying in a cornfield. They fought a while, became confused, -crowded together, and were forced back. - -General McClellan, from his head-quarters, can see all that is going -on, for there is an unobstructed view of the field. He is with -Fitz-John Porter on the high hill east of the Antietam. - -An officer rides up swiftly. He is Burnside's aide. His horse pants. - -"I must have more troops and guns. If you do not send them I cannot -hold my position half an hour." - -That is the message. Fitz-John Porter has twelve thousand troops. They -have been spectators of the battle through the day. They have had -breakfast and dinner, and nearly two days of rest since their arrival -upon the ground. They might be a thunderbolt at this moment. Couch's -and Humphrey's divisions will be up during the night. - -But they are the only reserves present. Slocum has taken Sedgwick's -place. He has not been engaged, and his men stand with ordered arms. -Shall Porter be put in? McClellan consults Porter and Sykes, and then -replies:-- - -"Tell General Burnside that I will send him Miller's battery. I have -no infantry to spare. He must hold his ground till dark. Tell him if -he cannot hold his ground, he may fall back to the bridge; but he must -hold that, or all is lost." - -Porter's corps and Slocum's division of Franklin's, eighteen thousand -men in all, have taken no part in the battle. Smith is holding an -important position. He has made one gallant charge, but his troops -are ready to fight. There are twenty thousand men which can take the -offensive, and nearly a hundred guns of the artillery.[76] - - [Footnote 76: See McClellan's statement of the number of troops - present, p. 214, Report.] - -The right flank of the Rebels is all but turned. Wilcox is close upon -the town. Rodman has driven Hill, and is holding his ground. Such is -the condition of affairs as the sun goes down. - -It is useless for Burnside to struggle without supports. He fights till -the coming on of twilight, and then recalls his troops. - -The regiments of Fairchild's brigade, far up on the hillside, upon -ground won from the enemy by their valor, go back reluctantly. - -"The men," says Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball, of the Ninth New York, -"retired in good order, at a slow step, and with tears in their eyes, -at the necessity which compelled them to leave the field they had so -dearly won."[77] - - [Footnote 77: Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball's Report.] - -It was a necessity. Without reinforcements he could not hold his -ground, and Lee could cut him off if he remained so far from the bridge. - -The daylight is dying out. Through the hours from early morning the -roar of battle has been unceasing. Four hundred cannon have shaken -the earth, and nearly two hundred thousand men have struggled for -the mastery. At times the storm has lulled a little, like the wind -at night, then rising again to the fierceness of a tornado. In the -intervals of the cannonade, low moans come up from the hollows, like -the wail of the night-wind on a lonely shore. - -On the right, through the morning, the fiery surges ebbed and flowed, -and dashed to and fro, now against the ledges in the woods, and now -against the ridge by Poffenberger's. They have left crimson stains -upon the threshold of the church. The sunken road has drunk the blood -of thousands. The cornfields, changing from the green of Summer to the -russet of Autumn are sprinkled with magenta dyes. The battle is at this -hour indecisive, but the artillery of both armies put on new vigor as -the sun goes down, as if each was saying to the other, "We are not -beaten." - -Once more the firing is renewed. Standing on the high hill east of the -Antietam, occupied by Porter, I can see almost up to Poffenberger's. -The batteries upon the hill in rear of his house are thundering. I -can see the glimmer of the flashes, and the great white cloud rising -above the trees, by Miller's. And there in the cornfield, Porter's, -Williston's, and Walcott's batteries are pounding the ledges behind -the church, and sweeping the hillside. The woods which shade the -church where Jackson stands, are smoking like a furnace. Richardson's -batteries, in front of Lee, are throwing shells into the cornfield -beyond Rulet's. - -The twenty-pounder Parrotts on the hill by my side open once more their -iron lips. The hills all around Sharpsburg are flaming with Rebel guns. -The sharpshooters all along the line keep up a rattling fire. Near the -town, hay-stacks, barns, and houses are in flames. At my left hand, -Burnside's heavy guns, east of the river, are at work. His lighter -batteries are beyond the bridge. His men are along the hillside, a dark -line, dimly seen, covered by a bank of cloud, illuminating it with -constant flashes. All the country is flaming, smoking, and burning, as -if the last great day, the judgment day of the Lord, had come. - -Gradually the thunder dies away. The flashes are fewer. The musketry -ceases, and silence comes on, broken only by an occasional volley, and -single shots, like the last drops after a shower. - -Thirty thousand men, who in the morning were full of life, are bleeding -at this hour. The sky is bright with lurid flames of burning buildings, -and they need no torches who go out upon the bloody field to gather up -the wounded. Thousands of bivouac fires gleam along the hillsides, as -if a great city had lighted its lamps. Cannon rumble along the roads. -Supply wagons come up. Long trains of ambulances go by. Thousands of -slightly wounded work their way to the rear, dropping by the roadside, -or finding a bed of straw by wheat-stacks and in stables. There is the -clatter of hoofs,--the cavalry dashing by, and the tramp, tramp, tramp -of Couch's and Humphrey's divisions, marching to the field. - -There are low wails of men in distress, and sharp shrieks from those -who are under the surgeon's hands. - -While obtaining hay for my horse at a barn, I heard the soldiers -singing. They were wounded, but happy; for they had done their duty. -They had been supplied with rations,--hard tack and coffee,--and were -lying on their beds of straw. I listened to their song. It was about -the dear old flag. - - "Our flag is there! Our flag is there! - We'll hail it with three loud huzzahs! - Our flag is there! Our flag is there! - Behold the glorious stripes and stars! - Stout hearts have fought for that bright flag, - Strong hands sustained it mast-head high, - And oh! to see how proud it waves - Brings tears of joy to every eye. - - "That flag has stood the battle's roar, - With foeman stout and foeman brave; - Strong hands have sought that flag to lower, - And found a traitor's speedy grave. - That flag is known on every shore, - The standard of a gallant band, - Alike unstained in peace or war, - It floats o'er Freedom's happy land." - -Then there came thoughts of home, of loved ones, of past scenes, and -pleasant memories, and the songs become plaintive. They sung the old -song:-- - - "Do they miss me at home--do they miss me - At morning, at noon, or at night? - - And lingers a gloomy shade round them, - That only my presence can light? - Are joys less invitingly welcome, - And pleasures less bright than before, - Because one is missed from the circle,-- - Because I am with them no more?" - -There was sadness, but not discouragement. It was the welling up of -affection, the return of sweet recollections, which neither hardship, -suffering, privation, or long absence could efface. They loved home, -but they loved the old flag better. Missed at home? Ah! how sadly! - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -AFTER THE BATTLE. - - -The army commanded by General Lee in the battle, according to Pollard, -the Southern historian, numbered seventy thousand. General McClellan -states in his report that it was ninety-seven thousand. His estimate -was made up from information obtained from deserters, spies, and -prisoners:-- - - Jackson's corps, 24,778 - Longstreet's corps, 23,342 - D. H. Hill, 15,525 - Stuart, 6,400 - Ransom and Jenkins, 3,000 - Detached regiments, 18,400 - Artillery, 400 guns, 6,000 - ------ - 97,445 - -General McClellan's forces were:-- - - 1st corps, Hooker's, 14,856 - 2d " Sumner's, 18,813 - 5th " Porter's, 12,930 - 6th " Franklin's, 12,300 - 9th " Burnside's, 13,819 - 12th " Mansfield's, 10,126 - Cavalry, 4,320 - ------ - 87,164 - -Each division had its own artillery, which is enumerated in the above -statement. - -There were twelve thousand four hundred and sixty-nine killed, wounded, -and missing from McClellan's army in this battle. About two thousand of -them were killed, and nine thousand five hundred missing. - -The Rebel loss is supposed to have been about fifteen thousand. - -Thirteen guns, fifteen thousand small arms, six thousand prisoners, -and thirty-nine colors were taken from the Rebels at Antietam, South -Mountain, and Crampton's Pass. - -The army expected a renewal of the attack on the morning of the -18th. It was a beautiful day. Two divisions, Couch's and Humphrey's, -had arrived, which, with Porter's corps and Slocum's division of -Franklin's, were fresh. Smith had been engaged but a short time on -the 17th. There were nearly thirty-five thousand troops which could -be relied upon for a vigorous attack. The reserve artillery could -be brought in. There were several thousand Pennsylvania militia at -Hagerstown, not of much account for fighting, but which could be used -for train guards. - -"Whether to renew the attack on the 18th, or to defer it, even with the -risk of the enemy's retirement, was the question with me," says General -McClellan. - -He deliberated, and decided not to attack for the reasons, that, -if he lost the battle, Lee could march on Washington, Baltimore, -Philadelphia, and New York, without an enemy to oppose him, living on -the country; the troops were tired; and the supply trains were in the -rear. Sedgwick's division and Hooker's corps were somewhat demoralized -and scattered. Sumner thought Sedgwick's division could not be relied -upon to attack the enemy vigorously. Meade commanding Hooker's corps, -said his troops could resist better than make an attack. The efficiency -of the troops was good as far as it went. - -"The morale of some of the new troops under Burnside was impaired," -says General McClellan.[78] - - [Footnote 78: Report, p. 212.] - -"My command was in good condition, holding its position on the opposite -side of Antietam. One brigade had been severely handled, but I -considered it in fighting condition," says General Burnside.[79] - - [Footnote 79: Burnside's Testimony, p. 642.] - -General McClellan expected fourteen thousand more men, and taking all -things into consideration he decided not to renew the attack. - -General Lee's army had seen great hardship. The Rebels had marched -from Richmond. "One fifth of them were barefoot, one half of them in -rags, and the whole of them famished," writes Pollard the Southern -historian.[80] Lee was far from his supplies. He had no reinforcements -at hand. His troops were much exhausted. A. P. Hill had marched with -great rapidity from Harper's Ferry. Jackson's corps had suffered -as severely as Hooker's. D. H. Hill had lost more than Sedgwick. -Longstreet could hardly be a match for French, Richardson, and the -whole of Franklin's corps. Lee, if defeated, had a great river in his -rear which must be crossed at one ford, which would give McClellan -the shortest line to Richmond. Sigel was in front of Washington. -Heintzelman was at Alexandria. Keyes was at Yorktown. Could not -these forces cut off his retreat to Richmond? He was in a perilous -situation. He sent his wounded across the Potomac to Martinsburg -and Winchester,--also his wagons, and made preparations for a rapid -movement of his army into Virginia. - - [Footnote 80: Vol. II., p. 142.] - -Early in the morning I rode to the right, came upon the line by -Poffenberger's. Rations had been served; and the troops were in -position, expecting orders to move. - -Colonel Andrews, commanding Gordon's brigade in Mansfield's corps, was -riding along the line. "How are your men, Colonel?" - -"All right. They had a pretty hard time yesterday; but having had a -good breakfast, they feel well. We expect to advance in a few moments." - -I talked with the soldiers. "We gave them a good thrashing yesterday, -and mean to drive them into the Potomac to-day," said one. The -sharpshooters were lying in the field in front of the church. All were -ready. - -At noon, I rode once more along the lines. Some of the batteries -which had exhausted their ammunition in the battle had refilled their -caissons, and were waiting orders to take position. The gunners were -lying on the ground. - -"Do you think there will be a battle to-day?" I asked an officer. - -"O, yes. We shall be at it in a few minutes. We are all ready." - -One o'clock,--the wounded men were all removed. The flag of truce had -been taken down. - -Two o'clock,--and no order to begin the attack. Officers were -impatient. They wondered at the delay. I rode to Elk Ridge, and went -up the mountain's side. Beyond Sharpsburg there was a cloud of dust. -Baggage wagons were moving west. Lee's troops were in line, where they -had been in the morning, but there were some indications of a retreat. - -At sunset, I looked once more from the mountain. The evidences had -increased that Lee intended to cross the Potomac. - -The morning of the 19th dawned. Lee was gone! He took away all his -artillery, except one iron gun and some disabled caissons and wagons. - -Riding now over all the field, I found many Rebel dead in the woods by -the church. Among them were bodies clothed in the Union blue, lying -where they fell, close up to the Rebel line. - -There was one soldier whose pulse was forever still, whose eyes looked -straight toward the sky. The ground was stained with his blood, which -had flowed from a wound in his breast. Upon his countenance there was -a pleasant smile, and a brightness as if a ray of glory had fallen upon -him from heaven. His Bible was open upon his heart. I read:-- - -"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in -green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my -soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. -Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will -fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort -me." - -I could not discover his name. He was unknown to the living. He -belonged to a New York regiment, that was all I could learn. Doubtless -the Lord was with him when he passed through the valley. - -The slaughter had been terrible in the sunken road, where French and -Richardson had charged. Across the fences, twenty thousand muskets -had flashed. Williston's, Walcott's, Owen's, and Ayer's batteries had -made terrible havoc in the ranks of Hill. Some of the enemy had fallen -towards the advancing columns; some were lying across the fence behind -them, shot while endeavoring to escape; some were killed while loading -their guns; one while tearing the cartridge with his teeth. He had died -instantly, and the cartridge was in his hand. - -There was an officer still grasping his sword. He had fallen while -cheering his men, with all his muscles set, his nerves under tension, -the word of command on his lips. It was a fearful sight along that -road. It was as if a mighty mower had swept them down at a single -stroke. - -Sharpsburg was full of Rebel wounded. I conversed with an officer of -Walker's command. - -"I have been in all the battles before Richmond and at Manassas, but I -never experienced such a fire as you gave us yesterday," he said. - -"I noticed that you lost heavily at the sunken road." - -"Yes. It was a terrible slaughter. We couldn't keep our ranks closed, -and if your troops had pressed on they might have broken through our -line." - -"They came pretty near it as it was, did they not?" - -"Yes. We were all tired out. We got up from Harper's Ferry on the -morning of the battle. We had no supper Tuesday, marched all night, had -no breakfast, and went right into the fight as soon as we reached the -field. We have lived on green corn and apples half of the time since we -left Richmond. Half of our men are barefoot. We were in no condition to -fight. We wondered that McClellan did not renew the battle yesterday. -We expected it." - -General McClellan was at the hotel, looking careworn and troubled. -Lee was beyond his reach. The army was pouring through the town. Some -soldiers cheered him as they passed, while others expressed their -dissatisfaction because Lee had escaped. - -The invasion of the North was ended. Neither Washington nor Baltimore -had fallen into the hands of the Rebels. Lee had not dictated terms of -peace in Independence Square. Maryland had not responded to the call to -join the Confederacy. - -The dreams indulged at the South of an uprising of the people of the -State had proved delusive. Lee had captured Harper's Ferry through -the incompetency of the commander of the place. That was the only -material advantage gained. He had won a victory at Groveton, through -the treasonable failure of General Porter to join General Pope, and the -tardiness of General McClellan's withdrawal from the Peninsula, but had -been defeated at South Mountain and Antietam. - -General Lee retreated to Martinsburg and Winchester to rest his -exhausted troops. General McClellan marched to Harper's Ferry and -Berlin, on the Potomac, and went into camp. Lee could not take the -offensive. His troops were worn and disheartened. They had marched with -great rapidity; fought at Groveton; had moved on to Maryland; fought, -some of them at South Mountain, others at Harper's Ferry; had lived on -short rations, making up the lack of food with green corn. They were -barefoot and ragged. They slept without tents or blankets. They were -exposed to all the storms. The men of Georgia and Alabama and Texas -shivered with the ague in the keen air of the mountains through the -October nights. Some of them, for the first time in their lives, beheld -the beautiful spangles of the hoar-frosts. At Winchester, in the heart -of one of the loveliest and most fertile valleys in America, they were -in want of food. Lee seized all the forage and provisions he could find -among the farmers. He was obliged to wagon his supplies from Culpepper, -eighty miles distant, over roads which became muddy after a half-hour's -rain. - -General McClellan, on the other hand, received his supplies by rail -within a mile or two of his camp. He thought that the army was not -in condition to undertake another campaign; nor to bring on another -battle, unless it had great advantages over the enemy. - -"My present purpose," he wrote to General Halleck on the 27th, "is to -hold the army about as it is now, rendering Harper's Ferry secure, and -watching the river closely, intending to attack the enemy should he -attempt to cross." - -President Lincoln visited the army, and urged General McClellan to -attack Lee. There was a favorable opportunity. Large reinforcements had -been received, and the troops were in good spirits; the weather was -favorable. Lee was far from his supplies; his army was smaller than -McClellan's. But General McClellan was not disposed to move. On the -6th of October, he received orders from General Halleck to cross the -Potomac and give battle to the enemy, or drive him south. "You must -move while the roads are good," was the telegram. - -Some of the troops needed clothing, and were in want of shoes. The -cavalry were deficient of horses. Complaint was made that supplies were -withheld. - -"The railroads are now embarrassed to supply you; and supplies here -wait for the return of cars detained while loaded near your position," -was the telegram of General Meigs from Washington. - -On the 10th of October, General Stuart with two thousand Rebel cavalry -crossed the Potomac, near the town of Hancock; visited Chambersburg, -Pennsylvania, turned toward the east, rode round McClellan's army, and -escaped with little loss into Virginia. General McClellan's plans for -his capture failed. The army was mortified, and the people indignant; -but the raid, although nothing came of it, gave great pleasure to the -Rebels. - -President Lincoln sent a friendly letter to General McClellan. - -"You remember," he wrote, "my speaking to you, of what I called your -over-cautiousness. Are you not over-cautious when you assume, that you -cannot do what the enemy is constantly doing? Should you not claim -to be, at least, his equal in power, and act upon the claim? As I -understand, you telegraph General Halleck, that you cannot subsist -your army at Winchester, unless the railroad from Harper's Ferry to -that point be put in working order. But the enemy does now subsist -his army at Winchester, at a distance twice as great from railroad -transportation as you would have to do without the railroad last named. -Again, one of the standard maxims of war, as you know, is to operate -upon the enemy's communications as much as possible without exposing -your own. You seem to act as if this applies _against_ you, but cannot -apply in your _favor_. Change positions with the enemy, and think -you not, he would break your communications with Richmond within the -next twenty-four hours? You dread his going into Pennsylvania. But -if he does so in full force, he gives up his communications to you -absolutely, and you have nothing to do but to follow and ruin him; -if he does so with less than full force, fall upon and beat what is -left behind all the easier.... You know, I desired but did not order -you to cross the Potomac below, instead of above, the Shenandoah and -Blue Ridge. My idea was, that this would at once menace the enemy's -communications, which I would seize, if he would permit. If he should -move northward, I would follow him closely, holding his communications. -If he should prevent our seizing his communications and move toward -Richmond, I would press closely to him, fight him, if a favorable -opportunity should present, and at least try to beat him to Richmond on -the inside track. - -"I say 'try.' If we never try we never shall succeed. If he make a -stand at Winchester, moving neither north nor south, I would fight him -there, on the idea that if we cannot beat him when he bears the wastage -of communication to us, we never can when we bear the wastage of going -to him. This proposition is a simple truth, and is too important to be -lost sight of for a moment. - -"As we must beat him somewhere, or fail finally, we can do it, if at -all, easier near us, than far away. If we cannot beat the enemy where -he now is, we never can, he again being within the intrenchments of -Richmond."[81] - - [Footnote 81: President's Letter.] - -The army numbered one hundred and twenty-three thousand men present and -fit for duty. If General McClellan moved east of the Blue Ridge he was -to receive thirty-five thousand reinforcements from Washington, making -a total of about one hundred and sixty thousand.[82] Lee's army was -supposed to number about eighty thousand. - - [Footnote 82: Adjutant-General's Report.] - -General McClellan still delayed to advance. "The troops are in want -of clothing," he said. But the chief quartermaster of the army cleared -the government from all blame. "You have always very promptly met all -my requirements. I foresee no time when an army of over one hundred -thousand men will not call for clothing and other articles," was the -telegram of Colonel Ingalls to General Meigs. - -Among the wounded in the hospitals at Antietam was a young soldier of -the Nineteenth Massachusetts. He was an only child of his parents. He -had been kindly nurtured, and knew nothing of hardship till he enlisted -in the army. He was very patient. He had no word of complaint. He -trusted in Jesus, and had no fear of death. His mother came from her -Massachusetts home to see him. - -"Do you know that we think you cannot recover?" said the chaplain one -day to him. It did not startle him. - -"I am safe. Living or dying, I am in God's hands," he calmly replied. - -"Are you not sorry, my son, that you entered the army, and left home to -suffer all this?" his mother asked. - -"O mother, how can you ask me such a question as that? You know I am -not sorry. I loved my country, and for her cause I came," he replied. - -He wanted to be baptized. It was Sabbath morning. The soldier lay upon -a stretcher, and the weeping mother knelt by his side,--her only child. -There was some water in his canteen. The chaplain poured it upon his -marble brow, where death was soon to set his seal, and baptized him -in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Thus trusting in God and -loving his country, he passed into a better life.[83] - - [Footnote 83: Report Christian Commission.] - -There was another soldier who had been wounded in the leg. -Mortification set in. The surgeons told him it must be amputated. He -knew there was little chance for him to live, but calmly, as if lying -down to slumber, he went to the amputating table, singing cheerfully, -as if he were on the threshold of heaven: - - "There'll be no sorrow there! - In heaven above, where all is love, - There'll be no sorrow there." - -He took the chloroform, became insensible. The limb was taken off. -He never knew his loss, for after a few hours of drowsy, half-waking -slumber, his spirit passed away. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE MARCH FROM HARPER'S FERRY TO WARRENTON. - - -The month of October passed. Pontoons were finally laid across the -Potomac. They were down several days before the enemy moved, and -General Lee, through his scouts and spies, undoubtedly had information -of what was going on. - -The army commenced crossing on the 27th, but the divisions were not all -over till the 1st of November. Lee had moved a week before, and was at -Culpepper, with the exception of his rear-guard, Stuart's cavalry, and -a force in the Shenandoah Valley. - -Up to this period of the war there had been but few brilliant cavalry -achievements on either side. At Springfield, Missouri, Zagonyi, -with his fearless riders, had cut their way through the hosts which -surrounded them. It was gloriously done. The cavalry, with the army -of the Potomac on the Peninsula, had accomplished nothing worthy of -mention. - -General Stuart, commanding the Rebel cavalry, had audaciously rode -round General McClellan's army at the Chickahominy and at Harper's -Ferry. On the march from Berlin to Warrenton, General Pleasanton -commanded the Union cavalry. He had the advance in the line of march. -General Stuart covered the retreat of Lee. Day after day, from morning -till night, there was an interchange of shots by the flying artillery -of both armies,--Stuart holding his ground till Pleasanton's fire -became too hot, then limbering up his guns, and retiring a mile to a -new position. - -The Rebels had not all left the Shenandoah Valley. But a force of -ten thousand men remained there prepared to pass through the gaps of -the Blue Ridge, and fall on McClellan's rear, if he left it exposed. -General Hancock's division of Porter's corps, which was nearest the -Blue Ridge, or which held the right of the army, in its march, moved -upon Snicker's Gap. Arriving at the top and looking westward, there -was a beautiful panorama; the town of Winchester, its white houses and -church spires gleaming in the November sun; the trees yet wearing their -gorgeous livery; the numerous camp-fires of the enemy on the western -bank of the Shenandoah; the blue smoke rising in columns and spirals -to the clouds, the troops of the enemy moving with their long baggage -trains towards the south. - -Captain Pettit wheeled his Parrott guns into position on the top of the -mountain, and sighted the guns. The first shell exploded in the Rebel -line. In an instant, evidently without waiting for orders, the men took -to their heels, disappearing in the woods. An unexpected shot sometimes -unnerves old soldiers, who never think of shrinking from duty on the -battle-field. - -On the ridge west of the Shenandoah, two Rebel batteries were in -position, with jets of white smoke bursting from the cannon in quick -discharges. There was a small body of Rebels east of the river. Colonel -Sargent, commanding the First Massachusetts cavalry, was ordered to -drive them across the river. His troops deployed in the open field. -At the word of command, they dashed down the hill, supported by a -detachment of General Sykes's infantry. The Rebel cavalry did not wait -their charge, but fled across the Shenandoah. - -"Advance skirmishers!" was the order of Colonel Sargent. He had no -intention of moving his whole detachment to the river bank, but only -his skirmishers. - -The cavalry and infantry misunderstood the order. Their blood was up. -Away they went with a hurrah down to the river-bank. The houses on the -other side were full of Rebel infantry. Two cannon commanded the ford, -and swept it with canister. - -"Down! down!" shouted Colonel Sargent. He meant that the soldiers -should fall upon the ground, and not expose themselves to the terrible -fire which was coming upon them. They thought that he would have -them rush down the steep bank and cross the stream, and with wilder -enthusiasm--that which sometimes comes to men when in the greatest -danger--they went down to the water's edge; some of them into the -stream. There they saw their mistake, but they faced the storm a while, -and gave volley for volley, although ordered back by their commander. - -Six or eight were killed, and thirty wounded, during the few moments -they were there. - -Among the killed was the brave Captain Pratt, of the cavalry, shot -through the heart. His pulse had just ceased its beating as I stood -over him. The blood, still warm, was flowing from the wound. His -countenance was calm and peaceful. He had died while doing his duty,--a -duty he loved to perform, for he felt that he could not do too much for -his country:-- - - "Wrap round him the banner, - It cost him his breath, - He loved it in life, - Let it shroud him in death. - Let it silently sweep in its gorgeous fold - O'er the heart asleep, and the lips that are cold." - -Having secured Snicker's Gap, Pleasanton pushed on to Piedmont and -Markham, pleasant places on the Manassas Gap Railroad. Markham is -nestled easily at the foot of the mountain, where the railroad begins -its long, steep gradient to reach the summit of the gap. At this -place, Stuart planted his guns, and a spirited engagement took place. - -Pleasanton dismounted his cavalry, and advanced them as infantry, and -drove Stuart, who retreated a mile, made another stand, and was again -driven. The last fight took place in front of a pretty farm-house, -occupied by a near relative of the Rebel General Ashby, who commanded -a body of cavalry in 1861, and who was killed in Western Virginia. He -was the boldest of all the Southern horsemen. He trained his horses to -leap a five-barred gate. He could pick a handkerchief from the ground -while his horse was upon a run. He was dashing, brave, and gallant, -and a great favorite with the Southern ladies, who called him the bold -cavalier. - -After the battle, my friend and I visited the farm-house. Our appetites -were keen, and we wanted dinner. - -I found the owner at the door. - -"Can I obtain dinner for myself, and oats for my horse?" was the -question. - -"Yes, sir, I reckon. That is, if my wife is willing. She don't like -Yankees very well. Besides, the soldiers have stolen all our poultry, -with the exception of one turkey, which she is going to have for -dinner." - -Roast turkey in old Virginia, after weeks of hard-tack and pork, was a -dinner worth having. - -"Please tell your wife that, although I am a Yankee, I expect to pay -for my dinner." - -A conference was had in-doors, resulting in an affirmative answer to my -request. - -A friend was with me. The cloth was laid, and a little colored girl -and boy brought in from time to time the things for the table. At last, -there came the turkey, done to a nice brown, steaming hot from the -oven, filling the room with a flavor refreshing to a hungry man, after -the events of the morning. The hostess made her appearance, entering -like a queen in stateliness and dignity. She was tall, and in the prime -of womanhood. Her eyes were jet. They shone upon us like electric -flashes. Her greeting was a defiance. Seated at the table, she opened -the conversation. - -"I should like to know what you are down here for, stealing our -chickens and niggers?" - -It was the first gun of the battle,--a rifle shot. Without any -skirmishing, she had opened battery. - -"Your Union soldiers, your thieves and ragamuffins, have stolen all my -chickens and turkeys, and I had to kill this one to save it. And you -have run off my niggers. I should have lost this turkey if I had not -aimed a pistol at the soldier who was about to take it. I threatened to -shoot him, and the coward sneaked off." - -"Our generals do not permit depredations upon private citizens, when -they can help it, but there are thieves in all armies," was the reply. - -"O, yes; it is very well for you to apologize! But you are all thieves. -General Geary's men, when they were here, stole all they could lay -their hands on, and so did Blenker's, and so do McClellan's. You want -to steal our niggers. We never should have had this war if you had -minded your own business, and let our niggers alone." - -"I am not aware that we stole your negroes before the war, but, on the -contrary, our free citizens of the North were kidnapped, and sold into -Slavery. South Carolina began the war by firing on the flag. It was the -duty of President Lincoln to defend it." - -"Lincoln! old Lincoln! He's an ape. I would shoot him if I could have -the chance!" - -"That would be a tragedy worth writing up for the papers. You would -immortalize your name by the act. You would go down to history. The -illustrated papers would have sketches of the thrilling scene," said my -friend with provoking good humor. - -"Yes, you would do just as you have done for twenty years,--get up -lying pictures and stories about the South. You are a pack of liars. -You think you are going to crush us, but you won't. Never, never! We -will fight till the last man, woman, and child are dead before we will -surrender!" - -She was at a white heat of passion, pale and trembling with rage, the -tears for a moment hiding the lightning flashes of her eyes. - -"My dear madam, we may as well understand each other first as last. The -people of the North have made up their minds to crush this rebellion. -They have counted the cost, and the war will go on till every man, -woman, and child in the South are exterminated, unless they yield. We -are several millions more than you, and we shall conquer you." - -"Never,--never,--never,--never,--never,--never!--Never!--Never!--Never!" - -It was a sudden outburst of passion and defiance; a sudden explosion, -like the howl of a bulldog. All of her energy, hate, and bitterness -was thrown into the word. Her lip quivered; her cheek put on a sudden -whiteness. I was prepared to see the carving-knife hurled across the -table, or a dish of gravy dashed in my face. She could utter only the -one word--never! After the whirlwind, there was a shower of tears. Then -she regained her composure. - -"You outnumber us, but you can't subdue us. Never! never! We are a -superior people. We belong to a high-born race. You are a set of mean, -sneaking Yankees." - -My brother-correspondent informed the lady that he had lived in -the South; had traveled from Maryland to Savannah, Mobile and New -Orleans many times, and was well acquainted with Southern society -in all its aspects; and that the people of the South could lay no -claim to superiority, unless it was in following the example of the -patriarchs--sustaining the system of concubinage, and selling their own -children into slavery. - -A blush overspread her features. She knew that the assertion was true. -But notwithstanding this home-thrust, she continued: "We are not half -so bad as you represent us to be. You Yankees, from Massachusetts and -Vermont, who go down South, do nothing but lie about us." - -"I am not from Massachusetts, madam," said my friend. "I am a -Pennsylvania Dutchman. I was born in Lancaster, and am well acquainted -with your friend, James Buchanan." - -"You Pennsylvanians are the meanest of all Yankees. You are an ignorant -set. You live on cabbage and sour-krout. You are a mean, stupid set -of thieves as ever lived. General Geary's men stole all my cabbages. I -hope both of you will be captured and put in prison. I hope you will -get shot. If you will stay here to-night, I will have both of you on -your way to Richmond before morning. There is a brigade of Rebels up in -the gap." - -"We are aware of that, and do not doubt, madam, that you would hand us -over to them if you could, but we will keep our eyes open." - -It was somewhat hazardous to get dinner so near a large body of -Rebels, with no Union troops near at hand, but the flavor of roast -turkey, after weeks of camp fare, was not to be resisted under the -circumstances. - -It would require much space to give a full report of our "table talk" -on that occasion. It was rare and entertaining. But the dinner over, -and our bills paid to the satisfaction of host and hostess, I said:-- - -"I hope that you will be delivered from the horrors of war. I do not -wish you to suffer, but I do hope that those who have caused the war, -who are now in arms, will be speedily crushed; and when the conflict is -over, I hope we shall meet under more auspicious circumstances." - -The storm of passion had subsided. "I beg your pardon, sir. You have -treated me like gentlemen, and I have acted like a fool," she replied, -extending her hand, and we parted good friends. There was, after all, a -tender place in her heart. - -After dinner we rode on again. Stuart, instead of passing through -the gap, had turned south along a rough and rocky road. Six miles -below Markham, he made another stand at a place called Barbee's -cross-roads,--roads which crossed from Markham to Chester Gap, from -Thornton's Gap to Warrenton. - -There was a rickety old house, once a tavern, where travelers from the -valley to Warrenton and Alexandria found refreshment for themselves -and food for their horses. But now grass was growing in the roads. -There were old hats and cast-off garments in the windows. The roof was -falling in; and there were props against the sides of the house to keep -it from falling flat to the ground. The few farm-houses around were -also tumbling down. Energy, enterprise, and industry had fled from the -place; and it was as if the curse of God was upon it and upon the whole -State. The people were reaping the inevitable reward which sooner or -later must, according to the immutable laws of nature, come upon those -who deliberately and systematically raise slaves for sale, as they -would cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs. - -Stuart placed three of his guns under the locust-trees, which shaded -the road west of the old tavern. There were two more guns on a knoll, -east of the tavern and south of it, hidden from sight, but so placed, -that if Pleasanton charged down the turnpike, he would be cut to pieces -by grape and canister. Stuart thought to get Pleasanton into a trap. He -erected a barricade in the road behind a knoll, which Pleasanton could -not see. He piled up wagons, rails, plows, harrows, boxes, and barrels. -If Pleasanton charged, he would bring up against the barricade, where -he would be destroyed by the cross-fire of the batteries. - -But Pleasanton was cautious as well as courageous. He came into -position half a mile distant, and opened a fire which cut down the -locust-trees, tore through the old tavern, and made it more than ever -a ruin. He kept three hundred men in the road sheltered by a hill, and -out of Stuart's sight, ready for a charge, and deployed a squadron of -the Eighth Illinois, the Eighth New York, and a portion of the Sixth -Regulars in the fields on the right-hand side of the road, keeping them -mounted. They faced south. He dismounted the remainder of the Sixth -Regulars, who left their horses in the woods, and moved round upon -Stuart's left, east of the old tavern. They saw the barricade, and told -Pleasanton what they had discovered. They commenced a sharp fire, to -which Stuart replied. He weakened his force behind the locust-trees, -and sent reinforcements to his right to hold in check the dismounted -Regulars. - -Suddenly the bugles on Pleasanton's right sounded a charge. The men -drew their sabers. The sharp, shrill music set their blood in motion. -It thrilled them. - -"Forward!" - -Away they dashed. The three hundred men filing from the road into the -field on the right, deploying into line, wheeling, then, with a hurrah, -with a trampling of hoofs which shook the earth, increasing from a -trot to a gallop, they fell upon Stuart's left. The Rebels fired their -carbines. - -The Rebel artillerymen under the locust-trees wheeled their guns -towards the northwest, but before they could fire, the three hundred -were upon them. Instead of firing, the cannoneers leaped upon their -horses, and made all haste to escape. They succeeded in carrying off -their guns, but left twenty-two prisoners in the hands of Pleasanton. - -The affair did not last more than twenty minutes, but it was the most -brilliant of all the operations of the cavalry connected with the army -of the Potomac up to that date,--the 6th of November, 1862. - -The orders which General McClellan had issued to the army forbade the -soldiers to forage. If supplies were wanted, the quartermasters and -commissaries would supply them. Notwithstanding the order, however, -the soldiers managed to have roast chickens and turkeys, and delicious -mutton-chops, legs of veal, and pork-steaks. At night, there was -stewing, frying, and roasting by the bivouac fires. - -One night, I found lodgings with a farmer. He had a large farm, a great -barn, and a well-filled granary. Fat turkeys roosted in the trees -around his stables, and a flock of sheep cropped the clover of his -fields. - -He was a secessionist. "I was for the Union till the President called -for seventy-five thousand men to put down the rebellion, as he calls -it," said he. - -"Why did you become a secessionist then?" - -"Because that was interfering with State rights. The government has no -right to coerce a State. So, when Virginia seceded, I went with her." - -We were sitting by the cheerful fire in his kitchen. The evening was -stealing on. There was a squeaking among his poultry. We went out, and -were in season to see the dusky forms of men in blue moving towards the -camp-fires. Every turkey had disappeared. - -"I notice that you have a fine flock of sheep yonder," I said. - -"Yes, sir, seventy Southdowns. One of the best flocks in the Old -Dominion." - -"I am afraid you will find some of them missing in the morning." - -"I will get them into the barn," he said. "Here, you lazy niggers! -Peter, John, Sam,--turn out and get up the sheep!" - -He had twenty or more negroes. Those who were called started to get the -sheep. - -A half dozen soldiers unexpectedly appeared in the field. - -"We will help you get up your sheep," they said. - -The flock came slowly towards the fold, driven by the soldiers. - -"Sho----o!" they suddenly shouted and made a rush forward. The sheep -scattered everywhere, disappearing in the darkness, followed by the -soldiers, laughing and chuckling, leaving the negroes and the farmer -astonished and amazed. It was too dark to collect them again. - -Morning came. The flock had disappeared. The nearest encampment was -that of a regiment of Zouaves. The farmer, raving over his loss, -visited it, and saw seventy sheep-skins lying behind the wall near the -encampment. He called upon the Colonel of the regiment, who received -him with courtesy. - -"Colonel," he said, "I see that your soldiers have killed my flock of -sheep, and I want pay for them." - -"You are mistaken, sir. The orders are very strict against taking -anything. The quartermaster and commissary alone can forage. I do not -allow any marauding." - -"Well, sir, whether you allow it or not, they have stolen my sheep." - -"I will see about that, sir. If I find that my men have been marauding, -I will have them punished," said the Colonel. The regiment was ordered -to appear on parade. The men were questioned, and all denied having -killed any sheep. The camp was searched, but no saddles of mutton were -discovered. - -"It must have been some other regiment, sir, who committed the -depredation," said the Colonel. - -The farmer visited the next regiment, the Fifth New Hampshire, -commanded by Colonel Cross. - -"I come to see, sir, if it was your soldiers who stole my sheep last -night," said the farmer. - -"Impossible, sir. It couldn't have been the soldiers of this regiment. -My men are from New Hampshire, sir,--the Old Granite State,--the State -of Daniel Webster and Franklin Pierce. My soldiers would scorn to do -a mean thing, sir. They come from a moral community. They are above -suspicion, sir," said Colonel Cross. - -"Will you have the camp searched, Colonel?" - -"I could not think of such a thing, sir. I should wrong the men. I -would not have them think that I suspected them, sir. If an officer is -continually suspecting his men they lose confidence in him. It never -would do to let them mistrust that I had a doubt of their honor." - -The farmer visited other regiments, but with no better success. He -could not find out who had taken the sheep. The evidence was all -against the Zouaves, the pelts being in their encampment. - -At noon I dined with Colonel Cross. We sat around the camp-chest, which -was our table. There was a saddle of mutton, hot, juicy, tender, and -savory. - -"My cook has a wonderful faculty of finding mutton, chickens, and -pigs," said the Colonel, "but I obey the injunction of the apostle -Paul, to eat what is set before me, asking no questions for conscience' -sake." As I passed through the camp, on my way to the Colonel's -quarters, I saw that the soldiers generally were dining on mutton. - -"You live well," I said to a soldier. - -"Yes, sir, I found a leg of mutton last night. Strange, wasn't it?" - -He chuckled merrily and looked knowingly. - -"I'll tell you how it was," said he. "The Zouaves played a joke on us -a while ago, so last night we paid them. We knocked over the sheep and -divided the spoil. We kept the carcasses and left them the pelts. That -was fair, wasn't it." He chuckled again as he thought of the fun of -the thing. "Of course the Colonel and the other officers don't know -anything about it. They never smell round through the camp." He laughed -again. - -Thus the soldiers had their fun and their fresh provisions, -notwithstanding the orders from headquarters. Few of the officers -thought it worth while to inquire of the soldiers where they purchased -their chickens, turkeys, and mutton. - -The next day was cold, raw, and snowy,--an unusual day in the Old -Dominion. The forests were in russet and yellow, for the leaves had -not fallen. Winter had ushered itself prematurely into the presence -of retiring Autumn. The driving storm shut the Blue Ridge from sight. -My horse had lost his shoes. I found a blacksmith-shop built of logs. -While the smith was putting on the shoes, I sat upon the forge warming -my feet. The wind was high, and swept through the forest with a wild, -surging roar, and came into the shop through the cracks and crevices, -drowning the roar of the bellows. The snow-flakes sifted through the -crazy roof, which had lost nearly half its time-worn shingles. Let the -reader sit by my side on an old box, and take a look at the blacksmith. - -He is fifty years old. We are reminded of the village blacksmith -described by Longfellow, whose shop was beneath a spreading chestnut -tree. - - "His hair is crisp, and black, and long, - His face is like the tan; - His brow is wet with honest sweat, - He earns whate'er he can, - And looks the whole world in the face, - For he owes not any man." - -While fitting the shoes he gives a little of his experience in life. -He has been a blacksmith thirty-five years. Last year, unassisted by -any one, in this little dingy shop, he earned about eleven hundred -dollars; this year, he thinks it will be about thirteen hundred! The -farmers hereabouts like his work. When we rode up, he was fitting the -axles of a two-horse wagon. He is an excellent horse-shoer, can set -wagon-tires, and do all sorts of handy things. His business with the -farmers is a credit-business, but he has many cash customers. His wife -and his young children live at Salem, four miles distant. He lives an -isolated life. He takes his meals at a little log hut near by, with -a free negro, but sleeps in the shop. Summer and winter he sleeps -here, lying on the bare ground in summer, and curling up upon the warm -cinders of the forge in winter. There is his bed, an old blanket. -To-night, when his day's work is done, he will wrap himself in it, and -lie down to refreshing sleep. Saturday night he goes home to Salem to -see his wife, and returns at daylight on Monday. So he has lived for -fourteen years. A singular life, but not a voluntary one. No. _He is -a slave!_ His owner lives down there, in that large white farm-house, -with numerous out-buildings. Looking through between the logs of the -shop, I can see the proprietor of this blood, bones, and brains; an -old man, white-haired, walking with a cane about his stables, looking -out for the comfort of his four-legged cattle on this snowy day. For -thirty years has this man before me wielded the hammer, and made the -anvil ring with his heavy strokes for his master; a thousand dollars a -year has been the aggregate earnings. Thirty thousand dollars earned! -of course it is not net earnings, but so much business done by one man, -who has received nothing in return. Thirty thousand dollars' worth of -unrequited labor. His wife is a slave, and his children are slaves, -sold South, some of them. He will behold them no more. One has taken -himself up North into freedom, and one daughter is singing of freedom -in the presence of God. - -"How much business do you do a year, uncle?" - -"Last year I earned between ten and eleven hundred dollars; but this -year it will be about thirteen hundred." - -"Of course your master gives you a liberal share of what you earn." - -"Not a cent, sir. I gets nothing only what the gentlemen gives me. I -haved worked hard, sir, and master says if I take good care of the -tools and shop, he will give 'em to me when he dies, so I takes good -care of 'em." - -"How old is your master?" - -"He is seventy years old." - -"I should think, when so many negroes are running away, you would want -to get your freedom, for fear they would sell you down South." - -"I told my master I would always stay with him, and so he has promised -to give me the tools." - -"I should think you would like to be where you could live with your -wife." - -"Yes, I would, sir; but they don't think of a man's feelings here. We -ain't no more than their stock, sir! They abuse us, 'cause they's got -the power." - -"You have some money, haven't you, uncle?" - -"Yes, I'se got about three hundred dollars. About fifty dollars is -Southern confederate money. I'se mighty oneasy about that. 'Fraid I -shall lose it. The rest is in Virginia bank notes. I'se been saving it -this long while." - -"Don't you find it rather hard times?" - -"Mighty hard, sir. Hain't had no sugar nor coffee this long while. One -of your soldiers gave me a spoonful of sugar yesterday. You'se got a -mighty fine army, sir. There's more good clothes in one regiment that -went by yesterday, than in the entire Southern army." - -"Then you have seen the Southern army?" - -"O yes, General Walker's division went down a week ago to-day, and -Longstreet went down a week ago day before yesterday." - -This was important information, for all of my previous inquiries of -white residents upon the matter, had brought only unsatisfactory -replies. - -"Walker's division, you say, wasn't very well clothed?" - -"No, sir; they was miserably clothed. Lots on 'em was barefoot. One -on 'em offered me six dollars for these ere shoes I'se got on, and I -pitied him so, I was a good mind to let him have 'em; then I thought -may be I couldn't get another pair. I was 'fraid he would suffer." - -"I should think, uncle, you would be lonesome here, nights." - -"O, I'se got used to it. It was kind of lonesome, at first, but I don't -have anybody to trouble me, and so I gets along first-rate." - -While he shaped the shoes and fastened them upon the feet of the -horse with a dexterity equal to that of any New England blacksmith, I -fell into revery. There was the smith--stout, hale, hearty, earning -a handsome fortune for his master--robbed of his wages, of his wife, -his children, less cared for than the dumb beasts seeking the shelter -of the stables in the storm,--a human being with a soul to be saved, -with capabilities of immortal life, of glory unspeakable with the -angels, with Jesus, God, and all the society of heaven, and yet, in -the estimation of every white man in the slave states and one-half of -the population of the free states, he has no rights which a white man -is bound to respect! Men forget that justice is the mightiest power in -the universe. There is judgment for every crime, and retribution for -every wrong. The wheels of justice never stand still, but turn forever. -Therefore there are vacant places by many firesides, and aching voids -in many a heart, and wounds which time can never heal. - - -REMOVAL OF GENERAL McLELLAN. - -It was a pleasant march from Harper's Ferry to Warrenton. The roads -were in excellent condition; dry and hard. The troops were in good -spirits; living on turkeys, chickens, pigs, and mutton. They marched -ten or twelve miles a day, built roaring fires at night, and enjoyed -the campaign. The army was a week in reaching Warrenton. General -McClellan was waited upon there by a messenger from Washington, who -delivered him a sealed envelope containing orders relieving him of the -command of the army and appointing General Burnside as his successor. -The matter was soon noised abroad. There was much discussion upon the -subject, relative to the cause of the removal. Some officers said that -the Government wanted to destroy the army, and had begun with General -McClellan; others that the President, General Halleck, and Secretary -Stanton were afraid of General McClellan's popularity; others, that -they were wearied with his delays, and that there were no political -reasons for the change. - -The reasons for the removal undoubtedly have been truly stated by Mr. -Montgomery Blair, who was at that time a member of the President's -cabinet, that the President was friendly to General McClellan, but -the military authorities at Washington and many of the officers of -the army were hostile to him. They held that his delay to attack the -Rebels at Manassas in the fall and winter; the delay at Yorktown; the -keeping the army in the swamps of the Chickahominy; the operations on -the Peninsula, showed conclusively that the command ought to pass into -other hands. - -The President resisted all the importunities of those who desired his -removal when the affairs were so disastrous in front of Washington. -The success at Antietam gave the President new confidence, but the -failure to renew the attack with his reserves; the refusal of McClellan -to cross the Potomac and attack Lee; his long delay at Berlin and -Harper's Ferry, gave great dissatisfaction. These were the causes of -his removal.[84] - - [Footnote 84: Speech at Ellicott's Mills, 1864.] - -General McClellan was much loved by a portion of his troops. When he -rode along the lines for the last time, they cheered him. Some could -not refrain from shedding tears. They believed that he was a good man, -and that he had been thwarted in all his plans by General Halleck, -Secretary Stanton, the President, and members of Congress; and that if -he could have had his own way, he would have won great victories. - -There were other soldiers who did not join in the cheers. They rejoiced -at his removal and the appointment of General Burnside. They felt that -he had failed as a commander, and that he was incompetent to command a -great army. They remembered their hardships, privations, sufferings, -and losses on the Peninsula; they recalled the fact, that while the -battle was raging at Malvern, he was on board a gunboat. Perhaps -they did not fully weigh all the circumstances of the case--that it -was necessary for him to consult Commodore Rogers relative to joint -operations of the army and navy; but it looked like cowardice. General -Kearny, the idol of his division, then sleeping in a soldier's grave, -had declared it to be cowardice or treason; and the soldiers who had -fought under the command of one who had been in the battle-clouds on -the heights of Chapultepec and on the plains of Solferino, who had -dashed like a lion upon the enemy at Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Glendale, -and Groveton, were not likely to forget the sentiments of one so brave -and brilliant as he. - -In all the battles of the Peninsula, they could not remember that -General McClellan had been upon the field. When Fair Oaks was fought, -he was north of the Chickahominy; when Lee with his whole army -approached Gaines's Mills, he removed to the south side of the river. -He passed White-Oak Swamp before the enemy came to Savage Station. He -was at Malvern when they appeared at Glendale, and on board the gunboat -when they came to Malvern. They did not consider that he rode to -Malvern once during the day. Sitting by their camp-fires, the soldiers -talked over the matter. There was no disaffection. They were too good -soldiers to make any demonstration of disapprobation. Besides, General -Burnside had been successful at Roanoke, Newbern, and South Mountain; -and success gives confidence. - -The soldiers were in earnest in carrying on the war. The people were -impatient at the delays of General McClellan in the east, and General -Buell in the west. - -Riding from the east to the west and back again in the cars, after the -battle of Antietam, I had an opportunity to know how the people were -affected by the war. It was the last week in October. The mountains -were purple, scarlet, and crimson, and had it not been that there -was war in the land, one might have dreamed that he was in Eden,--so -beautiful the landscape, so resplendent the days. But there were sad -scenes. A mother bidding farewell to her son, the wife to her husband, -the father to his children, taking them in his arms, perhaps, for the -last time, dashing aside the tears, kissing them again and again, -folding them to his heart, tearing himself away at last, sitting down -by himself and weeping, while the swift train bore them away. It was -not for military glory, not for honor, or fame, but for his country! - -I saw an old man, whose head was crowned with years. He was on his way -to Washington, to take back with him to his Pennsylvania home the body -of his youngest son, who had died in the hospital. He had three other -sons in the army. He was calm, yet a tear rolled down his cheek as he -talked of his loss. - -"I shall take the body home, and bury it in the family ground. I shall -miss my boy. But I gave him to the country. I want the government to -push on the war. I want our generals to move. I want this rebellion -crushed out," he said. - -The stout-hearted Pennsylvania farmer left the car, and a lady sat in -the seat he had occupied by my side. - -She, too, was advanced in life. She had traveled all day, was sick and -weary, but she had received a letter that one of her sons was dying at -Frederick. He had been wounded at Antietam,--shot through the breast. -She had three sons; two in the army, and one, a little one, at home. - -"I am a widow," she said. "My husband was a sea-captain, and was lost -at sea years ago. My boys supported me. When the war broke out, they -wanted to go, and I couldn't say no. Joseph, the youngest, is not old -enough to be a soldier; if he was, he would be with them. I should like -to see my son once more. I hope God will spare him till I get there; -but I am not sorry I let him go." - -Opposite sat a well-dressed lady from Philadelphia. She had received a -message, "Your son is dying; come quick if you would see him." - -Tears were dropping from her eyelids. The train was not swift enough. - -"Why don't they go faster?" she impatiently asked. She had a basket -with wine, cordials, and delicacies. - -"I thought I would take them, for if he don't want them, somebody -will." - -The two mothers, the one poor, earning her living by her needle, now -that her brave boys were in the army; the other rich, able to have all -that money can purchase, sat down together, and talked of their hopes -and fears, both longing to clasp their loved ones to their hearts once -more. There was no complaining, no regret that they had given their -consent when their sons asked if they might enlist. - -There was sorrow all over the land, for loved ones who had fallen at -Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Glendale, and Malvern, for those who were -sleeping beside the Chickahominy, and for those who reposed beneath the -shadow of South Mountain, and on the field of Antietam. - -But a great change was going on in the minds of men. They had said: -"We will have the Union as it was, and the Constitution as it is," not -discerning that it was a war of moral elements, a contest between right -and wrong, justice and injustice, freedom and slavery, civilization and -barbarism. - -But they began to discern that the elements of the contest were the -rights of men, and God's eternal laws; that the armies of the Union -were serving in the cause which had inspired Leonidas at Thermopylæ, -and Miltiades at Marathon; that the reveille which waked the soldier -from his slumber was the drum-beat of all ages; that they were moving, -not by the force of men's wills, not by opinions or acts of men in -positions of honor and power, but by the resistless propulsion of God's -immutable, changeless, eternal laws, which wither, blast, and destroy, -when resisted, but which are as the dews of the morning, like sweet -summer showers, vivifying, strengthening and sustaining, when accepted -and obeyed. - -They mourned for the fallen, but they felt that they had lived for a -great purpose, and had not died in vain. With defeat and disappointment -there came a sublimer trust in God. There was a rekindling of faith and -hope, a confidence,-- - - "That nothing walks with aimless feet, - That not one life shall be destroyed, - Or cast as rubbish to the void, - When God hath made the pile complete." - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -The Army of the Potomac was organized in October, 1861. There was a -reorganization in April, 1862, and again in August of that year. The -organization of that portion of the army which fought the battle of the -Peninsula is annexed; also those troops which fought the great battle -of Antietam. By means of this table and the accompanying diagrams the -reader will be able to ascertain in most instances the positions of the -several regiments,--not their exact locality, for regiments in battle -are often detached to other parts of the field, as reserves, pickets, -skirmishers, or guards. - -The troops which took part in the battles of the Peninsula were the -Second Corps (Sumner's), Third Corps (Heintzelman's), Fourth Corps -(Keyes's), and Franklin's and McCall's divisions of the First Corps -(McDowell's). McCall joined the army when it was on the Chickahominy. -Shields's division of the Fifth Corps (Banks's) was sent to the -Peninsula after the retreat to Harrison's Landing. It took no part in -active operations there. - -In the reorganization after the battle of Groveton and the retreat -of Pope's army to Washington, the army was composed of six corps, as -described p. 175. Many of the troops which had fought on the Peninsula -were left at Alexandria, and other troops--Burnside's, from North -Carolina; Sherman's, from Port Royal; Cox's from Western Virginia; new -troops which had been but a few days in the service, and regiments from -Wadsworth's command at Washington--were put in to fill their places. - -It has not been possible to obtain a complete and correct list of -all the regiments engaged in that battle. Some regiments, after the -battle of South Mountain, were detached from their brigades, and -sent on special service; others were kept in the rear, to guard the -trains; others were sent on flank movements. But much care has been -taken in the description of that battle to give the exact position -of the divisions engaged, and also the brigades, so that it will be -comparatively easy to ascertain the general position of most of the -regiments. - - -ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, APRIL, 1862. - - -CAVALRY RESERVE. BRIG.-GEN. P. ST. G. COOK. - - -_Emory's Brigade._ - - 5th U. S. Cavalry. - 6th " " - 6th Penn. " - - -_Blake's Brigade._ - - 1st U. S. Cavalry. - 8th Penn. " - Barker's Squadron, Ill. Cavalry. - - -ARTILLERY RESERVE. COL. HENRY J. HUNT. - - Graham's Battery "K" & "G" 1st U. S. 6 Napoleon guns. - Randall's " "E" 1st " 6 " " - - Carlisle's Battery "E" 2d U. S. 6 20-pds. Parrott guns. - Robertson's " 2d " 6 3-in. ordnance " - Benson's " "M" 2d " 6 " " " - Tidball's " "A" 2d " 6 " " " - Edwards's " "L" & "M" 3d " 6 10-pds. Parrott " - Gibson's " "C" & "G" 3d " 6 3-in. ordnance " - Livingston's " "F" & "K" 3d " 4 10-pds. Parrott " - Howe's " "G" 4th " 6 Napoleon " - De Russy's " "K" 4th " 6 " " - Weed's " "I" 5th " 6 3-in. ordnance " - Smead's " "K" 5th " 4 Napoleon " - Ames's " "A" 5th " 6 { 4 10-pds. Parr.}" - { 2 Napoleon }" - Diederick's " "A" N. Y. Art. Batt'n 6 20-pds. Parrott " - Voegelie's " "B" " " " 4 " " " - Knieriem's " "C" " " " 4 " " " - Grimm's " "D" " " " 6 32-pds. Howitzers. - ---- - 100 guns. - - -VOLUNTEER ENGINEER TROOPS. GEN. WOODBURY. - - 15th New York Volunteers. - 50th " " " - - -REGULAR ENGINEER TROOPS. CAPT. DUANE. - -Companies "A," "B," and "C," U. S. Engineers. - - -ARTILLERY TROOPS WITH SIEGE TRAIN. - -1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery. _Col. Tyler._ - - -SECOND CORPS. GEN. SUMNER. - - -_Cavalry._ - - 8th Illinois Cavalry. _Col. Farnsworth._ - One Squadron 6th New York Cavalry. - - -RICHARDSON'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Clark's Battery "A" & "C" 4th U. S. 6 Napoleon guns. - Frank's " "G" 1st N. Y. 6 10-pds. Parrott guns. - Pettit's " "B" 1st " 6 " " " - Hogan's " "A" 2d " 6 " " " - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Howard's Brigade._ - - 5th N. H. Vols. - 81st Penn. " - 61st N. Y. " - 64th " " - - -_Meagher's Brigade._ - - 69th N. Y. Vols. - 63d " " - 88th " " - - -_French's Brigade._ - - 52d N. Y. Vols. - 57th " " - 66th " " - 53d Penn. " - - -SEDGWICK'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Kirby's Battery "I" 1st U. S. 6 Napoleon guns. - Tompkin's " "A" 1st R. I. 6 { 4 10-pds. Parrott } guns. - { 2 12-pds. Howitzers } - Bartlett's " "B" 1st " 6 { 4 10-pds. Parrott } - { 2 12-pds. Howitzers } " - Owen's " "G" ---- 6 3-in. ordnance guns. - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Gorman's Brigade._ - - 2d N. Y. S. M. - 15th Mass. Vols. - 34th N. Y. " - 1st Minn. " - - -_Burns's Brigade._ - - 69th Penn. Vols. - 71st " " - 72d " " - 106th " " - - -_Dana's Brigade._ - - 19th Mass. Vols. - 7th Mich. " - 42d N. Y. " - 20th Mass. " - - NOTE.--_Blenker's division_ detached and assigned to the - _Mountain Department_. - - -THIRD CORPS. GEN. HEINTZELMAN. - - -_Cavalry._ - -3d Pennsylvania Cavalry. _Col. Averill._ - - -PORTER'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Griffin's Battery "K" 5th U. S. 6 10-pds. Parrott guns. - Weeden's " "C" R. I. -- -- -- -- - Martin's " "C" Mass. 6 Napoleon guns. - Allen's " "E" " 6 3-in. ordnance guns. - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Martindale's Brigade._ - - 2d Maine Vols. - 18th Mass. " - 22d " " - 25th N. Y. " - 13th " " - 1st Berdan Sharpshooters. - - -_Morell's Brigade._ - - 14th N. Y. Vols. - 4th Mich. " - 9th Mass. " - 62d Penn. " - - -_Butterfield's Brigade._ - - 17th N. Y. Vols. - 83d Penn. " - 44th N. Y. " - Stockton's Michigan. - 12th N. Y. Vols. - - -HOOKER'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Hall's Battery "H" 1st U. S. 6 { 4 10-pds Parrott } guns. - { 2 12-pds. Howitzers } - Smith's " 4th N. Y. Battery 6 10-pds. Parrott " - Bramhall's " 6th " " 6 3-in. ordnance " - Osborn's " "D" 1st N. Y. Arty. 4 " " " - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Sickles's Brigade._ - 1st Excelsior (N. Y.) - 2d " " - 3d " " - 4th " " - 5th " " - - -_Grover's Brigade._ - - 1st Mass. Vols. - 11th " " - 26th Penn. " - 2d N. H. " - - -_Col. Starr's Brigade._ - - 5th N. J. Vols. - 6th " " - 7th " " - 8th " " - - -KEARNY'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Thompson's Battery "G" 2d U. S. 6 Napoleon guns. - Beam's " "B" N. J. 6 { 4 10-pds Parrott } guns. - { 2 Napoleon } - - Randolph's Battery "E" R. I. 6 { 4 10-pds Parrott } guns. - { 2 Napoleon } - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Jameson's Brigade._ - - 105th Penn. Vols. - 63d " " - 57th " " - 87th N. Y. " - - -_Birney's Brigade. - - 38th N. Y. Vols. - 40th " " - 3d Maine " - 4th " " - - -_Berry's Brigade._ - - 2d Mich. Vols. - 3d " " - 5th " " - 37th N. Y. " - - -FOURTH CORPS. GEN. KEYES. - - -_Cavalry._ - - -COUCH'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - McCarthy's Battery "C" 1st Penn. 4 10-pds. Parrott guns. - Flood's " "D" 1st " 6 " " " - Miller's " "E" 1st " 4 Napoleon " - Brady's " "F" 1st " 4 10-pds. Parrott " - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Graham's[85] Brigade._ - - 67th N. Y. Vols. (1st L. I.) - 65th " " (1st U. S. Chas.) - 23d Penn. " - 31st " " - 61st " " - - [Footnote 85: In General McClellan's report of the battle of Fair - Oaks, he calls this brigade "Abercrombie's,"--evidently a mistake.] - - -_Peck's Brigade._ - - 98th Penn. Vols. - 102d " " - 93d " " - 62d N. Y. " - 55th " " - - -_Devens's Brig._ - - 2d R. I. Vols. - 7th Mass. " - 10th " " - 36th N. Y. " - - -SMITH'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Ayre's Battery "F" 5th U. S. 6 { 4 10-pds. Parrott } guns - { 2 Napoleon } - Mott's " 3d N. Y. Battery 6 { 4 10-pds. Parrott } " - { 2 Napoleon } - Wheeler's " "E" 1st N. Y. 4 3-in. ordnance " - Kennedy's " 1st N. Y. Battery 6 " " " - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Hancock's Brigade._ - - 5th Wis. Vols. - 49th Penn. " - 43d N. Y. " - 6th Maine " - - -_Brooks's Brigade._ - - 2d Vermont Vols. - 3d " " - 4th " " - 5th " " - 6th " " - - -_Davidson's Brigade._ - - 33d N. Y. Vols. - 77th " " - 49th " " - 7th Maine " - - -CASEY'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Regan's Battery 7th N. Y. Battery 6 3-in. ordnance guns. - Fitch's " 8th " " 6 " " " - Bates's " "A" 1st N. Y. Art'y 6 Napoleon " - Spratt's " "H" 1st " " 4 3-in. ordnance " - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Wessel's Brigade._ - - 85th Penn. Vols. - 101st " " - 103d " " - 96th N. Y. " - - -_Palmer's Brigade._ - - 85th N. Y. Vols. - 98th " " - 92d " " - 81st " " - 93d " " - - -_Naglee's Brigade._ - - 104th Penn. Vols. - 52d " " - 56th N. Y. " - 100th " " - 11th Maine " - - -PROVOST GUARD. - - 2nd U. S. Cavalry. - Battalion 8th and 17th U. S. Infantry. - - -AT GENERAL HEAD-QUARTERS. - - 2 Cos. 4th U. S. Cavalry. - 1 Co. Oneida Cav. (N. Y. Vols.) - 1 Co. Sturgis Rifles (Ill. Vols.) - - -FIRST CORPS. GEN. McDOWELL. - - -_Cavalry._ - - 1st New York Cavalry. - 2d " " - 4th New York Cavalry. - 1st Pennsylvania " - - -_Sharpshooters._ - - 2d Regiment Berdan's Sharpshooters. - - -FRANKLIN'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Platt's Battery "D" 2d U. S. 6 Napoleon guns. - Porter's " "A" Mass. 6 { 4 10-pds. Parrott } guns. - { 2 12-pds Howitzers } - Hexamer's " "A" N. J. 6 { 4 10-pds. Parrott } " - { 2 12-pds Howitzers } - Wilson's " "F" 1st N. Y. Art'y 4 3-in. ordnance " - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Kearny's[86] Brigade._ - - 1st N. J. Vols. - 2d " " - 3d " " - 4th " " - - [Footnote 86: Kearny was appointed division commander of the - Third Corps (Heintzelman's) at the commencement of the Peninsular - campaign.] - - -_Slocum's Brigade._ - - 16th N. Y. Vols. - 27th " " - 5th Maine " - 96th Penn. " - - -_Newton's Brigade._ - - 18th N. Y. Vols. - 31st " " - 32d " " - 95th Penn. " - - -McCALL'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Seymour's Battery "C" 5th U. S. 6 Napoleon guns. - Eaton's " "A" 1st Penn. 4 " " - Cooper's " "B" 1st " 6 10-pds. Parrott guns. - Kein's " "C" 1st " 6 { 2 10-pds Parrott } guns. - { 4 12-pds Howitzers } - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Reynolds's Brigade._ - - 1st Penn. Res. Reg't. - 2d " " " - 5th " " " - 8th " " " - - -_Meade's Brigade._ - - 3d Penn. Res. Reg't. - 4th " " " - 7th " " " - 11th " " " - 1 Penn. Res. Rifles. - - -_Ord's Brigade._ - - 6th Penn. Res. Reg't. - 9th " " " - 10th " " " - 12th " " " - - -KING'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Gibbon's Battery "B" 4th U. S. 6 Napoleon guns. - Monroe's " "D" 1st R. I. 6 10-pds. Parrott guns. - Gerrish's " "A" N. H. 6 Napoleon " - Durrell's " Penn. 6 10-pds Parrott " - - -_Infantry._ - -_---- Brigade._ - - 2d Wis. Vols. - 6th " " - 7th " " - 19th Ind. " - - -_Patrick's Brigade._ - - 20th N. Y. S. M. - 21st " Vols. - 23d " " - 25th " " - - -_Augur's Brigade._ - - 14th N. Y. S. M. - 22d " Vols. - 24th " " - 30th " " - - -FIFTH CORPS, GEN. BANKS. - - -_Cavalry._ - - 1st Maine Cavalry. - 1st Vermont " - 1st Michigan " - 1st R. I. " - 5th New York Cavalry. - 8th " " - Keyes's Battal'n Penn. Cavalry - 18 Cos. Maryland " - 1 Squadron Virginia " - - -_Unattached._ - -28th Penn. Vols. -4th Reg't Potom. -Home Guards (Maryl. Vols.) - - -WILLIAMS'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Best's Battery "F" 4th U. S. 6 Napoleon guns - Hampton's " Maryland 4 10-pds. Parrott guns. - Thompson's " " 4 " " " - Mathew's " "F" Penn. 6 3-in. ordnance " - ---- " "M" 1st N. Y. 6 10-pds. Parrott " - Knapp's " Penn. 6 " " " - McMahon's " N. Y. 6 3-in. ordnance " - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Abercrombie's Brigade._ - - 12th Mass. Vols. - 2d " " - 16th Ind. " - 1st Potom. Home Brig. (Md. Vols.) - 1 Co. Zouav. d'Afrique (Penn. Vols.) - - -_---- Brigade._ - - 9th N. Y. S. M. - 29th Penn. Vols. - 27th Ind. " - 3d Wis. " - - -_---- Brig._ - - 28th N. Y. V. - 5th Conn. " - 46th Penn. " - 1st Md. " - 12th Ind. " - 13th Mass. " - - -SHIELDS'S DIVISION. - - -_Artillery._ - - Clark's Battery "E" 4th U. S. 6 10-pds. guns. - Jenk's " "A" 1st Va. 6 { 4 10-pds. Parrott } guns. - { 2 6-pds. " } - Davy's " "B" 1st " 2 10-pds. Parrott " - Huntington's " "A" 1st Ohio 6 13-pds. James " - Robinson's " "L" 1st " 6 { 2 12-pds. Howitzers } " - { 4 6-pds. } - 4th Ohio Infantry 1 6-pds. " - - -_Infantry._ - - -_Brigade._ - 14th Ind. Vols. - 4th Ohio " - 8th " " - 7th Va. " - 67th Ohio " - 84th Penn. " - - -_Brigade._ - - 5th Ohio Vols. - 62d " " - 66th " " - 13th Ind. " - 39th Ill. " - - -_Brigade._ - - 7th Ohio Vols. - 29th " " - 7th " " - 1st Va. " - 11th Penn. " - Andrew Sharpshooters - - -GENERAL WADSWORTH'S COMMAND. - - -_Cavalry._ - - 1st New Jersey Cavalry. At Alexandria. - 4th Pennsylvania " East of the Capital. - - -_Artillery and Infantry._ - - 10th New Jersey Vols. Bladensburg Road. - 104th N. Y. Vols. Kalorama Heights. - 1st Wis. Heavy Art'y. Fort "Cass," Va. - 3 Batteries N. Y. " Forts "Ethan Allen" & "Marcy." - Depot of N. Y. Light Art'y. Camp "Barry." - 2d D. C. Vols. Washington City. - 26th Penn. " "G" St. Wharf. - 26th N. Y. " Fort "Lyon." - 95th " " Camp "Thomas." - 94th " " Alexandria. - 88th Penn. " (Detachment) " - 91st " " Franklin Square Barracks. - 4th N. Y. Art'y Forts "Carroll" & "Greble." - 112th Penn. Vols. Fort "Saratoga." - 76th N. Y. " " "Massachusetts." - 59th " " " "Pennsylvania." - 88th Penn. " (Detachment) " "Good Hope." - 99th " " " "Mahan." - 2d N. Y. Light Art'y. Forts "Ward," "Worth," and "Blenker." - 107th Penn. Vols. Kendall Green. - 54th " " " " - Dickerson's Light Art'y East of the Capital. - 86th N. Y. Vols. " " " - 88th Penn. " (Detachment) " " " - { Forts "Albany," "Tellinghast," - 14th Mass. " (Heavy Art'y) } { "Richardson," "Runyon," - 56th Penn. " } { "Jackson," "Barnard," - { "Craig," "Scott." - 4th U. S. Art'y (Detachment) } { Fort "Washington." - 37th N. Y. Vols. (Detachment)} { " " - 97th " " Fort "Corcoran." - 101st " " - 12th Va. " - 91st N. Y. " - - -IN CAMP NEAR WASHINGTON. - - 6th New York Cavalry. Dismounted. - 10th " " " - Swain's " " " - 2nd Pennsylvania " " - - -GENERAL DIX'S COMMAND. (BALTIMORE.) - - -_Cavalry._ - - 1st Maryland Cavalry. - Detachment of Cav. Purnell Legion. - - -_Artillery._ - - Battery "I" 2d U. S. Artillery. - " ---- Maryland " - " "L" 1st New York Artillery. - 2 Independent Batteries Pennsylvania Artillery. - - -_Infantry._ - - 3d New York Volunteers. - 4th " " - 11th Pennsylvania " - 87th " " - 111th " " - 21st Massachusetts " (Detachment.) - 2d Delaware " - 2d Maryland " - 1st Eastern Shore Home Guards (Maryland Volunteers). - 2d " " " " " " - Purnell Legion. " " - 2 Battalions. - - -THE END. - - - - -Reasons why you should obtain a Catalogue of our Publications - -_A postal to us will place it in your hands_ - - -1. You will possess a comprehensive and classified list of all the best -standard books published, at prices less than offered by others. - -2. 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His -celebrated writings with reference to the Great Rebellion have been -read by thousands. We have popularized him by publishing his best works -at reduced prices. - - =Following the Flag.= Charles Carleton Coffin - =My Days and Nights on the Battlefield.= Charles Carleton Coffin - =Winning His Way.= Charles Carleton Coffin - =Six Nights in a Block House.= Henry C. Watson - -=Be= sure to get one of each. Price, postpaid, Fifty Cents. - -Obtain our latest complete catalogue. - -HURST & CO., Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - -Transcriber's Note - - -Footnotes have been moved below the paragraph to which they -relate. Illustrations have been moved near the relevant section -of the text. - -"=" is used in the text to indicate bolded text. - -Inconsistencies have been retained in spelling, hyphenation, -punctuation, and grammar, except where indicated in the list -below: - - - Quote added before "WINNING" on Page 1 - - Comma changed to a period after "heart" on Page 15 - - Comma removed after "positions" on Page 20 - - "states men" changed to "statesmen" on Page 35 - - Period changed to a comma after "people" on Page 38 - - Quote added before "Our" on Page 48 - - "magnificient" changed to "magnificent" on Page 66 - - "were" changed to "where" on Page 96 - - "2" changed to "3" on Page 116 - - "sieze" changed to "seize" on Page 119 - - Comma changed to a period after "1862" in Footnote 40 - - "imposible" changed to "impossible" on Page 128 - - Period added after "Dr" on Page 131 - - "mutitudinous" changed to "multitudinous" on Page 136 - - Double quote changed to a single quote before "I" on Page 138 - - Single quote added after "treason." on Page 138 - - "ermitting" changed to "permitting" on Page 152 - - "sucessful" changed to "successful" on Page 153 - - Comma changed to a period after "213" in Footnote 55 - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Following the Flag, by Charles Carleton Coffin - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOLLOWING THE FLAG *** - -***** This file should be named 43641-8.txt or 43641-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/6/4/43641/ - -Produced by D Alexander, Linda Hamilton, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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