194

ESCAPE OF JACKSON.

two thousand men, soon joined him. Jackson, having eluded Fremont, crossed the river without loss, and advanced upon the combined forces of the Federals. While Fremont supposed himself in full pursuit, this wily leader, Jackson, fortunate in the heavy rains, which kept Carroll from destroying the bridge over which he now marched, was breaking up the force sent against him. Tyler and Carroll, for five hours, fought with great gallantry; and the Seventh Indiana regiment, in terrible charges, almost anni. hilated the Seventh Louisiana. Carroll led three successful charges, with great bravery. The fight was bloody, and almost hand to hand. The artillery poured grape and canister into the enemy's closed ranks, and made fearful gaps, with great slaughter. The superior numbers of the enemy enabled him to outflank the gallant Union troops, and they were forced, reluctantly, to retire. The battle of Port Republic was a desperate one, for Jackson could take no time to move with caution. He knew from the first that his movements must be with great celerity. The safety of his retreat depended on swift, prolonged marches, and sudden attacks. He had turned from Fremont to Shields, and attacked a portion before the remainder of the troops could come up. Now he eluded all pursuit, and had arrived where he could receive any amount of reinforcements. With scarcely twenty thousand men, he had driven Banks to the Potomac; held his own with Fremont and McDowell; defeated Shields, with loss; and, while eighty thousand troops were within striking distance, escaped with his trophies and spoils in safety. He had also done what was of no less importance to the rebel cause, prevented the reinforcement of McClellan. This great leader outgeneralled all our commanders, and now shone as a star of hope to the rebel army, himself of more value than many hosts.

Jackson's escape had been deemed impossible. Great was therefore the public disappointment. The scapegoat must be found, on whose devoted head to visit all these disasters. Consequently, McDowell, Shields, Carroll, and Fremont, each had his share of blame. How the rebel leader, wily as he was, should manage to escape all the toils laid for him seems a mystery, whose solution is perhaps best found in the fact that he was perfectly acquainted with the minutest movements and dispositions of the Unoin forces, and could lay all his plans with unerring certainty.

FREMONT SUPERSEDED BY POPE.

195

Some remedies are worse than the disease itself. The President had made a mistake in creating independent corps, which could only act under orders from Washington. He resolved to apply a cure. And, in consultation with General Scott, at West Point, he came to the conclusion that the consolidation of the Department of Virginia, under General John Pope, was the best step that could be made under the circumstances. That General Pope was an officer of great executive capacity, energy, and bravery, several well managed and successful campaigns had proved. The appointment gave general satisfaction, which, however, was not participated in by General Fremont, who declined to serve under an officer who had been his subordinate in Missouri. He therefore resigned his position, and retired from the army. Whether such a course, in the circumstances of the nation at that particular time, was patriotic, it is not attempted here to decide. Be that as it may, the loss of an officer of Fremont's ability and indomitable energy, was no advantage to the struggling country. His friends could hardly apologize for such a step, and his enemies loudly condemned it. When General Pope assumed the command, his address to the army was not without forebodings to men of enlarged military experiences. It cast reflections on his predecessors. "I hear," said he, " of taking strong positions and holding them, of lines of retreat, and of bases of supplies; let us discard such ideas. Let us study the probable line of retreat of our opponents, and leave our own to take care of themselves."

This want of respect for military rules, though ominous of disaster, was received by the public and the press with great marks of approbation, while military men became somewhat grave. While affairs at Washington were thus growing into a state of confusion not easily recovered, the Union forces before Charleston met with a severe disaster. In the early part of May, General Benham, who commanded the northern department of the South, was induced to believe that Charleston could be reached by the Stono river. He formed the plan of concentrating the Union troops on James island, taking Fort Johnston, and thence, being in the rear of the enemy's batteries, of marching on Charleston. The plan met the approbation of Hunter, and the two generals on the 2d left Hilton Head, with some troops under General

196

BATTLE OF JAMES ISLAND.

Stevens, and arriving in the Stono river in the afternoon, landed at "Old Battery." As transportation could not be had, most of the troops were sent to the Edisto river, to be marched across St. John's island. Their arrival was expected at the Stono river the day following. From want of ferry-boats, and various delays, they arrived only on the 5th, and did not cross over to James island until the 9th. Fort Johnston contained but a feeble garrison, and had the mischance to the Federals not happened, would doubtless have been taken. Stephens, meanwhile, had been skirmishing with the enemy, and captured a battery of iron carronades, and twenty prisoners. On the 10th, the rebels were erecting a fort at Secessionville, commanding General Wright's camp, a part of Stevens', and the gunboats on the Stono. A reconnoissance in force next morning, and a sudden attack to capture the fort, were determined on. An attack on the Union lines near Wright's camp, in the afternoon, however, caused the projected reconnoissance to be given up, and a plan was devised to reduce the fort by artillery. Hunter now left, with the orders not to advance on Charleston or attack Fort Johnson "until reinforced or ordered from headquarters, but that the camps should be made sure, and intrenched." Benham, finding that the bombardment did not succeed, and hearing from deserters that the fort was defended by eight hundred men and six guns, and that the whole force on the island was twelve thousand men, resolved upon an assault. The hour appointed was four o'clock on the morning of the 16th. General Stevens, with four thousand men, was to mass suddenly on the right of the works, and the left was to be attacked simultaneously by three thousand men, under General Williams. The first to approach the works was the Eighth Michigan regiment, four hundred men, moving up at double-quick. They were seen advancing by the enemy, and were mowed down with grape and canister. This heroic band moved forward, though losing half its number, but being without support was com pelled to fall back. The Seventy-ninth New York (Highlanders) formed in a cotton field, and advanced in front of the guns. Not a shot was fired till they came within a thousand yards, when all the guns rained on them a terrible fire of grape and canister. The regiment closed its broken ranks, and moved swiftly, under a deadly fire, till it reached

REPULSE OF THE UNION FORCES.

197

the fort. Their brave leader, Lieutenant Morrison, animating his men, leaped on the ramparts, and some, in following him, were picked off by sharpshooters. Finally, he received a wound in the head and was borne to the rear. A portion of the regiment now filed to the right, another part held its ground in front, and the right wing, in a sheltered position, poured such an effectual fire as silenced the guns. They were falling fast, and looked for the supports, which, had they come up, the fort would have been taken. They were ordered to fall back, and obeyed with reluctance, leaving half their brave comrades dead or wounded behind them. The Seventh Connecticut, which came up later, met the fate of the other two regiments. Williams' division advanced and fought well, but did not reach the works. The Federal loss was five hundred killed and wounded. Three fifths of the casualties were in the Michigan and Seventy-ninth Highland regiments. This disaster gave great dissatisfaction. General Benham was arrested, sent home, and deprived of his rank. Stevens blamed him, and he in turn threw the blame on Stevens for not bringing up the supports, thus allowing the battle to be lost. The mortification was the greater, as it was before Charleston.

CHAPTER XX.

JUNE, 1862.

THE ARMY BEFORE RICHMOND-MCCLELLAN'S ADDRESS-MCCALL SENT TO HIS SUPPORT-THE REBEL GENERAL STUART MAKES A RAID ROUND THE WHOLE UNION ARMY-ROBERT E. LEE, REBEL COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF— HIS PLANS BATTLES OF OAK GROVE, MECHANICSVILLE, GAINES' MILL— MCCLELLAN'S DESPATCH.

THE battle of Fair Oaks had begun on the 31st day of May, and ended the next day, June 1st. It retarded the Federal advance, but made no change in the plans of McClellan. The delay was more on account of the flood, which swelled the Chickahominy, than of the battle itself. Bridges were to be reconstructed, and timbers to be dragged, with much labor, over the miry ground. The flood had caused the men much suffering, and now the great heat of the sun upon the damp earth, produced malarious diseases, which made the hardships and privations more difficult to endure, and cost the Federals more valuable lives, during the next few weeks, than all the dangers of the field of battle. The hope of taking Richmond still buoyed up McClellan and his brave troops, in all the difficulties and discouragements of their trying situation. About this time he issued the following inspiring address to animate the spirit of his troops.

"HEAD-QUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,

CAMP NEAR NEW BRIDGE, Va.,

June 2d, 1861.

"SOLDIERS OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC:-I have fulfilled at least a part of my promise to you. You are now face to face with the rebels, who are held at bay in front of the capital. The final and decisive battle is at hand. Unless you belie your past history, the result cannot be, for a moment, doubtful. If the troops who labored so faithfully, and fought so gallantly at Yorktown, and who so bravely won the hard fights at Williamsburg, West Point, Hanover