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to receive us, and, from the black masses of his forces, it was evident that it had been heavily reenforced, and that another whole corps d'armée had been brought up to contest the fortunes of the night. Line after line of battle was formed. It was evident that his heaviest columns were now being thrown against Hill's small command, and it might have been supposed that he would only be satisfied with its annihilation. The loss here on our side was terrible.

The situation being hopeless for any further pursuit of the fugitive enemy, who had now brought up such overwhelming forces, Gen. Hill retired slowly. At this moment, seeing their adversary retire, the most vociterous cheers arose along the whole Yankee line. They were taken up in the distance by the masses which for miles and miles beyond were supporting McClellan's front. It was a moment when the heart of the stoutest commander might have been appalled. General Hill's situation was now as desperate as it well could be, and required a courage and presence of mind to retrieve it which the circumstances that surrounded him were not well calculated to inspire. His command had fought for five or six hours without reënforcements. All his reserves had been brought up in the action. Wilcox's brigade, which had been almost annihilated, was re-forming in the rear.

Riding rapidly to the position of this brigade, Gen. Hill brought them, by great exertions, up to the front to check the advance of this now confident, cheering enemy. Catching the spirit of their commander, the brave but jaded men moved up to the front, replying to the enemy's cheers with shouts and yells. At this demonstration, which the enemy, no doubt, supposed signified heavy reënforcements, he stopped his advance. It was now about half-past ten o'clock in the night. The enemy had been arrested, and the fight-one of the most remarkable, long-contested, and gallant ones that has yet occurred on our lines-was concluded with the achievement of the field under the most trying circumstances, which the enemy, with the most overpowering numbers brought up to reënforce him, had not succeeded in reclaiming.

The battle of Monday night was fought exclusively by Gen. A. P. Hill, and the forces under his command. Gen. Magruder's did not come up until eleven o'clock at night, after the fight had been concluded. By orders from Gen. Lee, Magruder moved upon and occupied the battleground; Gen. Hill's command being in a condition of prostration from their long and toilsome fight, and suffering in killed and wounded, it was proper they should be relieved by the occupation of the battle-ground by a fresh corps de armée. In the long and bitter conflict which Gen. Hill had sustained with the enemy, he had driven him about a mile and a half; and at the conclusion of the battle, although he had retired somewhat, he still held the ground from which, in the early part of the action, he had driven the enemy.

President Davis was on the field during the day, and made a narrow escape from injury which

might possibly have proved fatal. He had taken position in a house near the scene, when word was sent him by Gen. Lee to leave it at once, as it was threatened with danger. He had scarcely complied with the advice before the house was literally riddled with shell from the enemy's batteries.

Prisoners state that on Monday evening McClellan addressed his troops in an animated strain, conjuring them "for God's sake, and the sake of their country and the old flag around which so many fond recollections cluster, to join in one more last struggle to reach our gunboats on the James River. I have been frustrated in all my plans against Richmond. We must cut our way to the river, and there I shall await reenforcements. I do not give up the hope of yet capturing Richmond." Their fighting subsequently showed that his words were not without effect. During the night the enemy retreated again down the Quaker road toward Malvern Hill, about a half-mile within the intersection of the New-Market or River road and the Quaker road. Here he took a strong position on this hill, about two miles and a half from his gunboats on the James River. This closed the scene of Monday.

THE BATTLE OF TUESDAY, JULY 1.

The army of McClellan was now getting into the triangle formed by the three roads already alluded to, and in which it was hoped that he would be entrapped. It was in this area that the great battle of Tuesday took place. All of our forces, however, failed to be in position in the right time, and those in the rear, who were to cut him off and hem him in, allowed the game to slip from their hands and quietly make his escape, which he subsequently did by roads easily traceable on the map.

McClellan, in making his way in all haste, but in good order, to the waters of the James River, had reached on Tuesday, July first, a point about sixteen miles below Richmond, and two miles above Turkey Island, where it was determined to make a stand, with the purpose of effectually covering the retreat of the main body to their gunboats. The ground was admirably chosen. An elevated plateau of twelve hundred yards in length and three hundred and fifty yards width, lay between a skirt of woods, dark and dense, and a plantation dwelling, which will be known in the official reports as "Crew's House," with its surrounding buildings. Upon the crest of a gentle slope in front of this country-seat, the Yankees planted four heavy batteries, commanding the plateau, and every square yard of it, to the woods.

On Tuesday morning D. H. Hill's division, on the right of Jackson, Whiting, Ewell, and Jackson's own division on the left, (Jackson commanding the three latter divisions,) crossed the White Oak bridge, and took up their position in this order on the left of our line, at about three o'clock in the afternoon. D. H. Hill's artillery was sent to the rear to rest. Longstreet, A. P.

Hill, Magruder, and Huger, on our right wing, since the opening of the battle, and a third colpushed down the Long Bridge road in pursuit, umn upon the centre moved onward to the Yanand took position on the left and front of the ene-kee guns. The dark mass soon disappeared in my, under fire of all his artillery on land and

water.

About four o'clock in the afternoon, the skirmishers of our pursuing column, on emerging from the wood, were met by the fire of the enemy, and fell back to report to the commanding General, Magruder, whose division, embracing the brigades of Howell Cobb, Toombs, Wright, and Armistead, was in the advance. Two batteries of light artillery, Grimes's and the Second Richmond howitzers, were immediately ordered to take position in the cleared field, some fifty yards from the edge of the forest, and to open fire upon the enemy's batteries, while the infantry were drawn up under cover of the woods, to be pushed across the field at the proper moment. Grimes's battery was thrown into hopeless disorder by the killing of three of its horses and the wounding of several others in the act of taking its ground, and never did get into position; whereupon the Purcell battery, Capt. Pegram, was ordered to replace it.

The howitzers, and Capt. Pegram's veterans, at once opened a furious cannonade on the Yankees, firing with great steadiness and effect, but so desolating was the rain of shot, shell and sphericalcase showered upon them by the enemy's guns, which had obtained the exact range, that they were greatly cut up in a short time, and had to be withdrawn. At the same moment, a column of not more than six hundred confederate troops, which had moved with wonderful precision and celerity across the plateau, to a point within one hundred and fifty yards of the Yankee batteries, were compelled to retire with heavy loss, and in some disorder. The Letcher artillery, of six pieces, under command of Capt. Davidson, was now ordered to the spot till then occupied by the Purcell battery, and getting their guns quickly in place, despite the withering tempest of flame and iron, commenced to serve them with the utmost efficiency, firing twelve or fifteen discharges to the minute, while a second column of infantry advanced through the cleared space at doublequick to storm the terrible batteries of the foe. The fire was now appalling, and to add to the horrors of the scene, the gunboats of the enemy in the river began to throw the most tremendous projectiles into the field. The column moved on nearer and yet nearer, its ranks thinned at every moment, and lost to sight in the thick curtain of smoke which overspread the crimsoned battleground. But once again the whirlwind of death threw the advancing mass of gallant men into inextricable disorder, and they retired. Still the Letcher artillery held its ground. A brave lieutenant and two of the men had been killed at their pieces, nineteen others had fallen wounded by their side, and the horses were piled around them in heaps; a caisson had exploded, yet their fire was kept up as steadily as if they had been firing a holiday salute.

An hour and a half more had now passed

the cloud which enveloped all objects, and though it lost strength and solidity at every step, in the brave fellows who fell struck by the hurling missiles that strewed the air, it still gained the slope where stood the enemy's batteries, but only to be driven back, as had been their comrades before them. Meanwhile, the indomitable Jackson had assailed the enemy with great energy on the right of their position, and soon drove them from the field. The dusk of evening, deepening into darkness, favored the retreat of the Yankees, who succeeded in carrying off their pieces, though with a loss in killed and wounded equal to, if not greater than our own.

Thus closed the terrible battle of the first of July. The battle-field and the region round about seemed as if the lightnings of heaven had scathed and blasted it. The forest shows, in the splintered branches of a thousand trees, the fearful havoc of the artillery. The houses are riddled; the fences utterly demolished; the earth itself ploughed up in many places for yards; here stands a dismantled cannon, there a broken guncarriage; thick and many are the graves, the sods over which yet bear the marks of the blood of their occupants; on the plateau, across whose surface for hours the utmost fury of the battle raged, the tender corn that had grown up as high as the knee, betrays no sign of having ever "laughed and sung" in the breeze of early summer; every thing, in short, but the blue heaven above, speaks of the carnival of death which was there so frightfully celebrated.

About a quarter of a mile from the field stands, on the roadside, the house occupied by Gen. Lee, as his headquarters during the battle. The weather-boarding, and the shingled roof, exhibit abundant evidences of the terrible nature of the cannonade. The elongated shells thrown by the gunboats, were most fearful projectiles, measuring twenty inches in length by eight in diameter. It is remarkable that, as far as we know, the only damage done by them was to the enemy. Not having the proper range, the gunners so elevated their pieces as to let those messengers of death fall mostly among the ranks of their own men. The effect of one which burst near Crew's house, was indescribably fatal. It struck a gun of one of the batteries, shattering it into fragments, and by the explosion, which followed instantaneously, seven men standing near the piece were killed in the twinkling of an eye.

They fell without the movement of a muscle, in the very attitudes they occupied the moment before, stiffening at once into the stony fixedness of death. One, indeed, was almost blown into annihilation; but another was seen still grasping the lanyard of his gun; yet another, belonging to an infantry regiment, held in his hand the ramrod with which he was driving home the load in his Belgian rifle; while the fourth, with clenched lips, retained in his mouth the little portion of the cartridge he had just bitten off. The faces

1

of the victims even still expressed the emotions which animated them in battle — indifference, hope, terror, triumph, rage, were there depicted, but no traces of the suffering which should be caused by the death-pang. They had passed into eternity unconscious of the shaft that sent them there!

over, and from a quarter to a half mile in width, lying between the head of the ravines and the point where Herring Creek crosses the Charles City road. But it required only a very brief period for the enemy, with his immense resources of men and machinery, to obstruct by art this only natural entrance to his stronghold. Already it was within range of his gunboats, and of his siege-guns planted on the Evelinton hills. Another day saw it strewn with felled timber and bristling with field-batteries.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2.-The severe struggle of Tuesday, had given the main body of McClellan's army ample time to reach the much coveted positions in the neighborhood of Berkeley and Westover, on the James River, where, availing The James River was soon covered with the themselves of the strong natural defences of the transports and gunboats of the enemy, and Mcplace, and under cover of their gunboats, they Clellan, secure in his "new base of operations," were relieved from the apprehensions of an im- vigorously began the work of infusing courage mediate attack. In this situation of affairs, a and confidence among his beaten and demoralizdescription of the locality and topographical fea-ed troops. tures of the enemy's selected place of refuge, will be a matter of interest.

Berkeley, now the residence of Dr. Starke, lies on the north side of James River, five miles below City Point, and by the course of the river sixty-five miles, but by the Charles City road not more than twenty-five miles from Richmond. The building, an old-fashioned, brick edifice, stands upon an eminence a few hundred yards from the river, in a grove of poplars and other trees. President Harrison was born here in 1773. The Westover plantation, long the seat of the distinguished family of Byrds, and at present owned by Mr. John Selden, adjoins Berkeley on the east, the dwelling-houses being some two miles apart. Charles City Court-House is between eight and ten miles cast of the latter place. It is not to be supposed the enemy selected these plantations as the scene of his last great stand without good reasons. The first and most apparent of these is, that the Westover landing is, perhaps, the very best on James River; and the stream for miles up and down, being broad and deep, affords both excellent sea-room and anchorage for his gunboats and transports. But this is by no means the only advantage of the position. On the west of Berkeley are innumerable impassable ravines, running from near the Charles City road, on the north, to James River, making a successful attack from that quarter next to impossible.

Within a quarter of a mile of where these ravines begin, Herring Run Creek crosses the Charles City road, and running in a south-easterly direction, skirts, on the north and east, the plantations of Berkeley and Westover, and empties into James River at the extreme eastern boundary of the latter. The whole course of this creek is one impassable morass, while along its northern and eastern banks extend the heights of Evelinton-a long range of hills that overlook the Westover and Berkeley estates, and which offer eligible positions for heavy guns.

It will be seen that, protected on the south by the river and his gunboats, on the west by impassable ravines, and on the north and east by Herring Creek and the heights of Evelinton, the enemy's position presents but one pregnable point -the piece of level country north-west of WestVOL. V.--Doc. 17

BATTLE OF GAINES'S FARM. BRIGADIER-GENERAL TAYLOR'S REPORT. HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE NEW-JERSEY VOLUNTEERS, CAMP ON JAMES RIVER, July 4, 1862.

H. C. Rodgers, Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General:

My command, by order, left our intrenched camp, on the right bank of the Chickahominy, on Friday afternoon, the twenty-seventh of June, and crossed the said stream by the Woodbury bridge.

The battle begun the day previous, had been renewed at Gaines's Farm, where we arrived about four o'clock P.M. I immediately formed my brigade in two lines, the Third and Fourth regiments in front, and the First and Second regiments in the second line.

My line was scarcely formed when the Third regiment, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Brown, was ordered to advance forward into the woods, where a fierce combat was raging.

Col. Brown immediately formed his regiment in line of battle, led it into the woods and began a rapid fire upon the enemy. As this was the first of my regiments engaged, I will complete my report of it by saying that they continued the fight in the woods until the close of the action. They were all this time under a galling fire, often a cross-fire, but maintained their ground until near sunset, when the whole line fell back. They had at this time expended (a large majority of the men) their last cartridge-sixty rounds to the man. It is but justice to say, that this regiment bore itself most heroically throughout the entire action. Their conduct was all that could be desired. With their comrades falling around, they stood up like a wall of iron, losing over one third of their number, and gave not an inch of ground until their ammunition was expended and the retrograde movement became general. They were under this fire one hour and a half.

The First regiment entered the woods about half an hour after the Third, and remained until the close of the action. Col. Torbert being unwell, the regiment was led by Lieut.-Col. McAllister, and well sustained by his presence and courage. I shall, however, say that Colonel Tor

258

bert, though suffering from low fever, followed us to the field and was present.

I take great pleasure in saying-for both these regiments fought under my own eye--that the First regiment showed the same indomitable courage as the Third regiment, exposing themselves to the leaden hail of an often unseen foe, advancing with the Third regiment, and stood steadily under a most galling fire until the close Their loss was: enlisted men of the action. killed, twenty; wounded, eighty; missing, fiftyThe loss of commissioned officers was one killed, four wounded and one missing-mak ing a total of one hundred and sixty-three.

seven.

exposed to the hottest fire of the day.
promptly, and did not hesitate, and were often

I will forward a more detailed report in a few
GEORGE W. TAYLOR,
days. I have the honor to be, very respectfully,
etc.,

Brigadier-General.

COLONEL SIMPSON'S LETTER.

}

MILITARY PRISON, RICHMOND, VA., July 8, 1862. O. H. P. Champlin, Esq., Buffalo, N. Y.: DEAR BROTHER: To relieve my friends of all I am now here a prisoner of war, with a large apprehension about my safety, I write to say that portion of my regiment, and in good health and I have now to speak of the Second and Fourth spirits. My regiment was posted in the wood to regiments, the first of which, under Col. Tucker, sustain the centre in the battle near Gaines's Hill, on Friday, June twenty-seventh, and nobly did it numbered only four companies, the other six being on duty in the field-works at Camp Lincoln, hold its ground till about an hour after the right and left behind under Lieut.-Col. Buck. While and left wings of the army had fallen back. Mine (Fourth New-Jersey) and Colonel Gallagher's absent to the front, these four companies, by order of Gen. Porter, and without my knowledge, Eleventh Connecticut reserve, were the last to were sent into the woods, suffering a most gall-leave the front, and only did so, when we found Their loss was: enlisted men killed, that the rest of the army had given way, and we ing fire. were literally surrounded by the infantry and I also twelve; wounded, fifteen; missing, forty; makbatteries of the confederate forces. ing a total of ninety-seven enlisted men. regret to record the death of Col. I. M. Tucker, and probably Major Ryerson, both of whom were left upon the field; also Captain Danforth, mortally wounded, and Lieuts. Plewitt, Root and Bogert, severely wounded, and Lieut. Callan missing. They, however, sustained themselves most gallantly, and proved their courage against superior The fate of the Fourth regiment, Col. numbers. Simpson, one of my most efficient regiments, as regards officers and men, was most painful.

At the moment when victory seemed wavering in the balance, an aid of Gen. McClellan took them from my command and ordered them into the woods. All the account I can give of them if is, that but one officer (wounded) and eighty-two men have rejoined my command; all the rest, living, are believed to be prisoners of war.

I learn from those who have come in, that up to the time that the regiment was surrounded they had received from and returned the enemy a most galling fire. I annex a report of the casualties of the day, showing the total loss of my brigade.

In conclusion I would say that, so far as I am
at present informed, my officers, commissioned
and non-commissioned, nobly performed their
duties; and it might, therefore, be invidious to
particularize. Still, in justice to the gallant dead,
who have devoted their lives to their country,
must record the names of Capt. Brewster, of the
First, and Capt. Buckley, of the Third; also,
Second Lieut. Howell, of the Third, all officers
of distinguished merit.

As re-
These officers fought under my eye.
gards the conduct of the Second and Fourth regi-
ments' officers, I am told that it was all that
But these regiments having
could be desired.
been taken from me, I did not see them during

the action.

It is eminently due to my staff-officers to say that they carried out my orders intelligently and

Being in the woods, and trusting to our superior officers to inform us when to retreat, and not being able to see on account of the woods what was going on towards our right and left, we continued fighting probably an hour after every other We were surrounded by ten regiment had left the ground. The consequence was inevitable. times our number, and though we could have fought till every man of us was slain, yet humanity and, as I think, wisdom dictated that we should at last yield.

Our casualties, so far as known, were as fol-
lows:

Officers killed-Captain Meves-1.
Officers wounded-Captain Mulford; Lieuten-
ants Roberts, Eldridge, Hatch, Ridgway, Myers
and Shaw-7.

Enlisted men, killed,.
Enlisted men, wounded, .

Total killed,.
Total wounded, .

Total killed and wounded,

37 104

38

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Besides seventy-five missing, of whom a number
probably was killed and wounded. Considering
the great jeopardy in which we were, I look upon
it as a great mercy we all were not shot down.

Kind remembrances and love to all.
Affectionately, your brother,

J. H. SIMPSON.

GENERAL LEE'S OFFICIAL REPORT.

HEADQUARTERS, June 27.
MR. PRESIDENT: Profoundly grateful to Al-
To His Excellency, President Davis:
mighty God for the signal victory granted us, it
is my pleasure and task to announce to you the
The enemy was this morning driven from his
success achieved by this army to-day.

strong position behind Beaver Creek Dam, pursued to that beyond Powhatan Creek, and finally, after a severe contest of five hours, entirely repulsed from the field.

Night put an end to the contest. I grieve to state our loss in officers and men is great. We sleep on the field and shall renew the contest in the morning.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully,
R. E. LEE,

General.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ROBERTSON'S REPORT.

HEADQUARTERS FIFTH TEXAS REGIMENT,
June 29, 1862.

men got so far ahead of me that it was difficult to stop them. Night was fast closing on us; it was then dark; I thought it proper to recall my men, and from a hill protect the batteries already taken.

On my march back I discovered a fire was being made upon my men from the camp through which we had just charged, and on reaching the crest of the hill, I discovered a regiment of the enemy advancing on us from that camp; we opened fire on them, at the same time advancing upon them. After receiving two or three volleys they threw down their arms and surrendered. It was the Fourth regiment of New-Jersey volunteers. Colonel Simpson and his Lieutenant-ColW. H. Sellers, A. A. General Texas Brigade: onel surrendered their swords and two stands of MAJOR: I have the honor to report the part colors. taken by my regiment, the Fifth Texas volun-oners marched to the rear, when I formed in line A company was detached and the pristeers, in the action of the twenty-seventh June, of battle and remained until the arrival of Briga1862. I was ordered into the action to support dier-General Hood. The regiment of the enemy that part of the line immediately in front of the taken was larger at least by one hundred men (at house, which stands near the Telegraph road, the time of its capture) than mine. Throughout and which was used as a hospital. the action my officers and men, without exception, conducted themselves in a manner satisfactory, fully sustaining the name and character of the Texas soldiers. When all behaved so well, distinction cannot be made. My color-bearer was shot down and the colors immediately raised by Captain Brantley, of company D, of the colorguard. In the list of casualties I have to report thirteen killed, among them Lieutenant J. E. Clute, company A, who was in command of his company, and fell while leading it to victory; also fifty-nine wounded, among them Captain T. T. Clay, company I, and Lieutenant Wallace, both of them at the head of their companies when wounded, and thirteen missing. For particulars see Adjutant's report already sent in.

My advance was much impeded by a dense thicket and marsh. Hampton's Legion was upon my left. I reached the line of battle in good order, and found a portion of (I believe) General Ewell's forces maintaining the ground against heavy odds. I opened fire with my regiment, and after firing some thirty minutes it was evident that the fire of the enemy was greatly weakened, and that the time for charging them was near. Having been separated from my brigade and all the officers, I was at some loss about making the charge, until I could do so in conjunction with other parts of the line. I sought the commanders of the forces on my immediate right and left, but found none willing to join me in the charge. About this time the gallant General Ewell came up and ordered a charge, my right was by this time unsupported, and I asked General Ewell to bring me a force to support me, then I would make the charge. He brought up at once a small force; as soon as it got into line on my right, the charge was ordered, and with a hearty cheer the men rushed down the hill, across the branch, up and over the enemy's position, and through his camp. I charged with loaded guns. On reaching the field I discovered a battery on my left, which was hidden from our view at first by the retreating enemy, ordered my men to fire on those around the battery as they ran, which volley cleared the battery and left it in our possession. On emerging from the enemy's camp, through which we had charged, I discovered the Fourth Texas and Eighteenth Georgia charging a battery on a hill to my left. I directed my men to oblique to the right so as to join them, which they did just after the battery was taken.

My men seeing the enemy flying across the field in the direction of the road to the Chickahominy, continued the charge over the hill in the direction of a battery the enemy had been playing upon us from the hill beyond. Having left my horse at an impassable branch in the rear, and being much exhausted, about one third of my

Respectfully submitted.

J. B. ROBERTSON, Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Fifth Texas Volunteers. BATTLE OF GLENDALE, JUNE 30,

1862.*

REPORT OF GENERAL HOOKER. HEADQUARTERS HOOKER'S DIVISION, THIRD ARMY CORPS, CAMP NEAR HARRISON'S LANDING, JAMES RIver, Va., July 15, 1862.

Captain C. McKeever, Assistant Adjutant-General Third Army Corps:

In obedience to instructions, my command was withdrawn from its advanced position before Richmond about sunrise, on the twenty-ninth ultimo. We retired, in condition to give or receive battle, as occasion might require, to a new line a mile or more in the rear, where it was halted and drawn up to check any advance of the enemy, either by the Williamsburgh road or railroad.

The enemy followed up our movements closely, taking possession of our camps as soon as they were abandoned, but evincing no disposition to come to close quarters. We remained in our new position until about three o'clock P.M., with no other event than a feeble attack on Sumner's

Known also as the battle of White Oak Swamp and Charles

City Cross-Roads.

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