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the 28th of February), 121,500 men for McClellan, with a num. ber of wagons and animals manifestly well proportioned to these numbers:

In thirty-seven days from the time I received the order in Washington (and most of it was accomplished in thirty days), these vessels transported from Perryville, Alexandria, and Washington to Fort Monroe (the place of departure having been changed, which caused delay) one hundred and twenty-one thousand five hundred men, fourteen thousand five hundred and ninety-two animals, one thousand one hundred and fifty wagons, forty-four batteries, seventy-four ambulances, besides pontoon bridges, telegraph materials, and the enormous quantity of equipage, etc., required for an army of such magnitude.

And yet McClellan telegraphed to the President on the 7th of April: "My entire force for duty only amounts to 85,000." Six days later, before receiving reënforcements, McClellan himself reported his force (as officially certified by Adj.-Gen. Thomas,) to be 117,721, of whom 100,970 were present for duty. In addition to this was the considerable force of Gen. Wool, on which he was authorized to draw at will. McDowell's command, also, so far as practicable, was put in a position for at once sustaining him and covering Washington.

To Gen. McClellan's earnest appeal for Gen. Franklin's division, on the 10th of April, Secretary Stanton replied on the following day, granting this request. At the same date, McClellan telegraphed: "Nothing is left undone to enable us to attack with the least possible delay. ** There shall not be a moment's unnecessary delay in any of the operations here." On the 12th, he sends thanks for the promised reënforcements, and adds: "I am confident as to results now." On the 13th, he says: "Our work is progressing rapidly. We shall soon be at them, and I am sure of the result." On the 14th: "We are getting up the heavy guns, mortars and ammunition quite rapidly." To the President he telegraphed at the same date: "I have scen Gen. Franklin, and beg to thank you for your kindness and consideration. I now understand the matter, which I did not before."

From day to day, his dispatches continued to hold out the expectation of almost immediate results, yet nothing of consequence occurred for many days, save an unfortunate skirmish at Lee's Mill, on the 16th, in which 35 were killed and 130 wounded, without any advantage gained. McClellan inquiring in regard to the position of McDowell, the President sent the following reply on the 21st: "Your dispatch of the 19th was received that day. Fredericksburg is evacuated and the bridge destroyed by the enemy, and a small part of McDowell's command occupies this side of the Rappahannock opposite the town. He purposes moving his whole force to that point." On the 23d, McClellan reported: "Recent rains have injured the roads and delayed us, but we are making progress all the time." On the 26th, a lunette (of the enemy's works) was carried, and on the 27th, the "first parallel essentially finished without accident," but the roads were "becoming horrid again."

The total number of McClellan's force, on the 30th of April, as officially given by Asst. Adj.-Gen. Townsend, was 130,378, of whom 112,392 are reported as "effective." This includes the division under Gen. Franklin, which had arrived several days before, but still remained on the transports.

Nearly a month had now passed, in the manner indicated by the dispatches above quoted-fair samples of all-when there came a request for additional guns, which drew from the President the following response:

EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON,
May 1, 1862.
Parrott guns from

Maj.-Gen. MCCLELLAN: Your call for

Washington alarms me-chiefly because it argues indefinite procrastination. Is any thing to be done?

A. LINCOLN.

Two days later, on the night of May 3d, the enemy evacuated his works.

The siege of Yorktown, without a close investment, which was not attempted, if ever contemplated, could have no other than barren results, unless the retreating enemy were promptly pursued. For this, his movement was not soon enough dis

covered Here was, indeed, as the President had dreaded, "the story of Manassas repeated"-if that opinion may be hazarded in the face of Gen. McClellan's positive claim of a "brilliant success." His first announcement of the evacuation was in the following dispatch:

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,

}

May 4, 9 A. M. J To the Hon. EDWIN M., STANTON, Secretary of War: We have the ramparts. Have guns, ammunition, camp equipage, etc. We hold the entire line of his works, which the engineers report as being very strong. I have thrown all my cavalry and horse-artillery in pursuit, supported by infantry. I move Franklin's division, and as much more as I can transport by water, up to West Point to-day. No time shall be lost. The gunboats have gone up York river. I omitted to state that Gloucester is also in our possession. I shall push the enemy

to the wall.

G. B. MCCLELLAN,
Major General.

At 1 o'clock, on the same day, McClellan telegraphed as follows:

Our cavalry and horse-artillery came up with the enemy's rear guard in their intrenchments about two miles this side of Williamsburg. A brisk fight ensued. Just as my aid left, Gen. Smith's division of infantry arrived on the ground, and I presume he carried his works, though I have not yet heard.

The enemy's rear is strong, but I have force enough up there to answer all purposes.

We have thus far seventy-one heavy guns, large amounts of tents, ammunition, etc. All along the lines their works prove to have been most formidable, and I am now fully satisfied of the correctness of the course I have pursued.

The success is brilliant, and you may rest assured its effects will be of the greatest importance. There shall be no delay in following up the enemy. The rebels have been guilty of the most murderous and barbarous conduct in placing torpedoes within the abandoned works, near Mill Springs, near the flag-staffs, magazines, telegraph-offices, in carpet-bags, barrels of flour, etc.

Fortunately we have not lost many men in this manner. Some four or five have been killed and a dozen wounded. I shall make the prisoners remove them at their own peril.

His dispatches of the next day are less joyous in their tone. It is "raining hard," and he pronounces the "roads infanious" and "horrible." An important engagement was fought this day, of which he had apparently gained imperfect knowledge when sending the following dispatch, late in the evening:

BIVOUAC IN FRONT OF WILLIAMSBURG,

}

May 5, 1862, 10 o'clock P. M. Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War: After arranging for movements up York river, I was urgently sent for here. I find Gen. Joe Johnston in front of me in strong force, probably greater a good deal than my own.

Gen. Hancock has taken two redoubts and repulsed Early's Rebel brigade, by a real charge with the bayonet, taking one Colonel and a hundred and fifty other prisoners, and killing at least two Colonels and many privates. His conduct was brilliant in the extreme.

I do not know our exact loss, but fear that Gen. Hooker has lost considerably on our left.

I learn from the prisoners taken that the Rebels intend to dispute every step to Richmond.

I shall run the risk of at least holding them in check here, while I resume the original plan.

My entire force is undoubtedly inferior to that of the Rebels, who will fight well; but I will do all I can with the force at my disposal. G. B. MCCLELLAN, Major-General Commanding.

Gen. Stoneman had promptly moved his cavalry and horseartillery, on receiving the order for pursuit, on the morning of the 4th. He first found the enemy within his works, two miles east of Williamsburg, and being unsustained by infantry, was forced to retreat, with some loss, on being attacked by the guns of Fort Magruder. During the afternoon and night, the divisions of Gens. Smith and Hooker arrived on the ground-twelve or fourteen miles distant from Yorktown-as well as the corps commanders, Sumner, Heintzelman and Keyes. No portion of General Sumner's force was yet present, but, as the senior officer, he assumed command, and ordered an attack on the Rebel works, in the evening, by Smith's division. Night, however, came on before the order could be executed. During the night, Sumner posted Hancock's brigade, of that division, in a strong

position on the left. Hooker's division, by order of Gen. Heintzelman, had taken position on the Lee's Mill road, coming near Fort Magruder quite early in the morning. At half past 7 o'clock, Hooker began an attack on the works in his front. The enemy gathered in superior force at this point, and the contest continued for hours, Gen. Heintzelman anxiously awaiting the appearance of Kearney's division, which he had sent for in the morning. A heavy rain had commenced the night before, which continued until the following morning, impeding the movement of troops, but not interrupting the determined purpose to carry the enemy's works. Hooker had suffered serious loss, his ammunition was giving out, and his troops were becoming exhausted, when at length, after 3 o'clock, Gen Kearney arrived with his men, and was ordered by Heintzelman at once to attack, which he did so vigorously as to drive the enemy back at all points, and to relieve Hooker, whose left flank was in imminent danger.

On the right, also, the enemy massed troops against Hancock, who kept up a gallant fight to maintain his position, without the reënforcement which Gen. Sumner was unwilling to hazard his center by sending him, until after the arrival of part of Couch's division, at 1 o'clock, which was followed by the remainder during the afternoon, and by Casey's division, so that the entire corps of Gen. Keyes was finally present, on the right and center. Hancock was on the point of being overwhelmed by greatly superior numbers, when the remainder of Smith's division, and Naglee's brigade from Hooker's division, were sent to his support, under the orders of McClellan, who arrived on the ground, as he states in his report, "between 4 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Gen. Hancock, feigning to retreat slowly, drew out the enemy from their position, then turning suddenly, staggered them by volleys of musketry, and completed their rout by a brilliant bayonet charge, with a loss to the enemy of more than five hundred, his own loss being but thirty-one men.

The brunt of the battle had been sustained by the divisions of Hooker and Kearney, under Gen. Heintzelman. The former sustained the principal losses of the day, which were

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