As the rebels, in dense masses, charged upon this wall of stone and bristling steel, and hearts more firm than stone or steel, they were swept down by incessant volleys poured into their bosoms, and by a destructive raking fire from batteries planted on the ridge. The field was soon literally covered with the mangled corpses of the dead. Those in the rear seemed unconscious of the carnage which was mowing down the heads of their columns. Climbing over the dead, the rebels would discharge one volley, when they too would be cut down by the shower of grape and canister which incessantly swept the field.

This, perhaps, was the sublimest hour in this awful Sabbath-day tragedy. The plain from the stone wall to Chancellorsville was about a mile in width The storm of battle fell everywhere over this plain. Long trains of ambu lances were continually passing, laden with mutilated forms, the blood dripping upon the trampled grass. Impromptu hospitals were established at many points, where large numbers of surgeons, with their sleeves rolled up, and with blood-crimsoned arms, were prosecuting, with knife and saw, their humane but dreadful labors. The whole plain was also swarming with men not sufficiently wounded to require an ambulance, but who were hobbling and groaning along, seeking surgical aid.

Still the carnage continued unabated. It was now nine o'clock. For four hours the booming of a hundred cannon and the incessant rattle of musketry had filled the air with a deafening roar. The shot of the greatly outnumbering enemy produced great havoc in the patriot ranks. But the rebels themselves suffered much more severely. With unsheltered bosoms they charged upon our intrenchments, where they were met at great disadvantage, though by smaller numbers, with courage equal, and skill superior to their own.

Ten thousand men, on the two sides, had now fallen in death, and ten thousand more were wounded and bleeding, many crippled for life. This ratio of the dead to the wounded was, perhaps, never equalled before on any battle-field. It is to be accounted for by the fearlessness of both parties, the terrible efficiency of the weapons they wielded, and the closeness of the fight. It was now half-past ten. The rebels were manifestly overpowering us. Slowly and in perfect order, contesting every rod, the National troops fell back to Chancellorsville, where, with concentrated forces, they made another stand. Their consolidated line here was too firm to be broken. The old brick mansion, early in the battle, had been taken for a hospital. It was crowded with the wounded and the dying. It was now in the direct track of war's desolating path, and the storm of shot and shell beat mercilessly upon it. General Hooker was standing upon the porch, issuing his orders, when a shell shattered a pillar at his side into splinters, and threw him down, momentarily stunned. During the fight General Hooker had animated his men by his presence, wherever

traitors opened their fire upon Fort Sumter. At the battle of Bull Run, and through all the men. choly scenes of the campaign of the Chickahominy, General. Berry displayed great heroism. In the bootless victory of Antietam he took a conspicuous part. A whole nation united with hus grief-stricken family in mourning his loss. Such are the victims sacrificed by tens of thousands on the altar of rebellion.

the battle raged most fiercely. It was necessary to remove the wounded as fast as possible. The building was riddled with war's missiles. Soon a shell bursting in one of the apartments set the house on fire. It was speedily in ashes. It is supposed that several of the wounded perished in the flames.

The sun was now in the meridian. After a moment's respite, the exulting rebels renewed the assault, with courage and resolution which would have won the homage of all hearts had they been exerted in a good cause. Their assault was unsuccessful. General Hooker had massed such batteries on his re-formed line, that no mortal foe could approach them. The victorious enemy sullenly withdrew. They had not accomplished all they wished. But in the battle they were the victors, though at a fearful loss in killed and wounded. The enemy had directed the strength of his whole army upon our left flank alone. The right wing was not able to take any part in the action. During the afternoon of the day there were repeated skirmishes, but nothing of moment occurred.

The position of the National troops was undeniably humiliating. They had crossed the Rappahannock, prepared to fall upon the rebel lines impetuously and drive them in dismay to Richmond. They had been baffled. Instead of being the assailants, they had been put upon the defensive. Even now whisperings began to arise of the necessity of a retreat. To add to the gloom, nothing whatever had been heard from General Stoneman. It will be remembered that he had been sent, on a bold cavalry raid, in the rear of the rebel forces, to cut their communications with Richmond, by burning their dépôts, tearing up the railroads, and destroying the bridges. It was feared that he had failed, and that large reënforcements from the Southern army would be pushed up by rail to the Rappahannock. Hence there was cause for much anxiety.

In the mean time, General Sedgwick, on Saturday, had crossed the Rappahannock, below Fredericksburg. The three divisions of the Sixth Corps by midnight had all crossed in safety. At four o'clock Sunday morning, they were on the march for Fredericksburg. Gallantly they carried the first line of the rebel intrenchments. They thus attained a position but about six miles from General Hooker. On Sunday morning, the 4th, the rebels came upon him in strong force. Gradually, notwithstanding the destructive fire which tore their ranks, they crowded him back towards Banks's Ford. In the terrible battle General Sedgwick lost nearly four thousand men. The next day he succeeded in recrossing the Rappahannock, with most of his trains and camp equipage. General Lee, having baffled all the plans of General Hooker, turned upon General Sedgwick with numbers which could not be resisted, and the gallant patriot general was driven back across the Rappahannock.

Monday was with General Hooker an anxious, busy day, of many fierce skirmishes, but of no decisive battle. The rebel batteries of flying artillery were continually throwing shells into our ranks. During Tuesday, every energy of the army was employed in preparing for a retreat. The night

was dark and rainy. At ten o'clock, in the midst of gloom, discomfort, and universal despondency, the humiliating retreat commenced. The hazardous passage was safely effected. A fortunate sudden rise of the river prevented Lee from pursuing. From this short, inglorious, disastrous campaign, our troops returned to their old camping-ground, on the left bank of the Rennalannock.

General Stoneman's cavalry raid was heroically conducted. He destroyed an immense amount of rebel property, and marched almost within sight of the spires of Richmond. The disaster which General Hooker had encountered prevented him from deriving any special advantage from this gallant rail. On the 6th of May, General Hooker issued a proclamation to his troops, closing with the following words:—

"The events of last week may swell with pride the heart of every officer and soldier of this army. We have added new lustre to its former renown. We have made long marches, crossed rivers, surprised the enemy in his intrenchments, and, wherever we have fought, have inflicted heavier blows than we have received. We have taken from the enemy five thou sand prisoners; fifteen colors; captured and brought off seven pieces of artillery; placed hors du combat eighteen thousand of his chosen troops; destroyed his dépôts filled with vast amounts of stores; deranged his communications; captured prisoners within the fortifications of his capital, and filled his country with fear and consternation. We have no other regret than that caused by the loss of our brave companions, and in this we are consoled by the conviction that they have fallen in the holiest cause ever submitted to the arbitrament of battle."

Still, notwithstanding the correctness of most of these statements, the battle of Chancellorsville must ever be regarded as a humiliation. We had unquestionably a larger force in the field than the rebels. We had thousands of men and acres of artillery which were not brought into action. At every point of contact the rebels outnumbered us, and drove us across the river. There was never a more decided patriot or a more heroic fighter than General Hooker. The preliminaries of the battle were conducted with consummate military ability. The soldiers fought with all the bravery which ever characterized the Army of the Potomac. The final discomfiture and retreat are inexplicable.*

It is difficult to ascertain with accuracy the numbers engaged in this battle. The following estimate has been made:

* The Committee on the Conduct of the War thus account for the failure of General Hooker's eampaign when in command of the Army of the Potomac:

"It would appear from all the testimony that there were three causes, perhaps four, which contributed much to render this campaign unsuccessful, after it had been so successfully begun. Those causes were, the stampede of the Eleventh Corps, on the 1st of May, by which the enemy were enabled to obtain possession of the ground which commanded the position of the Union army at Chancellorsville; then the injury which General Hooker sustained on the morning of the 3d of May, by which the army was deprived of the direction which was so necessary at that time; then the failure by General Sedgwick to carry out the orders he had received to fall upon the rear of Lee's forces early on the morning of the 3d; and the entire failuro of the cavalry, under General Stoneman, to perform the part assigned to it, the severing of Lee's com. munications with Richmond."

The editor of the New York "Times" had such opportunities for obtaining reliable data that his estimate is not improbably the most correct.

The siege of Suffolk, and its gallant defence by Major-General John J. Peck, to which we shall refer in the next chapter, had an important bearing upon the campaign of Chancellorsville. It was one of those noiseless adventures of the war, upon which vast results depended, and was nevertheless nearly lost sight of, in the midst of the multiplicity of more imposing, yet not more heroic, eventз with which it was surrounded.

Among the many heroic regiments at the battle of Chancellorsville, none suffered more severely or fought more heroically, than the One Hundred and Fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, raised in part through the energy and trained by the skill of Colonel Arthur A. McKnight. It was, with its heroic leader, ever found ready for any needed post of danger.

Colonel McKnight was early cast upon his own exertions by the death of his father. As a son and brother he ministered tenderly to those dependent upon him. In 1861 he raised a company of three-months' men, in Brookville, in his native State, and after their discharge he interested himself deeply in the One Hundred and Fifth Pennsylvania, and was chosen colonel of the regiment. His discipline was strict, perhaps a little stern; but when in battle or review, his soldiers bore testimony by their conduct to the faithful iustructions of their commanding officer. Fair Oaks, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville witnessed their gallantry. At the latter place, Colonel McKnight, while leading his troops, was struck in the arm by a ball, which, passing through it, entered his head, near the left eye, and he was instantly killed. His heart was for his whole country. He was ready to suffer, to fight, to die for it, and he fell a noble sacrifice upon its altar.

CHAPTER XXXII.

THE SIEGE OF SUFFOLK.

(May, 1863.)

DESIGNS OF THE REBEL GENERAL LONGSTREET.-EFFICIENCY OF UNION OFFICERS.-CAPTURE OF HILL'S POINT BATTERY.-TESTIMONY OF GENERAL DIX.-FORCES IN FRONT OF SUFFOLK.— LEE'S FORCE AT CHANCELLORSVILLE.

THERE is a small stream, called the Nansemond, flowing from the northwest into one of the many inlets on the Virginia coast, near the mouth of the James River. Upon the banks of this stream is the little town of Suffolk. It was deemed a point of strategic importance, as it was situated at the junction of two railways-the Norfolk and Petersburg, and the Portsmouth and Weldon.

Major-General John J. Peck held this strategic point with a garrison of about fourteen thousand men. The leader and his intelligent soldiers alike appreciated the value of the post. General Peck had learned from a captured rebel mail of an intended surprise upon his forces, and also upon those at Fortress Monroe, by General Longstreet, one of the most able and daring of the rebel commanders. Longstreet's design was to make demonstrations upon Newbern, Little Washington, and other points in North Carolina hoping thus to draw the troops away from the main position he intended to attack. These feints upon the North Carolina towns were made, and General Foster, who was in command there, was compelled to call for reënforcements. As soon as Longstreet learned that troops had been sent to General Foster, he hurried on towards Suffolk.

General Peck was on the alert. It was indeed a fearful storm which was about to burst upon him. Longstreet, Hill, and Hood, with five divisions of the rebel army, came rushing upon our lines, expecting to sweep all resistance before them. They were met with solid shot, and bursting shells, and bristling steel. Admiral Lee had sent up the Nansemond a few gunboats, which very efficiently coöperated in the defence. The firm resistance thus presented bitterly disappointed the rebels. not cherished a doubt of their ability to cross the narrow Nansemond, seize the railroad in the rear of Suffolk, capture the city and its garrison, with all its vast stores, and then, after a holiday march, to occupy Portsmouth and Norfolk. It was now manifest that they must resort to a siege.

They had

Longstreet's first object was to drive the gunboats from the river. This could apparently be easily accomplished, for the boats were small, constructed of wood, and the stream narrow, shallow, and crooked. Under cover of the night, they reared batteries at several points which commanded the stream, and placed heavy guns in position. Fortunately, the