WILLIAMSBURG OCCUPIED. At ten o'clock P. M., General McClellan sent the following dispatch, dated, "Bivouac in front of Williamsburg," to Secretary Stanton : "After arranging for movements up York river, I was urgently sent for here. I find General Joe Johnston in front of me in strong force, probably greater a good deal than my own. General 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 General 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 undoubedly inferior to that of the rebels, who will fight well; but I will do all I can with the force at my disposal." The enemy in the night abandoned their position, flying with precipitation, leaving their dead and wounded on the field, and in the town, and the next day, which proved fair, after the desolating storm in which the battle was fought, Williamsburg was occupied by the Union troops. General C. D. Jameson, of Maine, who had gained his promotion from Colonel of the 2d Regiment of Volunteers, from his State, to a Brigadiership, by his conduct at Bull Run, and whose brigade was the first to enter the city in the morning, was made military governor. General McClellan having made his head-quarters at the venerable William and Mary's College, in the town, thus announced the events of the day to the Secretary of War:-"I have the pleasure to announce the occupation of this place as the result of the hard-fought action of yesterday. The effect of Hancock's brilliant engagement yesterday afternoon was to turn the left of their 421 line of works. forced, and the enemy abandoned the entire position during the night, leaving all his sick and wounded in our hands. His loss yesterday was very severe. We have some three hundred uninjured prisoners and more than a thousand wounded. Their loss in killed is heavy. The victory is complete. I have sent cavalry in pursuit. The conduct of our men has been excellent, with scarcely an exception. The enemy's works are very extensive, and exceedingly strong, both in respect to position and the works themselves. Our loss was heavy in Hooker's division, but very little on other parts of the field. Hancock's success was gained with a loss of not over twenty killed and wounded. The weather is good to-day, but there is great difficulty in getting up food, on account of the roads. few wagons have yet come up. Am I authorized to follow the examples of other generals, and direct the names of battle to be placed on colors of regiments? We have other battles to fight before reaching Richmond."* He was strongly rein Very In a subsequent dispatch, a few days later, General McClellan paid a special tribute to the eminent services of Hooker and Kearney, with which, at first, he had been imperfectly acquainted: "Without waiting further for official reports which have not yet reached me," he wrote to Secretary Stanton on the 11th, "I wish to bear testimony to the splendid conduct of Hooker's and Kearney's divisions, under command of General Heintzelman, in the battle of Williamsburg. Their bearing was worthy of veterans. Hooker's division for hours gallantly withstood the attack of greatly superior numbers with very heavy loss. Kearney's arrived in time to restore the fortunes of the day, and came most gallantly into action. I shall probably have occasion to call attention to other commands, and do not wish to do injustice to General McClellan to Secretary Stanton, Williamsburg, May 6, 1862 them by mentioning them now. If I had had the full information I now have in regard to the troops above-named when I first telegraphed, they would have been specially mentioned and commended. I spoke only of what I knew at the time, and I shall rejoice to do full justice to all engaged." The entire Union loss in the battles before Williamsburg is stated at 455 killed, 1,411 wounded, and 388 missing.* The losses in Hooker's division were 21 commissioned officers killed, and 65 wounded; 317 enlisted men killed, 837 wounded, and 335 missing. woods. In the evening a portion of General Sedgwick's division came up the river and joined the command of General Franklin, There was some difficulty in disembarking in consequence of the shallowness of the water by the shore; but no troops were at hand to oppose the landing. In the night, however, there was some picket skirmishing, and in the morning it was evident that the enemy would make some resistance to save the flight of the retreating army from Yorktown. The action which ensued on the morning of the 7th is thus described by a The division of General Franklin had correspondent: "By daylight the plain, been lying for a fortnight in transports which takes in about a thousand acres of in the Poquosin river, below Yorktown, ground, running southwest from the York wating an opportunity to be joined by river, presented a striking scene. Long another division, and land on the north lines of men extended from left to right side of the York river, in the rear of across the centre of the field, and squads Gloucester, and effecting a diversion of skirmishers stood marking, in dim there, supply, in a measure, the service outline, their forms against the heavy expected from the corps of McDowell.† woods and underbrush, which presents On the fall of Yorktown the division be- an unbroken front to us on every side ing still afloat, was ordered by General except that bounded by the river. Here McClellan to ascend the York river, and the men stood for some time, ready to land at West Point, in readiness to cut march at a moment's notice; but no foe off the retreat of the enemy, and for ulte-appeared, and the men were permitted rior operations in the march to Rich- to return to their camps for the purpose mond. The division was brought round of getting their breakfast, and perhaps, to Yorktown, and we have seen General McClellan engaged on Monday, while Hooker was fighting before Williamsburg, in arranging the expedition, providing a convoy of gunboats to protect the transports, and other details. The next day the fleet sailed up the river, and before night a considerable portion of the troops were landed on the right bank of the river, about half a mile below West Point, at a large open plain a mile or more in length along the river, and half a mile in width, an excellent camping ground in itself but exposed to attack from an enemy who might occupy the adjacent heights and surrounding *New York Herald, Record of the Rebellion for 1862. Testimony of General Franklin before the War Committee, March 28, 1863. some sleep. A strong picket, composed ACTION AT WEST POINT. 423 and carried off the field by their friends, who, before they quit the ground, revenged the fall of their brave comrades by giving the enemy a few well-directed volleys. The fight had now been going on for three hours here without intermission, and a number of men were killed and wounded. At this juncture our men were withdrawn from the wood, where they were evidently getting the worst of it, and the 2d United States artillery, under Captain Arnold, was ordered into position on the right, and Captain Porter's 1st Massachusetts bat the transports, and through his exertions most of the men and horses were off the boats by nine o'clock, and preparations were being made to breakfast the men of this brigade when the order was given for the 16th, 31st, and 32d New York, and the 95th and 96th Pennsylvania regiments, to advance into the woods and drive off some of the rebel scouts who were firing occasional shots at our pickets, and were supposed to be strongly supported by a force concealed in the woods. This supposition proved correct, for no sooner had our men made an advance into the woods than they were re-tery took up a position upon the left, and ceived with a volley of musketry from the rebels who were hidden in the dense undergrowth. Our men pressed on, and gave them a volley, after which the eneiny retreated further into the woods, with the 32d New York close at their heels; but they were too swift-footed for our boys-being more protected-and they soon left the 32d struggling in the mud. "While this scene had been going on on the right centre, another was transpiring on the centre, where the 95th Pennsylvania regiment had entered the woods. In a few moments after they entered they found themselves in a deuse swamp, and in their struggles to get across became separated from each other. One of the companies managed to get to the other side, and was climbing the bank on the opposite side when they descried a party of soldiers in ambush. Who comes there?' cried the party in ambush. 'Friends,' was the answer. 'What are you?' was the next interrogation. A company of the 96th Pennsylvania.' No sooner was this answer returned than the party, whom the captain had mistaken for some of his own regiment, opened a terrible fire upon our men, who returned the fire, and then returned to our reserves. In this affair, Captain Beates, of Company B, was shot through the shoulder, but not dangerously wounded, and one or two privates were killed in a few minutes the shell were flying The enemy, covering their retreat from Yorktown by their spirited resistance at Williamsburg and West Point, had now made good their retreat towards Richmond, in the vicinity of which they were so resolutely to withstand the army of the Potomac. That army, delayed by the state of the roads, and the necessity development of the plans of the comof bringing up supplies, for more than mander-in-chief. When, however, Yorkforty-eight hours after the battle of Wil- town fell, General Wool held himself in liamsburg-General McClellan tells us it readiness for an early demonstration. was impossible even to feed the men on On Thursday, the 8th, four days after the ground where they stood-could the surrender of Yorktown, as we are effect little in pursuit. The march was informed in a graphic recital of the events early pushed forward. On the 9th Gen- which followed, written by one well qualeral McClellan telegraphed to the de-ified by his peculiar opportunities to prepartment, "My troops are in motion, sent an accurate narrative of the circumand in excellent spirits. They have all stances, the Honorable Henry J. Raythe air and feelings of veterans. It would mond, at the time on a visit to Fortress do your heart good to see them. I have Monroe, "the little steam-tug J. B. White effected a junction with Franklin." It came in from Norfolk, having deserted was not, however, till the 16th of May from the rebel service. She had been that the different divisions of the army sent to bring in a couple of schooners were concentrated at White House, on from the mouth of Tanner's creek; the the Pamunkey, a few miles above West officers in charge of her being Northern Point, a place named after a famous resi- men, and having been long desirous of dence of the Lee family, celebrated in the escaping from the rebel régime, considerpersonal history of Washington, and a lo-ed this a favorable opportunity for effectcality destined to be the base of operations ing their object. They slipped past in the further advance upon Richmond. Craney island without attracting any In the meantime an important event hostile observation, and then steered in eastern Virginia had occurred in directly for Newport News. On arrivthe capture of Norfolk. There had ing they reported to General Wool that been no little talk of this desirable the rebel troops were evacuating Norfolk event from time to time, and much had that very many had already gone, and been expected from the operations of that not over two or three thousand rethe army in North Carolina, which prom-mained, and even these, it was confiised seriously to threaten the city in the rear. Nothing, however, was accomplished till the fall of Yorktown, and the advance of McClellan's army toward Richmond, with the gathering forces of the navy in Hampton roads, immediately endangered the position. In accordance, then, with a policy forced upon the Confederates by experience, they prepared to anticipate the possible or impending blow, withdraw their troops and narrow their lines of defence of the beleaguered capital. For some time previously, we are told, General Wool, commanding at Fortress Monroe, had been of opinion that Norfolk might be taken without great cost, but nothing definite had been undertaken for want of a proper coöperation of the land and naval forces, and in accordance with the slow dently believed, would very speedily be withdrawn. They were men of intelligence and of evident sincerity, and their statements commanded full confidence. Under these circumstances, General Wool decided to make a military demonstration upon Norfolk. A large body of troops was embarked upon the transports lying in the roads, and all preparations were made with a view to a landing on Sewell's Point during Thursday night. Several of our vessels were sent to shell the point during the preceding day, and they did it with a good deal of effect. But they received very vigorous replies from the batteries there, and were finally put to flight by the appearance of the Merrimac, which came up to take part in the conflict. This vigorous demonstration on the part of the 1cbels satisfied the GENERAL WOOL ADVANCES UPON NORFOLK. 425 military authorities that the attack could eral Wool decided upon an immediate not safely be made at that time, or at march upon Norfolk from that point, and that point. The troops were accordingly orders were at once issued to carry it disembarked on Friday morning, and the into effect. The steamer Adelaide, which expedition was for the time abandoned. was filled with freight and passengers On Friday, Secretary Chase, who had for Baltimore, was stopped half an hour been spending several days here, as had before her time of sailing, and with half also President Lincoln and Secretary a dozen others, was at once occupied by Stanton, learned from a pilot familiar the infantry and artillery destined for with the coast, that there was a place the expedition. They began to embark where a landing could be effected a mile at about four o'clock, on Friday afteror so beyond Willoughby point-and noon, and by midnight several of them that a very good road led directly from had started for the opposite shore. A that shore to Norfolk. In company with vigorous bombardment was opened from General Wool and Colonel T. J. Cram, the Rip Raps upon Sewell's point, and of the topographical engineers, Secretary kept up for two hours, to induce the beChase, on Friday, crossed over in the lief that this was the intended point of steam revenue-cutter Miami, and sent a debarkation. The steamers crossed over, boat to sound the depth of water and ex- and at daylight preparations were made amine the shore with a view to a land- for landing. The shore is a smooth, ing for troops. While doing so, they sandy beach--the sand being very deep perceived signs of a mounted picket as you leave the water, and suddenly guard on the shore above, and not deem- rising into long mounds ten or fifteen ing it safe to venture too far, they pulled feet high, thrown up by the heavy winds back for the Miami. On their way, how-blowing in upon the shore, and forming ever, a woman was seen in a house on shore waving a white flag. The boat's crew at once returned, and were told by the woman that her husband had fled to the woods to avoid being forced into the rebel service by the mounted scouts who came every day to find him, and that on his last departure he had instructed her to wave a white flag on the approach of any boats from the Union side. She gave the party a good deal of valuable information concerning the roads, and the condition of the country between there and Norfolk. Secretary Chase and Colonel Cram went ashore and satisfied themselves that a landing was perfectly feasible. On returning to Fortress Monroe they found that President Lincoln and Secretary Stanton, on examining the maps, had been led to make a similar exploration, and had come to a similar conclusion, though the points at which the two parties had struck the shore proved to have been a mile or two apart. "The result of all this was that Gen a complete breast work around the fields which they invade. The water, shallow at the shore line, deepens very gradually, and only at some fifty feet out becomes deep enough for vessels drawing five or six feet of water. Three or four canal boats were towed over, and placed side by side lengthwise of the coast-an inclined platform was constructed to the land, and this served for a temporary wharf across which the troops, cannon, and other indispensables of the expedition were landed. The infantry regiments were landed first, and started at once upon their march. The negroes, who alone remained behind, said that a mounted picket had been there the day before, but had left, saying that the Union men were coming over in a day or two. The troops were landed and started forward in the following order: 20th New York, Colonel Max Weber; 16th Massachusetts, Colonel P. T. Wyman; 99th New York, Colonel Wardrop; 1st Delaware, Colonel J. W. An |