BATTLE AT FAIR OAKS.

fifty yards to my left was crumbling
away--some falling and others retiring.
I perceived also that the artillery had
withdrawn, and that large bodies of
broken troops were leaving the centre
and moving down the Williamsburg road
to the rear. Assisted by Captain Suy-
dam, my assistant adjutant-general, Cap-
tain Villarceau, and Lieutenants Jackson
and Smith of my staff, I tried in vain to
check the retreating current. Passing
through to an opening of our intrenched
camp of the 28th ult., I found General
Heintzelman and other officers engaged
in rallying the men, and in a very short
time a large number were induced to
face about. These were pushed forward,
and joined to others better organized, in
the woods, and a line was formed, stretch-
ing across the road in a perpendicular
direction. General Heintzelman request-
ed me to advance the line on the left of
the road, which I did, until it came
within sixty or seventy yards of the
opening, in which the battle had been
confined for more than two hours against
a vastly superior force. Some of the
10th Massachusetts, now under the com-
mand of Captain Miller, the 93d Penn-
sylvania, Colonel McCarter, of Peck's
brigade, the 23d Pennsylvania, Colonel
Neill, of Abercrombie's brigade, a por-
tion of the 36th New York, Colonel
Innes, a portion of the 55th New York
and the 1st Long Island, Colonel Adams,
together with fragments of other regi-
ments of Couch's division, still contended
on the right of this line, while a number
of troops that I did not recognize occu-
pied the space between me and them.

rence of General Heintzelman, to ad- that portion of the line a hundred and
vance across the open space and attack
the enemy, now coming forward in
great numbers. These regiments passed
through a shower of balls, and formed in
a line having an oblique direction to the
Nine Mile road. They held their ground
for more than half an hour, doing great
execution. Peck's and McCarter's horses
were shot under them. After contend-
ing against enormous odds, those two
regiments were forced to give way; Peck
and the 102d crossing the Williamsburg
road to the wood, and McCarter and the
bulk of the 93d passing to the right,
where they took post in the last line of
battle, formed mostly after six o'clock,
P. M. During the time last noticed, Mil-
ler's battery having taken up a new po-
sition, did first-rate service. As soon as
Peck had moved forward I hastened to
the 10th Massachusetts, Colonel Briggs,
(which regiment I had myself once before
moved), now in the rifle pits on the left
of the Williamsburg road, and ordered
them to follow me across the field. Col-
onel Briggs led them on in gallant style,
moving quickly over an open space of
seven or eight hundred yards, under a
scorching fire, and forming his men with
perfect regularity toward the last of the
line last above referred to. The position
thus occupied was a most favorable one,
being a wood, without much undergrowth,
where the ground sloped somewhat ab-
ruptly to the rear. Had the 10th Mas-
sachusetts been two minutes later, they
would have been too late to occupy that
fine position, and it would have been im-
possible to have formed the next and last
line of battle of the 31st, which stemmed
the tide of defeat, and turned it toward
victory; a victory which was then begun
by the 4th corps, and two brigades from
Kearney's division from the 3d corps,
and consummated the next day by Sum-sion,
ner and others.

"After seeing the 10th Massachusetts and the adjoining line well at work, under a murderous fire, I observed that

"As the ground was miry and encumbered with fallen trees, I dismounted and mingled with the troops. The first I questioned belonged to Kearney's divi

Berry's brigade, Heintzelman's corps; the next to the 56th New York, now under command of its LieutenantColonel; and the third belonged to the 104th Pennsylvania, of Casey's division.

MOVEMENT OF GENERAL SUMNER.

485

two batteries. And, later in the day, when the enemy were rushing in upon our right, Miller threw his case and canister among them, doing frightful execution."

on

When the attack commenced Casey's division, General McClellan, in camp on the left bank of the Chickahominy, was, as he tells us, confined to his bed by illness, and the first intimation he received of the affair was the sound of the musketry. Without waiting to hear from Keyes or Heintzelman, he at once sent instructions to General Sumner to hold his corps in readiness to move to the scene of action. "I did not hear," he continues, anything for a long time from the field. I think the first I heard was from General Heintzelman, who reported that Casey's division had been completely broken, and was in full retreat. I ordered Sumner over, as soon as I learned that his services were needed, and the affair serious. General Sumner had, fortunately, on the receipt of the first order, actually stretched his command out on the road, so the heads of columns were at the bridges ready to cross when he received the order. The main part of his force crossed at the

I took out my glass to examine a steady compact line of troops, about sixty-five yards in advance, the extent of which toward our right I could not discover. The line in front was so quiet I thought they might possibly be our own troops. The vapors from the swamp, the leaves, and the fading light (for it was then after six o'clock), rendered it uncertain who they were. So I directed the men to get their aim, but to reserve their fire until I could go up to the left, and examine; at the same time, that they must hold that line, or the battle would be lost. They replied with a firm determination to stand their ground. I had just time to put up my glass and move ten paces towards the left of the line, where my horse stood; but while I was in the act of mounting, as fierce a fire of musketry was opened as any I had heard during the day. The fire from our side was so deadly that the heavy masses of the enemy coming in on the right, which had before been held back for nearly two hours, that being about the time consumed in passing over less than a thousand yards, by about a third part of Couch's division, were now arrested. The last line, formed of portions of Couch's and Casey's divisions, and a por-bridge near Doctor Lent's farm, and tion of Kearney's division, checked the advance of the enemy, and finally repulsed him. And this was the beginning of the victory which, on the following day, was so gloriously completed. During the action, and particularly during the two hours immediately preceding the final and successful stand made by the infantry, the three Pennsylvania batteries, under Major Robert M. West (Flood's, McCarthy's, and Millers), in Couch's division, performed most efficient service. The conduct of Miller's battery was admirable. Having a central position in the fore part of the action, it threw shells over the heads of our own troops, which fell and burst with unusual precision among the enemy's masses, as did also those of the other

moved, by the shortest route, upon Fair Oaks, near which point he came in contact with the enemy's left, and drove them some little distance, thus relieving the pressure on the right of Heintzelman, who had moved up to support Keyes."*

In

The movement of General Sumner was not undertaken a moment too soon. his spirited account of the affair before the same committee of Congress, he said, that on receiving the order of General McClellan, "instead of merely preparing to move, I at once advanced with my two divisions (Sedgewick's and Richardson's), halting with the leading company of each division on the bridge. In that way I saved at least an hour of time. The river

1863.

Testimony before the War Committee. March 2,

was then rising rapidly, and when I re- right front, and at that point I posted a ceived the order to advance one of the battery of ten-pound Parrott rifle-guns, bridges became impassable in a very directed by Captain Hazard, 4th artilshort time, and many of the timbers of lery. I also posted the brigade of Genthe other bridge were floating; we, how-eral French, and one regiment of However, succeeded in crossing, and I ad-ard's brigade, in my front line. The revanced rapidly to Fair Oaks with Sedg-maining three regiments of Howard's wick's division. On reaching Fair Oaks brigade formed a second line, and GenI was met by General Couch, who told eral Meagher's brigade, with remaining me that he had been separated by the eighteen pieces of artillery, in third line. enemy from the rest of the army, and The early part of the morning passed was expecting an attack every moment. away; the enemy made his first appearI formed this division of Sedgwick's, to- ance on the other side of the large field, gether with Couch's troops-assuming his skirmishers forming in line across it command of the whole-as quickly as and advancing. A large body of cavalry possible, with a battery of artillery be- was also seen in the woods on the other tween the two divisions. Before the side, drawn up in column, as if to head a formation was completed, the enemy mass of infantry in column of attack for made a ferocious attack on my center, the assault. This soon drew the fire of evidently with the expectation of getting our Parrott guns. The line of skirmishpossession of my battery. My forces ers fell back before it; the cavalry broke, were formed in two lines, nearly at right and this, which no doubt was intended as angles. I had six regiments in hand on the real attack, failed at once, and the the left of the battery. After sustaining head of the column turned down the a very severe fire for some time, those railroad toward my left. My division, six regiments charged directly into the occupying the centre of our whole line woods, crossing a broken down fence in of battle, now appeared to be the object doing so. The enemy then fled, and the of attack, to follow the favorite plan of action was over for that day." yesterday. It was now half-past six o'clock in the morning. All at once the enemy came upon us in full force on the railroad, which, on my left flank, was crossed by two common wood roads, along which they pushed columns of attack in mass, supported on both flanks by battalions of infantry deployed in line of battle. Generals French and Howard now opened upon them a steady and well-directed fire from their brigades, within half musket shot. I immediately communicated with those officers my willing intention to furnish them reinforcements as soon as needed. After a close fire of musketry of an hour and a half, without any regiment giving ground on our part, the head of the enemy's column broke their line of battle, wavered, and the rout became general for the time. I had thrown in, in the mean time, the two reserve regiments of Howard,

So closed the battles of Saturday. The division of Richardson was brought up that night, and was prominent in the action of the next day, which closed this fierce and extended conflict. A letter written by that officer presents an animated account of the concluding scene"Sunday, June 1st, the army had lain on their arms all night in our front, the 5th Texas, 2d Mississippi, and 2d Texas regiments bivouacking within half musket shot of my front and picket, within speaking distance. Every one knew that the struggle would recommence in the morning, and our whole line 'stood to arms.' At three o'clock in the morning, before light, the enemy drew in all his pickets. The line of railroad is bordered by woods on both sides, except a few open spaces. There was a large field three-fourths of a mile in extent on my

CASEY'S DIVISION.