Читать книгу Battles of the Civil War - Thomas Elbert Vineyard - Страница 5

Early in the summer of 1862, General Lee proceeded to increase his fighting force so as to make it more nearly equal in number to that of McClellan, and to that end every man that could be spared from other sections in the South was called to Richmond. Numerous intrenchments were thrown up along the roads and in the fields about Richmond, thus giving it the appearance of a fortified camp. General Lee, in an address to his troops, said that the army had made its last retreat.

Each army at this time numbered in the neighborhood of 100,000 men.

Meanwhile, McClellan's army was acclimating itself to a Virginia summer, and now that the sweltering heat of June was coming on, the swamps about their camps were fountains of disease, which began to tell on the health of the men. The hospitals were crowded, and the death rate was appalling.

McClellan proceeded to transfer all his men to the south side of the Chickahominy River, excepting the corps of Franklin and Porter, which were left on the north side of the river to await reënforcements under General McCall, which arrived about the middle of June.

General Lee sent a division of his cavalry, under the command of J. E. B. Stuart, to encircle the army of McClellan. Stuart started in the direction of Fredericksburg June 12th, as if to reënforce Jackson, and the first night bivouacked in the pine woods of Hanover county. Then, turning to the east, he soon came upon a Union force, drawn up in columns of four, ready to dispute the passage of the road, and which fell back in confusion as the Confederates advanced. Stuart pushed on and fell upon a company of Federal infantry at Tunstall's Station, which surrendered at once. The Confederates quickly turned about, crossed the Chickahominy River and joined Lee's army before Richmond, thus giving Lee the desired information of the position of McClellan's army.

Meanwhile, General "Stonewall" Jackson with his army was making haste to join Lee's army, and on June 25th reached Ashland, in striking distance of the Army of the Potomac.

McClellan was pushing his men forward to begin the siege of Richmond. His advance guard was within four miles of the Confederate capital, and his fond hope was that within a few days at most his artillery would be belching forth its sheets of fire and lead into the beleaguered city.

In front of the Union camp was a strip of pine woodland, full of ponds and marshes. The Union soldiers pressed through this thicket, met the Confederate pickets among the trees and drove them back. Upon emerging into the open the Federal troops found it filled with rifle pits, earth works, and redoubts. At once they were met with a steady and incessant fire, which continued nearly all day, and at times almost reached the magnitude of a battle. This is sometimes called the second battle of Fair Oaks, and was the prelude of the Seven Days' battles.

The extreme right of the Union line, under command of General Porter, lay near Mechanicsville, on the Upper Chickahominy. It was strongly entrenched and was almost impregnable to an attack from the front. Before sunrise, June 26th, the Confederates were at the Chickahominy bridge awaiting the arrival of Jackson, but for once Jackson was behind time. The morning hours came and went. Noon came and Jackson had not arrived. About the middle of the afternoon, General A. P. Hill, growing impatient, crossed the river at Meadow bridge, and at Mechanicsville was joined by the divisions of Longstreet and D. H. Hill. Driving the Union outpost to cover, the Confederates swept across the low approach to Beaver Dam Creek through a murderous fire from the batteries on the cliff, but were finally repulsed with severe loss. Later in the afternoon relief was sent Hill, who again attempted to force the Union position at Ellerson's Mill. From across the open fields, and in full view of the defenders of the cliff, the Confederates moved down the slope in full range of the Federal batteries, but the fire was reserved by the Federals. As the approaching columns reached the stream the shells came screaming through the air from every waiting field-piece. Volley after volley of musketry was poured into the ranks of the Southerners. The hillside was soon covered by the victims of the gallant charge. As darkness hovered over them there were no signs of the cessation of the combat. It was nine o'clock when Hill finally drew back his shattered forces to await the coming of the morning. The Forty-fourth Georgia regiment suffered the loss of all of its officers, and thereby was unable to re-form its broken ranks. Both armies now prepared for another day of conflict.

McClellan became convinced that Jackson was really approaching with a large force, and decided to change his base to the James River, leaving Porter with the Fifth corps on the banks of the Chickahominy, to prevent Jackson from interrupting this gigantic movement. It involved marching an army of 100,000 men, with a train of 5,000 heavily loaded wagons, and many siege-guns, together with 3,000 cattle to be driven across the marshy peninsula.

On the night of the 26th, McCall's division was directed to fall back to the bridges across the Chickahominy near Gaines' Mill, and there make a stand, for the purpose of holding back the Confederates. Just before daylight the operations of moving the troops began.

The Confederates were equally alert, and opened a heavy fire upon the retreating columns. The Union force under McCall, by being skillfully handled, succeeded in reaching their new position on the Chickahominy heights, and on the morning of the new day made ready for action. The selection of this ground had been well made; they occupied a series of heights fronted on the west by a cycle shaped stream. The land beyond was an open country, through which a creek meandered sluggishly, and beyond this a densely tangled undergrowth. Around the Union position also were many patches of woods, affording cover for the reserves.

To protect the Federals, trees had been felled along their front, out of which barriers, protected by rails and knapsacks, were erected.

Jackson's forces had united with those of Longstreet and the two Hills, and were advancing with grim determination of victory.

It was two o'clock, on June 28th, when General A. P. Hill swung his division into line for the attack. He was unsupported by the other divisions, which had not yet arrived on the field. His columns moved rapidly toward the Union front, and was met by a hailstorm of lead from Porter's artillery, which sent messages of death to the approaching lines of gray.

The Confederate front recoiled from the incessant outpour of grape, canister and shell. The repulse threw the Confederates into great confusion. Many left the field in disorder. Others threw themselves on the ground to escape the withering fire, while some held their places.

The Federals were reënforced by General Slocum's division of Franklin's corps.

Lee ordered a general attack upon the entire Union front. Reënforcements were brought up to take the place of the shattered regiments. The troops moved forward in the face of a heavy fire and pressed up the hillside against the Union line at fearful sacrifice. It was a death grapple for the mastery of the field.

At this time General Lee observed Hood of Jackson's corps coming down the road bringing his brigade into the fight. Riding forward to meet him, Lee directed that he should try to break the Union line. Hood, in addressing his troops, said that no man should fire until ordered, then started for the Union breastwork 800 yards away. They moved rapidly across the open under a shower of shot and shell. At every step the ranks grew thinner and thinner. They quickened their pace as they passed down the slope and across the creek. Not a shot had they fired. With the wing of death hovering over all, they fixed bayonets and, dashing up the hill into the Federals' line, with a shout they plunged through the felled timber and over the breastworks. The Union line had been pierced and was giving way, and the retreat was threatening to develop into a general rout. But the Federals at this moment were reënforced by the brigades of French and Meagher of Sumner's corps. This stopped the pursuit and, as night was at hand, the Southern soldiers withdrew. The battle of Gaines' Mill was then over.

General Lee believed that McClellan would retreat down the Peninsula, but on June 29th, this being the next day after the battle of Gaines' Mill, he became convinced that the Federals were moving towards the James River. Longstreet and A. P. Hill were again ordered to take up the pursuit of the Federals.

McClellan had left Sumner to guard his retreating columns. Sumner followed up in the rear of the Federals and brought his men to a halt at what is known as the "Peach Orchard," near Savage's Station, and successfully resisted the spirited fire of musketry and artillery of the Confederates. On this same Sunday evening he was attacked by General Magruder with a large force, who was following close on the heels of the Army of the Potomac. Magruder brought his artillery into action, but failed to dislodge the Federals. He then charged the Union breastworks and was met with a vigorous fire, and the battle raged over the entire field. Both sides stood their ground until darkness closed the contest. The battle of Savage's Station was now over. Before midnight Sumner had withdrawn his forces and was following after the wagon trains of McClellan.

The Confederates were pursuing McClellan in two columns, one led by Jackson and the other by Longstreet. The division under Longstreet came upon the Federals at Glendale, where they were guarding the right flank of the retreat. The Federals were attacked by a part of Longstreet's division led by General McCall, but was repulsed with great loss. Longstreet ordered a general attack. One Alabama brigade charged across the field in the face of the Union batteries. The men had to go a distance of 600 yards. The batteries let loose grape and canister, while volley after volley of musketry sent its death-dealing messages among the Southerners. But nothing except grim death itself could check their impetuous charge. Pausing for an instant, they delivered a volley of musketry and attempted to seize the guns. Bayonets were crossed and men engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle. Darkness closed on the fearful scene, yet the fighting continued. The Federals finally withdrew from the field to follow up their retreating columns.

There fell into the hands of the Confederates a field hospital, filled with the wounded, gathered from the fields of Gaines' Mill, Savage's Station and Glendale. These wounded were taken charge of as prisoners, along with their attending physicians. This proved to be a great burden to the Confederates, as they were taxed to their utmost caring for their own wounded.

By this series of engagements McClellan was enabled to reach Malvern Hill, on the James River, with his army intact. By noon on July 1st his last division had reached its position. The Confederates, led by Longstreet, were close on his trail, and were soon brought up to the Union outposts.

Malvern Hill, a plateau a mile and a half long and half a mile wide, with its top bare of woods, commanded a view of the country over which the Confederates must approach. Around the summit of this hill McClellan had placed tier after tier of batteries, arranged like an amphitheater. On the top were placed several heavy siege guns, his left flank being protected by the gunboats in the river. The morning and early afternoon were occupied by several Confederate attacks, sometimes formidable in their nature, but Lee planned for no general move until he could bring up a force which he thought sufficient to attack the strong position of the Federals. The Confederates had orders to advance, when a signal shout was given by the men of Armistead's brigade. The attack was made late in the afternoon by General D. H. Hill, and was gallantly done, but no army could have withstood the fire from the batteries of McClellan as they were massed upon Malvern Hill. All during the evening brigade after brigade tried to force the Union lines. They were forced to breast one of the most devastating storms of lead and canister to which an assaulting army has ever been subjected. The round shot and grape cut through the branches of the trees. Column after column of Southern soldiers rushed upon the death dealing cannon, only to be mowed down. Their thin lines rallied again and again to the charge, but to no avail. McClellan's batteries still hurled their missiles of death. The field below was covered with the dead, as mute pleaders in the cause of peace. The heavy shells from the gunboats on the river shrieked through the timber and great limbs were torn from the trees as they hurtled by. Darkness was falling over the combatants. It was nine o'clock before the guns ceased firing, and only an occasional shot rang out over the gory field of Malvern Hill.

The next day the Confederates, looking up through the drenching rain to where had stood the grim batteries and lines of blue, saw only deserted ramparts. The Federal army had retreated during the night to Harrison's Landing, where it remained until August.

President Lincoln became convinced that the operations from the James River as a base were impracticable, and orders were issued for the army to be withdrawn from the peninsula.

The net result of the Seven Days' Battles was a disappointment to the South, as the Southern public believed that McClellan should not have been allowed to reach the James River with his army intact, although the siege of Richmond had been raised.

Generals McClellan, Jackson, A. P. Hill, G. W. Smith, Joseph E. Johnston and Lee, as well as other commanding officers of this series of battles about Richmond, had been great friends. Some of them had attended school together at West Point, and many of them had enjoyed each other's fellowship while members of the Aztec Club in the City of Mexico, which was an organization of American officers, while for a few months they were in the Mexican capital at the close of the Mexican war. General Franklin Pierce was president of the club, who was afterwards President of the United States.

Generals McClellan and Joseph E. Johnston were special friends even after the war, and in a conversation with McClellan Johnston remarked "You never know what is in a man until you try to lick him."