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ST. PETER'S CHURCH, NEAR NEW KENT COURT HOUSE.
in the vicinity of Hanover Court House were entirely successful, and resultedin completely clearing our flank, cutting the railroads in several places,destroying bridges, inflicting a severe loss upon the enemy, and fully open-ing the way for the advance of McDowell’s corps. As there was no indicationof its immediate approach, and the position at Hanover Court House was toomuch exposed to be permanently held, General Porter’s command was with-drawn on the evening of the 29th, and returned to its old position with the
main army. The campaign had takenits present position in consequence ofthe assurance that I should be joinedby McDowell’s corps. As it was nowclear that I could not count with cer-tainty upon that force, I had to do thebest I could with the means at hand.
The first necessity was to establish se-cure communications between the twoparts of the army, necessarily separated
wmm H
FACTORY. RECORD OFFICE —COURT HOUSE. RUINS OF JAIL.
NEW KENT COURT HOUSE. 1-ROM A SKETCH MADE MAY 19, 1862.
by the Chickahominy. Richmond could be attacked only by troops on theright bank. As the expectation of the advance of McDowell was still heldout, and that only by the land route, I could not yet transfer the base to theJames, but was obliged to retain it on the Pamunkey, and therefore to keepon the left bank a force sufficient to protect our communications and coverthe junction of McDowell. It was still permissible to believe that sufficientattention would be paid to the simplest principle of war to push McDowellrapidly on Jackson’s heels, when he made his inevitable return march to jointhe main Confederate army and attack our right flank. The failure of Mc-Dowell to reach me at or before the critical moment was due to the ordershe received from Washington. The bridges over the Chickahominy first builtwere swept away by the floods, and it became necessary to construct others