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intercept the march to the James. The difficulty was not at all with themovement of the troops, but with the immense trains that were to be movedvirtually by a single road, and required the whole army for their protection.With the exception of the cavalry affair on the Quaker road, we were nottroubled during this day south of the swamp, but there was severe fightingnorth of it. Sumner’s corps evacuated their works at daylight and fell backto Allen’s farm, nearly two miles west of Savage’s Station, Heintzelman beingon their left. Here Sumner was furiously attacked three times, but each timedrove the enemy back with much loss.
Soon afterward Franklin, having only one division with him, ascertainedthat the enemy had repaired some of the Chickahominy bridges and wasadvancing on Savage’s Station, whereupon he posted his division at thatpoint and informed Sumner, who moved his corps to the same place, arrivinga little after noon. About 4 p. m. Sumner and Franklin — three divisions inall — were sharply attacked, mainly by the Williamsburg road; the fightingcontinued until between 8 and 9 p. m., the enemy being at all times thoroughlyrepulsed, and finally driven from the field.
Meanwhile, through a misunderstanding of his orders, and being convincedthat the troops of Sumner and Franklin at Savage’s Station were ample forthe purpose in view, Heintzelman withdrew his troops during the afternoon,crossed the swamp at Brackett’s Ford, and reached the Charles City road withthe rear of his column at 10 p. M.
Slocum reached the position of Keyes’s corps early in the afternoon, and,as soon as the latter was thus relieved, it was ordered forward to the James,near Malvern Hill, which it reached, with all its artillery and trains, early onthe 30th. Porter was ordered to follow this movement and prolong the lineof Keyes’s corps to our right. The trains were pushed on in rear of thesecorps and massed under cover of the gun-boats as fast as they reached theJames, at Haxall’s plantation. As soon as the fighting ceased with the finalrepulse of the enemy, Sumner and Franklin were ordered to cross the swamp;this was effected during the night, the rear-guard crossing and destroying thebridge at 5 a. m. on the 30th. All the troops and trains were now between theswamp and the James, and the first critical episode of the movement wassuccessfully accomplished.
The various corps were next pushed forward to establish connection withKeyes and Porter, and hold the different roads by which the enemy couldadvance from Richmond and strike our line of march. I determined to holdthe positions now taken until the trains had all reached a place of safety, andthen concentrate the army near the James, where it could enjoy a brief restafter the fatiguing battles and marches through which it was passing, andthen renew the advance on Richmond.
General Franklin, with Smith’s division of his own corps, Richardson’s ofthe Second, and Xaglee’s brigade were charged with the defense of the WhiteOak Swamp crossing. Slocum held the ground thence to the Charles Cityroad; Kearny from that road to the Long Bridge road; McCall on hisleft; Hooker thence to the Quaker road ; Sedgwick at Nelson’s farm, in rear