21 2
MANASSAS TO SENEN PINES.
of the Nine-mile road with the NewBridge road, where Magruder was withfour brigades.
Longstreet, as ranking officer of thetroops on the Williamsburg road, wasinstructed verbally to form D. H. Hill’sdivision as first line, and his own assecond, across the road at right angles,and to advance in that order to attackthe enemy; while Huger ’s divisionshould march by the right flank alongthe Charles City road, to fall upon theenemy’s flank when our troops wereengaged with him in front. Federalearth-works and abatis that might befound were to be turned. Gl. W. Smithwas to protect the troops under Long-street from attack by those of theFederal right wing across the Cliicka-hominy ; and, if snch transfer should not be threatened, he was to fall uponthe enemy on the Williamsburg road. Those troops were formed in fourlines, each being a division. Casey’s was a mile west of Seven Pines, with aline of skirmishers a half mile in advance ; Couch ’s was at Seven Pines andFair Oaks — the two forming Keyes’s corps. Kearny’s division was nearSavage’s Station, and Hooker’s two miles west of Bottom’s Bridge — the twoforming Heintzelman’s corps.
Longstreet’s command of the right was to end when the troops approachedSeven Pines and I should be present to direct the movements, after whicheach major-general would command his own division. The rain began to fallviolently in the afternoon of the 30th, and continued all night. In the morn-ing the little streams near our camps were so much swollen as to make itprobable that the Chickahominy was overflowing its banks and cutting thecommunication between the wings of the Federal army. Being confident thatLongstreet and D. H. Hill, with their forces united, would be successful in theearlier part of the action against adversaries formed in several lines, with wideintervals between them, I left the immediate control on the Williamsburg roadto them, under general instructions, and placed myself on the left, where Icould soonest learn of the approach of Federal reenforcements from theirright. For this scouts were sent forward to discover all movements thatmight be made by the enemy. J)
The condition of the ground and little streams delayed the troops in march-ing; yet those of Smith, Longstreet, and Hill were in position quite earlyenough. But the soldiers from Norfolk , who had seen garrison service only,
]) The map of Seven Pines, printed with this eeled because of incorrectness as to the positionspaper in “ The Century Magazine ” for May, 1885, of the opposing forces on the night of May 31st,was prepared by the editors, and has been can- as well as on the morning of June 1st.— Editors.
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