222

TIVO DAYS OF BATTLE AT SEVEN PINES.

the Confederates were more worried by the deep mud through which they werepatiently trudging than they were by any movements of the Federals. In aletter to me from Palo Alto, on the Charles City road, dated Headquarters,Second Corps, May 8th, General Longstreet says :

“If your road can beat this for mud, I don’t want to see it.” “If you see the General[Johnston], say to him that we are as happy as larks over here, till we get 126 wagons [the totalnumber] up to the hub at one time.” “ I don’t fear McClellan or any one in Yankeedom.”

When my command had passed the Baltimore Cross-roads, four and a halfmiles west of New Kent Court House, and had reached position about half-way between the Pamunkey and Chicka-hominy rivers, on good ground, they werehalted. Longstreet’s corps was again with-in easy supporting distance of mine, andGeneral Johnston intended in that vicin-ity to contest the further advance of Mc-Clellan’s army. We remained there aboutfive days. The troops, having rested fromthe tiresome service iu the trenches nearYorktown, and the fatiguing march, werenow furnished with abundant suppliesfrom Richmond , and were elated at theprospect of meeting the enemy on an openfield of battle.

General Johnston then supposed thatsomething effective had been done by theGovernment for the local defense of Rich-mond , during the month that had elapsed since his army moved from thereto the peninsula. On the 14th of May he learned, through his chief engi-neer, that little or nothing — either in the way of fortifications or of troops—had been provided; and that the enemy, on the James River, were aboveCity Point, and threatening Drewry’s Bluff, as well as the obstruction in theAppomattox, four and a half miles below Petersburg. This report closedwith the remark: “ The danger is on the south side of James River.”

On the same day General Johnston received intelligence of the destructionof the Confederate iron-clad Virginia — called by the Federals the Merrimac.

MAJOR-GENERAL SAMUEL lb HEINTZELMAN.FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

number of gun-boats, and made a landing thesame day. General Franklin, in a letter on thissubject, dated November 25th, 1881, says:

“ My instructions were to await orders after landing,and not to advance. . . . We were attacked on the7th, the object of tlie enemy being to drive us into theriver. We hadnot made any attempt to advance, as suchan attempt would have been in conflict with my orders. ”

General John Newton, commander of the Fed-eral brigade most heavily engaged, states:

“ The enemy was not only repelled in his attemptupon our position, but at the end of the day we occupiedwith our troops a position in advance of that held atthe commencement of the action.”

General Gustavus W. Smith , who commandedthe Confederate troops engaged, says :

“On the morning of the 7th, after becoming satisfiedthat the enemy did not intend to advance in force fromunder the protection of their gun-boats, I directedGeneral Whiting to drive their skirmishers from thedense woods, and endeavor to get position in the openground between the woods and the river, from whichhe could reach their place of landing and their transportswith his artillery fire.”

In this action the Union losses were 48 killed,110 wounded, 28 missing; total, 186. The Con-federate losses were 8 killed and 40 wounded;total, 48. — Editors.