256

TWO DAYS OF BATTLE AT SEVEN PINES.

Meagher's brigade, while I advanced my regiment to occupy the ground. We moved forwardin line of battle through a thick wood, and about three hundred yards from the railroad trackencountered the rebel line of battle. . . . The fire was now very close and deadly, the ;

opposing lines being several times not over thirty yards apart. When about ordering another[the third] charge I was struck by a rifle-ball. . . . Lieutenant-Colonel Langley then took

command of the regiment, and, the rebels endeavoring to flank us, he brought off the regimentin excellent order, carrying most of our wounded.”

It was now about 11 a. m., perhaps earlier. The fighting was practicallyended when the 5th New Hampshire withdrew from in front of the positiondefended by Pickett’s brigade. I 11 the meantime, however, there had beensome sharp firing, and for a short time a little close fighting, on the Williams-burg road, between the two Confederate brigades under General Wilcox andseven regiments of Hooker’s division and the left regiment of Birney’s three.

The two regiments of the right wing of French ’s brigade also advanced intothe wood a short time before the action was ended. [For losses, see p. 218.]

On the Confederate side, Gleneral D. H. Hill, in his official report, says thatat daylight, June 1st, he “ learned that heavy reenforcements had come up tothe support of Keyes,” and “ that Q-eneral (1. W. Smith had been checkedupon the Nine-mile road, and that no help could be expected in that direction.” j

He adds: “ I therefore resolved to concentrate my troops around the captured j

works.” This resolution was formed in the absence of any instructions “ what- !

ever ” from his chief, General Longstreet, and he certainly received none from j

me. It now appears that after Longstreet, about 10 a. m., May 31st, assumed j

control of Huger and Huger’s division, all the brigades, when sent to the I

front, were ordered to report to General D. H. Hill. I did not know that Gen- i

eral Longstreet had, for the time being, virtually given up to General Hillthe command of the three divisions on the Williamsburg road ; much less didI know, or even suspect, that General Longstreet made no attempt, June 1st,to carry into effect the order I gave him to renew the attack. The official j

reports show that D. H. Hill commanded the thirteen brigades in the right wing ;

that day. It is now proposed to tell what he did with them. It will be seen ;

that he ordered the brigades of Pickett and Mahone to attack, and, by infer-ence, that Armistead’s brigade was ordered to attack; that the brigades of Wil-cox and Pryor were ordered to retire, and that the brigades of Mahone andColston, just as the fighting ended, were ordered to assist Pickett in the defen-sive position he had taken up after Armistead’s three regiments were repulsed.

General Pickett, in his official report, says that his brigade marched atdaylight from its position back on the railroad, and, in compliance with jGeneral Longstreet’s orders given the evening before, reported to GeneralD. H. Hill at Casey’s redoubt. He adds:

“ My brigade had marched on some four hundred yards in advance of this point when it wasthere halted. General Hill directed me to ride over to the railroad and communicate withBrigadier-General Hood, whose right was resting on that road. I asked General Hill of thewhereabouts of the enemy. He said they were some distance in advance — in fact, I had nodefinite idea where.”

It is very clear that to the Confederates on the Williamsburg road theexpression “ in advance ” meant toward the east. But Pickett’s instructions