TIVO DAYS OF BATTLE AT SEVEN PINES.

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well out on the Williamsburg road in advance of D. H. Hill’s position. Thelatter fact is made clear by the following written statement of General Long-street, dated June 3d, 1862. He says :

“ The entire division of General Huger was left in advance upon retiring with the forcesfrom the late battle-field. He was absent yesterday, but not coming to report after being sentfor, I ordered General Stuart to take command of the division.”

This in itself shows, beyond doubt, that General Longstreet was exercisingcontrol over Huger and Huger’s division during these operations.

On the Nine-mile road the division under Whiting remained, for some daysafter the battle was ended, closely confronting Sumner’s corps near Fair Oaks.I 11 the letter already referred to, Colonel Frobel says:

“We remained in the position indicated until the afternoon, when the brigades were with-drawn a short distance to the shelter of heavy woods in our rear. I do not think after this thatwe changed our position for several days.”

Iu liis official report of what occurred the day after he was disabled and leftthe field, General Johnston says: “In the evening [June 1st] our troopsquietly returned to their own camps.”

The camps of the division under Whiting were on the Meadow Bridge road;this division remained 011 the Nine-mile road, a mile or more in advance ofMagruder’s line at Old Tavern. The camps of Huger’s division were on thebanks of Gilliss Creek, close to the suburbs of Richmond ; this divisionremained 011 the Williamsburg road, more than a mile in advance of Hill’scamps. The two divisions that did return to their camps left the field 011 themorning of June 2d—not “in the evening” of June 1st.

To complete this sketch of the battle of Seven Pines, it is essential tomention that, when I received General Longstreet’s note, dated 1:30 p. m.,June 1st, which ended with the exclamation, “Oh, that I had ten thousandmen more,” General Lee had just taken command of the army. He seemedvery much impressed by the state of affairs on the Williamsburg road asdepicted in General Longstreet’s note. I assured him, however, that Long-street was mistaken in supposing that the whole Federal army was opposedto him; that I had several hours before nearly stripped the Chickahominy,between New Bridge and Meclianicsville, in order to send him reenforce-ments ; and that the danger to Richmond , if any, was not then on theWilliamsburg road, if it ever had been.

General Lee gave me no orders that day. The fact that Longstreet’s andD. H. Hill’s divisions were sent back to their former camps induces me tobelieve that this was in compliance with orders given by General Lee to Gen-eral Longstreet—perhaps for the reason that on May 31st we had not fullysucceeded in crushing one Federal corps isolated at Seven Pines, and on June1st had lost all the ground beyond Seven Pines that we had gained the dayprevious.

I was completely prostrated on the 2d of June by an attack of paralysis,no symptom of which was manifested within eighteen hours after Lee relievedme of the command of the army. But, for that misfortune, I would certainly