TWO DAYS OF BATTLE AT SEVEN PINES.
26 3
AFTER THE BATTLE OE SEVEN BINES — PETTING TIIE WOUNDED ON CABS. FROM A SKETCH MADE AT THE TIME.
* I; mu
been thrown forward instead of being held far back on the railroad by Long-street’s order “ to repel any advance of the enemy up that road.” Instead ofputting his own troops into the tight, even late in the afternoon, Longstreetcalled on General Johnston for help, and complained of the latter’s u slowness.”
It is not proposed to speculate here upon what might have happened onthe second day, if General Longstreet had made any attempt to carry out theorders he received to renew the attack. But it may be well to emphasize thefact that if Longstreet’s division had promptly moved, on the Nine-mile road,at daybreak, May 31st, and been put in close action on that side, whilst D. H.Hill’s division attacked in front,— as Johnston certainly intended,— therewould have been no occasion to make excuses for the failure of complete Con-federate success in wiping out Keyes’s corps, early in the morning of May31st, before it could have been reenforced by either Heintzelman or Sumner.
On the 15th of May, the Union gun-boatsopened fire on the forts at Drewry’s Bluff, twelvemiles below Richmond , and soon after Johnston’sarmy retired, opening the way for McClellan’s ad-vance to within seven miles of Richmond , whosecitizens believed at this time that the Confederateauthorities would be compelled to evacuate the city.The archives were shipped to Columbia, S. C. , thepublic treasure was kept on cars ready for transpor-tation to a place of safety. Confidence was restoredbefore the battle of Seven Pines. On May 2 5th and2Gth, Lieutenant F. C. Davis, of the 3d Pennsyl-vania Cavalry, with eleven men rode from Bottom’sBridge, by way of White Oak Bridge and CharlesCity Court House, to the James River and com-municated with the gun-boat fleet. After the bat-tle of Seven Pines, General Lee determined to
defend Richmond on the line then held by his army.This fact, in connection with the success of Gen-eral Jackson in freeing the Shenandoah Valley ofUnion forces, restored the confidence of the peopleat Richmond . A large draft of soldiers from theranks furnished a laboring force to build intrench-ments, and slaves in the counties around Rich-mond were impressed for the work.
On the 18th of June, Brigadier-General CuvierGrover’s brigade, of Hooker’s division, made areconn oissance between the Williamsburg road andthe railroad, and found the Confederates in forcebehind earth-works. The divisions of Hooker andKearny advanced on the 25th to a point called OakGrove, about four miles from Richmond , in front ofSeven Pines. This was the nearest approach toRichmond during the investment by McClellan.
Editors.