LEE’S ATTACKS NORTH OF THE CHICKAHOMINY.
hile encamped, about noon on Monday, the 23d of June,1862, on the Williamsburg road, about a mile from the) battle-field of Seven Pines, in command of a division of/ the Confederate army, I received an order fromyW' General Lee to report immediately at his quarterson the Mechanicsville road. On ap-proaching the house which the generaloccupied, I saw an officer leaning overthe yard-paling, dusty, travel-worn, andapparently very tired. He raised him-self up as I dismounted, and I recog-nized General Jackson , who till thatmoment I had supposed was confront-ing Banks and Fremont far down the Valley of Virginia. He said that hehad ridden fifty-two miles since 1 o’clock that morning, having taken relaysof horses on the road. We went together into General Lee’s office. GeneralJackson declined refreshments, courteously tendered by General Lee, butdrank a glass of milk. Soon after, Generals Longstreet and A. P. Hill came in, and General Lee, closing the door, told us that he had determinedto attack the Federal right wing, and had selected our four commands toexecute the movement. He told us that he had sent Whiting’s divisionto reenforce Jackson, and that at his instance the Richmond papers hadreported that large reenforcements had been sent to Jackson “with aview to clearing out the Valley of Virginia and exposing Washington.”He believed that General McClellan received the Richmond papers regu-larly, and he (Lee) knew of the nervous apprehension concerning Washing-ton. J He then said that he would retire to another room to attend to someoffice work, and would leave us to arrange the details among ourselves.The main point in his mind seemed to be that the crossings of the Chicka-hominy should be uncovered by Jackson ’s advance down the left bank, sothat the other three divisions might not suffer in making a forced passage.
During the absence of General Lee, Longstreet said to Jackson : “As youhave the longest march to make, and are likely to meet opposition, you hadbetter fix the time for the attack to begin.” Jackson replied: “ Daylight ofthe 26th.” Longstreet then said: “You will encounter Federal cavalry androads blocked by felled timber, if nothing more formidable: ought you notto give yourself more time?” When General Lee returned, he ordered
) I do not know how far the Federals were de-ceived by the announcement of reinforcementssent to Jackson, but during the Seven Days’ bat-tles I read in a Northern paper a letter from Stras-burg, Va. , of the 25th of June, stating that they
were expecting Stonewall Jackson there, and wereso well fortified that they would give him a warmreception. Jackson ’s corps was then at Ashland,within twelve miles of Kichmond. He certainlyhad slipped off without observation.— D. H. H.
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