388

MCCLELLAN’S CHANGE OF BASE AND MALVERN HILL.

and canister upon us, and we retired rapidly. Fast riding in the wrong direc-tion is not military, but it is sometimes healthy. We had taken one prisoner,a drunken Irishman, but he declined the honor of going back with us, andmade fight with his naked fists. A soldier asked me naively whether heshould shoot the Irishman or let him go. I am glad that I told him to let theman go, to be a comfort to his family. That Irishman must have had acharmed life. He was under the shelter of his gum-cloth coat hung ona stick, near the ford, when a citizen fired at him four times, from a dis-tance of about fifty paces; and the only recognition that I could see theman make was to raise his hand as if to brush off a fly. | One of the shellsset the farm-house on fire. We learned from the owner that Franklin’s corpswas in front of us.

Our cavalry returned by the lower ford, and pronounced it perfectly prac-ticable for infantry. But Jackson did not advance. * Why was this t It wasthe critical day for both commanders, but especially for McClellan. Withconsummate skill he had crossed his vast train of five thousand wagons andhis immense parks of artillery safely over White Oak Swamp, but he wasmore exposed now than at any time in his flank march. Three columns ofattack were converging upon him, and a strong corps was pressing uponhis rear. Escape seemed impossible for him, but he did escape, at the sametime inflicting heavy damage upon his pursuers. General Lee, through nofault in his plans, was to see his splendid prize slip through his hands. Long-street and A. P. Hill struck the enemy at Frayser’s farm (or Glendale) at 3p. M. on the 30th, and, both being always ready for a fight, immediatelyattacked. Magruder, who followed them down the Darbytown road, wasordered to the assistance of General Holmes on the Hew Market road, whowas not then engaged, and their two divisions took no part in the action.Huger, on the Charles City road, came upon Franklin’s left flank, but madeno attack. I sent my engineer officer, Captain W. F. Lee, to him through theswamp, to ask him whether he could not engage Franklin. He replied thatthe road was obstructed by fallen timber. So there were five divisions withinsound of the firing, and within supporting distance, but not one of themmoved. Longstreet and A. P. Hill made a desperate fight, contending againstSumner’s corps, and the divisions of McCall, Kearny, and Hooker; but theyfailed to gain possession of the Quaker road, upon which McClellan was re-treating. That night Franklin glided silently by them. He had to pass withineasy range of the artillery of Longstreet and Hill , but they did not know hewas there. It had been a gallant fight on their part. General Lee reported:“Many prisoners, including a general of division, McCall, were captured,and several batteries, with some thousands of small-arms, were taken.” Butas an obstruction to the Federal retreat, the fight amounted to nothing.

4 After the appearance of this article in “The man belonged to my company and told us, when heCentury” magazine, E. McLaughlin, of East Sagi- came to the company at Malvern Hill, that he hadnavv, Michigan , wrote me that he was a member been inside your lines and had been repeatedlyof Co. C of the 7th Maine Volunteers, General shot at. He further said that if he had had oneW. P. Smith’s division, and said: “The statement more canteen of whisky he could have held thein regard to the drunken Irishman is true. That position all day.”—D. H. H.