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GIN'L LONGSTREET'S BODY-SARVANT, SAH,ENDU'IN 1 DE WAH I "
W HEN General Joseph E. Johnston was wounded atthe battle of Seven Pines, and General Lee assumedhis new duties as commander of the Army of North-' ern Virginia, General Stonewall Jackson was in theShenandoah Valley, and the rest of the Confederatetroops were east and north of Richmond in front ofGeneral George B. McClellan ’s army, then encampedabout the Chickahominy River, 100,000 strong, andpreparing for a regular siege of the Confederate cap-ital. The situation required prompt and successfulaction by General Lee . Very early in June he calledabout him, on the noted Nine-mile road near Rich-mond , all his commanders, and asked each in turnhis opinion of the military situation. I had my ownviews, but did not express them, believing that ifthey were important it was equally important thatthey should be unfolded privately to the commanding general. The next dayI called on General Lee , and suggested my plan for driving the Federalforces away from the Chickahominy. McClellan had a small force atMechanicsville, and farther back, at Beaver Dam Creek, a considerableportion of his army in a stronghold that was simply unassailable from thefront. The banks of Beaver Dam Creek were so steep as to be impassableexcept on bridges. I proposed an echelon movement, and suggested thatJackson be called down from the Valley, and passed to the rear of the Fed-eral right, in order to turn the position behind Beaver Dam, while the rest ofthe Confederate forces who were to engage in the attack could cross theChickahominy at points suitable for the succession in the move, and be readyto attack the Federals as soon as they were thrown from their position.After hearing me, General Lee sent General J. E. B. Stuart on his famousride around McClellan . The dashing horseman, with a strong reconnoiteringforce of cavalry, made a forced reconnoissance, passing above and around theFederal forces, recrossing the Chickahominy below them, and returning safeto Confederate headquarters. He made a favorable report of the situationand the practicability of the proposed plan. On the 23d of June GeneralJackson was summoned to General Lee ’s headquarters, and was there met byGeneral A. P. Hill, General D. H. Hill , and myself. A conference resulted inthe selection of the 26th as the day on which we should move against theFederal position at Beaver Dam. General Jackson was ordered down fromthe Valley. General A. P. Hill was to pass the Chickahominy with part of hisdivision, and hold the rest in readiness to cross at Meadow Bridge, following
j The usual spelling is Frazier or Frazer. The authority for the form here adopted is Captain E.
E. Frayser, of Eichmond.— Editors.
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