430
WITH THE CAVALRY ON THE PENINSULA.
pearance of our front on our left, south of theChiekahominy, I reported its perilous conditionto McClellan , who at once sent Colonel N. B.Sweitzer, of his staff, to me, and together we rodeto the front. As a result, orders were given atonce for slashing the forest, and positions for bat-teries and outposts were determined,— precau-tions which, three days later, disclosed their valuein the battle of Fair Oaks.
On the same day (27th) we were scratching theground away up to our right at Hanover CourtHouse, in invitation to McDowell to come downfrom Fredericksburg . Almost within his sight, andquite within his hearing, the principal northerngate to Richmond was set ajar, the Virginia Centraland the Kichmond and Fredericksburg railroadswere destroyed. In the resultant melee aboutHanover Court House, the cavalry, under Emory,Royall, Lawrence Williams, Chambliss, Whiting,Harrison, and Arnold, and Kush’s Oth Pennsyl-vania , aggressively attacked infantry, capturedwhole companies with arms, swept right, left, andrear, and generally filled the ideal of cavalry activ-ities in such a battle.
General Lee assumed command June 1st. Onthe 13th he announced himself, through hiscavalry, in Stuart’s raid around our army. Thisexpedition was appointed with excellent judg-ment, and was conducted with superb address.Stuart pursued the line of least resistance, whichwas the unexpected. His subordinate commanderswere Colonels Fitz Lee, W. H. F. Lee , and W. T.Martin, all intrepid cavalrymen. It was an easything to do, but being his first raid, Stuart was nerv-ous, and, imagining perils which did not exist, neg-lected one great opportunity — the destruction ofour base of supplies at the White House . Had he,at Garlick’s, exchanged purposes with his detach-ment, sending it on the road home while he withthe main body bent all his energies to the de-struction of our base of supplies, we might havehad something to lament even had we capturedhis command. On our side were developed manythings to remember with pride, and one thingto regret with mortification. The memories areglorious that not a single vedette or picket wassurprised, and that never was outpost duty morehonorably and correctly performed than by Cap-tain W. B. Koyall and Lieutenant McLean of the5th United States Cavalry. They met the enemyrepeatedly, and the lieutenant gave his life andthe captain was prostrated with saber woundsin resisting Stuart’s column. The killing of thedashing Confederate Captain Latane and severalmen with the saber, and the checking of the in-vading forces for an hour attest the courage anddevotion of Koyall and his picket. We had toregret that there was no reserve to the outpostwithin supporting distance, and that when thereserve was alarmed in its camp precious timewas lost by indirections. This raid of Stuart’sadded a new feature to cavalry history. A similarexpedition, however, had been projected previ-ously. Just before the Army of the Potomac ad-vanced on Manassas , in March, ’62, in a conferencewith General McClellan , it was suggested that I
should take my brigade, consisting of the 3d and8tli Pennsylvania Cavalry, the first brigade of cav-alry formed in the war, and go around the enemy,then at Manassas , destroying the bridge at Rap-pahannock Station, and that at Fredericksburg ;but the immediate movement of the enemy fromManassas prevented its being carried out.
Our general’s plans were not disturbed byStuart’s raid, and two days after it was over the3d Pennsylvania Cavalry crossed the Pamun-key River on our right and rear, ascended toKing William Court House and Ellett’s Mills,burned the bridge and ferry-boat, and a schoonerand other boats, and a storehouse containing30,000 bushels of grain. Scouts were pushed outmany miles in quest of news of Jackson’s coming.This was the last extension of our hands towardMcDowell, for Jackson came sooner than he wasexpected, on the 26th, the day upon which a gen-eral advance had been determined and the battleof Gaines’s Mill was opened.
McClellan met and mastered the occasion.Alert, radiant, and cheerful, he stood out in frontof his tent in his shirt-sleeves nearly all day of the2 6th listening to his army. To the north, across theChiekahominy, his clipped right wing, environedwith our cavalry, was sullenly retracting its linesto the position at Gaines’s Mill. Stoneman, withinfirmities that would have kept a man of less for-titude in hospital, was in the saddle confrontingStuart’s cavalry and covering the White HouseLanding.
The ensuing night was without rest for thecavalry. The strain of the following day to helpthe Fifth Corps to hold its ground until darkwill never be forgotten, and it was not devoid ofheroic cavalry effort. Fragments of the reserveunder General Cooke stood massed in the valleyof the Chiekahominy, on its left bank. About 5p. M., when it was evident that we were beingpressed on the right and left of our line by all theforce the enemy could bring into action againstPorter, and that we were not likely to bo ableto resist his attack, the cavalry was moved fromits masked position to the edge of the hill andplaced in a formation to charge, should a chargeseem likely to do good. It was there exposed tothe enemy’s fire, and must either retire, advance,or be destroyed. In a few minutes the order tocharge was given to the 5th Regulars, not 300strong. Chambliss, leading, rode as straight as manever rode, into the face of Longstreet’s corps, andthe 5th Cavalry was destroyed and dispersed. Sixout of the seven officers present and fifty menwere struck down. Chambliss, hit by sevenballs, lost consciousness, and when he recoveredfound himself in the midst of the enemy. Thecharge at Balaklava had not this desperation andwas not better ridden. Chambliss lay on the fieldten days, and was finally taken to Richmond , wherehe was rescued from death by the kind care ofGenerals Hood and Field. In this battle therewere two and a half squadrons of the 5th and twosquadrons of the IstU. S. Cavalry, three squadronsRush's Lancers (6th Pennsylvania Cavalry), andone squadron 4th Pennsylvania (Col. Childs).