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36 chapters
PREFACE.
PREFACE.
It will be many years before a complete history of the operations of the armies of the Union can be written; but that is not a sufficient reason why historical pictures may not now be painted from such materials as have come to hand. This volume, therefore, is a sketch of the operations of the Army of the Potomac from August, 1861, to November, 1862, while commanded by General McClellan. To avoid detail, the organization of the army is given in an Appendix. It has not been possible, in a book of
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INTRODUCTORY.
INTRODUCTORY.
For more than three years I have followed the flag of our country in the East and in the West and in the South,—on the ocean, on the land, and on the great rivers. A year ago I gave in a volume entitled "My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field" a description of the Battle of Bull Run, and other battles in Kentucky, Tennessee, and on the Mississippi. It has been my privilege to witness nearly all the great battles fought by the Army of the Potomac,—Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, at the Wild
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ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
The battle of Bull Run, or of Manassas, as the Rebels call it, which was fought on the 21st of July, 1861, was the first great battle of the war. It was disastrous to the Union army. But the people of the North were not disheartened by it. Their pride was mortified, for they had confidently expected a victory, and had not taken into consideration the possibility of a defeat. The victory was all but won, as has been narrated in "My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field," when the arrival of a briga
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BALL'S BLUFF.
BALL'S BLUFF.
There were but two events of importance during the long period of inactivity in the autumn of 1861,—a disaster at Ball's Bluff and a victory at Dranesville. In October General Stone's division of the Army of the Potomac was at Poolesville in Maryland. General Banks's division was at Darnestown, between Poolesville and Washington. General McCall's division was at a little hamlet called Lewinsville, on the turnpike leading from the chain bridge to Leesburg, on the Virginia side. The main body of t
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BATTLE OF DRANESVILLE AND THE WINTER OF 1862.
BATTLE OF DRANESVILLE AND THE WINTER OF 1862.
On the old turnpike which leads from the Chain Bridge above Georgetown to Leesburg there is a hamlet of a half-dozen houses, called Dranesville. The great road to Alexandria joins the turnpike there, also a road which leads to Centreville. Near the junction of the roads, on the west side of the turnpike, there is a large brick house, a fine old Virginia mansion, owned by Mr. Thornton, surrounded by old trees. Just beyond Mr. Thornton's, as we go toward Leesburg, is Mr. Coleman's store, and a sma
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THE SIEGE OF YORKTOWN.
THE SIEGE OF YORKTOWN.
The Rebel army suddenly evacuated Centreville, Manassas, and the line of the Potomac, carrying off everything of value. The Army of the Potomac moved on the 9th of March to Manassas, beheld the deserted encampments, returned to Alexandria, and sailed for Fortress Monroe. General McClellan decided to advance upon Richmond by the Peninsula, between the York and James Rivers. General McDowell, with McCall's and King's divisions, was stationed at Fredericksburg, to cover Washington. Blenker's divisi
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BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG.
BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG.
The first battle in the Peninsular campaign of the Army of the Potomac was fought at Williamsburg, one of the oldest towns in Virginia. It was settled in 1632, and was capital of the Colony for many years before the Revolution. William and Mary's College is there, which was endowed by the king and queen of England with twenty thousand acres of land, and a penny on every pound of tobacco sent out of the Colony, and duties on all the furs and skins. The college buildings were designed by Sir Chris
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ON THE CHICKAHOMINY.
ON THE CHICKAHOMINY.
On the 16th of May the whole army, with the exception of Hooker's division, which remained at Williamsburg, was at the White House on the Pamunkey, where a permanent depot was established. The cavalry under General Stoneman, and the infantry pickets, were on the banks of the Chickahominy. General McClellan called for reinforcements. In response, the President informed him, on the 18th, that General McDowell had been ordered to march from Fredericksburg to join him by the shortest route, but was
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THE AFFAIR AT HANOVER COURT-HOUSE.
THE AFFAIR AT HANOVER COURT-HOUSE.
Fourteen miles north of Richmond is Hanover Court-House. A Rebel force was stationed there, commanded by General Branch. On the 27th of May, General Fitz-John Porter, with Emory's brigade of cavalry, and Martindale's, Butterfield's, McQuade's, and Warren's brigades of infantry, proceeded to drive the Rebels from the place, and make a junction with McDowell. At noon General Emory, with the cavalry, came upon the enemy about two miles east of the Court-House, where the road forks,—the right hand r
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FAIR OAKS.
FAIR OAKS.
Seven miles from Richmond, near the York River Railroad, there is a grove of oaks, so green, so beautiful and fair, that the railroad station has received the name of Fair Oaks. A highway from Richmond crosses the railroad near the station called the Nine-Mile Road. The railroad runs east and the Nine-Mile Road southeast. The highway from Richmond to Williamsburg runs parallel to the railroad about a mile south of it, and is crossed by the Nine-Mile Road, a mile southeast from Fair Oaks. At the
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SEVEN DAYS OF FIGHTING.
SEVEN DAYS OF FIGHTING.
The chances for taking Richmond became less with each day's delay. While the Army of the Potomac were digging and delving in the swamps, and constructing batteries, their ranks thinning out by disease, the Rebels, also, were hard at work erecting defensive batteries, on firm ground, and mounting guns of large caliber. Their ranks, instead of growing thin, were filling up. Troops were hurried in from all parts of the South. The Conscript law which the Confederate Congress had passed was in operat
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BATTLE OF MECHANICSVILLE.
BATTLE OF MECHANICSVILLE.
If we were to start in a skiff at the bridge on the Brooke road, and float down the slow and winding Chickahominy three miles, we should come first to Meadow Bridge, on the road leading from Richmond to Shady-Grove Church. Two miles farther would bring us to the Mechanicsville Turnpike. The little village of Mechanicsville is two miles towards the north. Two miles below the Mechanicsville Bridge is the Upper Trestle Bridge, built by General McClellan. Two miles farther down is New Bridge, on the
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THE BATTLE OF GAINES'S MILLS.
THE BATTLE OF GAINES'S MILLS.
The battle which was fought on the 27th of June is known in the South as the battle of Coal Harbor; in the North, as the battle of Gaines's Mills. General Fitz-John Porter commanded the Union troops, and General Lee the Rebel army. Starting from the Chickahominy and traveling up the little creek which supplies Dr. Gaines's Mill with water, we come to the battle-field, which lies on our right hand, east of the creek. The ravine is narrow and the banks on both sides are steep. General Porter has c
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THE MOVEMENT TO JAMES RIVER.
THE MOVEMENT TO JAMES RIVER.
On the morning of the 28th, General Keyes and General Porter, followed by long trains of wagons and herds of cattle, moved towards the south, through the dark forests of White-Oak Swamp. At White-House landing, sloops, schooners, barges, and steamers were departing for Yorktown. At Savage Station the torch was applied to all the stores which could not be removed. Barrels of pork, beef, sugar, bags of coffee, boxes of bread, were destroyed. A railroad train loaded with ammunition was standing on
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BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
Lee's divisions, one after another, filed across the hastily repaired bridges. General Franklin was north of the railroad. He saw them, and sent word to General Sumner, who fell back with Franklin to Savage Station. General Franklin was on the right, Sumner in the center, and Heintzelman nearer Richmond on the left. There was a misunderstanding of orders; and General Heintzelman moved across White-Oak Swamp, which exposed Sumner's left flank to the enemy. Through the long Sabbath hours, these tr
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BATTLE OF GLENDALE.
BATTLE OF GLENDALE.
"Glendale" is the euphonious name given by Mr. Nelson to his farm, which is located two miles south of White-Oak Swamp. It is a place where several roads meet; from the north, the Swamp road; from the east, the Long-Bridge road; from the south, the road leading to Malvern Hill; from the southwest, the Newmarket road; from the northwest, the Charles City road, leading to Richmond. There are farm-houses, groves, ravines, wheat-fields waving with grain. Upon the Malvern road, there is a church. Wes
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THE BATTLE OF MALVERN.
THE BATTLE OF MALVERN.
The battle-field of July 1st, 1862, bears the pleasant name of Malvern. It is on the north bank of the James,—an elevated plain near the river, but declining gently towards the north,—divided into corn and wheat fields, bordered on the east and west and south by wooded ravines. The estate is owned by Dr. Carter. Although it bears a name so pleasant, there have been sad scenes upon those fertile fields,—not alone the shock, roar, and horror of a great battle, but the low wail of mothers for their
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AFFAIRS IN FRONT OF WASHINGTON.
AFFAIRS IN FRONT OF WASHINGTON.
The prospects of the Rebels, which were so gloomy in April, were bright once more. They had driven the Army of the Potomac away from Richmond. It was August. A month had passed and General McClellan had shown no disposition to advance again upon Richmond. A consultation was held in that city. President Davis said that the time had come to strike a great blow. General Pope was in front of Washington with forty thousand men. It was determined to crush him, invade Maryland, and capture Baltimore an
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BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN.
BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN.
Fertile and fair are the farms of Culpepper, as beautiful as any in the Old Dominion. They are watered by swiftly running streams. Their slopes are verdant and sunny, sheltered by the Blue Ridge from wintry blasts. Beyond the town of Culpepper, towards the south, there is a hillock, called Cedar Mountain, which rises abruptly, and in shape like a sugar-loaf. Near the Mountain is the house of Rev. Mr. Slaughter. Robinson's Creek winds through his farm, south of the Mountain, on its course to the
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BATTLE OF GROVETON.
BATTLE OF GROVETON.
The morning of the 29th dawned calm, clear, and beautiful. Sigel obeyed orders. He was on the northwest corner of the old battle-field, near Dogan's house. Jackson was north of the turnpike, his right resting on Bull Run, at Sudley Springs, and his left on the turnpike near Groveton, along the line of an unfinished railway. Schurz was on the right in Sigel's corps, Milroy in the center, Schenck on the left, with Steinwehr in reserve. For an hour there was the deep roll of artillery. Then the lin
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THE RETREAT TO WASHINGTON.
THE RETREAT TO WASHINGTON.
General Sumner and General Franklin joined General Pope at Centreville. But the army was disorganized. The defeat, the want of co-operation on the part of some of the officers of the Army of the Potomac, had a demoralizing influence. General McClellan was at Alexandria. On the 29th, while Pope was trying to crush Jackson before the arrival of Longstreet, waiting anxiously for the appearance of Porter, who had disobeyed the order given him, the President, solicitous to hear from the army, inquire
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INVASION OF MARYLAND.
INVASION OF MARYLAND.
" We are going to liberate Maryland," said a Rebel officer to a friend of mine who was taken prisoner at Catlett's Station. Throughout the South it was believed that the people of Maryland were down-trodden and oppressed, that the soldiers of President Lincoln prevented them from expressing their sympathy with the rebellion. In every Southern home and in the Rebel army, there was one song more popular than all others, entitled "Maryland." General Lee had no intention of attacking Washington. It
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BARBARA FRIETCHIE.
BARBARA FRIETCHIE.
General Lee had a plan to execute other than the liberation of Maryland,—the invasion of Pennsylvania. "We treat the people of Maryland well, for they are our brothers, but we intend to make the North howl," one of the officers said. "Lee will cut his way to Philadelphia, and dictate terms of peace in Independence Square. He will stand with torch in hand and demand Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri, and peace, or he will lay that city in ashes," said another. But before he could venture
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BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN.
BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN.
Early in the forenoon of Sunday, the 14th of September, General Burnside, leading the Union army, ascended a high hill, a few miles west of Frederick, and looked down upon one of the loveliest valleys in the world. At his feet was the village of Middletown; beyond it, in the bottom of the valley, the Catoctin Creek winds through ever verdant meadows, past old mansions, surrounded with well-filled barns. North and south, far as the eye can reach, are wheat and clover fields, and acres of corn put
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SURRENDER OF HARPER'S FERRY.
SURRENDER OF HARPER'S FERRY.
Lee was successful in what he had undertaken at Harper's Ferry. While Burnside was winning this victory, Colonel Miles was yielding that important post. He abandoned the strong position on Maryland Heights, tumbled the cannon down the mountain, when he might have kept McLaw and Anderson from gaining possession of the place. Jackson kept up a furious bombardment. Miles hung out the white flag, and was killed immediately after by a shell. His troops were indignant at the surrender. Some shed tears
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BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.
The army had been re-organized. It was not altogether the same army which had fought the battles of the Peninsula. The First corps, under the command of General Hooker, contained Doubleday's, Meade's, and Ricketts's divisions. Doubleday's troops were formerly under McDowell. They had been under fire at Cedar Mountain, and held the left at Groveton. Meade commanded the Pennsylvania Reserves. McCall, their first commander, was a prisoner. Reynolds, who succeeded to the command, was in Pennsylvania
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HOOKER'S ATTACK.
HOOKER'S ATTACK.
Five o'clock. It is hardly daylight, as the pickets, straining their sight, bringing their muskets to a level with their eyes, aim at the dusky forms stirring amid the corn-leaves, and renew the contest. There are bright flashes from the strip of woods, and from the ridge behind Poffenberger's. The first Rebel shell bursts in the Sixth Wisconsin, prostrating eight men. Hooker's guns, in the edge of the woods west of Hoffman's, are quick to respond. Meade's division, composed of Seymour's, Magilt
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SUMNER'S ATTACK.
SUMNER'S ATTACK.
Sedgwick's division of Sumner's corps has been coming into line in Miller's cornfield. If it had been earlier on the ground it would have been of infinite value. It is a noble division, led by an able commander. General Sumner himself is there, gray-haired, sober, vigilant, watchful. He examines the ground and the positions of the enemy. Sedgwick forms his division in three lines. Dana in front, Gorman in the second, and Howard in the third line. They pass in front of Mansfield's troops towards
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THE CENTER.
THE CENTER.
There was a lull in the battle after the terrible fight around the church. General French's division, of Sumner's corps, followed Sedgwick across the Antietam. The division, after crossing the stream, turned to the left, marching through the fields towards the house of Mr. Muma. Richardson, as soon as he crossed the bridge, filed to the left, moved along the bank of the river, crossed a little brook which springs from the hillside near Rulet's, encountered Hill's skirmishers, drove them up the r
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RICHARDSON'S ATTACK.
RICHARDSON'S ATTACK.
While French was thus dealing with General D. H. Hill, Richardson was engaging Longstreet. Richardson crossed the Antietam about ten o'clock. He marched down the western bank, across the farm of Mr. Newkirch, crossing the little stream coming down from Rulet's. He moved to gain the high knolls between Rulet's and the Boonesboro' road. Having crossed the brook, he faced west, drove in the Rebel pickets, and ascended the nearest knoll. All of Longstreet's batteries opened upon him, but his men mov
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GENERAL FRANKLIN'S ARRIVAL.
GENERAL FRANKLIN'S ARRIVAL.
It was past noon when General Franklin's corps arrived upon the field. The troops had marched all the morning from Crampton's Pass. General Smith's division was in advance, followed by Slocum's. The corps crossed the Antietam, following the line over which Sedgwick had marched. The Rebels were, at that hour, moving down from Sharpsburg to turn Caldwell's left flank. Hancock had just taken command of the division. He sent to Franklin for help. He was short of artillery. Franklin sent him Hexamer'
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GENERAL BURNSIDE'S ATTACK.
GENERAL BURNSIDE'S ATTACK.
General Burnside's task was the hardest of all. The banks of the river by the lower bridge are steep and high, and the land on both sides is broken. The road leading to the bridge winds down a narrow ravine. The bridge is of stone, with three arches. It is twelve feet wide, and one hundred and fifty feet long. The western bank is so steep that one can hardly climb it. Oak-trees shade it. Half-way up the hill there is a limestone quarry,—excavations affording shelter to sharpshooters. At the top
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AFTER THE BATTLE.
AFTER THE BATTLE.
The army commanded by General Lee in the battle, according to Pollard, the Southern historian, numbered seventy thousand. General McClellan states in his report that it was ninety-seven thousand. His estimate was made up from information obtained from deserters, spies, and prisoners:— General McClellan's forces were:— Each division had its own artillery, which is enumerated in the above statement. There were twelve thousand four hundred and sixty-nine killed, wounded, and missing from McClellan'
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THE MARCH FROM HARPER'S FERRY TO WARRENTON.
THE MARCH FROM HARPER'S FERRY TO WARRENTON.
The month of October passed. Pontoons were finally laid across the Potomac. They were down several days before the enemy moved, and General Lee, through his scouts and spies, undoubtedly had information of what was going on. The army commenced crossing on the 27th, but the divisions were not all over till the 1st of November. Lee had moved a week before, and was at Culpepper, with the exception of his rear-guard, Stuart's cavalry, and a force in the Shenandoah Valley. Up to this period of the wa
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REMOVAL OF GENERAL McLELLAN.
REMOVAL OF GENERAL McLELLAN.
It was a pleasant march from Harper's Ferry to Warrenton. The roads were in excellent condition; dry and hard. The troops were in good spirits; living on turkeys, chickens, pigs, and mutton. They marched ten or twelve miles a day, built roaring fires at night, and enjoyed the campaign. The army was a week in reaching Warrenton. General McClellan was waited upon there by a messenger from Washington, who delivered him a sealed envelope containing orders relieving him of the command of the army and
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ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, APRIL, 1862.
ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, APRIL, 1862.
Emory's Brigade. 5th U. S. Cavalry. 6th " " 6th Penn. " Blake's Brigade. 1st U. S. Cavalry. 8th Penn. " Barker's Squadron, Ill. Cavalry. 4 10-pds. Parr. 2 Napoleon 15th New York Volunteers. 50th " " " Companies "A," "B," and "C," U. S. Engineers. 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery. Col. Tyler. Cavalry. 8th Illinois Cavalry. Col. Farnsworth. One Squadron 6th New York Cavalry. Artillery. Infantry. Howard's Brigade. 5th N. H. Vols. 81st Penn. " 61st N. Y. " 64th
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