92 



AEMY OPEEATIONS. 



rifled one-hundred pounders, and could have 

 sunk the entire fleet of these gunboats. The 

 James river, which bounded the peninsula on 

 the south, was in full possession of the enemy. 

 The line of defence at Yorktown was selected 

 with great judgment. Taking advantage of the 

 highest ground on the peninsula at that place, 

 and projecting a line of intrenchments and forts 

 bearing a little southwest to a point connecting 

 with the head of Warwick river, the enemy had 

 continued his works down that stream to James 

 river, making the entire distance from point to 

 point eight and a half miles. While the flat and 

 marshy surface of the peninsula, together with 

 streams constantly fed Avith copious supplies 

 of water from the swamps, afforded peculiar 

 means of defence, it was equally unfavorable 

 to offensive operations, especially when distant 

 from the harbor for supplies and with bad 

 roads. The country was also covered with 

 dense forests of pine, which formed a valuable 

 shield to the positions of the enemy. 



From the 5th to the 8th, when the unfavor- 

 able weather suspended active hostilities on 

 both sides, there were frequent skirmishes, and 

 firing by artillery, to prevent the enemy from 

 constructing further defences and mounting 

 additional guns, with few casualties on either 

 side. On the 8th, 9th, and 10th there was a 

 succession of extraordinary storms of rain and 

 hail with some sleet and snow. The enemy 

 took advantage of this weather to complete 

 their defences. Much work was done in the 

 interval by the Federal army in making and 

 corduroying roads to the depots, &c. 



When the army left Fortress Monroe, Gen. 

 Keyes with three divisions proceeded along 

 the James river until he reached the Warwick. 

 In seeking for a ford he discovered the Confed- 

 erate line of defence. Dykes had been erected 

 in different parts of this stream, converting it 

 into a kind of pond. These dams were defend- 

 ed by redoubts, artillery, and rifle pits. 



The supplies of the army consisted in provi- 

 sions for two days, which each soldier had taken. 

 After these two days the army was entirely 

 dependent on the wagons for subsistence. 

 It was therefore necessary to construct roads. 

 These were made by cutting down trees of 

 equal size, and from one foot to eighteen inches 

 in diameter, and placing the pieces from twelve 

 or eighteen feet in length, side by side, on the 

 ground. All the infantry that were not on 

 picket duty on the outposts, were employed 

 up to their knees in mud and water in this la- 

 bor. By this means the cannon and wagons 

 arrived at places where otherwise it would 

 have been impossible to have brought them. 



In order to avoid the delays of a siege, Gen. 

 McClellan had formed a plan to turn the posi- 

 tion at Yorktown. This was to be done by ef- 

 fecting a landing on the Severn river, north and 

 in the rear of Gloucester, by which this latter 

 position might be carried, and thus render the 

 York river less difficult of entrance by the gun- 

 boats. The Federal force could then have ad- 



vanced up the left bank of the York river, 

 in the direction of West Point, and rendered 

 the position of the Confederate army most per- 

 ilous, if they had persisted in holding it. The 

 execution of this movement had been confided 

 to the corps of Gen. McDowell, which was to 

 have embarked the last of all, at Alexandria, 

 and arrive at Yorktown at the moment when 

 the rest of the army, coming from Fortress Mon- 

 roe, appeared before that place. This corps of 

 Gen. McDowell was detained, as has already 

 been stated. The effect of its detention is thus 

 stated by Prince De Joinville : 



" We received the inexplicable and unexplain- 

 ed intelligence that this corps had been sent to 

 another destination. The news was received 

 by the army with dissatisfaction, although the 

 majority could not then foresee the deplorable 

 consequences of an act performed, it must be 

 supposed, with no evil intention, but with in- 

 conceivable recklessness. Fifteen days earlier 

 this measure, although it Avould always have 

 been injurious, would not have had so bad an 

 effect ; for new arrangements might have been 

 made. Now, it was the mainspring removed 

 from a great work already begun. It deranged 

 everything. Among the divisions of the corps of 

 Gen. McDowell there was one that of Franklin 

 which was regretted more than all the rest, 

 both on account of the troops themselves and of 

 the officers commanding them. The command- 

 er-in-chief had carefully superintended its or- 

 ganization during the winter. He held it in great 

 esteem and earnestly demanded its restoration. 

 It was sent back to him, without any explana- 

 tion, in the same manner as it had been with- 

 drawn. This splendid division eleven thou- 

 sand strong arrived, and for a moment the 

 commander thought of intrusting to it alone 

 the storming of Gloucester ; but the idea was 

 abandoned." 



The next step was to search the Confederate 

 line of defence for weak points. It was believ- 

 ed that if any were found and forced, the result 

 would be, that the enemy would, as is usual 

 in such cases, believe that his position was turn- 

 ed at both extremities, and his forces would 

 become demoralized. Then if he was vigor- 

 ously pushed with overwhelming force, a seri- 

 ous, if not fatal disaster might be inflicted 

 on his army. This point was supposed to 

 exist about the centre of the line, on War- 

 wick river or creek, below Winn's Mills and 

 near Lee's Mills. Here the Federal forces had 

 thrown up a considerable work, with wings for 

 riflemen, in which guns were mounted. Di- 

 rectly opposite the enemy, were protected by a 

 demi-lune with two embrasures, with long in- 

 fantry epaulements extending from each wing. 

 An open field some six or seven hundred yards 

 in width intervened. The enemy's works rest- 

 ed on the skirts of a pine forest, while the Fed- 

 eral were in the centre of the field. The forest 

 extended like a curtain clear across the north 

 edge of the field, in which sharpshooters on 

 either side were posted. 



