ARMY OPERATIONS. 



95 



A report of this was sent to the commander- 

 in-chief, who ordered Gen. Stoneman on the 

 other road to press forward, and endeavor to 

 intercept this retiring force before its junction 

 with the main body, which was supposed to be 

 at "Williamsbtirg. Gen. Stoneman pushed for- 

 ward with all the rapidity possible in the miry 

 condition of the roads, and as lie came out at 

 the point where the road from Warwick Creek 

 united, he was saluted by an artillery fire from 

 numerous fieldworks known as Fort Magruder. 

 A vain attempt was made to take this work 

 with cavalry, during which Major "Williams dis- 

 played great bravery, but the column was 

 forced to retreat and await the arrival of the 

 infantry. Gen. Smith's division subsequently 

 arrived", but the lateness of the hour and the 

 heavy rain caused the attack to be put off. 



The pursuit by Gen. McClellan's forces had 

 been so rapid that the Confederate officers 

 found it to be necessary to give it a check, in 

 order to continue their retreat with success. 

 This led to the battle of "Williamsburg on the 

 next day, and the retreat of the Confederate 

 army. Their plan for the campaign was thus 

 developed. It was to delay the Federal army 

 as long as practicable at Yorktown. and thus 

 secure time to place Richmond in a defensive 

 condition, and also to meet them in final battle 

 near the marshes of the Chickahominy river. 



The Confederate position at "Williamsburg 

 consisted of thirteen works, extending nearly 

 across the peninsula. Excepting two or three 

 narrow roads, it was approachable only through 

 dense forests. These roads were made worse 

 by a heavy rain which commenced on Sunday 

 afternoon, the 4th, and continued during the 

 next day. 



"When Sunday night came, the division of 

 Gen. Smith, of Keyes's corps, had reached Gen. 

 Stoneman's position after he fell back from 

 Fort Magruder. Gen. Hancock's brigade form- 

 ed the advance of this division. Gen. Hooker, 

 of Heintzelman's corps, was approaching on the 

 left by the road from Warwick river. His force 

 consisted of the llth Massachusetts, 5th, 6th, 

 and 7th "Wisconsin, 26th Pennsylvania, Sickles's 

 New York brigade, and four batteries. Thus 

 the advance of the Federal line had arrived 

 within about two and a half miles of the works 

 at Williamsburg. The Union troops slept on 

 their arms without tents, without food, and in 

 a hard rain. The Confederates determined to 

 make the attack in the morning upon the 

 Federal left and rear. About eight o'clock they 

 threw out a body of infantry on their right, 

 which soon exchanged fire with the advance 

 of Gen. Hookers division. This continued in- 

 termittently for some tune. Some light batteries 

 became engaged, and drove the enemy back un- 

 til they came within range of his heavy guns, 

 when the former suffered severely. "Bram- 

 hall's battery lost all its horses, the guns became 

 mired, and the forces of the enemy pressing 

 upon it in greatly increased numbers, it was lost. 

 Encouraged by this success, the enemy pushed 



forward, and Gen. Hooker was finally forced 

 to give way and fall back, leaving his wounded, 

 about two thousand in number, behind. The 

 Confederates followed him as he fell back, until 

 the division of Gen. Kearney came up and re- 

 stored the battle. At the same time the enemy 

 was strongly reenforced, and the fight was sharp 

 and fierce. The state of the roads had pre- 

 vented an earlier arrival of Gen. Kearney's di- 

 vision. His intrepidity was brilliantly shown 

 on this occasion, although Gen. Heintzelman 

 commanded the joint divisions. Meantime the 

 part of the army on the road to the right remain- 

 ed passive. A single division only had come 

 up. Of this the brigade of Brig.-Gen. Peck, of 

 Couch's division of Gen. Casey's corps, was 

 ordered by Gen. Sumner, who was in chief 

 command, into the woods on the left toward 

 the point where the battle was raging against 

 Gen. Hooker's division. This brigade was com- 

 posed of the 93d, 98th, and 102d Pennsylvania, 

 the 55th and 62d New York, and "West's bat- 

 tery. Placed on the right of that division, with 

 other regiments amounting to six thousand men, 

 it stopped the Confederate advance by repuls- 

 ing with great obstinacy every attempt made. 

 Supported later in the day by Gen. Palmer's 

 brigade, they formed a strong centre. 



Gen. Smith's division had formed on the 

 right of the Federal line, and at an early hour 

 a reconnoissance was made with a view of find- 

 ing a route to the enemy's left flank. One was 

 finally found, which had been overflowed with 

 water by the enemy, and another was cut 

 through the woods. The only obstacles to reach- 

 ing the flank were two forts, strong from posi- 

 tion and construction. To explore this route 

 in force, and if possible occupy these works, 

 Gen. Hancock was sent forward in the after- 

 noon with his brigade. This consisted of the 

 6th and 7th Vermont, 5th "Wisconsin, 33d and 

 49th New York, and Kennedy's battery. The 

 two works were found to be unoccupied, and 

 garrisoned by his men. A third at a distance 

 he attacked with artillery and silenceu. The en- 

 emy, seeing the fatal consequences to themselves 

 from this attack, if successful, sent out two 

 brigades to drive back the Federal force. The 

 latter allowed them to come up, and received 

 them with a most destructive fire of artillery. 

 The enemy unshaken pushed forward within 

 thirty yards of the cannon's month, when they 

 wavered. Gen. Hancock, seizing the moment, 

 ordered his brigade to charge upon them with 

 the bayonet, which they could not withstand, 

 and broke and fled, leaving their dead and 

 wounded on the field. Gen. McClellan now ar- 

 rived, and gave orders to support Gen. Hancock, 

 and to press the advantage already gained in that 

 direction. In a few minutes seven thousand 

 men were on the march for that point. Night 

 fell before they reached it. and no more was 

 done that day. The ploughed land and the 

 day's rain made a soft bed on which the weary 

 soldiers sank down during that night. 



The success of Gen. Hancock on the Confed- 



