100 



AKMY OPERATIONS. 



ter's corps, commenced its march in a heavy 

 rain which had continued all night. It turned 

 off from the road to New Bridge, and took that 

 to Hanover Court House. The whole column 

 marched fifteen miles steadily, with great ra- 

 pidity, and with very little straggling. Soon 

 after noon the enemy's pickets were met and 

 driven in. This was near the railroad and 

 about four miles from the Court House. The 

 advance, consisting of Gen. Martindale's brigade, 

 composed in part of the 18th and 22d Massa- 

 chusetts, 2d Maine, and 25th New York, had 

 met the enemy in considerable force. The lat- 

 ter regiment suffered severely by the enemy on 

 either flank, until the artillery opened its fire. 

 This continued for half an hour, when the arri- 

 val of Gen. Butterfield's brigade soon settled 

 the affair. After an advance of a mile farther 

 the Federal force halted. During this halt the 

 enemy marched so as to flank it and made an 

 attack upon its left, when a severe battle ensued, 

 which finally resulted near sundown in driving 

 the enemy from the field. The Federals, in both 

 contests, had fifty-four killed, and one hundred 

 and ninety-four wounded and missing. The 

 loss was chiefly in the 25th New York. The 

 Confederate force was estimated at eight 

 thousand, and wounded prisoners were taken 

 to the hospitals belonging to fourteen differ- 

 ent regiments. Their loss was between two 

 and three hundred killed and wounded, and 

 about five hundred taken prisoners. The 

 expedition was under the command of Gen. 

 Porter. The battle was near Peak's Station, 



on the Virginia Central railroad. Fredericks- 

 burg, the headquarters of Gen. McDowell, was 

 distant about forty -five miles, and his advance 

 was at Bowling Green, distant only fifteen miles. 

 This was the moment for the junction of the 

 two armies. Prince de JoinviEe thus speaks 

 of the actions of this hour : 



" It needed only an effort of the will, the two 

 armies were united, and the possession of Rich- 

 mond certain ! Alas ! this effort was not made. 

 I cannot recall those fatal moments without a 

 real sinking of the heart. Seated in an orchard 

 in the bivouac of Porter, amid the joyous ex- 

 citement which follows a successful conflict, I 

 saw the Fifth cavalry bring in whole companies 

 of Confederate prisoners, with arms and bag- 

 gage, their officers at their head. But neither 

 the glad confidence of the Federals nor the dis- 

 couragement of their enemies deceived me, and 

 I asked myself how many of these gallant 

 young men who surrounded me, relating their 

 exploits of the day before, would pay with their 

 lives for the fatal error which was on the point 

 of being committed. Not only did not the two 

 armies unite, but the order came from "Washing- 

 ton to burn the bridges which had been seized. 

 This was the clearest way of saying to the 

 army of the Potomac and to its chief that in 

 no case could they count on the support of the 

 armies of upper Virginia." 



Gen. McClellan, in his testimony before the 

 court martial at Washington in the case of Gen. 

 McDowell on Dec. 10, said : 



" I have no doubt, for it has ever been my 

 opinion, that the army of the Potomac would 

 have taken Richmond, had not the corps of Gen. 

 McDowell been separated from it. It is also 

 my opinion that had the command of Gen. 

 McDowell joined the army of the Potomac in 

 the month of May, by way of Hanover Court 

 House from Fredericksburg, we would have had 

 Eichmond in a week after the junction. I do 

 not hold General McDowell responsible for a 

 failure to join with me on any occasion. I be- 

 lieve that answers the question." 



The principal bridge burned was the one over 

 the South Anna river, one of the tributaries 

 of the Pamunkey river. It was on the line of 

 the Richmond and Fredericksburg railroad, and 

 five hundred feet long. The report of the de- 

 struction of this bridge, made from the army at 

 the time, says : "It cuts off the communication 

 by railroad between Richmond and the forces 

 under Gen. Jackson." On the 29th the expe- 

 dition returned to its original camp. 



The explanation of this failure on the part 

 of Gen. McDowell to cooperate with the army 

 of Gen. McClellan at this critical moment, in- 

 volves a statement of the military operations 

 which had been taking place in the Depart- 

 ment of the Potomac, the Mountain Depart- 

 ment, and the Department of the Shenandoah, 

 and which culminated at this time. On the 

 Confederate side, the design of these military 

 operations was not only to prevent this junc- 

 tion of Gen. McDowell with Gen. McClellan, 

 but also to prevent any reenforcement what- 

 ever to the latter. In this last object they were 

 also partly successful. 



The corps of Gen. McDowell was not allow- 

 ed to embark for Fortress Monroe with the 

 other forces of Gen. McClellan by order of the 

 President, as has been stated. The Department 



