AEMY OPERATIONS. 



115 



own eyes. Friends and enemies, lost in woods 

 they were unacquainted with, lay down amid 

 heaps of dead and wounded, wherever dark- 

 ness overtook them. The fatigue of this obsti- 

 nate struggle as well as the obscurity of the 

 night had imposed on the combittants one of 

 those tacit truces so frequent in war. 



' ; Evidently Johnston had nattered himself, 

 in throwing all his forces on the four divisions 

 of the left wing, that he could annihilate them 

 before any aid could come to them from the 

 main body of the army on the left bank of the 

 Chickahominy. For the moment he had re- 

 coiled before the energetic resistance of those 

 four divisions, and also before the furious and 

 unforeseen attack of Surnners troops. No 

 doubt he had counted on the terrible storm of 

 the previous day to have swelled the Chicka- 

 hominy so as to render the establishment of a 

 bridge impossible, or to sweep away in its over- 

 flowing waters those already established ; but 

 the capricious river baffled his plans, as it did 

 some hours later those of his adversaries. The 

 effect of the deluge was not immediate ; the 

 rise in the water delayed its appearance 24 

 hours. Was this unhoped-for delay turned to 

 account with all desirable activity on the part 

 of the Federals ? That is a question which will 

 remain always in dispute, as are so many others 

 of the same kind, which form one of the ne- 

 cessary chapters of the history of most great 

 battles. 



' It was only at one o'clock in the afternoon 

 that the action had commenced. We had 

 waited some time to ascertain if the attack on 

 that side was not a feint, intended to draw the 

 Federal troops to that point while the bulk of 

 the enemy's forces was hastening to debouch 

 on the left bank. We had been promptly re- 

 lieved of our uncertainty by the violence of 

 the attack and by the reports of the aeronauts, 

 who saw the entire Confederate army marching 

 to the point of attack. 



" Then Sumner had received orders to cross 

 the water with his two divisions. He had exe- 

 cuted the movement with rapidity, marching at 

 the head of his column, without any other 

 guide than the sound of the cannon, and he 

 arrived at the right moment and at the critical 

 place. But some persons thought then, and 

 still think, that if, at the moment Sumner re- 

 ceived the order to cross the river, the same 

 order had been given to all the divisions of the 

 right wing, it would have been practicable. 

 We fancy what might have happened if, in 

 place of throwing 15,000 men on Johnston's 

 flank, 50,000 had been thrown. Sumner's 

 bridge, doubtless, would not have answered for 

 the crossing of so many. At midnight the tail 

 end of his column was still crossing, struggling 

 against all the difficulties which bridges formed 

 of trunks of trees that turn under the feet, 

 muddy sloughs and a dark night the darkness 

 rendered stilt deeper by the thickness of the 

 woods present to horses and artillery. Sev- 

 eral bridges were, however, ready to be thrown 



across at other points. It was necessary to 

 work without a moment's loss to construct 

 them, and not be disturbed by the obstacles the 

 enemy would not have failed to present to the 

 undertaking. A brigade was displayed for full 

 effect and scarecrow fashion, opposite the points 

 naturally marked out for crossing ; but the 

 stake was so large, the result so important, and 

 the occasion itself so unforeseen and so favor- 

 able for playing a decisive part, that nothing, 

 in our opinion, should have prevented that 

 operation from being attempted. 



" Here, again, was evident that American 

 slowness which belongs much more to the char- 

 acter of the army than that of its chief. It 

 was not until 7 o'clock in the evening that the 

 idea of securing all the bridges without delay, 

 and causing the whole army to cross at day- 

 break to the right bank of the Chickahominy, 

 was entertained. 



" It was now too late. Four hours had been 

 lost, and the opportunity that moment so 

 fleeting, in war as in other circumstances had 

 gone. The rise, on which Johnston had vainly 

 counted, and which had not hindered Sumner 

 from crossing, came on during the night. The 

 river rose suddenly from two feet, and continu- 

 ed to swell with rapidity, carrying away the 

 new bridges, tearing up and sweeping off the 

 trees which formed the planking of Sumner's 

 bridges, and covering the entire valley with its 

 overflowing waters. Nothing could cross. 



" At the earliest dawn of day the combat 

 was resumed with great fury on the left bank. 

 The enemy came on in a body, but without 

 order or method, and rushed upon the Federals, 

 who, knowing that they were inferior in num- 

 bers and without hope of being supported, did 

 not attempt to do more than resist and hold 

 their ground. They fought with fierce deter- 

 mination on both sides, without any noise, 

 without any cries, and whenever they were too 

 hardly pressed they made a charge with the 

 bayonet. The artillery, placed on the emi- 

 nences in the rear, fired shell over the com- 

 batants. Ah! I could have wished that all 

 those who, forgetful of the past, and impelled 

 by I do not know what kind of egotistical cal- 

 culation, have lavished their encouragement on 

 the fatal rebellion of slaveowners, could have 

 been present at this fratricidal struggle. I 

 could have wished them, as a punishment, a 

 sight of this terrible battle field, where the 

 dead and dying were piled up by thousands. I 

 wished that they could have seen those tem- 

 porary ambulances formed around the few habi- 

 tations found here and there. Oh ! what mis- 

 ery oh ! what suffering ! The ambulances 

 had something about them particularly horri- 

 ble. The houses were altogether too few to 

 contain the smallest proportion of the wound- 

 ed, and they were therefore compelled to lay 

 them outside ; but although they did not make 

 any complaints, and bore their fate with the 

 most stoical courage, their exposure in one po- 

 sition beneath the rays of the sun of the middle 



