Following the Flag, from August 1861 to November 1862, with the Army of the PotomacCoffin, Charles Carleton
History
Following the Flag, from August 1861 to November 1862, with the Army of the Potomac
Coffin, Charles Carleton
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns
"I have no doubt but we might have gone right into Richmond," says
General Heintzelman.[30]--"I think that if the army had pressed after
the enemy with great vigor, we should have gone to Richmond," is the
opinion of General Keyes.[31]
[Footnote 30: Testimony, p. 352.]
[Footnote 31: Testimony, p. 609.]
"They (the Federals) missed an opportunity of striking a decisive blow.
These opportunities never returned," writes Prince de Joinville of
France.[32]
[Footnote 32: Army of the Potomac, p. 79.]
General McClellan recalled the troops from their pursuit, and
established his lines as they were on the morning of Saturday.
The loss on the Union side was 5,737. The Rebel loss, as reported in
Smith's, Longstreet's, and Hill's divisions, was 6,783. Whiting's
division also suffered severely, so that the entire Rebel loss was
about 8,000.
A month passed by. General McClellan was preparing for a siege. There
were six bridges built across the Chickahominy, which required labor
day and night. The men were obliged to work up to their arms in the
water. Miles of corduroy roads were constructed. The ground was so
swampy and marshy that nothing could be done by horses. All the
timber hauled to construct the bridges and the batteries was drawn
by the men. The month of June was rainy. There were frequent storms,
succeeded by hot sunshine. Sickness, in all its frightful forms, made
its appearance. The men became discouraged. It was expected, day after
day, that the attack would commence; but the commanding officers
issued orders that no batteries should open till all were ready. The
army, meanwhile, began to be depleted of troops. Thousands were sent
to the hospitals, and other thousands were carried out to their last
resting-place, on the banks of the dark, dismal, sluggish stream, which
soon became the river of death.
Reinforcements were called for and received: McCall's division of
Pennsylvania Reserves, which reached the army on the 12th and 13th of
June.
On the night of the 13th, General Stewart, with 1,800 Rebel cavalry,
appeared in rear of the army. He came first upon two squadrons of
Regular cavalry, at Hanover Old Church, overpowering and capturing
them; then pushed on to Gorlick's Landing, on the Pamunkey, burning two
schooners and fourteen wagons; then moved to the railroad at Tunstall's
Station.
The train first arriving was one going east with sick and wounded men.
The engineer saw the cavalrymen on the track as he rounded a curve.
They motioned him to stop, but he put on more steam, and the train
rushed past with lightning speed. Hundreds of bullets were aimed at
him, but he escaped unharmed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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