Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-07-11
Letter from Capt. Dexter L. Parker-In-
teresting Narrative of the Closing Bat
HARRIsoN's BAR, ON JAMES RIVER, !

Julg T. loOz.
My Dea1'-:-I presume the silence of
the press in regard to the movements of the
army has caused you great anxiety; and well
it might, for we have had fearful times since
our last skirmish and fighting near Fair Oaks,
OF which | wrote you. On 1.-THE second day | re-
ceived orders in regard to my transportation
that made me confident we were to retreatand
fight. l think it was on Friday when our di-
vision train was ready to move, none Of us
knew where; for all day the firing on our
right was heavy and constant. In the after
noon our brigade had orders to march down
toward Bottoms Bridge, batting at Savages
us to march to the right to reinforce Porter,
whose division was hard pushed by the
enemy. SO off we started for his lines, some
five miles distant. But Porter'S men had
fallen back, and darkness coming on, the
fighting ceased for the day. At midnight we
got orders to again move back, and then the
retreat was fairly begun, our division moving
first, and having as you will see subsequently
in defending our comrades, baggage, and ar
tillery. We began our march at 2 o'clock A.
NJ, with sad hearts, and the gloomiest fore
holdings; for we knew how terrible must be
the anxiety of all our friends at home. Our
course proved to be across White Oak Swamp
and for James river At noon we halted some
| five miles from the river, and thirteen miles
from Rimond-no enemy at that time
showing himself, and there being no
| signs of any except some rebel pick
cts two miles ahead. So far all had gone
well, and the fourth army corps had saved
all its baggage and stores. But night came
on; and such a night hope our corps will
not see again. We were miles from any sup
port, our troops were all jaded and tired out
by three days constant fighting and marching.
Yet in three hours march the rebels could
reach us from Richmond; and had brigade
of them attacked our jaded troops, they would
have scattered the whole army. Our artillery
was posted as night came on, all fearing that
in the morning the enemy would come down
on us from Richmond Happily the night
| passed quietly. In the morning, thinking l
would ride out and look at the roads, and es-
| pecially the Richmond road, l heard loud
| shouting as l rode along, coming from a road
on my LETT and every moment growing loud
er and louder. In another moment BANG
went our Parrot guns, and the troops were
formed instanter for a fight. 1t soon became
known that the LIST North Carolina cavalry
had charged right into our troops, not know
ing we were there. At our first fire we kill
ed and wounded some thirty Of their men, and
took sixty prisoners. 1t was a sad sight to
see their dead and wounded, among the latter
of whom was their major-a fine looking
man. The prisoners said they left Richmond
the night before, and did not dream of finding
us so far on that road.
When this skirmish was fairly over, our re-
| treating troops came up to us by thousands,
and we could hear the roar of the cannon that
was protecting their baggage trains in the
rear. In the afternoon it seemed as though
our whole army was passing our camp. Ev-
| erything was orderly and calm, all expecting
battle every instant. Orders came soon for
our division to move for Charles City by a
cross road, while the main body of the army
| took another road higher up, and the baggage
a lower and roundabout road, over which three
fourths of the baggage was moved that night
and the next forenoon. By noon (Monday)
we had reached Charles City on the James
River, and the troops came in on the various
roads centering here. In the afternoon the
cannonadng was like the constant roll of
thunder, and we knew that it was General
Smiths battery keeping away the enemy at
White Oak Swamp bridge, which he blew up
so that the enemy's artillery could not cross
| over after us. In the meantime the enemy
were attacking us on the Richmond road but
| our boys kept them back, and even drove
them; so that at night our troops had all got
in safe with the artillery, baggage, ammunition,
&C., every division fighting save ours to pro-
tect its rear, and save as much as possible of
our army supplies. That night orders came
to send every wagon to this place, and again
the moving began; and thousands of wagons
filled the roads for at least ghtmiles, and on
reaching here were all placed in large wheat
and corn fields. Tuesday morning word
came to send back to Charles City all our
ammunition, and off we started, taking along
with me eighteen heavily loaded wagons. On
reaching Charles City, l found our troops
moved up the Richmond road to watch the
enemy. So | went up to report the arrival OF
the train and there on high hill or table
land, covering thousands of acres, we found
the whole army drawn up in line of battle,
the enemy drawn up in the woods before us,
some two miles distant, and Smelling our adj
vance troops. The sight on the hill was grand.
| From its crest we had view of James river
for miles, and the country around was
charming On the plain before us was our
army standing in line of battle, batteries of
artillery by the score drawn up in readiness
for battle, cavalry by thousands moving over
the field to take position, while in front our
line of infantry skirmishers were crawling up
on the enemy, and he on his part sheIling us
in the most lively manner 1t was on road
leading close to this line that the two last d.
visions of our retreating army had come up,
and in the rear Of their line of battle were
their immense baggage trains for the posses
sion of which the enemy were soon to fight
us.
Il