Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-08-30
TIE PENINsULAR CAMPAIGN = GEN. hAGRU.
DERs OFFICIAL REPORT.
Headquarters Department of the Peninsula,
LlE's FAM, Nay 3, 1862.

| DERS OFFICIAL REPORT.
| Headquarters Department Of the Peninsula,
| LlE's FAM, May 3, 1862.
Gen. 8. Cooper Aejt and IasP. Gen., u. 3. A.
GrsrRAL-Ds eming i; Of vial importance to hold
Yorktown York river and Mulberry Island, James
river and to keep the enemy il check by an intervening
line until the might take such steps should
be deemed necessary to meet serious advance of the
enemy n the Peninsula, felt compelled TO dispose my
forces in such to accomplish these Oh ects
with the least kpossble, under the circumstances Of
great hszud which surrounded the little army com.
malded.
had prepared, as my real line of defence, positions
in advance, at HarwoOd's and Young's Mills.
Both tanks Of this line defended by boggy and
difficult streams aud swamps 10 addition, the left flank
was defended by elaborate Notifications at Ship Point
connected by broken line OF redoubts crossing the
heads OF the various ravlnes eDpyrg into York river
and Wormleys Greek, aud terminating at Fort Grafton
nearly IN froot Of Yorktown.
The right ink defended by the Notifications at
the mouth OF Warwick river, and a. Mulberry Island
Poiut and the redoubs extending from the Warwick TO
| james river.
Intervening between the two Mills was wooded ooun
1 try about two miles in extent.
This wooded line forming the centre, needed the de-
fence Of infantry in sufficient force to prevent any at
tempt the part of the enemy to break through it.
10 my opinion this advanced line with It's a.tk de-
fences, might have been held BY twenty thousand
| troops.
With twenty Ave thousand l don't believe it could
have been broken by any force the enemy could have
| brought against it.
It's two Il nks were protected by the Virginia" and
the works eide, and the Notifications ct York
| town and Gloucester Point on the other.
Finding my forces too weak TO attempt the defence OF
this line, compelled TO prepare 10 receive the enc
my on second line, On WarWick river.
This line Was incomplete IN its preparations, owing to
the fact that thousand negro laborers that mad en-
gagged ia fortfyng taken from me- and discharged
| hv ord in n.cpmhpr llaL and a dalay of
nice weeks consequently occurred before could reor
| gauiEe the laboGtrs for the engineers.
Keeping, thea, onlT small bodies Of hoops at Har.
woods Young's Mills and Ship Point, distribute
ed my remaining toces along the Warwick lre embrac
ing front from Yorktown TO Minors farm oil twelve
| m les and from the latter place &c Mulberry Island
| Point, OF one and halt miles.
was compelled to place In Gloucester Point, York.
tom asd Mulberry Island fIsd garrisons, amounting 10
| elk thousand men-my whole force being eleven thou
sand al 000) that 1t will be that the balance Of
the line, embracing length of thirteen miles, de-
| Tended by about hSe thousand men.
After reconnoisances in great force from Fortress
Monroe aud Newport News, the enemy, on the "a Of
April, advanced, and took possession Of HIrwoods
Mills.
| He advanced in two heavy colu nns-one along the
old York road, and the other along the Warwick road
and, on the oh April, appeared simultaneously along
the whole front Of line, from Minors farm TO York.
| town.
1
statement of his force bu. from various Of in
formation, satisfied that had before me the
mJs Army OF the Potomac, under the command Of Gen.
Mcclellan with the exception oil the tWoc corps darmee Of
b inks and Mcdowell respsctivly, forming aggregate
Lumber of certainly not less than hund'ed thousand
meu Slices ascert&ned 10 have BEEN one hundred and
| twenty thousand men.
Ca every portion OF my lines, be attacked US with
furious csnnonsdug aud muskery, which responded
70 With Cffsc. by batteries and troops OF tue line
81. faH- AaNf
AID the succeeding day. and eoergetcly felt whole
line bat everywhere repussd by the s;esdints Of
Our troops
Thus, with .s thousand men exclusive Of the garT
sous We stopped aud bsld in CHECK over oSs hundred
/ thousand Of the enemy.
Every preparation was made 10 anticipation OF another
attack by the enemy the mon slept in the trenches
and under arms but my surprise, he permitted
day after day TO espss, without an assault.
| In few days tie object of his delay apparent
10 every direction in front Of lines through the
intervening woods and along tie open fields earthwoks
| began 10 appear.
ThIongh the energetic action Of the government, re.
Inducements began pour in ard each hour the army
Of the Peninsula geE stronger and stronger, until all
anxiety passed from my mind, 10 the result Of al
tack upon us.
Toe enemss skirmisbers PIE srg closely in front Of
| YoTk.osn Big Gen Early ordered sortie % be made
from the redOubts for the purpose Of dsodging him
from Palmsptary's peach orchard.
THIS was ln Geo IN tue mes. gkIlhnt tue
2ld Florida, Col. Ward and ID Mississippi Battalion,
l.; Col. Taylor, all under the command OF Col. Ward.
The gu OK aud reckless charge Of men, by throw
ing tbs enemy into hasty light, enabled us TO effect,
With little lose enterprise OF great hszird against su-
peror force, supported by artillery, When the least
v.yering hesitation part would have been a..
| tended with great loss.
| The Warwick line, upon which we rested may be
briefly described as fellows WArwick River rises very
near York yer, and about mile and half TO the
bright o! Yorktown.
| yorktown and RsdOubts Nos ard ), united by long
curtains and .nked by riho pits, form the left Of the
iiue until the Of the military read it
reaches Warwick River, here, Il sluggish and buggy
esw tSenty thirty yards wide, and running through
| a dsr8J wood Hinged by swamPs.
| Aoag the river are five dams-One ut Wynn's mil,
aud one at Lees MILL and three constructed by my self.
The tfSot Of these dams TO back up the along
the Of the river that for nearly three fourhs
OF is distance It's plsssgs s mptsotcabs for either
Ilsry infarTy. EIch Of these dams is protected
by artillery, and eK.snsvs eaTthWorks for infantry
After eleven days OF examination, the enemy seems
very properly have arrived tue conclusion that Dam
No 1 the centre Of our line the weakest point in
IT, and hence the sixteenth Of April, he made what
seems to have been serious effort 10 break through at
| that point.
Early that nOrAiog lie opened at that dam, most
furious attack OF artillery, filing the woods with shel7
while his psbooteTs pressed forward close nes
| From =. A N. 10 IL 81 pieces we're kept In CON
stAnt nTe ASSA1t We, hLu " - T. NJ heaI1 nfee oa'
tercs directing perfect storm Of shot and shell
on our exposed position We had Only three pieces In
position thst point but, Of them could not be
used with much isct aud rarely fred that We
were constrained reply with ak FOUNDER Of the
Troup Artillery Oobbs Georgia Legion, Captain Stanley,
IN Ter the particular charge Of Lieutenant Pope. This
piece served with the greatest accuracy aud effect,
by the GOODNESS and skill with which It handled,
the odds against amos. counterbalanced
By 81 P NJ, the intensity Of the cannonadng ncreas:
iug, heavy masses Of infantry commenced 10 d'poy
II our front, and 3 heavy muskery fire was opened
| uT0lu'.
Uader the cover OF this continuous stream Of fire,
trt made by the enemy to throw forces over the
stream and six FOUNDER battery, which was
ilhic,iug tuch damage upon them. This charge was
very rapid and vigorous and before our men were pr
pared to receive il several compsns OF Vermont regi