, 1863-04-30
the advance. During the night the enemy
evacuated Williamsburg.


the advance. During the night the enemy
eyacuated Williamsburg
THE PANIC II B1CnMosD. |
Ihayo SINCE learned from most reliable re-
Sources that rhtH the ne1cs Of that bafte reached
Riehnond, Jefferson Daris o,d Cor. Lttcher
r.ot4d their Jdn'ilts out oj Rich.non7, 7tMottd |
The archirxs and their libraries: aid e.ery eiA- |
-e77 rho could command a rehie'e had his goods |
pa<d on ra9o'ts, aud pntpartd TO aoant1g~ The
city. Thy only rstnrnea-zho:: uho h"d IT,
1chsn fhey found that the pursuit ceased Imsiytt
almost tay ,cds abandoned.
TIE Road oPES.
Q.-Is it your Judgment that you could
have gone into Richmond then?
A.-IftinE zee could hare mosed rtg1G on, and
9ot into Rishn'ond BY The second day after utas
oatfk uithout another gun bling jfned.
BUT NOT TRAVELLED.
Q.-What was done?
Ave moved On in manner never did
understand, losing simc. Ii there was any
necessity for that i have never yet appreciated
the enemy had abandoned the idea Of defend
Ing Richmond. Ind it ,cas only rae7s they s1w
tse Ea&sifude and ineFeieacy Of our army t24ut
Ney concluded to nuke a stand there
TIE Hattie or FAIR oAKs.
Odd you participate in the battle Of
Fair Uaks OF Seven Fines:
A--At the time that battle was fought my
entire division was stationed ut what is called
Oak Bottom Swamp, about five or SIX miles
from where the battle Of Saturday, tho 31st Of
May, was fought. About ? o'clock on that
day received orders to move oue-haf Of my
division to tho front, the other hall to remain
and lold tue position they then occupied. I
mile of what was called Sayage's Station, the
head Of my column BECAME fmpeded By fugi-
tlye5, trains Of wagons and fragments Of bat
teries upon the road, and was prevented from
advancing, except " lth their bayonets, and at
charge. From this cau=e, my column could
make but little hcadway, md at The time left
them to ride to the front, doubted il
they could advance at all. When / reached
there the battle Of Fair Oaks for the night vas
nearly OVER About dark my troops came up.
We biyouac9cd on tile ground, the firing hay
ing been suspended. Tie nextmornins, about
O'Clock, the firing vas renewed. The cne-
MY WAS firing upon Summers command,
which was occupy Ing the railroad ut the time.
made toward the heaviest fire and c1sne up
in rear Of llt enemy, and in half an hour after
utterly routed, throwing away their arms,
clothipg and haversacks, and broke for the
woode, IN tho direction OF Richmond.
Q.-That was the second dry Of the fighte
ROCKERS Reconnaissance.
A-Ycs, sir, and that was the enl Of the
fighting at thnt battle. A part Of my troops
occupied the caaIp that had bccu occupied tho
day before by Gen. Keyes' corps, and the
ground that he had lost that day. On Mon
f; day, The day nfter the battle, received orders
the directions were very Vaguc-to make
| reconnaissance In force through the camp
/ and beyond it. I did 80 without any resist
! ancc, except . little picket firing, and pro-
ceeded TO perhaps tcifhin hrtc and a half o'
| .}our :niles Of Richmond on the Williamsburg
! Hal n&~1f fzx
tablsh my command on the ground that Ca
se,'s Division had occupied IN the first day
Of the fight at Fair Oaks.
in that battle:
A:;-:Key,es' corps, little more than one
half Of Heintzc]man's corps and portion O
Summers corps. If any any other troops wer'
engaged do not know 1t.
By Mr.. Chandler.
Q.-At what number would you estimat
the actual force engaged on our side?
Al should think that, all told, ther
directing me to return from my reconnol:
sanre was, In substance, this: tGen. ,Hookc
, will return from his brilliant reeonnoissapce
ne cannot afford to lose Lis division" 4
. have to say is, that have 20 expectation
being lost.
RIcnMoSn MIGHT HAVE BEEN TAKEN.
By the Chairman:
Q.-surpose that the next day after this =
pulse Of the enemy ut Fair Oaks, Gen. Iii
CIellan had brought Lis whole army. acro'
. The Chicliahominy, md made 4 visorot
} movement upon Richmond, in your judgmel
as military man, what would have been tt
effect Of that movement?
AIN answer 10 that would say, that
! 40 ti,nc 1"rinJ hte 'r1o'e Of that ea.npoi1
did Jtxl that re could not 90 to Riehnton
And will say, further, that after Gen: n
Clc1lan received his orders to abandon Hari
sons Landing, weut to him voluntarily Al
suggested that with the force We had ther
We could take Richmond, and pressed him
y do it. So confident WAS I that VIC would
vance, and 50 assured him. This intcrrie
. took place abort 1o o'clock on Sunday. Fro
> that Interview returned TO my camp, 6to
: ping on tile way about two hours. On reac
j trg ny camp, found on my taole an n ord i
!; ammunition, and 10 be ready to march at
y o'clock oil Monday. This order was comm
nicated to the whole army, and firmly t
Il Il lieyc that order meant Richmond. had sa
= to Gen. Mcclellan that If we we're uasucce
IS full it would probably cost him his hea
~ Us for 4 Limb. I told him that knew
~ y no better place TO put an army than
u tween JackSor-who WAS at that time
y: Porc's frnnt-and the dcfenses Of Rchmon
= that tie troops holding those dc1enses wor
Il have to march to the succor Of Jackson, d
o would br compelled to come out aud giyc b
!. tie outside Of their dcfenscs, where knew
u we're always stronger than the enemy. Z
before the time arrived for executing thet
der 1t Was countesmandrd, and hence the
at suits Of Pope's campaign At Harriso
N Landing ] felt that We were in no place
c. come bark BY water up the Potomac Rly
I'd hut if va were wanted ut Fredericksburg
le should march there. But nc afterward ca
cd up by water.
al THE VICTORY or MALVERN.
Il. Q.-Wcrc you at the battle Of Malvern?
to A-Tcs, Sir; and at that place TIC wo'
vi great battle.
he By Nr. Chandler:
nd Q-Could you have gone into Richme