Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-04-30


advanced the rebellion tcould bops been bu.
r'ea there ne did NOT adpance at all.
=. Where was Gen. Mcclellan during
all tins time 2
A. III forhtOoa. About 9 o'clock or
thereabouts of the morning of the fight,
Prince de Joinville, seeing that no rom
iorcements would be sent 10 me, started
Tor Yorktown and reached there in aboIt
an hour, II is reported TO me, and have
no doubt that 1t is so, that he said to Gen.
Mcclellan, General, you have three old
women IN the advance. Gen. Hooker ia
engaged heavily, and they will send him
no achievements. IL is necessary for
you TO go to the ADVANCE think Gov.
Sprague went down also to urge Gen.
Mcclellan TO come up. 1t was reported
to me that Gen. Mcclellan left Yorktown
between 4 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
Lieut.. Col. Webb, now the Inspector of
the Fifth Corps, was present at the inter
view between Prince de Jonville and Gen.
Mcclellan. Gen. McC2elias shosred a
great sadtsposttion TO go fo,rard, and
only teft, as 1 aRs told, bet,oeen d ard S
O'Clock.
.. You stood your ground 2
A. Yes SIR. | had very severe fight
az d lost 700 men. In consequence of
the condition of the roads could not get
up my ammunition and my men stood
Their ground with the bsyonet and with
such ammunition as they could collect from
the cartrldge-boxes of those who had fall
len. ! think that was the hardest fight
that has been made in this war.
Q The enemy evacuated during the
night 2
A. Yes, sir"
| have since learned
from most reliable sources that when the
news of that battle retched Richmond,
Jefferson Davis and Gov. Letcher moved
their families out of Richmond, removed
the archives and their Libraries and every
citizen who could command a vehicle had
his goods piled on wagons, and prepared
to abandon the city. They only returned
those who left-when they found that
the pursuit ceased, | might almost say
was abandoned.
Q. Is it your judgment that you could
have gone into Richmond then
A. I think roe could hare moUed right
on, and got into Richmond By the second
day after that battle aoitbout another gun
being fred
q. What was done?
A. We moved on in manner | never
did understand-loslng time. If there
was any necessity for that, | have never
yet appreciated it. So far as the best in
formation we have goes, the enemy had
abandoned the idea of defending Rich
mond. And it was only when they saw the
lassltude and inefficiency Of our army that
they concluded to make stand there"
Gen. HIS testimony next relates to the
battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines, in
which, on the second day, his division was
engaged, and at the close which the enemy
were utterly routed, throwing away their
arms, clothing and hayersacks, and broke
for the woods in the direction of Rich
mond.
"That was the end of the fighting at
that battle. a part of my troops occu-
pied the camp that had been occupied the
day before by Gen. Reyes corps, and the
ground that he had lest that day. On
Monday, the day after the battle, re-
ceived orders-the directions were very
vague to make reconnaissance in force
through the camp and beyond it. | did
so, without any resistance except little
picket firing, and proceeded to perhaps
aoathta three and a half or four miles Of
Richmond on the Williamsburg road, |
was then recalled and directed TO estab-
llsh my command on the ground that Ca
sey's division had occupied on the first day
Of the fight at Fair Oaks.
Q. AT what number would you estimate
the actual force engaged on our s;de2
A. should think that, all told, there
might have been 5000 men. The tele-
gram directing me to return from my re-
connoissance was, in substance, this -
/" Gen. Hooker will return from his bril-
liant reconnaissance we cannot afford to
lose his divison.n All have to say is,
that | had no expectation Of being lost.
Q. Suppose that the next day after this
repulse of the enemy at Fair Oaks Gen.
Mcclellan had brought his whole army
across the Chickahominy and made Wig
orous movement upon Richmond, in your
judgment as military man, what would
have been the effect of that movement
A. Ia answer to that | would say, that
at no time during the whole of that cam
paign did feel that we could not go to
And | will say, further, that
after Gen. Mcclellan received his orders
to abandon Harrison's Landing, went to
him voluntarily and suggested that with
he force we had there we could take
and psessed him to do it. So
confident was ! of success that | was will
ng to take the advance, and so assured
lin. This interview took place about 10
,'c,ock on Sunday. From that interview
returned to my camp, stopping> on the
way about two hours. On reaching my
amp | found on my table an order from
Gen. Mcclellan to prepare myself with
hree days rations and the usual amount
# ammunition, and to be ready to march
At two o'clock on Monday. I his order was
to the whole army, and
1rnlv baiaye that order meant Richmond.