New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-09-03

rent POrtcre DIVISION, "uiOn NO w -.
Ycrktown-wss the Inst o. come 10 my asSlslahVe;
ffOen Sumner mad advanced, the rebellion WOMB
have boon buried there. he did nov adVahce al an
Ouest,oa-Wbcro sas General Mcclellan during
sasney--At yorktown. About O'Clock, or
shareabouts OF tho morning Of the fight, Prince 90
Joinyile, seeing tha; no reeniorcemcnts ~ouid be
go, 10 me started lOr Yorktown, aud reached theTo
a. ahout an hour. ii IA reported 10 mo, end nave
no doubt that tits 50 that be said to General NC
IyeIlap. "Geue-al Won have threc old wonon IN
chs advance GcneIai Hooker IL engaged heavily,
and they win send aim no reenfofcenen's: L. nv
eeasary for you 10 20 u the advance 'ui"I
Cover1or Spragns went down slso TO urge Gchciai
Mcclellan ~ come Up. II was reported TO me ta"s
General Mcclellan l5ti Yorktown between ehc .
o'clock in the afternoon. lAeutcHaut-t oooo NeD',
now the Inspector VI the sIisa COPS, was pte7ehs
NJ .he interview between Prince dc joirville and
General McCleilaR. General Mcclellan shower
.reat indspositioD 70 ~ forward. .ad only let, a.
sru told, Between and > O'clock.
Oaest,on.--Nou stood your sroundf
An,vsr-Yts, sir. aid very severe light and
t,,t ZOO men. IL consequence OF tho coalition Of
The roads could not gel npny emnuhitiou. ana my
nsp stood q en- ground Si.h the bayonot, and snoA
smInuuitiou - they cruld oOectfrOm the caT.ndSe
boxes Of those who hgd t.ilea thns tha' WAS
The hardest light 'hal has Oern made tina Wnr
OueSttOD--rhe speiVy ovaccoted during the
Snstssr.-Yes, sir when General Kesrny came
sp-he WEE M ,eIios, but General iieihtseln'An
was under tho ia preston =. thst tine tAa' falSed
Eearny, and lie soil him sp 10 reIO4t 10 Mc-r men
General KeaIuy cane up. Is his 5nsGcts came u p
put them in posti D. IS soon ~ that VAS done,
NV own troops were withdrSwh from ;ho front, and
collected together AZ .al Gs practicable, Nenrral
Eeamy holding the seyance; GensEal he ny
then said to n4e, 60 think rank yoa. replied,
"CertaiDly, General, you do he then sad ne
would assume the command, hich vas very proper
That night his Inc. % ricscs held t1e nNF"Nce'
boring the night the eneIay evacuated iiiiains-
hon AZ llgru
sources thst when he news Of that battle reschcd
Richmond, Jefferson Davis ana Governor l-stcheG
moved their families OF: 81 Richmoao,. removed
the archives and their Libraries; AID every citizen
Who could command vehicle had his goods piled
on wagons, AID prepared 20 abandon the city. TAey
only returued-thoso wbo bad lef-when they
found that the pursu;, ceased. miSai ainos; say
vss sbaldoOed.
Qsot.on. II yonr Judgment that you could
have gone into Richmond thenf
Aasrer.-I M.rk ve c0l.id hGvs moves right on,
sad cot ,nta Richmond a., sccoad day otter tsGl
Asttie ssthost another gas berg frsG.
Qaestisn.-Whst was done
Answw.-Ws moved on IN manner never
I'D understand, losing time. II there Nas silj
necessity for that never have yet appreciated H.
So far as the best information We have gocs, the
enemy had sbsHdoned the idea OF defending Rich
nord. And it pas only when they saw tho lassi'
tudo and iueficeDcy of our army i-l,,s they con
sluded TO make stand SAeFo.
Question. Ibid you participate N The battle o.
Tair Oaks or Seven Pinesf
Znsw.r.--At The time that battle vas Tough. N,
sntire division wac 9iationod 1T what Is called oa
BOTTOM Swamp, about Eve or six miles from wher
Are bsttl- of saturday the 3lst Of May, wRs tonight
Abou, two clock OF that day received oFd"Ts I
move one-haf Of my division to the front tho otbo
half to remain and hold the position they tnon &c
oupied. started and upon reaching 10 within
about nils 81 Whist gas called Saylsgs STATION
the head OF ny column became npeded ~ the M
Gives trains Of wagons. snd fragments Of pasteri
- F.EaGf H.ITn T.fE II III
sxcept with their hrTune.s, and al y charge. FroE
chs cause nv column 0,ah make but Little hcsd
way and al the tine ieA them 10 ride TO the iIon
] doubted ii they could advance at al. nen
reached thore the battle % fN1 OAKS for that rlSh
WIS nearly over About DARK my troops {. Tee up
We bigouacked o. the ground, tse hrihg haTlh
been suspended. The ncXt morning shout scys'
o'clock the trirg was rencSed. siaitf4 via IN
half of the division had with ns 20 meet the enc
my. The enemy firing Gpoa summers CON
unand, which was occupying the railroad ~ thu
time. made towards ihe heaviest IRE, and cam
~p in rear Of the enemy, and IL half al hour ale
my men became engaged. Tho enemy we're nl,ell
routed throwing away their arms, clothing ant
ksyersacks and eroks fos the woods n the direction
q Richmond
Qession.--Thst va the second dag Of tbs fight
ARSrer--Yes, sir; aaf thai VIA the end OF ghS
Sighting q; that battle. A part of my Troops Ocoe'
pied the camp that had been occupied the dfI be-
fore bs General heyess corps, aud the ground that
he had lost that day. On Monday, tie day aftei
she baltic, received Orders--tho diTeciicn~ were
very vague--t0 make reconnaissance IN force
shrough The camp and beyond it. aid so.wibou;
any resistance exeept lille picket frpg, aid pro-
eseded 70 perhaps within three ard half Or four
miles Of Richmond, Or TIE Williamsburg rozA
was then recalled and directed 20 establish my CON.
mand the ground that CGseys division had oce1
pied on the irst day Of tie fight at Fair Oaks.
Question: pa; portion OF our army vas engsg'
ID in that battle!
Arswer.--Heyss's corrs, a Ettls more thar one
1alf of Hentzc.nlGn's corps, and portion 81 sum
ners corps. II any oth9I troops ssse eHgege1 d.
not know it.
BY Ms. CHAsDLrs:
Qvestion.--At what rnInber would yen estimate
Che actual force engaged On our sidel
Ansccr.-Ishould think that al told, there might
have been IS, 900 men The telegram directing me
70 return from Tec0nuO ssance Vas, IN substance
this: "Geueral Hooker sill return run his bril-.
liant reconnaissance; cannot eiiOrd 10 lose his
division" AL ] have 70 Say is, that had no tx
p0ctation OF being lost.
sr CHAIRMAN
Qusst,on.-suppose that the Dey, Gay arer this
repulse of the enemy 81 Fair OAKS, Goueral
Mcclellan had brought bis whole sriay scrOss The
Chickahominy and made vigorous mOl cneni upon
Richmond in your judgment, DC a military man,
what would havs been the effect Of that mOycnentl
Ansrer.-In answer 70 that would Say, t.at 1T
10 tina during the wnOle OF thai Champaign dad |
feel that we could not goto Richmond. And will
say, further, that after General Mcclellan received
his orders 10 abandon HarIisOn's Landing wcat
20 him voluntarily and suggested that with the force
We had there We could take Richmond, and pressed
him TO do it. SO confident was that would 10
successful that was willing q take the advance
about II O'Clock on Sunday. From that interview
returned 10 my camp, stopping on the way about
swo hours. On reaching my camp found Oh my
table al order FROM General Mcclellan 70 prepare