The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1865-09-07

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north of the river. :.
On the 2sth there was no battle. Our
forces were all south of the; FLYER and re-
treating through White Oak Swamp,
while Lee, waited on the north side of the
river, expecting 8 that Mcclellan would
attempt to repass the stream and fight
his way: to the: White House.
On the 29th occurred the fights at al
lens Farm, Peach Orchard, and SO on,
that may properly be dlassed under gen
eral lead as The battle of Savage Station.
None of the troops that Lee had had
north of the Chickahominy were engaged
in this. 1: was the attempt Of the force
\ under Huger and Magruder-that Lee
had left in the lines around Richmond to
storm the position held by our rear guard.
| Meantime, however, Jackson was hurry
ing across the Chickahominy in rear of
this position to get at us, and Longstreet
and Hill, who had marched up the Chick
ahominy and recrossed it, were hurryng
down on the Richmond side to get at Nc
&Clellans flank, or, itmay be, they thought
it was to save Richmond. But Magrudcr
and Huger were repulsed, and we with
drew from Savage Station at night.
.OnfJune 80 occurred the battein White
Oak Swamp, and that at Glendale; whieb
4 the enemy call the battle of Nelson's farm.
We had gotten through the swamp and
burned the bridges, and now formed a
line that faced towards Richmond, its
right being in The swamp, its left at
Malvern Hill, on tho James. Glendale
| was near the centre of this line. Long
| street and Hill were trying to force our
position at Glendale, and expecting Jack
son to como through the swamp and help
If he could have gotten through he wonld
have been III the rear of us at Glendale
but he could not get through. Franklin
held him all day as giant would an in
fant. Longstrcet and Hill were conse-
ouently held with equal ease at Glendale
! We withdrew from both positions at
night:
On July was fought the battle at NAL
vern Hill. Our force was tolerably con-
ccntratcd. Jackson, Huger aud Mngrnt-
der assaulted our positdn, and were re-
pulsed with very great loss. We with
drew at night.
Such is the record 1t is obvious that
ths iMHpio;Ss'taInt i;s'tian battle was the one at
Gaines Mill. All that went before was
preliminary to that, ana what followed
was the necessary consequence OF the loss
oft. NcClclEN,i having lost that battle
was compelled to rclinquish his position
and get new base. Had 4e won that
battle he would not only have held his
position, but he would have destroyed
the force viii which Lee fought it. That
it was within his power to win that bat
tie, to make that dag decisive against the
enemy, and to turn their apparent Veto
ny into positive disaster, is obvious both
| from the report of Mcclellan and the re-
port of Lee Mcclellan tells rs very
clearly the reason why he lost the battle.
1t was because he opposed to the seventy
thousand men under Lee only half that
number. Lee tells us that in thas battle
he moved his whole line against onr posi-
ton, comprising the commands Of Long
street, Jackson and the two Hills. McClel-
Ian estimated that force at seventy thou
sand, and that must have been nearly
right. Mcclellan assures us that Porter
only had thirty-fve thousand, and he
wrote to the President the next day that
I" a few thousand more men wonld have
changed this battle from deioat to VIC
tory"
With aa few thousand more men" he
could have turned the tide Of that impor-
tant battle, and yet he had on the other
side of the Chickahominy, hardly half a
days march away, sixty thousand men,
Why was that force idle? Why were
Hooker and Kearny left at Bsrkcr's farm
to listen to the fire and stand still? Why
were the divisions Of Sedgwicll, Richard.
son and Couch not put into it Sumner
Heintzelman, Kcyos and Franklin were
all on that day fit TO tight for the grand
est empire under the sun, and the corps
!, of any one Of those would have changed
the result. But these troops were not
used on that day, because General Nc
, Clellan was the victim Of d delusion. He
was utterly and shamcfnlly fooled BY the