The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1865-09-07
From the Ne,0 York Herald.

The Chickahomi7fy Campaign
The Reports of Generals Lee and
Mcclellan.
General Lees report Of the operations
before Richmond subsequent to the battle
of the Seven Pines is very interesting
document. General McClellan's report of
the same events has been before the pub
lic for considerable. time, and has been
freely commented upon. But the set as
saults of professional critics, having no
other purpose but to- write Mcclellan
down, have, had comparatively little eff
feet, while Ills certain that the quiet sto-
ry told by General Lee will damage Nc
Clellans military reputation beyond re-
pair. In the comparison of the two re-
ports we must find the historic truth of
the story and that historic truth will for
ever show Mcclellan in light scarcely
less than ridiculous.
AN the story of that terrible lighting
Nais6 began at Mechanicsviile and ended
at Malvern Hill has, from the commence
smept, been foggy. The mass of the peo-
ple isi Saee fever distinctly understood it.
s,hjes correspondents got mixed up at the
start, hardly -lsnew where they were, and
never foundsout until they awoke at West
over. Then they began to write confused
descriptions, in which the fights they had
seen we're frightfully muddled with one
another and with the fights they had
heard about. No one untangled this
suarl. Thus the people were deprived of
the readiest means of information and
never made up the loss Correspondents
had before and have since furnished intel
lieible schemes orskeletons of battles and
campaigns. that enable the people to grasp
each as unit and put in the proper
places all facts that might subsequently
come to hand. But this no one ever did
for the seven days. 1t is therefore only
proper to run over the names apd relation
of the various fights at present in t'Eaer
to make more clear comparison OF what
is said by the two generals.
Lee was in Richmond with about six
ty thousand men, and Mcclellan was in
front IF It with certainly not less than
one hundred thousand; Jackson, with
forty thousand, was marching to join Lee.
The notable feature in tho theatre OF ope-
rations was the Chickahominy river.
That stream traverses the country about
four or FIVE miles north of Richmond, in a
direction very nearly east and west, and
runs through an extensive tract OF marshy
land to The northeast and east of Rich
mond known as White Oak Swamp. Nc
Clellan's left rested on this swamp, which
Lee supposed to be impassable for an
army. His line crossed the stream, and
his right rested on Beaver Dam, tribu-
tary of the Chickahominy, he having a
small force thrown out about q mile fur
ther, in the village of Mcchanicsville.
McClcllan's right was thsfSiore north Of
Richmond, with the Chickahominy be-
tween his Tine and the city. His left was
due cast of Richmond, without any river
between the city and his troops. The
fighting began on Clellan's right, north
of the city and on the north side Of the
Chickahominy river.
On the .25th of June, at noon, A. 2
Hill assaulted Mechanicsvile and captur
Cd it, driving out our forces, which were
not large, and which retired to Beaver
Dam. On the same day, but at nightfall
Hill and Longstreet assaulted the position
at Beaver Dam, a mile further west, and
were repulsed. Those two were stubborn
fights, but not great battles,
: On the27th, atdaylfght, Hill and Long
street renewed the assault at Beaver
Dam; but Mcclellan had already decided
to with draw from the position, as Jack
son, coming down ON his right, was sure
to turn it. Longstreet and Hill. there
fore, only encountered a force placed tc
check and retard their advance; so they
carried the position, and this made the
third of their wonderful victories"
On the same day came the great battle
of the series, called by Mcclellan the bat
lie of Gaines Mill, and By Lee the battle
of the Chickahominy, Mcclellan had re
tired his whole line from its advanced posi-
tion, his left being on the Chickahominy
at Powhite creek, and his right SWEEP
back SO that his line was almost parable
nth tha line of the river. Against thi!