The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-07-02


volted States, had cast his fortunes and
all where the traditions of his family and
the teachings of his own matured mind
showed him to be the right, and now
was to open before him a career of dis
tinction such as he had never dreamed of.
and he was to render services to his
country such as can fall to the fortune of
but few to achieve.
FIRST GENERAL C0NMAND-FTRsT GLORY
WILLIAMSBURG.
The material of his first general COM
mand was of the very best. 1t consisted
Of four splendid regiments, one from New
York, one from Pennsylvania, one from
the backwoods of Maine, and one from
Wisconsin. These regiments were well
oficered and well drilled. Under the
tuitisn of Hancock they soon acquired
the esprit and steadiness of the best
troops, and long before they had been
seriously engaged it was plainly to be seen
that they could be depended upon in al
most any emergency. 1t was the kind of
material with which to assist noble cause,
or to found a splendid fame. Hancock
probably thought little of what these
regiments were to do for him. His sole
aim was to make them effective in the SER
vice of his country. In doing this he was
fashioning an instrument which should
make his own name immortal In the
latter part of March, 1852, the Army of
the Potomac was transported to Fortress
Monroe and the campaign on the PENN
sula, which should commence at Yorktown
and end with the terrible seven days con-
iict before Richmond, was inaugurated.
Smiths division, as soon as it landed at
Hampton, was sent to the left, and led the
advance on the Yorktown lines on the
James river road. 1t struck the enemy a
short distance beyond Warwick court
house. Here, on the 5th, 9th and 7th of
April, there was heavy skirmishing with
infantry and artillery. The enemy occu-
pied . strongly y-intrenched line protected
by stream, and no impression was made
upon it. The army was feeling it's way into
position in the woods and swamps. Han
cocks brigade on this occasion was con-
spicuous, it having been dispatched to the
right, making a reconnaissance in force
and developing the enemy's lines in a
direction where the Union line was not as
yet complete. During the night of the
7th Smiths division moved still farther
to the right, striking the enemy at Lees
Mills. This point was believed to be vul-
nerable to an assault, and, under the direc-
tion of Gen. Mcclellan, on the 18th, the
attempt was made, the line across the
Peninsula having then been made con-
tinuous. The attempt was made after
heavy artillery fire at short range, but the
obstacles were too great, and the enemy's
position too strong to be forced In this
engagement, although the Vermont troops
had the place of honor and of the greatest
loss, Gen. Hancock and his command were
conspicuous From this time until the
evacuation Of the Yorktown lines on the
night of the 3rd of May, Gen. Hancock's
brigade, in common with the rest of the
division, was constantly on duty in the
trenches or skirmishing with the enemy's
pickets. On the morning of the 4th of
May, after a heavy cannonade during
most of the night, the works of the Con-
federates were discovered to be abandoned.
The discovery was made almost stimuli
taneously along the entire Union line
from the York to the James, and with
the first light there began race on every
road leading toward Richmond, and great
come up with the retreating foe. At
Williamsburg the Confederates had con-
structed another fortified line reaching
from the York river nearly to the James,
and running parallel to that they had
just abandoned. 1t consisted of num-
Der of redoubts mostly built along and
behind the stream, which, running through
a deep ravine for some distance, empties
into the York The centre defense was a
powerful fort near Williamsburg, mount
ing heavy guns Here the enemy made
his stand, and by these works the Union
army, in such order as was possible from
the nature of the pursuit, found itself on
the evening of the 4th of May efectually
stopped. There was rain, mud, infinite
discomfort, apparent confusion, unques-
tionably no head to the movements of
the troops, and as darkness settled down
over the bivouacking army, there was any
thing but bright prospect for success.
With the dawn of the 5th, however, mat
ters began to assume shape, aud the di-
visions got into their positions. Hooker
made his famous, bloody and Intellectual
struggle in the fallen timbers before Fort
Magruder. It was . gallant effort, per-
sistently made, and while rejecting credit
on the division, resulted in nothing but
heavy loss. Early in the forenoon Gen.
Hancock obtained permission to reconnoi-
ter the enemy's left. With two light
batteries and two additional regiments
he moved for . mile or more to the right
of our line, carefully feeling the enemy's
strength. Presently he came upon al
opening in the woods, and before him
was deep ravine with dam across it,
and on the opposite bluff rebel forti6ca-
ton, the continuation of the rebel left. A
glance showed the commander that the
fort was not strongly manned, and by
rapid movement might be forced This
was quickly done. The troops poured
across the dam, climbed the bluff and
drove the enemy out of the redoubt. A
road was hastily improyised up the bluff,
the artillery was dragged across the dam,
and Hancock formed his brigade in line
of battle within the enemy's line of forti-
ications, and moved at once on 0 line
parallel TO the one by which he had ad-
vsnced, straight back toward the rebel
centre ut Fort Magruder. It was mas
terry movement. BY one quick stroke he
had completely turned the enemy's left,
and, unless stopped and driven back, he
n