The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-05-17
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
fC0nfinucd from 1st pGgc.I

forward re-enfOrcements they We're through
some misunderstanding, very tardy in reaching
the front so that it was past 4 O'Clock when
Kearney, with his foremost brigade arrived at
the position where COUGHS troops and the
wreck of Caseys division were struggling to
hold their own. Berry's brigade was imme-
diately thrown into the woods on the left,
where his rifles commanded the left Of the
camp and works occupied by Casey in the
morning, and now held by the enemy.
Meantime, though the divisions of Long
street and Hill had thus for three hours been
vigorously pushing forward on the Williams
burg road, the column of G. w Smith, to which
was intrusted the important thanking operation
already indicated in Johnston,s original plan,
had not yet moved. The Confederate COM
mander had placed himself with this column;
but, failing to hear the musketry of LOngstreet
and Hill, he waited till O'Clock, when, learn
ing how these generals had been engaged, he
Immediately threw forward Smiths command.
Thus it happened that when Casey had been
driven back to Coueh's line at the Seven Pines,
and the latter, with two regiments of his divis-
ion, had advanced to relieve the pressure on
Casey's flank by an attack of the hostile left, he
was met by large masses of the enemy bursting
out on his right By the rear of the Nine-miIe
road, and another heavy column moving towards
Fair Oaks Station. This was Smiths column,
which had at length got fairly to work Couch,
who had been REINFORCED by two additional
regiments, made fight, but was overpowered
and thrown off scientifically TO the right,-the
enemy penetrating between the force with
which Couch was executing this vancouver
and the main body of his division. And now,
between five and six O'Clock, it seemed that the
whole left wing of the army across the Chicka-
hominy was doomed for not only was Couch
bisected, but the brigades OF Berry and jane
son, of KearHey's division, which had gone
up on the left were thrown back by the enemy
on White Oak Swamp, only regaining the main
body under cover of night; and the center was
struggling with Indifferent success to hold its
own, after being driven from two positions
But just at this crisis, when the fate Of the day
was trembling in the balance, the action was
determined by the sudden apparition of col
umn from the north bank of the Chiekahominy.
Upon first learning the state of affairs on
the left wing, Mcclellan sent orders to General
Sumner, who held the center of the general line
of the army. on the north side of the Chicka-
hominy, and about six miles from the scene Of
action, to hold his corps in readiness to move.
But as soon as the sounds of battle from the
west side of the CEickahominy reached him,
Sumner, divining the situation. had, with that
soldierly instinct that characterized him, put
his corps under arms. and marched it out Of
camp; 50 that when, at O'Clock, he was or
dered to cross his command without delay, and
proceed to the support of HeintzeIman, no time
| was lost. For the passage of the Chickahominy
there were, at that time, only Bottoms Bridge,
| the railroad bridge, and two bridges built by
| Sumner himself intermediate between the two
| above mentioned. But TO reach the battlefield
that day by Bottoms Bridge OF the railroad
| bridge was out of the question; his sole reli-
ance, therefore, was On his own two bridges.
| Now, however, new and dire difficulty
| presented itself; the lower bridge had been
| carried away by the freshet; the upper one
was half adrift. When the head of Summers
column, composed of Sedgwick's division,
reached it, the rough logs forming the corduroy
approaches over the swamp were mostly ahoat,
| and were only kept from drifting off by the
! stump5 of trees to which they were fastened
/ The portion over the body OF the stream was
| suspended from the trunks of trees by ropes on
\
| the possibility of making the passage
/ "'The possibility of crossing says Colonel
/ Alexander, of the engineers was doubted by
/ all present, including Sumner himself As the
solid column of infantry entered upon the
/ bridge, it swayed TO and fro 70 the angry Hood
! below or the living freight above, settling down
/ and grasping the solid stnmps by which il was
made secure, as the line advanced Once filed
| with men, however, it was safe till the corps
| had crossed; it then soon became imDasss5Ie'
| Sumner, debouching from the bridge with
| Sedgvick's division Richardson's division did
not arrive till about sunset, pushed impetu-
| olsly forward through the deep mud, guided
only by the firing. To move the artillery was
/ found impossible. At about o'clock the head
of Sedgwiclzs column Geployed into line in the
| rear Of Fair Oaks, IN o position where Couch
| when separated from the main body, had taken
/ his stand to oppose the eneny's advance. Thew
/ were no more than IN time; for at that moment
Smiths troops, having been gotten well IN hand
| under the personal direction OF General John
sion, moved forward, opening heavy ftlsilade
upon the line. They made several determined
charges. but were each time repulsed with great
| loss by the steady fire of the infantry and tina
| excellent practice of the batteries After sTs-
tanning the eRcmy's fire for a considerable
| time, General Summer ordered FIVE regiments
to make charge with the bayonet into the
| woods occupied by the enemy. This operation
was handsomely executed, and resulted in (sriv-
ing back the ConfedeTates IN confusion Thus
| when all was lost, Summers soldierly proaaDti-
| tude saved the day. as Moreau, hying TO the
assistance OF Napoleon when hard pressed by
the AuStrians in Italy, chained victory to the
standards of the French. % M0reauI' ex-
claimed that illustrious War-minister Carnos,
on hearing of this: Oh, my dear Fabius. how
great you were in that circumstances! How
superior to the wretched rivaIries of generals,
which so often cause the best-Iaid enterprises
to misearryi' The brave old Sumnernow sleeps
In soldiers grave; but that one act of heroic
duty must enlbalm his memory in the hearts Of
his eountrymen.
- In this bloody encounter the Coufederates
lost nearly seven thousand men, and the Union
army upwards of five thousand But seyerer
loss befel the Confederates than is expressed
even in this heavy aggregate: for the abs
chief of the Army of Northern Virginia was
struck down with a severe hurt. The COM
mand. for the time being, devoived ON General
G. w. Smith; but the failure 10 make good the
purpose of the attack, the heavy losses already
suffered and the disabling of General John
ston, determined General Smith to retire his
forces Preparations for withdrawal were
actively pushed forward during the night
but through some accidental circumstances. a
portion OF Summers line having become en-
gagged on the morning Of the ist Of June z
Fair Oaks, there ensued a re-eneounter of soma
severity, which lasted for two or three hours.
1t ended, however, after some brisk saliies, in
the withdrawal Of the entire Confederate forcu
TO the lines around Richmond. The Union
/ F-ro ~