The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-10-09

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| comrades.
CRITICAL MOMENT.
n was n critical moment FederaIs who
had struggled vigorously against the ever
Increasing numbers Of their ndvets"ries, loi
they were only $4,000 or lD,ooo ssaIhs'
more than $4,000, were IN coh ,ead ~ ar y,
lirreparable disaster. Brigades, Regiments
and even companies, were niAcu W. T.,
relative commands no logger eAls.su. ~.
their efforts to restore order among in'
troops the officers gathered around tnem, py
their words and theii example, men Irniu VIZ
regiments. ana marshnled them an hastc tiii'
almost at random behind the DreasiW WORK.
erected n few DAYS before near the camp oc
cupied by ke1rney. two kilometcrs III W.
rear OF Seven Pines. one mOment mort u ~.
smith. failing upon the extreme right OF VII
line, would give the signal for new nt,Hch
| y hich would probably consummate the ue
stFuction of all the Federals south OF th'
ChickahO niny.
TWO HOURS FOR VICTORY.
II was q O'Clock i'm the evening. and th'
| Confederates had more than Two hours o
| daylight before them To complete their vic
| toiy. hat all OF a sudden brisk firo of mus
kerry broke out I'm the wood 10 right OF inc
railroad. The hollow sound OF howltZefs
loaded with grape was soon mingled Win III
smith had encountered a foe entirely unex-
pectsd IL was sumner. who had arrived m
tlme TO check his pro2rcss ana resume Oh
this side the game which had been lost on
| the Williamsburg road. The warriOIs In
stinct which prompted him 10 push MS I'll
| visions forward. ana mass then in the Vicinity
| OF the Bird es when ordered 10 keep under
arms had enabled him 10 gain an hour, and
| that hour had secured the SAFETY Of the army
| The new order directing him 10 cross iho
| ChickanOminy 10 participate in the battle
reached him about O'Clock.
AT that moment the river was already
| rising rs far as the eye could see, seeming "a
| cOnspre with the enemy 10 prevent MIN
1 y.
| The lower bridge rad been carried away, the
other was entirely submerged. while The un-
| being only held together by ropes. Heated
| about amid the waters whose impetuOus cur
rent tossed them IN their foam.
OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER.
Sumner himself despite his inhexible will,
was beginning 10 think that not single
company would ever be aDle TO reach me
| other side OF the river. Nevertheless. ne
| pushed at the head OF column OF Sedgwlck' :
division over the bridge. The first soldiers
| who ed found 10 difficult 10 keen steady
| on tie moving platform which was shaking
under their feet. but the weight of those woo
| followed soon restored IFS stability. IL soon
settled on the piles from which II had been
| wrenched. he whole of Sedgwicks divi-
sion crossed u. the officers ON horseback
The artillery followed, but most OF the guns
| sank in the mud OF the marshy plains which
| extend beyond the bridge kirby's regular
battery soon succeeded in getting safely
| over.
| Richardson, who after having tried I'm vain
| to restore The lower bridge had been COM
PEELED 10 cross at this same point followed in
| rear Of Ssdgwick. but his troops only reached
| the opposite shore al .nightfhl. sumner had
not waited for his arrival TO move forward
with ms first division. lie had just over
| taken couch, whO'had been driven back on
| the right OF air oaks with portion Of his
| troops, ana had hardly time to deplOy 10 re-
ceiVe tue shock OF smiths corps, which was
about to debouch in the large clearing.
SEVERAL MOVEMENT.
Kirby's battery enhhdad an open space
| leading TO Inc Mile road; sumner placed
one brigade aud "a half on the right. fronting
| old IaNcini On me leit me remainder oi
| ~edgwick's division was dis Osed en- pO-
| tence parallel To the railroad. when The
enemy had just occupied LVen before these
dispositions were fully carried out. the bat
tie was furiously engaged. smith was m
haste to make up Tor lost time, and believed
himselfsure Of success; Whiting. who COM
manded three brigades of the corps, de-
bOuched on the salient angle formed by the
Federal line. but being received by
| "A terrible fire from kiIby's guns, he
halted on the skirt of the wood After
brisk fire OF mu .ketry me tOnicderates
made new attempt carried this battery.
which occupied the key % the position. and
| had interrupted their turning movement.
JohnstO rushing IN person ntO the thickest
Of the night. hurled Pettlgrew's brigade
against il. II advanced learlessy up TO the
lannon's mouth, but tile Federal gunners,
auX ions 10 Ncuge the memory OF Bull Run.
where this same Johnston HAD captured tneif
pieces, coOlly waited tor the assault Of the
confederate brigade. which they decimated
at short range. II was driven back in dsOr-
der leaving in the Federal hands ITS wound
Ell commander, petiigrew and the giound
sfrewn with dead bodies. Awaiting himself
OF this chance, sumner assumed the offensive
with his left and drove the enemy lack in
the direction Of Fair oaks. smith brought
liz a. 49, "a Nlfn 40
c ,uld barely held the ground he occupied.
aud ms forward movement definitely check
ed The Confederate army WAS, moreover,
p4raiyZCd OF TINS uOmcut by the loss OF
irs COmmanior-in-Chief Johnston had just
been seV, rely wounded and carried into
Richmond. III was O'Clock in The evening
Along the whole line TIE battle had dcgonc-
rltcd into a musketry fire, whicn was con-
tinued pretty well into the night. but each
rarity remained on the defensive. TIE check
u Sm IA RAD, IN fact, crippled the sue
cess If iOngs'rcet on the illirmsburg
road. The latter. arriving n front OF
the small works where the Federal
forces were ma>sed, was afraid OF attempting
10 carry them by assault with worn out troops
whose ranks were Gear;ully thin. His OppO-
ueut reinforced by a few fresh regiments
made bold staud. while the Nlgitiycs were
rapidly coming back into line. iOngslreet
was waiting Tor assistance, either from
Huger. on his ri-ht, or from smith. on his
lrf before making the attack and thus
away.
HEAVY LO-sFs.
4 dark and rainy night ca4' q on IA last t.
put am end To the slaughter, hut not 10 the
saiIerings. the iaugucs, and the anXietics OF
the TWO armies. The losses h1d been equally
heavy on both sides during The whole 81
that night long WagOn-tfalns Of wounded
men carrying into Richmond the uniOrtu-
nate victims Of "a fiatracidal war, told !
the inhabitants OF the capital how
IA .n b. tfl 4
been prematurely announced 10 them. All !
vehicles I'm the ely. OBnlbuA-s and carts |
were dispatched 10 the field of battle 20 hud |
the wounded and the dyine, whom they |
brought back in the midst Of q dense ana |
silent crowd. IS Tor the dead there WAS no
time as yet 10 think Of them On the side OF |
the Fed,rils Tie amOulances, comps and |
railway stations were not less etcdmberei. |
On both sides the generals were filled with !
anxiety. smith had assumed the command, |
but in succefdins Johnson he could not re- |
place that experienced chieualn. The Fed |
erals had un iJubtcdly sustained "A severe /
check, but il their left wing had been defeat |
ed 30 was not destroyed, as was hoped I'm |
Richmond The attack had heeu wanting In |
unison: the atsenee g.. buser. together |
with tine prolonged inactlou Of Smith, |
had thrown All the burden OF the battle upon |
one half OF The army Finally the encounter !
with sumner had not only roughly inter |
ruptcd the success Of the operation bat had |
revealed the existence Of communications |
gave them 10 understand that uOtWitnstand. |
ing the rise o. lhe ChickahOminy. they might |
on the follow ny day have TO measure them |
selves with tho whole Federal army. COnse- |
auently they determined upon retreat.
SUMMERS SUCCESS.
on the side Of the FecCrals the anxiety 1
was not less. iheyalways had wished during /
this aggressive calnpal IN fer an opportunity |
TO light q defensive battle, thinking tnat |
this kind Of lighting was better adapted 10 |
The character Of their soldiers They had |
been attacked, and 50 far from coming OF |
victorious the left wing had been |
so crushed that summers success az /
fOrded no compensation for the reverse |
The CuickahOminy was constantly r!sing |
and 10 wss easy 10 lOresee that Oh the follow |
ing morning all the new communications
established py sumner between the two |
wings Of the army would be Interrupted by
the fresheis.
IT was known that the enemy had not
brought all OF MS forces INTO ac'io0. There /
were more than 10000 men around Rich
mOnd and within the reach vi Fair Laks !
General Mcclellan thought there were So
600. The Federal troops, who were about 20
hpd themselves almost isolated on ilo wight !
bankOf the ChickahOminy, did not amount |
TO , 900 men, while one third OF them al |