The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-06-30

| sitioa between Fredericksburg and Rich.
W0rd. Ia order TO check as best he ccuid
with such q force tie threatened advance
or Mcdowell and bis conjunction with
! Mcclellan before Richmond.
! Erauch. with his iAnCs North caro-
lna brigade wefs IL Hanover Court
! house. and was also n bar TO McDoweU's
| approach. sad in crdeT % relieve tbis
J situation Mcclellan sent FitZ lohy Por-
/ ter with y on men 10 dlsicege Bfsnch.
| This expedition resulted In q defeat OF
! Branch gnd the destroying Of the
( bridges snd railroads in the vicinity of
Ashland.
Thus surely. the gods Of war seemed
10 look frownlngly. upon Richmond. and
tho clouds seemed darkening over the
| hopeful Coniederacy.
At this gloomy time. there came "a
| fresh .iaspirlu don. Information OF tie
J bfiilignt achievements Of StOnewall Jack
son In the valley. flashed Ike meteor
IN the gathering skies carrying consier-
nation 10 Washington and infuslng new
Iifo into the situation IN front OF Rich
moni.
command OF the Confederate forces no
Richmond. had already determined upon
an attack upon the left wing OF McClcl-
laLs army on tho south side Of the
ChickahOmiuy, and the Information that
Jacksons exploits IN the valley had
stopped the advance Of Mcdowell. was
Of tho greatest Importance 20 him.
on TIE 30th OF May 1SG2. a severe
storm lItNAlehs anu the uNuhi4f t4"u-
quill Chickahominy was transformed INTO
4 raging torrent. which General Johnston
judged would prevent any acccssiOns 10
tho second corps Of McClellan's army
then at Seven Pines. His orders were
therefore given and on tho 5ist OF May.
1862. the battle OF Seven Pines or Fair
Oaks was fought.
There was some misunderstanding OF
the verbal orders given, aud ulSncsf
I.ongstreet. and g.. W. smith did not
make the attack as II Esd been Panied
by General Johnston. 7. ". smith. WHO
was TO have acted simultaneously WITH
Lonrs.rcet ala not come into acton Win
IN TWO hours after LOugst1tet, ana ne
then was met 10y the fresh troops OF
Sumner who had fastily constructed a
bridge. and crossed 10 the relief or the
Thus. when night came on. the Con-
fcderates were in possession Of the field
but the enemy had dropped back 10 iorii-
ned lines aud the battle was Iol tNt
complete success which Johnston had
Planned.
Late i'm the afternoon. as the uncOn-
Qucrcd Johnston was reviewing Vie nrld.
and after having given the Or0er 90 steep
upon tho field and renew The contest Win
the dawn. bullet pierced MS sbouidtr,
and a moment later fragment or shell
struck him on the breast and he was
carried from the field I'm an ambulance.
The loss Of the battle of Seven Pines
was COCO TeCtrals and J.ia9 Coniederaiea.
and while 10 cannot be cias~cd as a de-
Cisive victory 10 had the effect OF de-
LAYING any further movement OF Nc
cleilau for Il north. ana thtn followed
the seven DAYS ieht around Richmond.
SEVEN DAYS AROUND RICHMOND.
ON the evening Of Nav 3fst. when TIE
battle oe Seven Pines was fought the
roar of the cannon was distinctly heard
in the city. and President Davis. with
his military adviser. General Robert p.
Leo. we're together awaiting tidines from
the conflict which meant everything lf
lost. 10 tho Confcdcracy.
IL was evening, and the sinking sun
shOne in splendor upon the drifting clouds
OF smoke that rose above the battlefield.
'fhe great ahxicty conquered the waiting
president and his associate, and huf-
rcdly no rode 70 the scene OF carnage.
The firing iu the main had now ceased.
aud only an occasional whistle OF III
he bah or the bursting or belaied shell
rose above the means Of the wounded
and dying or iesscncd The rapid movement
of those WHO we're caring for their fallen
comrades.
\ courier, -idins up to the President
and General Lee. informed them or The
wounds that Johnston had just tcc'it-
cd. and as they rode back 20 Richmond.
Mr. Davis. 10 quiet tones announced one
of the most Important decisions OF his
Office I'm the naming Of General Robert
T. Lee. as commander of the army 900
eastern Virginia ana North Carolina.
After the woundng OF Johnston thc
immodat, command Of the Amy deYolf-
cd upOn GcT,ral Gusiayus w. Smith. who
WIS the ranking officer. hu- who was
relieved on June 1st hy the appointment
OF q anoral Lee. on The next CAV. Gene
raj smith. WHO was subject TO grave
physical disorders was stricken WITH
desperate Gttack, ana was enforced from
further military duty.
Thus. the beginning of the second year
Of the war found General Lee az The
head NJ The army. with Mcclellan in
% fff ga a.frH In.f OIL .I..
aud well supplied with everything th9t
could DE desired for his soldiers On Ode
north or left bank OF the ChickahOminy
rivo'. Fitz John Porters corps was sta
toned near Gaines MIL with McCaiis'
Division at Mechanicsville and HEAVIER
Dam creek The left wing OF McClellans
army composed OF the corps Of Sumner.
Reyes Heint2elman. ana Franklin were
ON tho south bank OF tho Chicka-
homlny The entire force az this time
numbered about $4,000 men.
This was the situation when Lee as
suincd control u $1,000 men who were
IN the five miles that separated McClel-
Ian from n" coveted pri2c-the capital OF
me COnfederncN
Just the position Of Mcclellan troops
was nor known 10 General Lee and while
10 had fully determined not 10 await
Siege. bI1 10 attack Mcclellan he first
desired 70 Know the weaknesses OF their
line. and tie location OF their strongbOids
For tho purpCsps OF this discovery.
General Lee was fortunate in having nj
his command young cavalry officer.
whose fire. SKILL ard zeal were not loss
than that OF any cavalry leader whose
record lives In history or song J L. Il.
stuart. native Of Patrick county. Viz
ginia. was the soldier Of tho hour. and
had hts spirit passed from the scene 81
ncfiop et the end ~ his two DAYS dar-
Ing, his famous ride around Mcclellan
T9,nI alone have stamped his name in
delibly upon the pages Of history. ana
chiseled for his occupancy a niche
unique in The temples OF fame
'Jeb" Stuart was not Unknown to
General Lee. for he had served as eiGS
de-camp when John Brown was capturoi
and being a graduate OF West Point. wae
a trained soldier
Therefore his selection OF stuar, .,
undertake the discovery OF McCielIan's
lines was no circumstance OF war, but an