The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-07-01
How the seven Days Battle Around
Richmond Began.
(Written for The Timeso

rto 5.,sf, ar,r ro1nanco Of war is sup
1-1 ~ eI,r,n,T,7d tho cavalry branch of
H.. service hut at times the red artillery
In,,,cs il, for its share, as was the case
IN the-opening of the Seven Days light
- ~. .,sY,ital of the Confederacy.
-, l,nn,,-s thar for a week Cen
- "a l., commend Of that grand old
,,,,,j.s,io,, tp, ARMY of Northern Vir-
-, - tt..5.l-,4 7efeate9 and drove the
:. A,.r11- of fI1a Iootonac' under General
7Tcr,IGI1.4, from one battlefield to another,
+3,II ,,,,,,,,i,,a. hin, an on the banks of the
Ines River under shelter of the Federal
rIIIhoats hut very few at this late day
Sln rac'lI Tho incidents preceding the
onaninr or ille first days tight at Me
ci,.9inS,,iJT, and how General Lee ma
nonrverad to uncover The heavy works
milf nv Mcclellan across the road leading
from richmond 10 and beyond the Chick
-,lI11,,irT,. F;i,rpT
IT, Iy.oaI,s of+ar Tho hattie of Seven
1,i,.s C.,9na1,aI Mcclellan had been grad
eli extending his lines to the north
IF Richmond until he had heavily fortified
i,isN 1,osir;nr all me wav from the White
yIouse on the Pamunky River, to where
~ i5o'' oIl Certr9I Baiiraad now the Ches-
lISaal,. and ohio. crosses the Chicka-
boninv River his forces being estimated
IF from go 900 10 1e8, 600 men, fully equipped
,,ity7 all the hest arms ammunition COM
,,,isear,- ana rruartermaster stores
o,ianrp al the man will show that
tI,i. r1osirion fortified as it was. menaced
Inc f,aniral CITY. and that. unless some
means could be devised to protect it, there
vas little TO prevent the capture of our
I,oa,+if,,1 ci+y That little was General
10 ana his three divisions under Long
-t1eof mn anl Jackson. The latter. it is
fruc a week befoy~ the Seven Days fight
hogan. was in the Valley of Virginia,
.ri<inor one commander of the three divis-
io7s If The Federal army opposed. to him
a whining one dav another the day
afrar ana lxeepjne all of them guessing
,g1,era he was or whose turn it was next
T., ne aftaclle9 and routed. While they
wore Guessing old lack and his foot cav
airy eIinped off. and before General
BANKS {Jaczson's uuarterInaster and COM
11,,issa1,v ,eneraI} and his subordinates
llnew his Whereabouts he was on General
Lees left flank, as we will see later on.
rThers is no doubt about the fact Of Nc
ClelIan,s ability He was a fine general,
and had under him a fine body of we'll
equipped troops, but he was no match for
General Lee, either in strategy or hard
fqhtinp
During these weeks General Lee had
heen living quietly between the Chicka-
bominv and Richmond, gathering to-
eratI,pr, si1ch forces as he could induce Mr..
Davis TO give him, and while the small
arms and artillery were not as effective,
nor the ammunition as good as that Of
Mcclellan, stin there was no hesitancy
on the part of General Lee in attacking
Mcclellan and his army.
our battery (Larmduke Johnson's) had
for some weeks been camped in the field
between Colonel John b. Young's house,
afterwards purchased by 4Ir. Ginter, and
Emmanuel Church. On the Brook Road,
near the yellow Tavern, was the Hanover
troops acting as piclets; between US and
Richmond, Branch's Brigade of North
Carolinians.
On the 9th Of June, 1852. in the after
noon, orders We're issued for US to move
out the Brook Turnpike, and in very
short while, with the cavalry in front,
our Battery in the centre and Branch's
Brigade in the rear. we were swinging
down the road towards the northWest.
As we passed the gate OF Mr.. stewart
beautiful place several OF the Iadle5 OF the
family were galhefed TO Watch Tue troops
go by. | stopped and requested that
thew would send word TO my rather that