The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-12-14

miles day. when we ought to have
made forced marches GO or 80 miles
q day., and finally sat down at Fair
Oaks, astrfde of the Chickahominy,
as If specially inviting the attack we
soon got. It was only Gods Providence,
and Summers pluck, and Hooker and
kearny's magnificent fighting, that
saved us from utter ruin there. AS it
was. we got thorough drubbing on
Saturday, as we deserved; but recov-
cred our ground on Sunday. And both
Hooker and Kearny always said we
could then have marched straight into
Richmond, had Mcclellan but given the
order. / remember seeing Hooker and
kearny In fierce conversation about
this, soon after noon Of that swelter-
ing Sunday; Hooker on horseback and
kearny in his shirt sleeves, with his
hat off and red bandanna about his
neck. standing under his tent-fly by
the roadside and gesticulating violent
ly With his remaining arm-both of
them amazed and excited at McClel-
lan's orders
But instead Of advancing and at
tacking Richmond, we halted at Fair
Oaks and lay there over a month, in
the heart Of the Chickahominy
Swamps; onr only drinking water pol
luted with the dead and decaying bod
les OF both men and horses, and the
very atmosphere fetid and heavy with
miasma and malaria. We here lost
more men from fever and disease than
a pitched battle would have cost u.s.
We buried our dead on the battlefield
(nearly thousand Of them) in shallow
graves, and burned the bodies of our
dead horses, because the ground was
too swampy to bury them. and our only
drinking water was from springs and
swamp-holes vitiated by all these
Fair Oaks! 1t has always seemed to
me rather like synonym for Tophet
or Purgatory. / always look back to
my army life there as a hideous and
horrible nightmare. Its only redeem
ing feature to me was, that while en-
camped there l received my first pro-
motion Cat the hands OF Abraham Lin
coln), and rejoiced In the double bars
Of Captain (June IL, 1862!
Then came our Seven Days Battle
and strategic change Of base" So
called, to Harrison's Landing, with our
superb fighting at Savage Station. Glen
dale, and Malvern Hill, when we could
again have gone straight to Richmond
the Confederates were so thorough
ly used up-had anybody been pres
ent after Malvern Hill to give the or
der. But Little Mac" was again alb
sent-On a James River gunboat. Why
was he not in the midst of his bleed
ing yet victorious army, and ready to
lead it "On to Richmond?"
AS we quilted our lines at Fair Oaks
monuments Of labor and industry
great achievements with the spade)
late at night, June %, with orders to
destroy our baggage, tents, and sur
plus stores, but not to burn them (lest
we should disclose our movements to
the enemy, one of the headquarters
staff officers remarked to me:
why. Captain, this is only a strate-
gic change of basel
"Well, yes, Major" / replied, 81 hope
SO. But it looks to me more like a
skedaddle."
And So it proved.
The Observation-Disclosures Order.
McClellan's original order for this
movement-to the Third Corps at
least, whether to the rest Of the army
or not-was field telegram; and was
handed to me to read by our Adjutant-
General. for my guidance and instruc-
ton. This was just after dark Satur-
day. June %, 1862, about p. m. In
substance it said:
The General commanding directs
that the trains be loaded with ammu-
milton and subsistence, and dispatched
as promptly as possible by Savage Sta
ton, across White Oak Swamp, in the
direction Of James River. All trunks
and private baggage, and all camp
equipage, will be abandoned and de-
stroyed, but not burned. The Gem
eral commanding trusts his brave
troops will bear these privations with