The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-05
The SEVEN DAYS. FIGHT
BEFORE RICHMOND

General Lee felt satisfied that Nc
Ciellan would get the Richmond papers
The details were left to the four gem
erals In the conference, and Longstreet
\ suggested that because of the long
march General Jackson had before
MN. he better fix the time for attack
| 70 begin. Jackson promptly said day
| light OF the 2sth. Longstreet said he
ought 10 give himself more time. but
| Jackson thought he would be ready.
He afterwards found that he miscnl-
cuiatcd the time. and therefore great
~ Imperfect tho success of the move
ment. General Lee then issued his or
der as follows.
/ AZ o'clock Thursday morning, the
| 2sih instant. General jackson will ad-
vance on tho road leading 10 Polls
Green Church, communicating his
march to General Branch. seven miles
above Meadow Bridge. who will lmmc-
diateiy cross the Chickahominy and
take the road leading to Mechanics
Niiie As soon as tho movements of
| these columns are discovered, General
y. +. I'M with the rest of his division
VIII cross the Chickahominy near
Meadow Bridge The enemy being
/ driven from Mechanicsvilie, and the
| passage across the bridge open. Gem
crai Longstreet with his division and
| that OF d. IL I'm VIII cross the Chick
aho'nny at or near that point. Genera3
H. ~. Hill moving TO support of Gen
crul Jackson. and General LonRstreet
supporting General \. T. XIII. The
| TOUR divisions keeping in communica-
tion with each other and moving 'en
cchelon on separate roads II practtc-
! able.
The left division in advance with
skirmshers and shsrpshooters extend
! ms their front will sweep down the
| Chickahominy and endeavor to drive
! the enemy from his position above
| New Bridge. General Jackson bear
well TO his left, turning Beaver Dam
| Creek ana taking the direction towards
| Cole Harbor."
General Jackson was unable to reacl,
the point expected on the morning of
the .6th. and O'Clock p. NJ. having
arrived and no intelligence from Jack
son or Branch. A. p. Hill determined
| to cross and attack rather than hazard
| the plan by deferring II.
! Very soon A. p Hill attacked the
Fedora! outpos,s. near Mocha nicsville.
and drove them In. d. II. Hill. see
Ing the outpost pursued by A. y. Hill,
and the Federal line OF battle at Me-
/ chanicsvlllc drawn UP 10 receive him,
f! crossed over also. D. II. Hill was de-
| laycd some time OF tho bridge. and
fore he could reach him. Major IL. T.
Iones's battalion OF three batteries and
! the batteries OF Captain II A. Hord-
/ way and j. w. Boudurant soon ST.
| fenced the Federal artillery, and in a
short time the whole field was aban-
| donei to the Confederates, the Fed
erals retiring across Beaver Dam
Creek. which was strongly fortified
IT. seemed that the Confederates en-
gineers were very ignorant OF the
country occupied by the enemy, and
knew absolutely nothing Of ti.c forth
hcat!ons our troops were sent against.
The maps which they had furnished
to the division commanders were
worthless, and afforded no reliable in
| formation whatever.
! The enemy had strong intrench-
Inents on the opposite side OF Beaver
Dam Creek. and the banks were lined
with his splendid artillery.
| The approach was over an open plan.
/ exposed to murderous fire of ali
arms ana across an almost impossible
stream. The result WAS n bloody and
| disastrous repulse. Nearly every field
officer In General Pender's brigade was
killed or wounded The attack was
most unfortunate; in fact. the cross
| Ing OF the Chicahominy should not
/ have been made before Jackson reach
ed the rear of Mechanicsvillc, because
when jackson did reach the front next
/ day the enemy quickly abandoned the
(. line OF Beaver Dam Creek. It must
be confessed that we were too precIpi-
. tate, and at this day and time we may
| re pardoned for using an expression of
modern coinage which describes the
; situation. I'VE were too fresh.p 1t was
! tho'Sht 10 be n great privilege to
j charge battery or an earthwork Our
| officers were carried away with en-
! thusiasm and were lavish of blood and
life at that time
a French general, as he watched the
British cavalry charge at Balaklaya.
sarcastically remarked, at is magnil-
cent, but 1t is not war" Tho charges
at Beaver Dam Creek, at Malvern Hill,
mt Gettysburg. at Sharpsburg and at
| Franklin were grand but the South
could iii afford that kind Of grandeur.
Tho following morning. May 81, the
enemy kept up brisk cannonade along
the whole line of Beaver Dam Creek.
! which was held ny skirmish line
| only, the main force having retreated
| to Gaines's MIL and Cold Harbor A.
| y. Hrl pushed on to the mil. whllo
u. H. Hill marched tc :o!n Jackson on
F; the left. Strange MS 1t may seem,
Jackson's chief of stan was Presby-
! terian minister the Row r. l.. Dabney,
| who said to u. Fl. Hill, when I over
took General Jackson Friday morning
! he was dlsmounted and. with cap In
+ hand was standing before gentle
man sitting on stump, who was
| speaking in n suppressed voice at
tcrwards learned this was General
1 Lee"
General Lees object Che stately In
pressing down the Chickahomlny was
! TO unmask New Bridge and establish
close communications with Magruder
who had been left on the south side
to prevent an attack on Richmond
a. F. Hill succeeded In driving the
enemy defending the line at the creek
to Gaines's MIL, and advanced until
he developed their last and full line
of battle at Cold Harbor. about a half