William Swinton, Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac

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[106] counted, General McClellan judged that there remained but one alternative—either to break the Confederate lines of the Peninsula, if a weak spot could be found, or to undertake systematic operations against Yorktown, of the nature of a siege. Such a weak spot it was indeed thought had been discovered about the centre of the line, near Lee's Mill, where there was a dam covered by a battery; and with the view of determining the actual strength of this position, General W. F. Smith, commanding the Second Division of the Fourth Corps, was ordered to push a strong reconnoissance over the Warwick at that point. Under cover of a heavy artillery fire from eighteen guns, under Captain Ayres, four companies of Vermont troops passed the creek, by wading breast-deep, and carried the rifle-trenches held by the Confederates as an advanced line. Here they were re-enforced by eight additional companies. The enemy, upon being driven from the front line, retired to a redoubt in the rear, and there receiving a re-enforcement, made a counter-charge on the handful of Union troops, who were driven across the creek, after holding the rifle-pits for an hour, entirely unsupported. Many were killed and wounded in recrossing the stream.¹ No subsequent attempt was made to break the Confederate line.

It now remained to undertake the siege of the uninvested fortifications of Yorktown,—a task to which the army at once settled down. Depots were established at Shipping Point, to which place supplies were brought direct by water; and indeed it was necessary to avoid land transportation as much as possible,—the roads being so few and so bad as to necessitate the construction of an immense amount of corduroy highway. The first parallel was opened at about a mile from Yorktown; and under its protection, batteries were established almost simultaneously along the whole front, extending from York River on the right to the Warwick on the left, along a cord of about one mile in length. In all, fourteen batteries and three redoubts, fully armed, and including some