Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 10.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

[200] ceased. Early in the afternoon General R. E. Lee, was placed in command by President Davis, and during the evening and night he ordered the Confederate army back to its late positions in front of Richmond.

The battle of Seven Pines, though costing each army about 6,000 men, resulted in little. The plan of the Confederate leader was admirable, but the execution of it was defective. Too much time was wasted in waiting for Huger; but a more serious fault was the delay in sending forward Smith's division on Longstreet's left. Next morning the battle might have been renewed with the whole Confederate force at hand with good promise of success. As it was, the Confederates had hit Keyes and Heintzelman damaging blows, but it had been done at heavy cost, and the only result of value to them was the increased caution and slowness of McClellan's movements.

The new Confederate Commander at once began preparations for a renewal of the struggle. Troops that could be spared from the South were ordered to Richmond. Jackson was directed to be prepared to move to the same place from the Valley at the critical moment. (General Webb is in error in attributing this movement to Jackson himself, as he does on page 122. Jackson had been constantly instructed to keep such a movement in view, as may be seen from General Lee's letter to him of May 16.) The victories of Cross Keys and Port Republic, on June 8 and June 9, made the withdrawal of McDowell's corps from McClellan permanent, and left Jackson free to join Lee. Meantime the latter was busy in preparation. On June 11 Stuart was sent with the Confederate cavalry to reconnoiter McClellan's right and rear. This gallant cavalryman extended his reconnoissance into a raid completely around the Federal army, cutting its communications and destroying supplies as he went. This expedition, one of the most brilliant and successful feats of arms that had been accomplished up to that time in the war, gave Lee the information on which he planned his attack on McClellan. General Webb thinks it worthy of only a passing allusion. Lee now ordered Jackson to join the main army, using a ruse de guerre to prevent the large Federal forces in Northern Virginia from following him. Considerable bodies of troops were sent up to Jackson as if to reinforce him for another advance towards Washington. Care was taken that tidings of this movement should reach the enemy. On June 16 Jackson was ordered to move down with the greatest expedition and secrecy, and so admirable was the execution of this plan, that when Jackson reached Ashland, twelve miles north of Richmond on June 25th, neither McClellan nor the government at Washington had any knowledge of his whereabouts (page 124), and it