‘
[237]
report their ammunition exhausted.
Gen. White meets Col. Miles on the crest of heights and consults. . . . The white flag is exhibited, the artillery stops firing for about 15 minutes, when the enemy again open with a terrific cannonade. . . . Col. Miles and Lt. Binney, aidede-camp, started down the eastern slope of the heights, where every inch of ground is being torn up by the enemy's fire.
Col. Miles took Lt. Binney's hand and remarked, “Well, Mr. Binney, we have done our duty, but where can McClellan be?
The rebels have opened on us again!
What do they mean?”
Immediately after a shell passed us, striking and exploding immediately behind us, a piece of which tore the flesh entirely from his left calf, and a small piece cutting his right calf slightly.
Lt. Binney immediately tied his handkerchief above the knee and called for assistance, put him in a blanket, and, obtaining six men, dragged him to an ambulance and sent word to Gen. White.’
Col. Miles only survived for a day. A military commission which reported upon the circumstances of the surrender severely criticised it as premature.
It may be said, however, that the immediate necessity for surrender was, not to escape the fire of the artillery, which was so much in evidence, but the charge of the infantry which was about to follow.
The actual casualties of the
Federals were 217.
The total number surrendered was about 12,500.
Jackson, in his official report, says:—
‘In an hour the enemy's fire seemed to be silenced, and the batteries of Gen. Hill were ordered to cease their fire, which was the signal for storming the works.
Gen. Pender had commenced his advance, when the enemy again opening, Pegram and Crenshaw moved forward their batteries, and poured a rapid fire into the enemy.
The white flag was now displayed, and, shortly afterward, Gen. White (the commanding officer, Col. D. S. Miles having been mortally wounded), with a garrison of about 11,000 men, surrendered as prisoners of war. Under this capitulation we took possession of 73 pieces of artillery, some 13,000 small-arms, and other stores.
Liberal terms were granted to Gen. White and the officers under his command in the surrender, which, I regret to say, do not seem from subsequent events to have been properly appreciated by their Government.’
It is interesting to inquire why this criticism?
The official reports contain two documents which may explain.
The first is a letter from
Gen. White to
Gen. D. Tyler at
Annapolis, as follows:
1 —
