Horace Greeley, The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1860-65: its Causes, Incidents, and Results: Intended to exhibit especially its moral and political phases with the drift and progress of American opinion respecting human slavery from 1776 to the close of the War for the Union. Volume II.

[141] 600 yards of the Rebel guns. Tie at once opened fire on tile battery, and maintainedl a most unequal contest for 3 1/2 hours; when, having exhausted his ammunition, he desisted and fell down the river. The Galena had 13 men killed and 11 wounded; the Naugatuck 2, and the Port Royal 1 wounded. The bursting of a 100-pound Parrott on the Naugatuck threatened a more serious disaster. Capt. Farrand, commanding the Rebel battery, reports his loss at 7 killed and 8 wounded.

The first collision on the Chickahominy between the advance of Gen. McClellan's army and the Rebels occurred¹ near New Bridge; were the 4th Michigan, Col. Woodbury, waded the stream and assailed and drove off a superior Rebel force, losing but 8 men in all, and taking 37 prisoners, of whom 15 were wounded.

Directly afterward, Gen. Fitz-John Porter, commanding the 5th corps, on our right, was ordered by Gen. McClellan to advance from New Bridge, via Mechanicsville, to Hanover Court House, in order to facilitate and render secure Gen. McDowell's expected junction from Fredericksburg. Starting at 3 A. M.,² in a pouring rain, our cavalry advance, under Gen. W. H. Emory, had reached at noon a point two miles southward of the Court House, where the road forks to Ashland, and where the enemy were found in position to bar our further progress. The 25th New York and Berdan's sharp-shooters speedily coming up, they were deployed by Gen. Emory, with a section of Benson's battery, and thus advanced slowly toward the enemy until reinforced by Gen. D. C. Butterfield, with four regiments of his brigade, when the enemy was charged and quickly routed; one of his guns being captured by Col. Lansing's 17th New York. The cavalry, Benson's battery, and Gen. Morell's infantry and artillery, keenly pursued the fugitives; while Martindale's brigade, with a section of artillery, advanced on the Ashland road, pushing back the enemy in his front, until ordered to reform his brigade and move up the railroad to the Court House. One regiment having taken that course, Gen. Martindale was left with but two and a half regiments and one section of Martin's battery, when he was attacked by a superior force and compelled to maintain the unequal contest for an hour.

Meantime, Gen. Porter, at the Court House, learning that his rear was thus attacked, faced his whole column about and moved rapidly to the rescue, sending the 13th and 14th New York, with Griffin's battery, directly to Martindale's assistance, pushing the 9th Massachusetts and 62d Pennsylvania through the woods on the right (west) to take the enemy in flank ; while Butterfield, with the 83d Pennsylvania and 16th Michigan, hastened through the woods still farther to the right, and completedd the rout of the enemy. The 13th New York, of Col. G. K. Warren's brigade, which, having been delayed repairing bridges, had not hitherto been in action, now came up on our left; and, the odds being too palpable, the Confederates made a rapid retreat. Their loss is stated by Gen. McClellan at some 200 killed, 730