Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[270] waiting for the officers to form a plan of battle. They carefully disobeyed orders, which were, as has been seen, to go right ahead with fixed bayonets and fire but one shot, and they did not do even that. If they had only marched steadily forward, as I have said before, the enemy would have fled.

The plan that they at last agreed upon was well enough, only an exceedingly contrary one. They decided not to attack the rebel position in front, but to endeavor to go around it. Therefore it was agreed that Duryea should hold his place where it was, in apparent support of Greble's battery; that Colonel Townsend should march obliquely to the left beyond the woods so that he might strike the Yorktown road and attack the enemy in his rear and cut him off from Yorktown; that at the same time Bendix should march by his flank obliquely to the right and then go across a little stream easily fordable, and form a junction with Townsend in the rear of the enemy's entrenchments; and that would result either in the enemy taking flight or being captured.

But as Townsend moved up, a portion of his command got a little ahead of him on the other side of a stone wall. When he saw them, he took them for a body of the enemy trying to flank him, and at once concluded to retire. He did retire, leaving Winthrop near the fort in expectation of instant victory. Winthrop did not know that the order had been given for the retirement of Townsend's troops. Winthrop sprang upon a log to take a view of the situation, and see how matters stood. He was supported by one private. All the rest of his support had retired under orders. As he stood up in full view, a rifle shot from the enemy killed him instantly. Meantime Duryea and Bendix were trying to pass to the left of the enemy's entrenchments to be ready to spring upon them when Townsend had got to his position; and that was all that was done.

A council was called and all the colonels but Duryea voted to retire, and Pierce gave the order. The ground it was put upon was that the troops with long marching were hungry. They had actually marched eleven miles; and if Pierce had given the order for them to sit down and take lunch, the enemy would have run away (as is now known they did do), because they would have supposed we had come to stay. A few volunteers headed by Lieutenant-Colonel