Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 5.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[252] and greatly distinguished itself. These were the troops most engaged, and that suffered most.

But “where is Jackson?” ask all. He has travelled fast and is heading the retreating foe, and as night closes in, all is anxiety for intelligence from him. It is now about seven o'clock P. M., and just as the rout of the enemy is complete, just as the last volleys are sounding in the enemy's rear, the distant and rapid discharges of cannon tell that Jackson has fallen on the retreating column. Far in the night his troops hang upon the enemy, and for miles upon miles are dead, wounded, prisoners, wagons, cannon, etc., scattered in inextricable confusion upon the road. Thus, for four hours did our inferior force, unaided by a single piece of artillery, withstand over thirty thousand of the enemy, assisted by twenty-six pieces of artillery.

Every arm of the service was well represented in the Federal line. Cavalry were there in force, and when our men emerged from the woods, attempted to charge, but the three brigades on the right, and Jackson's three brigades on the left, closed up ranks and poured such deadly volleys upon the horsemen that they left the ground in confusion and entirely, for their infantry to decide the day. McCall's, Porter's, and Sedgwick's “crack” divisions melted away before our advance. McClellan, prisoners say, repeatedly was present, and directed movements; but, when the three brigades to our left emerged from the woods, such confusion and havoc ensued that he gave orders to retreat, and escaped as best he could.

The cannon and arms captured in this battle were numerous and of very superior workmanship. The twenty-six pieces were most beautiful, while immense piles of guns could be seen on every hand, many scarcely having the manufacturer's “finish” even tarnished. The enemy seemed quite willing to throw them away on the slightest pretext, dozens being found with loads still undischarged. The number of small arms captured was not less than fifteen thousand, of every calibre and every make. The field-pieces taken were principally Napoleon, Parrott and Blakely (English) guns. We have captured large quantities of army-wagons, tents, equipments, shoes. Clothing in abundance was scattered about, and immense piles of new uniforms were found untouched. Every conceivable article of clothing was found in these divisional camps, and came quite apropos to our needy soldiery, scores of whom took a cool bath, and changed old for new under-clothing, many articles being of costly material and quite unique. The amount of ammunition found was considerable, and proved of very superior quality and manufacture.

While the storming of Gaines's Mill was in progress, a fight was raging at Cold Harbor, a short distance to the left, in which the enemy were driven off with great carnage. At this point the gay, dashing, intrepid Gen. Wheat was instantly killed by a ball through the brain. At a later hour of the evening, one of his compatriots, Gen. Hood, of the Texas brigade, dashed into a Yankee camp, and took a thousand prisoners. And so with Jackson and Stuart pushing on toward the Pamunkey to intercept the enemy's retreat to West-Point, should it be attempted, and McClellan with his main body retiring toward the south (or Richmond) side of the Chickahominy before our victorious troops, the second day was brought to an end.

All of the enemy's dead and wounded on the previous day, with few exceptions, had been carried off; and they managed also to remove a large number from the field in this running engagement. As they retired, they set fire to immense quantities of their commissary stores, spiked their cannon, destroyed tents and smashed up all of the wagons they could not run off. Our forces captured several fine batteries, consisting in all of eighteen rifled cannon and several minor pieces of artillery.

The enemy now occupied a singular position--one portion of his army, on the south side of the Chickahominy, fronted Richmond, and was confronted by Gen. Magruder; the other portion on the north side had turned their backs on Richmond, and fronted destruction in the persons of Lee, Longstreet, Jackson and the Hills. These last were, therefore, advancing on Richmond with their backs to the city. Such was the position into which Gen. Lee had forced McClellan. The position which the latter here occupied, however, was one of great strength.

The fighting on Saturday, June 28th.

The right wing of McClellan's army, after crossing the Chickahominy on Friday night, at the Grapevine bridge, fell back down the Williams-burgh road, toward the White Oak swamp.

On Saturday, the twenty-eighth, Gen. Toombs, attacked a portion of the enemy's left wing, strongly posted on a hill, and supported with artillery, near the Chickahominy, about a mile east of the New-Bridge road. About eleven o'clock Moody's battery opened fire upon the intrenchments of the enemy, located just beyond Garnett's farm. The battery fired some ten or fifteen minutes, and meanwhile a body of infantry, consisting of the Seventh and Eighth Georgia regiments, moved up under cover of the fire from the field-pieces. The Eighth, in advance, charged across a ravine and up a hill, beyond which the Yankee intrenchments lay. They gained the first line of works and took possession of them; but, it is proper to state, this was unoccupied at the time by the Yankees.

The fire of the enemy was murderous, and as soon as our men reached the brow of the hill, rapid volleys of grape, canister and musketry were poured into them. It was found almost impossible to proceed farther, but the attempt would have been made had not orders been received to fall back, which was done in good order, still under fire. The loss in the Seventh is reported at seventy odd men killed, wounded and missing; in the Eighth, upwards of eighty. Col. Lamar, of the Eighth, was severely wounded in the groin,