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

[257] of the victims even still expressed the emotions which animated them in battle — indifference, hope, terror, triumph, rage, were there depicted, but no traces of the suffering which should be caused by the death-pang. They had passed into eternity unconscious of the shaft that sent them there!

Wednesday, July 2.--The severe struggle of Tuesday, had given the main body of McClellan's army ample time to reach the much coveted positions in the neighborhood of Berkeley and Westover, on the James River, where, availing themselves of the strong natural defences of the place, and under cover of their gunboats, they were relieved from the apprehensions of an immediate attack. In this situation of affairs, a description of the locality and topographical features of the enemy's selected place of refuge, will be a matter of interest.

Berkeley, now the residence of Dr. Starke, lies on the north side of James River, five miles below City Point, and by the course of the river sixty-five miles, but by the Charles City road not more than twenty-five miles from Richmond. The building, an old-fashioned, brick edifice, stands upon an eminence a few hundred yards from the river, in a grove of poplars and other trees. President Harrison was born here in 1773:

The Westover plantation, long the seat of the distinguished family of Byrds, and at present owned by Mr. John Selden, adjoins Berkeley on the east, the dwelling-houses being some two miles apart. Charles City Court-House is between eight and ten miles east of the latter place. It is not to be supposed the enemy selected these plantations as the scene of his last great stand without good reasons. The first and most apparent of these is, that the Westover landing is, perhaps, the very best on James River; and the stream for miles up and down, being broad and deep, affords both excellent sea-room and anchorage for his gunboats and transports. But this is by no means the only advantage of the position. On the west of Berkeley are innumerable impassable ravines, running from near the Charles City road, on the north, to James River, making a successful attack from that quarter next to impossible.

Within a quarter of a mile of where these ravines begin, Herring Run Creek crosses the Charles City road, and running in a south-easterly direction, skirts, on the north and east, the plantations of Berkeley and Westover, and empties into James River at the extreme eastern boundary of the latter. The whole course of this creek is one impassable morass, while along its northern and eastern banks extend the heights of Evelinton — a long range of hills that overlook the Westover and Berkeley estates, and which offer eligible positions for heavy guns.

It will be seen that, protected on the south by the river and his gunboats, on the west by impassable ravines, and on the north and east by Herring Creek and the heights of Evelinton, the enemy's position presents but one pregnable point <*>the piece of level country north-west of Westover, and from a quarter to a half mile in width, lying between the head of the ravines and the point where Herring Creek crosses the Charles City road. But it required only a very brief period for the enemy, with his immense resources of men and machinery, to obstruct by art this only natural entrance to his stronghold. Already it was within range of his gunboats, and of his siege-guns planted on the Evelinton hills. Another day saw it strewn with felled timber and bristling with field-batteries.

The James River was soon covered with the transports and gunboats of the enemy, and McClellan, secure in his “new base of operations,” vigorously began the work of infusing courage and confidence among his beaten and demoralized troops.