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his reconnoissance with
Longstreet.
Had
Sumner's movement, and the advance and easy retreat of the
Federal skirmishers, been planned as a ruse to decoy us into a charge, its success would have been brilliant.
That part of our plan which had called for a tremendous preliminary cannonade was forgotten.
Lee believed that his enemy was retreating and about to escape him, and he hastened to send a verbal order to
Magruder through
Capt. Dickinson of
Magruder's staff, who wrote the order as follows: —
‘Gen. Lee expects you to advance rapidly.
He says it is reported the enemy is getting off. Press forward your whole line and follow up Armistead's success.’
Under
Magruder's orders the advance was' commenced by
Wright's
Ga. and
La. brigade, followed by
Mahone's Va. brigade, both of
Huger's division.
These two brigades formed our extreme right, and went into action only about 2500 strong, many stragglers having been lost from the ranks in the marchings and skirmishes of the three previous days.
To the left of
Wright was
Armistead of
Huger's division, followed by
Cobb's and
Semmes's brigades.
In support of these were all the rest of
Magruder's and
Huger's 10 brigades,
Ransom, of
Holmes's division, being also temporarily attached to
Huger.
Farther to the left came
D. H. Hill's five brigades.
Magruder's brigades consumed a little time in developing a full roar of musketry, but no sooner was it heard than
D. H. Hill's division was also put in.
Fitz-John Porter, in
Battles and leaders, thus describes the opening of the battle from the
Federal point of view: —
The spasmodic, though sometimes formidable, attack of our antagonists, at different points along our whole front, up to about four o'clock were, presumably, demonstrations or feelers preparatory to their engaging in more serious work.
An ominous silence, similar to that which had preceded the attack in force at Gaines' Mill, now intervened, until, at about 5.30 o'clock, the enemy opened upon both Morell and Couch with artillery from nearly the whole of his front, and soon after pressed forward in columns of infantry, first on one, then on the other, or on both.
As if moved by a reckless disregard of life equal to that displayed at Gaines Mill, with a determination to capture our army or destroy it by driving us into the river, brigade after brigade rushed at our batteries;
