William Swinton, Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac

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[486] They fell back, but not to their original position: to a position far in advance of that from which they had moved forward, and but from thirty to seventy-five yards from the enemy, where, taking advantage of the ground, they covered themselves in an astonishingly short time.

Gibbon's advance was simultaneous with Barlow's; but in moving forward, he came upon one of the swamps of the Chickahominy, which widened as the line neared the enemy's intrenchments. This separated his command; but the troops, at a fearful sacrifice, advanced close up to the works. Some for a moment entered them. Colonel McMahon, with a part of his regiment, separated by the swamp from the rest of his brigade, reached the parapet, planted on it his colors, but fell covered with many wounds, and expired in the enemy's hands, losing his colors with honor. The gallant Colonels Porter, Morris, McKeen, and Haskell were killed, and General Tyler was wounded. Yet Gibbon's troops, too, clung tenaciously to the ground gained; and some remained so close to the hostile works, that the men could only be reached by covered ways. In less than an hour Hancock's loss was above three thousand.

The story of the advance of the Sixth Corps on the right of Hancock, and that of Smith on the right of the Sixth, is of a like tenor. Every assault was immediately repulsed most disastrously; and to retain possession of an advanced position, more or less close to the enemy's line, was the utmost that could be done.

To the right the Fifth Corps was strung out in a line so thin and extended, that beyond holding its own, it was hopeless for that corps to attempt to do more. The Ninth Corps made no attack at the hour ordered; but General Burnside got two of his divisions round in position to assail the enemy's left flank, and by noon had one brigade posted across the eastern end of the Shady Grove road. This force warmly engaged the enemy. The batteries of the corps worked sufficiently far round to the right to make the Confederate position at that point very difficult to hold; and by afternoon