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that Lee could not be forced from this position, concluded to flank him again.
In this operation, the Second Corps was to cover the rear, and so held position on the north side of the river until morning of the 27th, when it, too, moved off, the Tenth breaking park about 10 o'clock.1
The County Bridge had been imperfectly destroyed under the fire of skirmishers by Birney's Division.
Afterwards, some of Gen. Tyler's heavy artillerymen were sent back and completed its destruction before the corps left.
Our line of march now took us in a course nearly eastward, for the turning of the enemy's flank anew necessitated quite an extended detour for several reasons: first, that our destination should not be unmasked too soon; second, that the enemy should not assail our flank on the march; and third, because of the nature of the country.
Our course finally lay towards the Pamunkey.
This river is formed by the confluence of the North and South Anna rivers.
Further down, the Pamunkey unites with the Mattapony to form the York River.
On the latter is a settlement known as White House.
It had been used by McClellan as a base of supplies in the Peninsula Campaign and was selected as our next base of supplies, Port Royal on the Rappahannock, which had been serving that purpose, being now abandoned.
We traversed about thirteen miles of country this day, unmolested, bivouacking at night at a place four miles south of ‘Concord Church.’
Six o'clock of the next morning (Saturday, May 28) saw us again in motion, and an advance of ten miles brought us to the ferry.2
1 As we lay here, a random Rebel shell dropped among the thirty-sixth Wisconsin regiment that lay in rear of us, killing one man and wounnding three others.
On May 28, at 7 A. M., the Second Corps crossed the Pamunkey at Holmes's Ferry, four miles above Hanovertown. Banes: History of the Philadelphia Brigade.This crossing-place I conclude to be the one laid down on the government map as Nelson's Ferry, as there is no other at that distance above Hanovertown.
The Arakelyan press, Boston, 1909.
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