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Appendix to chapter II.
of book I., volume II.
Battle of Fair Oaks.
THIS volume was already printed when we received some manuscript notes on the
battle of Fair Oaks, which
General Joseph E. Johnston had the kindness to send us from his retirement in
Georgia.
Honored by this mark of confidence on the part of the former adversary of the army of the Potomac, we have with the greatest care compared these notes with the numerous official documents from which we have derived the matter of our narrative.
We have found in them some details which we regret not having known in time, but nothing to lead us to modify the statements contained in that narrative.
In fact, we feel bound to adhere to our own opinion in regard to certain points, not very numerous, however, concerning which we cannot accept
General Johnston's assertions.
It is therefore out of deference to him that we propose to state in few words the question of fact about which we do not agree.
According to
General Johnston, the attack of
Longstreet or of the
Confederate right against
Seven Pines was almost immediately followed by that of
G. W. Smith on the left, directed against
Fair Oaks by the
general-in-chief himself, and this attack fell at once upon
Couch, who had remained inactive up to that time at
Fair Oaks, and upon
Sumner, who had already come up to
Couch's assistance.
If such had been the case, the only fault found with the
Confederates, that of a want of unanimity in their attacks, would be without foundation.
But we believe that the
Southern general, in condensing the incidents of that day into so short a space, has committed two errors in regard to time which completely change the aspect of the battle.
1st.
According to his statement, the attack of
Longstreet against
Casey only preceded that of
Smith by one hour or one hour and a half; and the second attack having taken place at half-past 4 o'clock, the first must have been made at three or half-past 3. The most conclusive evidence goes to prove that it commenced before one o'clock. The following is the precise time fixed by the generals of army corps, divisions and brigades who commanded the
Federals on this side, in their reports or depositions before the committee on the conduct of the war relative to this matter:
Keyes, half-past 12;
Casey, forty minutes after twelve;
Naglee, about one o'clock.
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2d.
Couch's division was engaged before the attack of
G. W. Smith, his advance having taken position in front of
Seven Pines since two o'clock for the purpose of supporting
Casey (
Keyes' report). Two of his brigades,
Peck's and
Devens', had been brought into line since half-past 3 o'clock (
Naglee's report). It was whilst the latter were engaged on the Nine Mile road that, about half-past 4 o'clock,
Johnston, at the head of
G. W. Smith's troops, swept down upon
Abercrombie's brigade, the third of
Couch's division, at
Fair Oaks, which rendered it necessary for the
Federals to make a change of front (
Keyes' report). Shortly after, at five or a quarter-past five o'clock, this attack broke the line which had thus been formed.
Couch, four regiments and one battery, was driven back (
McClellan's report) north of the railway, where he was soon joined by
Sumner (
Sumner's deposition before the committee on the conduct of the war).
1 At the same time the remainder of
Keyes' corps lost possession of
Seven Pines (
Naglee's report). According to the deposition above quoted,
Sumner only effected a junction with
Couch after the latter had become separated from the greatest portion of his division, and the sworn statement of several eye-witnesses enables us to fix the hour of six o'clock as the time when
Smith, the conqueror of the right wing of that division, met
Sumner in the clearing of
Allen's farm.
These data, which we have only adopted after a careful examination, show, first, that the battle, which was begun by
Longstreet before one o'clock, had continued for more than three hours before
Johnston ordered
Smith to take part in it; second, that the latter at halfpast four o'clock only found a portion of
Couch's division at
Fair Oaks, the remainder having been engaged for the last hour or two in contending with
Longstreet, and that he did not meet
Sumner's heads of column until an hour and a half after this attack.
We may conclude, therefore, that if the offensive movement of
Smith had not been delayed during those three hours, the positions of
Fair Oaks and
Seven Pines, which fell almost immediately after this movement, would have been captured at three instead of five o'clock, and that
Sumner not having yet crossed the
Chickahominy at that moment,
Smith, instead of being obliged to give him battle, would have completed the defeat of
Keyes' and
Heintzelman's two corps.
We shall not venture further with hypotheses, our object being simply to specify the points of fact concerning which we are at variance with the illustrious general who was wounded at
Fair Oaks.
May, 1875.
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Reports of the Federal and Confederate armies, to explain the second half of volume II.
I. Battle of Perryville, book I., chapter I.
Federal army.
Commander-in-chief,
Major-General D. C. Buell.
Second in Command,
Major-general Thomas.
1st corps (left wing),
Brigadier-general A. M. McCook.
1st
Division (
Sill,
commander ad interim). Brigade,
Sill; brigade, ......
Division,
Rousseau.
9th Brigade,
Harris; 17th Brigade,
Lytle; 18th Brigade,
Starkweather.
10th
Division,
Jackson.
33d Brigade,
Terrill2; 34th Brigade,
Webster.
Division,
Wood.
Brigade,
Wagner; brigade, ......
Division,
W. S. Smith.
Brigade, .....; brigade, .....
Division, ...... Brigade, ....; brigade, ......
1st
Division,
Schoepff.
Brigade, Steadman; brigade,.....
9th
Division,
Mitchell.
30th Brigade,
Gooding; 31st Brigade,
Carlin; 32d Brigade,
Caldwell.
11th
Division,
P. Sheridan. 36th Brigade,
D. McCook; brigade,
Laibolt; brigade, Griesel.
Cavalry,
Stanley's brigade.
Confederate army.
Commander-in-chief,
General Braxton Bragg.
Division,
Churchill.
Division,
Humphrey Marshall.
Division,
Heath.
1st
Division,
Patton Anderson.
Powell's brigade,
Adams' brigade,
Jones' brigade,
Brown's brigade.
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2d,
Division,
Buckner.
Lidell's brigade,
Cleburne's brigade,
Johnson's brigade,
Wood's brigade.
3d corps (without commander, the corps being divided).
1st
Division,
Cheatham.
Smith's brigade,
Donelson's brigade,
Stuart's brigade,
Maney's brigade.
2d
Division,
Withers.
Ii.
Battle of Corinth.
Federal army.
Department of West Tennessee,
Major-general Grant.
Division,
Sherman, Brigade, ......; brigade, ......
Division,
Hurlbut.
Veatch's brigade,
Lauman's brigade.
Division,
Ord. Brigade, .....; brigade, .....
Division,
McPherson.
Brigade, ......; brigade, ......
2d
Division,
Stanley.
Mower's brigade,
Murphy's brigade,
Fuller's brigade.
3d
Division,
Hamilton.
1st Brigade,
Sanborn; 11th Brigade,
Sullivan;
Buford's brigade.
Division, Mackean.
Crooker's Brigade,
McArthur's Brigade.
Division,
Davis.
Hackelman's brigade,
Oliver's brigade,
Oglesby's brigade.
Cavalry, brigade, ......
Artillery, 16 batteries, 50 guns.
Confederate army.
Division,
Lovell.
Villepique's brigade,
Rust's brigade,
Bowen's brigade.
Division,
Breckenridge.
Brigade, ......; brigade, ......; cavalry,
Jackson's brigade.
Division,
Maury.
Moore's brigade,
Phifer's brigade,
Cabell's brigade.
Division,
Hebert.
Gates' brigade,
Colbert's brigade,
Green's brigade,
Martin's brigade.
Cavalry,
Armstrong's brigade.
Artillery, 10 batteries, 44 guns.
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Federal army.
Commander-in-chief,
Major-General Rosecrans.
1st
Division,
Wood (6th
3).
Haxall's brigade,
Harker's brigade,
Wagner's brigade.
2d
Division,
Palmer (4th).
Craft's brigade,
Hazen's brigade (19),
Grose's brigade (10).
3d
Division,
Van Cleve.
Fyffe's brigade,
Gibson's brigade.
Division,
Negley (8).
Stanley's brigade,
Miller's brigade (7).
Division,
Rousseau.
Regular brigade,
Shepherd;
Beatty's brigade (17),
Scribner's brigade (9).
Division,
Fry.
Hoskiss' brigade,
Boyle's brigade,
Walker's brigade,
Starkweather's brigade.
Division,
Dumont.
Reynolds's brigade; brigade,.......
Division,
Jefferson C. Davis.
Post's brigade,
Carlin's brigade,
Woodruff's brigade (32).
Division,
Johnson.
Willich's brigade,
Kirk's brigade,
Baldwin's brigade.
Division,
Sheridan.
Sill's brigade,
Roberts' brigade,
Schaeffer's brigade.
Cavalry Division,
Stanley.
Zahn's brigade,
Kennet's brigade,
Minty's brigade.
Engineer brigade,
Morton.
Artillery,
Colonel Barnett.
Confederate army.
Commander-in-chief,
General Braxton Bragg.
Division,
Cleburne.
Johnson's brigade,
Polk's brigade,
Liddell's brigade.
Division,
Breckenridge.
Adams' brigade,
Preston's brigade,
Hanson's brigade,
Palmer's brigade.
Independent brigade,
K. Jackson.
Cavalry,
Wheeler's brigade.
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Division,
Cheatham.
Vaughn's brigade,
Maney's brigade,
A. P. Stewart's brigade,
Donelson's brigade.
Division,
Withers.
Loomis' brigade,
Manigault's brigade,
Patton Anderson's brigade,
Chalmers' brigade.
Cavalry,
Wharton's brigade,
Pegram's brigade,
Buford's brigade.
Division,
McCown.
Rains' brigade,
Eaton's brigade,
McNair's brigade.
Division,
Stevenson.
Brigade, ......; brigade,.....
Independent cavalry.
Forest's brigade,
Waggoner's brigade,
Morgan's brigade.
Iv.
Battle of Fredericksburg.
Federal army.
Commander-in-chief,
Major-General Burnside.
Right Grand division, Major-general Sumner. 22,736 men, 60 guns.
2d corps, Couch.
Division,
French.
Kimball's brigade,
Andrews' brigade; brigade, ......
Division,
Hancock.
Meagher's brigade,
Zook's brigade,
Caldwell's brigade.
Division,
Howard.
Sully's brigade; brigade, ......; brigade, .....
Division,
Getty.
Hawkins' brigade,
Harland's brigade; brigade, ......
Division,
Sturgis.
Naglee's brigade,
Ferrero's brigade; brigade,
Division,
Burns.
Brigade, ......; brigade, .....; brigade, ......
Division,
Meade.
Sinclair's brigade,
Magilton's brigade,
Jackson's brigade.
Division,
Gibbons.
Taylor's brigade; brigade, ......; brigade,......
Division,
Doubleday.
Brigade, ......; brigade,......; brigade,......
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Division,
Newton.
Brigade, ......; brigade, ......; brigade,......
Division, Brook.
Brigade, ......; brigade, ......; brigade,......
Division,
Howe.
Vinton's brigade; brigade, .....; brigade......
Grand division of the centre, Major-general Hooker. 39,984 men, 100 guns.
Division,
Sykes.
Brigade,.....; brigade, ......; brigade, ......
Division,
Humphreys.
Brigade, ......; brigade,......; brigade,......
Division,
Griffin.
Brigade, ......; brigade, ......; brigade, ......
Division,
Sickles.
Brigade, ......; brigade, ......; brigade, ......
Division,
Birney.
Ward's brigade,
Berry's brigade; brigade, .....
Division,
Whipple.
Carroll's brigade; brigade,......; brigade, ......
Cavalry,
Pleasonton's
Division. Brigade,...; brigade, ....
Bayard's
Division. Brigade, ......; brigade, .....
Reserve Artillery,
Hunt.
Confederate army.
Commander-in-chief,
General R. E. Lee.
1st
Division,
R. H. Anderson.
Wright's brigade,
Armistead's brigade,
Wilcox's brigade,
Perry's brigade,
Featherstone's brigade,
Mahone's brigade.
2d
Division,
Pickett.
Kemper's brigade,
Jenkins' brigade,
Walker's brigade.
3d
Division,
Ransom.
Brigade, ...... (formerly
Ransom's);
Cook's brigade.
4th
Division,
Hood.
Law's brigade,
Toombs' brigade,
G. T. Anderson's brigade,
Robertson's brigade,
Evans' brigade.
5th
Division,
McLaws.
Howell Cobb's brigade,
Barksdale's brigade,
Kershaw's brigade,
Semmes' brigade,
Drayton's brigade.
Artillery,
Walton.
1st
Division,
A. P. Hill.
Field's brigade,
Gregg's brigade,
Thomas' brigade,
Lane's brigade,
Archer's brigade,
Pender's brigade.
2d
Division,
D. H. Hill.
Rodes' brigade,
Iverson's brigade,
Doles' brigade (formerly
Ripley's),
Colquitt's brigade,
Grimes' brigade (formerly
Anderson's).
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3d
Division,
Ewell.
Hay's brigade,
Trimble's brigade,
Early's brigade,
Lawton's brigade.
4th
Division,
Taliaferro.
Paxton's brigade (formerly
Winder's),
Jones' brigade,
Warren's brigade,
Pendleton's brigade (formerly
Starke's).
Artillery,
Walker.
Cavalry Division,
Stuart.
W. F. Lee's brigade,
Fitzhugh Lee's brigade,
Hampton's brigade.
Reserve Artillery,
Alexander.
Note.—These tables are sometimes incomplete, for they have been prepared from information gathered here and there in the reports of different generals, there being no official records in relation to the subject, except for Lee's army at Fredericksburg.