General Joseph R. Anderson. [from the Richmond times, January 24, 1892.]
Hero of an incident of the battle of Gaines' Mill.The 27th of June, 1862, dawned bright and beautiful over Richmond, with the armies of Lee and McClellan confronting each other on the Chickahominy. A. P. Hill's division on the previous evening had crossed that stream at Meadow Bridge, and moving down to Mechanicsville had enabled Longstreet to cross on that turnpike. Lee and McClellan had had their first deadly grapple with each other at Mechanicsville and Ellyson's Mill, and McClellan had withdrawn his troops to the heights of Gaines' Mill, where Fitz John Porter with his Pennsylvania ‘Bucktails,’ supported by artillery, held a position naturally strong, but which had been rendered almost impregnable by earthworks and an abattis of felled trees. Hill, feeling his way, reached the front of Porter about noon, or a little later, and formed line of battle. His first line was composed of a brigade of Georgians, the second of General Charles W. Field's brigade, consisting then of the Fortieth, Forty-seventh, Fifty-fifth and Sixtieth Virginia regiments, and the Twenty-second Virginia battalion. [417] About two P. M., an advance was ordered and the two lines moved steadily forward to the assault. On reaching the crest of the hill confronting Porter's position the leading brigade encountered a storm of grape, canister and minie balls, and in a moment or two, unable to withstand the deadly fire to which it was subjected, gave way and fell back, a part breaking through the supporting column of Field, throwing his line into temporary disorder. Just at this critical moment, the attention of the writer was attracted to a general officer of commanding figure, who was moving along the broken line endeavoring to rally his men and exhorting them to stand firm. Seizing the colors of one of the regiments, he planted near the crest of the hill, and by entreaty and example soon gathered around it the more intrepid of his command, The tide of battle was rushing on, men were falling on either hand, but even amid the storm of battle one could pause long enough to inquire the name of an officer so conspicuous for his gallantry. On that field the writer first saw and learned to admire the lion-hearted courage of one, now a prominent citizen of Richmond—General Joseph R. Anderson—under whose quiet demeanor, as he moves daily about our streets, one would scarcely recognize the hero of this incident.
an eye witness.
