will have to be obeyed." "I would to God," remarked the Colonel afterwards, "I had not asked him the question, but had taken my regiment in by mistake." "Forward," passed down the line, and moving on we advanced into the wood, strewed as it was with the dead and the dying, and reaching its outer edge, laid down to await the coming storm.

The First Reserve lay on our right, the Sixth Regulars in our rear, and several other regiments near by. A regiment of New York Zouaves were posted in an open field about five hundred yards in our front and facing us. Easton's battery of Reserves to our front and right were firing in the opening between us and parallel to our front. The enemy, as we well knew before we entered, were on our left flank. We may have been judiciously posted, and good soldiers should not think, but we could not help noticing that we were in a better position to attack our own troops than to inflict damage upon the enemy.

Steadily the solid columns of the foe were advancing on our left, their leading lines dressed in our uniform, showing no flag and treacherously crying out they were our friends, and not to fire upon them. But we were not deceived, and poured into them a left oblique fire with good effect. But onward they pressed until almost upon us, when they poured into us a deafening roar of musketry, above which the artillery fire at times could scarcely be distinguished. Line after line delivered. their fire, and falling to the ground gave range to those behind them. It sounded like one long continuous roar, not a susceptible interval being perceived for several Iminutes. Overpowered, flanked, and with the enemy in our rear, with scattered remnants of other regiments in the excitement of the moment firing into us, we broke and were scattered through the woods, fighting the best we could from behind trees, until finally we were driven headlong out, with our muskets thoroughly heated, and our ammunition almost exhausted.

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We were driven from the woods to the right and parallel with the line we entered on, but did not retire more than three hundred yards, before we came to a depressed road, where once more we raised our banner to the storm and rallied the boys around it. Cut off from our brigade and division, we laid here, and with Easton's battery, which was directly on our right, held the foe at bay, who seeing reinforcements coming up, dared not advance into the open field.

Soon a gallant brigade passed by, with their arms at a right shoulder and lines dressed with the precision of a parade. Steadily, silently and firm paced, they advanced with their glorious banners and glittering bayonets gleaming in the sun, and like a mass of living valor entered the woods and disappeared from sight. Soon their loud cheers and volleys told they had met the foe. If our brigade had entered the woods as they did, we would have met the enemy on our front and not our flank.

At this time we were ordered into a low woods in the rear of Easton's battery, but had not remained there long before we were moved to the left on an open field. Soon afterwards we were ordered to the right, and further to the rear of the battery. An hour had now passed by, and soon a few stragglers were seen flying from the woods, and in a few moments the foe burst upon us in overwhelming numbers. The guns of Easton's battery vomited forth their hail of double-shotted canister against which it appeared impossible for men to stand, yet onward with undaunted bravery the enemy pressed, closing up their vast gaps and sweeping everything before them. The gallant Easton was killed, his brave cannoniers bayoneted at their guns, the majority of the horses disabled, and, despite the most heroic resistance, the battery was taken. A dozen or fifteen horses cut loose from the battery, dashed through our line followed closely by the enemy, and again driven, we slowly and sullenly, but in good order retreated down over the fields, under a murderous fire that brought many a brave man to the ground.

Having reached a position whose sloping ground afforded some slight protection, Colonel McCandless rallied the men and reformed the line, collecting a large number of stragglers from different regiment, and soon after Colonel Simmons of the Fifth Reserve appeared and took charge. A squadron of Rush's Lancers and a squadron of Indiana cavalry, now came up and formed in our rear, and General McCall stopped two batteries that were in retreat and bringing them into battery opened upon the enemy, who just then appeared on the opposite hillside, and checked their advance at this point.

Soon after French's and Meagher's brigades came up, and the fire of the batteries was stopped as they passed down the hill in front, but upon their reaching the foot of it, they were met by General Porter, who halted them, as the enemy had retired from view and the sun was setting.

The other regiments and brigades of the Reserve fought with great gallantry, the First and Eighth being relieved and brought out by General Reynolds, and the Fifth retiring only when their ammunition was exhausted. The Eleventh, Colonel Gallagher, having relieved the Fourth New Jersey, Colonel Simpson, while engaged by the enemy became so completely enveloped in the smoke of the battle as not to observe the rest of the line had retired, and being completely surrounded by a vastly superior force of the enemy, the major part of them and the Fourth New Jersey were captured, but no censure whatever, was attached to either of the gallant commanders of the regiments.

About eight o'clock, the battle ceased and we were moved some distance towards the rear, near a field hospital where the wounded were being continually brought in for surgical treatment, after which they were laid upon the grass, a blanket thrown over them, and a canteen of water put by their side, where some slept and others died. The poor fellows displayed most heroic fortitude, and though many of them were horribly mangled and

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suffering intense pain, only suppressed murmurs escaped their lips. All of our regiment were collected and laid together, and were cared for by their comrades until we moved. While the surgeons were at work by the flickering light of candles, the ruthless enemy opened fire upon them with shell, but they continued, hiding the lights as best they could with their caps and bodies.

Through the night General Reynolds was surprised, with Captain Charles Kingbury, his Assistant Adjutantgeneral, and taken prisoner by the enemy. The command of our brigade, therefore, devolved upon Colonel Simmons of the Fifth Reserve.

The number of troops engaged on our side was not more than thirty-five thousand men, and that of the enemy has been computed to be from seventy to seventyfive thousand men. The loss on our side was heavy, but as no general returns were made until after the Seven Days' battle, the losses during the series of battles weré estimated together. The number of guns captured by the enemy on the field were nineteen, and three were lost by being run off the bridge during the final withdrawal.

Although we were finally forced from the first line after the enemy had been repeatedly driven back, yet the object sought for had been attained. The enemy was held at bay, our siege guns and material were'saved, and the right wing could now be withdrawn and joined to the main body of the army.*

The wearied and exhausted men who had fought for two days, and many of them without a mouthful to eat, threw themselves upon the ground and sank to sleep with their cartridge boxes strapped upon them and their muskets in their hands. But their slumbers were of short duration, as soon orders came to wake them up and get into line without noise. It was hard work to rouse the sleepy boys, it being necessary to roll some of them over, shake them, pound them, and even to lift

*See Appendix A.

them upon their feet. Having got the men in line, our division waited here until near morning to cover the withdrawal of the army from the left bank of the Chickahominy, and then crossing the bridge opposite Trent's Hill about seven o'clock we blew it up; moving on about a mile and a half we halted on Trent's Hill, where we laid during the 28th.

CHAPTER XIV.

CHANGE OF BASE. MARCH TO THE JAMES RIVER. BATTLE OF ALLEN'S FARM. BATTLE OF SAVAGE'S STATION. A NIGHT ON PICKET. THE BATTLE OF GLENDALE. THE RIVER REACHED.

WHILE the battle of Gaines' Mills or Chickahominy was progressing on the left bank of the river, the enemy were not idle on the right bank, they having a large force between our left wing and Richmond showing their numerical superiority. Sharp musketry and artillery fighting took place there, along nearly the whole of the line, which was threatened by such heavy masses that the corps commanders deemed their forces were smaller than were adequate to the emergency. Therefore, to have sent more reinforcements to Porter would have imperilled the movement across the Peninsula. After the battle it was necessary to unite the two wings of the army which could have been done on either bank of the river, but if it had been on the left bank, although our united force could have defeated the enemy and have marched to the White House, as they held the roads leading there, our supply trains could not have been sent in advance of the army, but would have had to follow us and the guarding of these trains would have seriously embarrassed our operations in battle. We would have been immediately followed by the enemy on the Richmond side of the river, who would have operated