Volume II Part 13 (1/2)

General Lee was not a man of hesitation, and they have mistaken his character who suppose caution was his vice. He was p.r.o.ne to attack, and not slow to press an advantage when he gained it. Longstreet and Jackson were ordered to advance, but a violent storm which prevailed throughout the day greatly r.e.t.a.r.ded their progress. The enemy, hara.s.sed and closely followed by the cavalry, succeeded in gaining Westover, on the James River, and the protection of his gunboats. His position was one of great natural and artificial strength, after the heights were occupied and intrenched. It was flanked on each side by a creek, and the approach in front was commanded by the heavy guns of his s.h.i.+pping, as well as by those mounted in his intrenchments. Under these circ.u.mstances it was deemed inexpedient to attack him; and, in view of the condition of our troops, who had been marching and fighting almost incessantly for seven days, under the most trying circ.u.mstances, it was determined to withdraw, in order to afford to them the repose of which they stood so much in need.

Several days were spent in collecting arms and other property abandoned by the enemy, and, in the mean time, some artillery and cavalry were sent below Westover to annoy his transports. On July 8th our army returned to the vicinity of Richmond.

Under ordinary circ.u.mstances the army of the enemy should have been destroyed. Its escape was due to the causes already stated. Prominent among these was the want of correct and timely information. This fact, together with the character of the country, enabled General McClellan skillfully to conceal his retreat, and to add much to the obstructions with which nature had beset the way of our pursuing columns. We had, however, effected our main purpose. The siege of Richmond was raised, and the object of a campaign which had been prosecuted after months of preparation, at an enormous expenditure of men and money, was completely frustrated.[42]

More than ten thousand prisoners, including officers of rank, fifty-two pieces of artillery, and upward of thirty-five thousand stand of small-arms were captured. The stores and supplies of every description which fell into our hands were great in amount and value, but small in comparison with those destroyed by the enemy. His losses in battle exceeded our own, as attested by the thousands of dead and wounded left on every field, while his subsequent inaction shows in what condition the survivors reached the protection of the gunboats.

In the archive office of the War Department in Was.h.i.+ngton there are on file some of the field and monthly returns of the strength of the Army of Northern Virginia. These are the original papers which were taken from Richmond. They furnish an accurate statement of the number of men in that army at the periods named. They were not made public at the time, as I did not think it to be judicious to inform the enemy of the numerical weakness of our forces. The following statements have been taken from those papers by Major Walter H.

Taylor, of the staff of General Lee, who supervised for several years the preparation of the original returns.

A statement of the strength of the troops under General Johnston shows that on May 21, 1862, he had present for duty as follows:

Smith's division, consisting of the brigades of Whiting, Hood, Hampton, Hatton, and Pettigrew ... ... ... ... 10,592

Longstreet's division, consisting of the brigades of A. P.

Hill, Pickett, R. H. Anderson, Wilson, Colston, and Pryor . . 13,816

Magruder's division, consisting of the brigades of McLaws, Kershaw, Griffith, Cobb, Toombs, and D. R. Jones ... ... 15,680

D. H. Hill's division, consisting of the brigades of Early, Rodes, Raines, Featherston, and the commands of Colonels Ward and Crump ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . . 11,151

Cavalry brigade ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . . 1,289

Reserve artillery ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . 1,160 ------ Total effective men ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 53,688

Statement of the Strength of the Army Commanded by General R. E. Lee on July 20, 1862.

Department of Northern Virginia ... ... . . Present for Duty and North Carolina Officers Enlisted men Department of North Carolina ... ... . . 722 ... . 11,509 Longstreet's division ... ... ... ... 557 ... . 7,929 D. H. Hill's division ... ... ... ... 550 ... . 8,998 McLaws's division ... ... ... ... . . 514 ... . 7,188 A. P. Hill's division ... ... ... ... 519 ... . 10,104 Anderson's division ... ... ... ... . 357 ... . 5,760 D. R. Jones's division ... ... ... . . 213 ... . 3,500 Whiting's division ... ... ... ... . 252 ... . 3,600 Stuart's cavalry ... ... ... ... . . 295 ... . 3,740 Pendleton's artillery ... ... ... ... 103 ... . 1,716 Rhett's artillery ... ... ... ... . . 78 ... . 1,355 ----- ------ Total, including Department of North Carolina 4,160 ... 65,399

Army of Northern Virginia, September 22, 1862.

Present for Duty Officers Enlisted men Longstreet's command ... ... ... ... 1,410 ... 19,001 Jackson's command: D. H. Hill's division ... ... ... . . 310 ... . 4,739 A. P. Hill's division ... ... ... . . 318 ... . 4,435 Ewell's division ... ... ... ... . 280 ... . 3,144 Jackson's division ... ... ... ... 183 ... . 2,367 ----- ----- Total ... ... ... ... ... ... . . 2,501 ... 33,686

Army of Northern Virginia, September 30, 1862.

Present for Duty Officers Enlisted men

Longstreet's command ... ... ... ... 1,927 ... 26,489 Jackson's command ... ... ... ... . . 1,629 ... 21,728 Reserve artillery ... ... ... ... . . 50 ... 716 ----- ------ Total[43] ... ... ... ... ... ... 3,606 ... 48,933

Major Taylor, in his work,[44] states:

”In addition to the troops above enumerated as the strength of General Johnston on May 21, 1862, there were two brigades subject to his orders then stationed in the vicinity of Hanover Junction, one under the command of General Branch; they were subsequently incorporated into the division of General A. P. Hill, and partic.i.p.ated in the battles around Richmond.”

He has no official data by which to determine their numbers, but, from careful estimates and conference with General Anderson, he estimates the strength of the two at 4,000 effective.

Subsequent to the date of the return of the army around Richmond, heretofore given, but previous to the battle of Seven Pines, General Johnston was reenforced by General Huger's division of three brigades. The total strength of these three brigades, according to the ”Reports of the Operations of the Army of Northern Virginia,” was 5,008 effectives. Taylor says:

”If the strength of these five be added to the return of May 21st, we shall have sixty-two thousand six hundred and ninety-six (62,696) as the effective strength of the army under General Johnston on May 31, 1862.

”Deduct the losses sustained in the battle of Seven Pines as shown by the official reports of casualties, say 6,084, and we have 56,612 as the effective strength of the army when General Lee a.s.sumed command.”