Headquarters Division,
Near Fair Oaks Station, June 5, 1862.
My dear cousin:
The General asks me to write you a short account of our
recent battle, he himself being too much engrossed by the various occurrences
constantly demanding his attention as commanding officer to find time to write
you at sufficient length. I do it very gladly, for though it is so long since I
have seen you that my recollections of you, though very pleasant, are somewhat
vague, both my Aunt Catherine's great affection for you, and my own
well-deserved affection for your brother the General, lead me to regard the
writing to you as a very pleasant task. Saturday, about noon, a firing heavier,
closer, and more sustained than that which we have been so long accustomed to
hear roused us all. General Kearny, who had just stopped to make a call on the
General, remounted his horse and galloped off in great haste to his own
command. After the interchange of a few despatches from Heintzelman to Sumner,
and Sumner to headquarters, we got under arms and marched as rapidly as
possible, crossing the Chickahominy River and swamp over a bridge we had
recently built, but which recent heavy rains had in great part carried away. To
get through our artillery seemed impossible. Men went in up to their waists;
horses floundered and fell down. Three pieces only of the leading one of our
four batteries could be dragged through in time to assist in resisting the
first attack that awaited us.
About four o'clock, having marched about three and one half
miles over roads which, when not swamp, were all deep mud, we formed line in a
bog and pushed forward on to the crest of a higher piece of ground. Our
regiments were soon ranged on two sides of a rectangle facing two sides of a
wood. The enemy, who had previously utterly routed Casey's division on the
other side of the railroad track, driving them out of their camp and capturing
many guns, advanced upon us along and through the woods, and came up in great
numbers and with their best troops, including their boasted Texas Brigade and
Hampton Legion, North and South Carolinians, Georgians, Mississippians, and
Tennesseeans. By a little before five o'clock our whole lines were blazing, the
enemy having come up to within one hundred and fifty, and in some instances, in
their endeavour to take our artillery, which was doing savage execution, up to
within twenty yards.
Their attack was so fierce that for a few moments we were
uneasy lest our men should give way; but they held their ground as steadily as
veterans and fired better than the enemy, whose attention was divided by a
regard for protection of their own persons by the cover of the woods, from
which, indeed, they rushed out several times, but only to fall back again. We
have buried about two hundred of their dead and attended, say, one hundred of
their wounded prisoners, besides capturing a considerable number. These
prisoners say that Davis, Lee, Johnston, Magruder, and Floyd were all on the
field near Fair Oaks Station, and had assured their troops of an easy victory.
They had declared it impossible that we should succeed in crossing with any of
our artillery. Magruder recognized his old battery, now commanded by Lieutenant
Kirby and beautifully worked (all the pieces came up during the fight), and
swore he would have it, but finally gave it up, saying, “All hell can't stand
such a fire as that!” Some of the prisoners were much afraid that we would
butcher them, but the greater number appeared to have learned that their newspaper
accounts of our cruelties were lies, and had no fears. I have seen a good many
terrible sights, bad wounds, mangled bodies, but I dare say you would not thank
me for giving you any details. A regiment of another division fighting
alongside of us captured an omnibus and some buggies in which some “ladies” of
Richmond had driven out to see the Yankees whipped.
The next morning we expected the enemy to renew the attack
with strong reinforcements, and were up after bivouacking under a tree. In the
meantime Richardson's division, which followed us, and the remainder of our
artillery had come up. They did not attack as early as we expected, and when
they did (about half-past seven) Richardson's division bore the brunt of the
fight, assisted by only a portion of General Sedgwick's command. This second
battle was fought chiefly on our left, and, though very fierce, lasted but a
few hours. We again drove them back, and since then they have appeared
disinclined to make any general attack, though they “feel” us occasionally, but
very cautiously.
Heavy rains since Sunday have rendered all the bridges below
us impassable, and we have to depend upon the railroad bridge. We have now got
up pretty much all our stores and effects by rail to Fair Oaks, and are ready
for future developments. The ground, just now, is so universally wet and heavy
that I should say no grand movement is likely to be made on either side. I need
not tell you that the General rode into and through showers of bullets as
imperturbably as if they were so many hailstones. Looking at him half persuaded
me that there was no danger, though it seemed, now and then, as if our not
being touched was almost equivalent to riding through a hail-storm without
encountering a pellet. Our men behaved so well that the General and General
Sumner expressed the highest satisfaction with them. Hereafter he will feel
much of the same confidence in them which they so justly repose in him.
Hoping that I may have an opportunity to become reacquainted
with you after this war is over,
I am, very sincerely,
Your affectionate
cousin,
Wm. D. Sedgwick
SOURCE: George William Curtis, Correspondence of
John Sedgwick, Major-General, Volume 2, p. 57-62
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