General McClellan claimed a great victory at Williamsburg, basing his claim upon the occupation of the town the next day, the capture of 300 prisoners and 1,000 wounded, and five guns. But the fact is, that the battle was fought by General Johnston with two divisions of his army, for no other purpose than to secure his trains and make good his retreat upon Richmond, and this he accomplished. The divisions that fought the battle slept on the field, and left their positions without molestation on the morning of the 6th. Johnston marched only 12 miles on the 6th, and was not pursued. Four hundred wounded were left at Williamsburg because he had no ambulances, and the wagons were out of reach on the march toward Richmond. Four hundred prisoners, several stand of colors, and cannon were taken, and the Confederate loss, 1,560 killed and wounded, was only two-thirds that of the Federals.[A] With these facts before us, Williamsburg cannot be considered a victory for General McClellan.
Regarding the morale of the Confederate army at this period, a distinguished commander of one of its divisions wrote: "Our revolutionary sires did not suffer more at Valley Forge than did our army at Yorktown, and in the retreat from it. Notwithstanding the rain, cold, mud, hunger, watching and fatigue, I never heard a murmur, nor witnessed a single act of insubordination. The want of discipline manifested itself only in straggling, which is the curse of our army."
The security of General Johnston's march toward Richmond was seriously threatened on the second day after the battle at Williamsburg, May 7th. The menace came from the direction of Eltham's landing, at the head of the York, where General McClellan was disembarking several of the divisions of his army. Franklin's division had landed, and was in line of battle well in front and covering the disembarkation of the other divisions. In this position, Franklin's advance was within 3 miles of Johnston's line of march, and his trains and artillery were in danger. Gen. G. W. Smith's division, under Whiting, was halted at Barhamsville (West Point) until the rest of the army had passed, and had been kept fully apprised of the Federal position between Barhamsville and the river. To keep the enemy back until the army had passed this point, General Smith ordered Whiting's division to move out toward the river and attack and drive back the Federal line. The attack was made by Hood's Texas brigade and two commands of Hampton's brigade, with S. D. Lee's artillery. The troops engaged on the Federal side composed the division of Franklin.
It was a spirited affair, the Hampton legion infantry, commanded by Lieut.-Col. J. B. Griffin and Maj. James Conner, and the Nineteenth Georgia, Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson, vying with Hood's gallant Texans in the steady advance. The Federals were driven back to the river line and held their position firmly, and the guns of the fleet being opened on the Confederates, Hood and Hampton withdrew their supports and resumed the march that night toward New Kent Court House. Hood lost 8 killed and 28 wounded, and Hampton, 12 wounded. Forty-six prisoners were taken. The reported loss of General Franklin was, killed 48, wounded 110, captured 28; total 186.
After the affair, General Franklin reported it a success for his division, and concluded by congratulating himself that he had maintained his position. Hampton, in his report, complimented the officers and men of the legion, and of the Nineteenth Georgia, and mentioned particularly Lieutenant-Colonel Griffin, commanding his infantry battalion, Major Conner, in command of skirmishers, and Maj. Stephen D. Lee, commanding his artillery. In this affair the Confederates had five regiments and a battery actually engaged, and a brigade in support (but not engaged) on each flank. The return of casualties by the Federal record shows losses in six regiments, and a battery. The affair occurred for the most part in the woods east and west of the road leading from Barhamsville to Eltham's landing, and within range of the guns of the vessels in York river.
Arriving before the defenses of Richmond, General Johnston encamped his army north and east of the city, with grand guards well out on the roads leading from Richmond to the crossing of the Chickahominy, and in the direction of the landings on the James. His cavalry, under Stuart, was immediately in observation of the troops of Franklin at Eltham, and of General McClellan's main advance from Williamsburg. The Federal army moved up the peninsula by the roads leading to White House, on the Pamunkey, and thence, on the north side of the Chickahominy, as far as Mechanicsville. All the bridges, including the York river railroad bridge crossing the Chickahominy, had been destroyed, and Johnston's army was south of that stream. By the 20th of May, McClellan had seized the crossings of the Chickahominy from Bottom's bridge up to Meadow bridge, the latter point being immediately north of Richmond, and within 5 miles of the defenses of the city. His left, at Bottom's bridge, was about 12 miles in a direct line from the city's limits. The general direction of the Chickahominy is from northwest to southeast, between these points. By the 26th of May, the Third and Fourth corps of the Federal army, under Generals Heintzelman and Keyes, had crossed at Bottom's bridge, and by the 30th, the latter corps had intrenched itself on the Richmond side of Seven Pines and Fair Oaks station, with its right refused toward the Chickahominy swamp. The other corps of the Federal army were north of the Chickahominy, opposite bridges which had been constructed for their convenience in crossing. Heintzelman's corps was in the vicinity of Bottom's bridge. There had been incessant rains, and the whole country was flooded with water and the roads almost impassable for artillery.
On the 30th of May, General Johnston determined to attack Keyes on the 31st at Seven Pines, and crush his corps before it could be reinforced from the north of the Chickahominy or to any extent by Heintzelman from Bottom's bridge. To understand his plan of attack, it will be necessary to explain the situation more minutely. Seven Pines and Fair Oaks are about a mile apart, and distant from Richmond about 7½ and 7 miles. Fair Oaks is on the railroad, and Seven Pines on the Williamsburg road. Two roads which figure in this account, and the railroad, run east from Richmond practically parallel for 5 miles, the Nine-mile road to the north, below it the railroad, and further south the Williamsburg road. At Old Tavern, 5 miles from Richmond, the Nine-mile road turns southeast, crosses the railroad at Fair Oaks, and joins the Williamsburg road at Seven Pines. About 2 miles from Richmond, on the Williamsburg road, the Charles City road turns off to the southeast. White Oak swamp lies between Seven Pines and the Charles City road. To strike the corps at Seven Pines, the direct road would be the Williamsburg road, with the Charles City road running to the Federal left. To strike him at Fair Oaks, the direct road would be the railroad, with the Nine-mile road coming to the same point (Fair Oaks) from Old Tavern, and affording good points from which to turn the Federal right.
Johnston's plan of attack was admirably considered. D. H. Hill's division was to attack at Seven Pines by the Williamsburg road; Brig.-Gen. Benjamin Huger's division was to attack the left flank by the Charles City road; Longstreet's division was to attack at Fair Oaks by the Nine-mile road, and W. H. C. Whiting's division was to support the whole by guarding the Confederate left and watching against reinforcements coming from the north side of the Chickahominy. The plan was perfect, but it was not executed, except in one particular; the attack assigned to D. H. Hill was a splendid achievement, and won the main success of the day, May 31st. In securing that success, the brigade of R. H. Anderson bore a most conspicuous part, and to describe its operations is now the writer's duty.
The battle, which had been ordered to begin at an early hour in the morning, was not opened until Hill led his splendid division to the attack at 1 p. m. The four brigades of the division, Rodes and Rains on the south of the road, and Garland and G. B. Anderson on the north side, with Bondurant's and Carter's batteries, had beaten Casey's Federal divisions with its supports, driven them back on the Federal second line, at Seven Pines, captured eight guns, and was now attacking the Federal line intrenched right and left across the Williamsburg road, at Seven Pines, running toward Fair Oaks. Pressing his attack on this position in front, and on the Federal left, Hill sent back for another brigade to co-operate in the attack, by moving along the railroad on his left and striking at the Federal right and rear. "In a few moments," says General Hill, "the magnificent brigade of R. H. Anderson came to my support," and being ordered by Hill immediately on his extreme left, it began its effective operations. General Hill ordered Colonel Jenkins, with the Palmetto sharpshooters and the Sixth South Carolina, Colonel Bratton, to march through the woods beyond his extreme left to the railroad, move down it toward the Federal right flank at Seven Pines, and strike at the rear of that position, while the rest of Anderson's brigade attacked on the immediate left of Hill, between Casey's captured line and the railroad, Anderson directing his own and Jenkins' movements. The sequel will show how remarkably well these battlefield orders were carried out. Jenkins, with his own and Bratton's regiment, and the Twenty-seventh Georgia, from one of Hill's left brigades, formed line of attack in the woods, facing northeast, and gallantly moved against a portion of General Couch's division posted there. General Anderson, with the Fourth and Fifth South Carolina, under Major Mattison and Colonel Giles, on the right of Jenkins and on the immediate left of Hill's attacking troops, formed his line in the same wood facing with Jenkins' line, but some distance from it, and, supported by artillery fire from Hill's line, attacked in his front a portion of General Naglee's troops. Both attacks were successful and Couch's and Naglee's troops were beaten. Reaching the railroad, Jenkins halted and dressed his line, the Twenty-seventh Georgia being now recalled. Meeting General Anderson at the railroad, Colonel Jenkins was directed by him to move on. The sharpshooters and the Sixth marched ahead, fighting, and penetrated the Federal line, cutting off a part of those troops from Seven Pines. Changing front forward on his right, Colonel Jenkins, with his two regiments, now facing southwest, attacked the right of the position at Seven Pines on Hill's extreme left. "At this point," he reports, "the enemy, heavily reinforced, made a desperate stand and the fighting was within 75 yards." Pushing on, the Federals slowly gave ground, and the two regiments kept in close support and perfect order. Fighting forward and to his right, Jenkins reached the Williamsburg road, the Federal forces in his front falling back and taking position in the woods south of it, while the two South Carolina regiments formed in line in the road, facing south. The little brigade was now in a most critical position, in advance of Hill's line, with the foe in front, and troops coming up the Williamsburg road to attack his left.
Colonel Jenkins determined, as he says in his report, "to break the enemy in front before I could be reached by this new advance [coming up the Williamsburg road on his left], and then by a change of front to meet them." This was handsomely done, and sending two companies of the Sharpshooters, Kilpatrick's and Martin's, under Maj. William Anderson, to attack and check the Federal advance, the two regiments were formed across the road, facing south, while Jenkins' adjutant, Captain Seabrook, hurried back for reinforcements. General Anderson, who had led the Fourth and Fifth forward on Hill's left in the general attack, sent the Fifth to Jenkins, under Lieut.-Col. A. Jackson, the gallant Colonel Giles having been killed; and the Twenty-seventh Georgia was also sent forward to him by General Hill. Before his reinforcements reached him, the Federal advance was so near that their commands and cheers could be heard, and the two regiments had been advanced to within 100 yards of them. The Twenty-seventh Georgia was the first to come up, and being placed on the right, the Sharpshooters in the center and the Sixth (Lieutenant-Colonel Steedman commanding, Colonel Bratton being wounded) on the left, Jenkins boldly advanced to meet his foe. "The two commands neared each other, to 30 or 40 yards," says Colonel Jenkins, describing this struggle. "Losing heavily, I pressed on, and the enemy sullenly and slowly gave way, leaving the ground carpeted with dead and dying." By this time the Fifth South Carolina volunteers came up at the double-quick. The Twenty-seventh Georgia (which had been repulsed) rallied and came forward on the right. Jackson came up on the right of the Georgians, "sweeping before him the rallied fragments who had collected and resumed fire from the woods to the right, and thus, at 7:40 p. m., we closed our busy day." A day of splendid achievement!