In his fighting and maneuvering, Colonel Jenkins had advanced on the arc of a circle for more than 2 miles, fighting first northeast, then east, then southeast, then due south, and lastly east. "We passed," he said, "through two abatis of fallen timber, over four camps, and over artillery twice, driving the enemy from three pieces. We never fought twice in the same place, nor five minutes in one place, and, steadily on the advance, were under fire from 3 p. m. to 7:40 p. m." Gen. G. W. Smith, in his exhaustive and able book on the battles of Seven Pines and Fair Oaks, makes the following comment on this remarkable achievement: "It is believed that the annals of war show few, if any, instances of more persistent, skillful and effective 'battlefield fighting,' than was done by the South Carolina regiments, under Colonel Jenkins, on the afternoon of May 31st." The losses were heavy, as might be expected, but unhappily there is no official report of them. Colonel Bratton, after the war, reported to General Smith that the Sixth lost 269 killed and wounded, out of 521 taken into the action. The loss of the Sharpshooters must have been fully as large. Speaking generally of his losses, Colonel Jenkins says: "In my two color companies, out of 80 men who entered, 40 were killed and wounded, and out of 11 in the color guard, 10 were shot down. My colors, pierced by nine balls, passed through four hands without touching the ground." Capt. J. Q. Carpenter, commanding the color company, lost 16 out of 28, "and ever in their front, the fatal ball pierced his heart, when he turned to his company and said, 'Boys, I am killed, but you press on.'"
While the battle of Seven Pines was in progress, General McClellan at 2 p. m. had ordered General Sumner's corps to cross the Chickahominy and go to the assistance of the Federal forces now being driven by Hill's division and R. H. Anderson's brigade. In the first advance of Jenkins, it will be recalled that he cut through General Couch's forces, dividing them and leaving a part in rear of his left flank. This force was composed of four regiments and a battery of artillery, which retreated beyond (north of) Fair Oaks, and with the brigade of Abercrombie, stationed at Fair Oaks, took up a defensive line at the Adams house, facing Fair Oaks. This line was commanded by General Couch in person. In this position, Couch was on the left flank and rear of Hill's battle and in place to be reinforced by Sumner, who came to his support in time to save him from destruction by the attack of that portion of General Johnston's army, under General Johnston's immediate direction, whose headquarters were at Old Tavern, about 2 miles from Fair Oaks. Anxious for the safety of the Confederate left, and fearing that it might be attacked by forces from the north of the Chickahominy, General Johnston had ordered the brigades of Whiting, Hood, Pettigrew, Hatton and Hampton, under Whiting, at about 4 p. m., to march by Fair Oaks to attack the Federal right and rear. The head of these troops (Whiting's brigade), reaching Fair Oaks, were fired upon by Couch's battery at the Adams house, and by his advanced pickets. A halt was made to take the battery, and to drive the Federal infantry out of reach of the road, when followed the battle of Fair Oaks, the effort of which was to keep Sumner and Couch from the field at Seven Pines, and leave Hill's division and Anderson's brigade masters of the battle in that quarter. But this was the main effect of the Confederate attack at Fair Oaks, for the battery was not taken, and Couch, reinforced by at least a strong division from Sumner's advance, with artillery, held his position against the assaults of Whiting, Pettigrew, Hatton and Hampton. The latter commanded the only South Carolinians who were in the engagement at Fair Oaks, the infantry of his legion.
There is no report from General Hampton, but the reports of Generals Johnston and G. W. Smith define his position in the affair on the left of the Confederate attack. General Smith says, that as the musketry fire of Whiting, Pettigrew and Hampton rapidly increased, opening the attack on Couch, he rode into the woods where the troops were engaged, and learned from Col. S. D. Lee, of the artillery, that "General Hampton had driven the enemy some distance through the woods, but that they were being rapidly reinforced [by Sumner], held a strong position, and extended beyond Hampton's left. The firing indicated that Whiting and Pettigrew were being fully occupied by the enemy in their immediate front." Hatton coming up, he was put in immediately between Hampton and Pettigrew, and Gen. G. W. Smith ordered the line forward to carry the Federal position. The woods were dense, the undergrowth thick, and the smoke so great that officers leading their troops could not see "more than a limited number of their men at any one time." General Smith continues: "Various attempts were made to charge the enemy, but without that concert of action necessary to success.... On no part of the line where I was, did the enemy at any time leave their cover or advance one single foot. Our troops held their position close to the enemy's line until it was too dark to distinguish friend from foe." The attack had been in progress for nearly two hours when darkness put an end to it. The gallant Hatton was killed, and that noble and accomplished soldier, Pettigrew, had fallen, badly wounded, so near the Federal line that he was made prisoner. Brig.-Gen. Wade Hampton was seriously wounded, but kept his horse, had the ball extracted by Surg. E. S. Gaillard on the field, and refused to leave his troops. In this affair, Whiting's brigade (commanded by Col. E. M. Law) lost in killed, wounded and missing, 356; Pettigrew's, 341; Hampton's, 329; and Hatton's, 244; total, 1,270. The Hampton legion infantry, General Smith reported, suffered a greater loss by far in proportion to its numbers than any other regiment of the division, being 21 killed and 120 wounded out of 350. These numbers were furnished by Surg. John T. Darby, acting chief surgeon of Whiting's division.
Near the close of the action, General Johnston was unhorsed and seriously wounded by a fragment of shell, and the command of the Confederate army devolved upon Maj.-Gen. G. W. Smith, next in rank, who was succeeded by Gen. R. E. Lee on the following day.
On June 18th a reconnoissance was made on the Nine-mile road by Gen. J. B. Kershaw, with two regiments of his South Carolina brigade, the Second, Col. J. D. Kennedy, and the Third, Col. J. D. Nance. With the Second on the left and the Third on the right of the road, the front covered by four companies deployed as skirmishers, under Captain Cuthbert, and two companies under Maj. W. D. Rutherford, Kershaw advanced. The skirmishers were soon engaged, and those of the Federal force were driven back on the supports. The two regiments advanced to within 70 yards of the Federal line, developed his position, forces, etc., and then Kershaw withdrew to camp. In this affair, Kershaw lost 1 killed and 11 wounded, among the latter Capt. G. B. Cuthbert, of the Second, and Capt. F. N. Walker, of the Third. Private W. H. Thompson, Company E, was killed, and "the gallant Sergt. H. D. Hanahan," of the Second, lost a leg.
The situation of the Federal army at this time (toward the close of June) determined General Lee to take the aggressive. The center and left of General McClellan were south of the Chickahominy, strongly intrenched and covered by the cutting of trees in the dense forests. The extreme left rested on White Oak swamp, and the right of the center on the Chickahominy at New bridge. The Federal right, under Fitz John Porter, was well and strongly posted behind Beaver Dam creek, north of the Chickahominy, with a grand guard at Mechanicsville in front, and outposts still beyond, guarding the crossing. General Lee's determination was to attack this right and separated wing with three of his divisions, calling Jackson's corps to co-operate. Jackson's march, from his victorious campaign in the valley, was so directed that he was expected to be at Ashland, 15 miles north of Richmond, on the 24th of June. From Ashland a march of 15 miles, toward Cold Harbor, would place his corps on the right flank and rear of the Federal position at Beaver Dam, while A. P. Hill, D. H. Hill and Longstreet, with their divisions, crossing the river at Mechanicsville, should carry that place and the strong position at Beaver Dam.
The morning of the 26th (Thursday) was fixed by Lee for this concerted movement against McClellan's right wing. But Jackson did not reach Ashland until the night of the 25th, his march having been delayed by obstructions put in his way by the Federal outposts, many bridges being burned over streams crossing his march. It was after sunrise on the 26th before Jackson left Ashland. He marched past the right flank of the Federal position, at Beaver Dam, and went into camp 3 miles in the rear of that flank, at Hundley's corner, in the evening. In consequence, the bloody battle fought on the 26th, along Beaver Dam, by the gallant division of A. P. Hill and Ripley's brigade of D. H. Hill's division, was fought without Jackson's assistance. The Federal position behind Beaver Dam was heroically assailed; but it was too strong to be carried by Hill and Ripley, who suffered heavy losses. With Ripley was Capt. A. Burnet Rhett's South Carolina battery, who built a bridge, crossed the creek and, pushing up close to the enemy, were in action until 10 o'clock at night, losing 11 wounded. They were particularly complimented by A. P. Hill. With A. P. Hill were the South Carolina batteries of Capts. W. K. Bachman and D. G. McIntosh, the latter of which (Pee Dee artillery) probably fired the first gun at Mechanicsville, and fired 160 rounds from each gun before night stopped the fight. The brigade of General Gregg did not become actively engaged on the 26th.
The position of Jackson, on the right and rear, and the divisions of D. H. Hill and Longstreet in front, all fresh and ready for attack in the early morning of the 27th, made the position of General Porter behind Beaver Dam untenable, and he promptly retreated and took up a strong position 3 miles further down the river.
On Friday morning (27th), A. P. Hill was ordered forward toward Gaines' mill, the South Carolinians in advance. Gregg formed a line of battle with the First volunteers, Col. D. H. Hamilton, and the Twelfth, Col. Dixon Barnes, with skirmishers thrown out under Captains Cordero and Miller; and the Thirteenth, Col. O. E. Edwards, and First Rifles, Col. J. Foster Marshall, and Crenshaw's battery in support. They moved forward across the creek, and through the discarded accouterments and burning stores of the enemy, until coming out in an open, Cordero's company was fired upon by artillery in front and Lieutenant Heise was wounded. This apparently hostile force, according to the report of General Gregg, proved to be Stonewall Jackson's command, with which communication was at once opened. After a conference between Hill and Jackson, Gregg marched on, and presently was stopped by General Lee, who gave him further instructions. Longstreet, soon afterward, informed Gregg that he was moving on a parallel road to the right. The skirmishers became briskly engaged at Gaines' mill, but Gregg soon ordered them forward at double-quick, and they gallantly drove the Federal skirmishers before them. The brigade followed and bridged Powhite creek. Hill reported of the crossing of the Powhite: "His whole brigade being over, he made the handsomest charge in line I have seen during the war." Gregg continued his advance, part of the time at double-quick and with continual skirmish firing, descended the hollow beyond Cold Harbor, driving out the enemy, and formed in line of battle on the hillside beyond. He found the enemy above him and desired to attack, but being refused, lay in position until 4 p. m., the artillery firing going on overhead.