Memoirs of William Nelson Pendleton, D.D., rector of Latimer parish, Lexington, Virginia; brigadier-general c.s.a.; chief of artillery, army of northern Virginia. |
| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. |
| XVII. |
| XVIII. |
| XIX. |
| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
| XXIII. |
| XXIV. |
| XXV. |
| XXVI. |
| XXVII. |
| XXVIII. | CHAPTER XXVIII. |
| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
| XXXVI. |
| XXXVII. |
| XXXVIII. |
| XXXIX. |
| XL. |
| XLI. |
| XLII. |
| XLIII. |
| XLIV. |
| XLV. |
| XLVI. |
| XLVII. |
| XLVIII. |
| XLIX. |
| L. |
 | CHAPTER XXVIII. Memoirs of William Nelson Pendleton, D.D., |  |
CHAPTER XXVIII.
DEFENCE OF RICHMOND—SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES.
The weeks succeeding the severe check of his advance in the
battle of Seven Pines were employed by McClellan in erecting
powerful earthworks and planting heavy guns to protect the
cautious approach of his army to the immediate vicinity of Richmond.
This gave General Lee time to increase and strengthen
the very inadequate defences of the city and to bring all available
reinforcements to his army for the impending struggle. June 2,
the day after taking command, General Lee sent for General
Pendleton and requested him to continue chief of artillery, and
to make every effort to bring that arm of the service up to the
fullest possible efficiency.[1]
Of the impression made by his old
comrade upon him, and of the increased activity in the preparations
to meet and foil the Federal designs upon Richmond,
General Pendleton wrote,—
"I liked very much General Lee's tone and bearing in the conference
I had with him evening before last. His head seems
clear and his heart strong. Few men have ever borne a greater
weight than that which now rests upon his shoulders. Of course
the difficult task here. It may not prove practicable for our
army to accomplish the double object of protecting Richmond
and beating McClellan. If this be concluded, and we have to
make choice between giving up Richmond and giving McClellan
great advantage over us, perhaps it may be the dictate of wisdom
to give up the capital for a while, that we may secure a good
chance for whipping the Yankee army and striking some other
heavy blows. You must not, therefore, lose heart should anything
of this kind happen. I have not the slightest intimation
that it is meditated by anybody; it is the suggestion of my own
mind. Looking at the conditions of the case as I do, I cannot
close my eyes to the possibilities.
"All day yesterday I was in the saddle—from seven A.M. to
six P.M.—reconnoitring the country and seeing what arrangements
could be made for artillery operations. I have divided my
corps into three battalions,—one under Colonel Cutts, another
under Major Richardson, and the third under Major William
Nelson,[2]
of Oakland. They are camped at different places and
I supervise them all. Besides this, I have still a good deal to do
superintending the armament of the fortifications and conferring
with the chief artillery officers of the several divisions of the
army respecting the adjustments of their several commands."
"Our own movements and those of the enemy here are to a
great extent hindered by the extreme wet. More water on the
earth I have hardly ever seen than now, and the soil around
Richmond is of a character rendered peculiarly miry after such
rains. Horses and riders are often in danger of becoming involved
in some slough beyond extrication in the fields and swamps
all around the city, and as for carriages of any kind, only here
and there can they get along. Artillery is with difficulty moved
at all, and by no possibility can it be manœuvred to any extent
on a battle-field anywhere near. Still, more or less firing goes
on every day between some batteries the enemy have in position
and certain of ours also placed where they may occasionally pop
at the enemy. In this sort of random skirmishing I take no part.
force as may make it most effective in an extended fight and
commanding my own reserve corps. I am under more than usual
anxiety for our gallant general and army near Winchester, and for
our dear ones with them. Their exploits have really been glorious.
With breathless eagerness shall I await the next tidings
from them. . . .
"Your mamma's letter of June I, with Sandie's of the 26th
ult., have reached me. What a happiness it would be to me to
be permitted, without anxiety, to taste the sweets of my own
dear home! Everything there—in house, yard, and garden—is,
I well know, delightful. In thought, however, I can enjoy it,
even though denied the privilege of personal presence."
"You know, I suppose, much more of Jackson's continued
successes against Fremont, Shields, etc., than I do. I almost
dread to hear lest grief should come with the particulars of
victory. Still, look up and commit all to infinite wisdom and
goodness. . . . Everything is getting enormously high in Richmond,
—bacon sixty cents a pound! butter from one dollar
to three dollars a pound! etc. If we don't fight soon the people
will have to decamp for subsistence. The army seems to
be pretty well fed. . . . On Sunday I had service three several
times,—at nine, with Cutts's battalion of my corps, near my
head-quarters; at half-past ten, with William Nelson's, more than
a mile north of this; at twelve, with Major Richardson's, a mile
and a half west of William Nelson's. How about our church in
Lexington? Any chance for services at any time? How I
would delight to discharge my proper duties there again! And
how I long for you, and home, and all there!"
"Early this Tuesday morning I write, after having finished my
devotions, but before the rest are ready for breakfast. Three of
your letters have reached me. Thanks to our Heavenly Father
for all the comforts you still enjoy. Dear Sandie and Edwin
Lee and Everard Meade and Mr. Allen are also safe thus far
through all the conflicts. Sandie, I learned last night, had a
narrow escape in one of the battles, a shell passing so close as to
of the exposure and the special protection. . . . You ask
me to tell you all I do. This is scarcely possible where there
are so many things to be attended to. I rise very near sunrise,
having first spent a good long while in silent meditation and
prayer in bed. I then dress as quickly as possible, fix my bed,
and arrange such little personal matters for the day; then read
my psalms and chapters, and by that time breakfast is ready.
Immediately after, I sign side-leaves, discharges, passes, etc., and
issue such orders as are then needed for the day. Such duties
being attended to, I ride in some direction, seeing that the batteries
are rightly adjusted or calling to confer with some one or
other of the generals about matters pertaining to my special
service. After dinner one kind of business, then another, claims
attention, and so night finds me pretty tired. Soon after nine I
have prayers, and we all get to bed and are asleep in a marvellously
short time. I have a nice military family,—not very small.
"On Saturday, as William Nelson had some of my batteries
on picket duty in the extreme front, I rode there and went to the
outer verge, where we could see the Yankees close by and in
full view. They might have shot at us twenty times, but somehow
there was no firing. I wanted the men to feel that I would
not put them where I was not willing to go myself. Sunday I
preached to Colonel Cutts's battalion at nine, and then rode into
town and preached for Peterkin. Good was, I trust, done. In
the afternoon I was to hold service with Lieutenant-Colonel
Coleman's command, but a rain prevented. . . . The people in
Richmond seem to feel nearly as safe as if the Yankee army
were a thousand miles away. A good deal of this quiet and
sense of security results from the spirited actions and brilliant
successes of General Jackson and his little army."
". . . The tedious duty to which I referred just now was inspecting
a number of heavy-artillery companies in the different
redoubts around Richmond, to ascertain which of them ought to
be retained in commission and which broken up, their officers
reduced to the ranks, and their men distributed among other
companies. The Secretary of War requested me to preside in
the needful but thankless work, and I have been at it all day.
raw light-artillery companies. If I can break up four or five of
these light-artillery companies, men enough will be distributable
to fill up most of the veteran companies whose ranks have been
thinned by the severities of long and arduous service. . . . It is
now, my daughter, five o'clock in the morning. I am refreshed
with sleep and have spent a good while—ever since early dawn—
in meditation and prayer. Instead of getting up to write, I prefer
for this time sitting up in my camp-cot and finishing my letter.
. . . I had a laborious day yesterday. After needful public duty
in the early morning, I held service and preached to a part of
my command, half a mile off, from nine to half-past ten; congregation
large and attentive. That service over, I rode to the Old
Church, on Church Hill, and preached for Dr. Norwood. There,
too, freedom was given me, and the people were very attentive.
After dinner I rode to William Nelson's camp and officiated for
that battalion, bringing the day to near sunset. Hardly anybody
in the State preached to more people than it was my privilege to
do. It is good for me,—I trust it is for others,—for me thus to
exercise my sacred calling while occupying this strange position.
Soldiers come to hear me much more freely than they seem to do
the chaplains.
"Sandie has been promoted by General Jackson's special request;
is now a captain. He has been an extravagant dog about
his horses. He must try and take better care. Mine has very
hard service, and yet I keep him in good condition."
Meantime, General Lee's plans had been maturing for the great
struggle. Jackson's rapid movements and brilliant successes
against Milroy, Banks, Fremont, and Shields in the valley had
so alarmed those generals and the government in Washington,
that any intention to send them to the aid of McClellan was
abandoned. McDowell, also, instead of being sent from Fredericksburg
to reinforce the Federal army before Richmond, had
been ordered to Front Royal to the assistance of Banks, and was
kept for the protection of Washington with his troops, some at
Fredericksburg, others in the valley. To increase the apprehension
of Jackson's prowess and advance upon the Federal
capital, Whiting's division had been sent from Richmond to
chronicled in the Richmond papers. Arriving at Staunton
and reporting to General Jackson, General Whiting was, to his
surprise, ordered to return to Gordonsville. Jackson put his
whole army in motion for the same point, enjoining silence and
secrecy upon the whole command, as they marched to co-operate.
with Lee in the attack upon McClellan. General Lee's directions
were that Jackson's corps should attack the enemy on his right
flank at Mechanicsville by day-dawn of the 26th of June. But
even Jackson's promptness and the trained activity of his men
could not so speedily overcome the difficulties of the long and
arduous way,—the roads blockaded by felled timber and the advance
harassed by the Federal cavalry. When at three o'clock
in the afternoon of the 26th tidings had at length come of
Jackson's approach, A. P. Hill crossed the Chickahominy and
attacked the enemy in his intrenchments at Mechanicsville, and
began the fierce series of battles which drove McClellan from one
fortified position to another, and compelled him at last to take
refuge under his gunboats at Harrison's Landing on James
River, twenty miles below Richmond.
In this attack upon McClellan's right flank, General Lee
massed the main part of his army north of the Chickahominy,
leaving only a small force south of that stream to hold the defences
around Richmond and protect the city against an advance
of the Federal left. In this disposition of troops, Jackson,
Longstreet, A. P. Hill, and D. H. Hill, on the north side of the
Chickahominy, by repeated and desperate assaults, forced the
Federal army from its strong fortifications at Beaver Dam Creek,
near Mechanicsville, on the 26th, and from the still more formidable
works at Gaines's Mill on the 27th of June, while Magruder
and Huger were ordered to hold positions on the south against
any assaults of the enemy on the left threatening the capture of
Richmond. "Brigadier-General Pendleton was directed to employ
the reserve artillery so as to resist any approach of the enemy
towards Richmond, to superintend that portion of it posted to
aid in the operations of the north bank, and hold the remainder
ready for use when it might be required."[3]
During the night of the 27th the Federal forces north of the
Chickahominy were withdrawn to the south side of the river,
but whether with the intention of retreating to James River, or
of recrossing the Chickahominy lower down and retracing the
road to the Peninsula, could not at first be known. The swamps
along the Chickahominy prevented the moving of troops except
by the roads and bridges. These the enemy held with powerful
artillery, while the fortifications in front of Magruder and Huger
were kept so fully manned as to conceal the enemy's intended
withdrawal of all his force towards James River. By nightfall
of the 28th that intention, however, became a certainty, and on
the 29th the Confederate army was all once more south of the
Chickahominy, and pressed forward in pursuit of the retreating
foe. The bloody battles of Savage Station and Frazier's Farm
on the 29th and 30th were succeeded by the still more desperate
engagement at Malvern Hill on the 1st of July.
To describe these battles in detail, to comment upon the mistakes
and blunders of the several generals, to show, in the light
of twenty years, how different results might have been obtained
if this or that had been done, is not the purpose of these
Memoirs. The part General Pendleton and the artillery had in
them may be best learned from himself. His ready use of the
pen, and the habit of writing in the very early morning, made
letters easier to him than to most of the soldiers. On the
morning of the 26th of June he wrote hurriedly to his wife,—
"We expect the great conflict here to-day. Jackson will be
in the thick of it with our dear ones on the north side of the
Chickahominy. My command is employed with the force on
the south of the Chickahominy, checking the enemy on this
side while a large force attacks him on the other; and not only
defending Richmond, but pressing this part of the Yankee host
as occasion allows.
"We are all trustful in God and hopeful. To Him I commit
myself for time and eternity. It is possible we may not have a
very severe time this side; on the other hand, we may have a
desperate fight. I have had a great deal to do in preparation
these few days. Will, if spared, write you fully. God be with
and abundantly bless you all!"
"Before setting out for the duties of the day I take a moment
to let you know that I am still safe and sound, and that our
cause is also thus far in good condition. The contest begun
about three o'clock Thursday afternoon, raged fiercely then and
yesterday. The enemy, where attacked, retreating many miles,
but now and then contending vigorously. Most of the fighting
is on the northeast side of the Chickahominy, where my immediate
duties do not lie. There is, so far as we can yet see, a
fair prospect of breaking up the invading host. Jackson is, we
learn, far behind them. I was out on the lines in saddle yesterday
from six A.M. to ten P.M. The battle spectacle which I witnessed
several miles on our left, across the river, was awfully
impressive as well as greatly exciting. The President was by me
witnessing the same for hours."
Artillery Camp Near Richmond.
"Being laid up for the day by a little fever, etc., consequent
upon the immense labor and exposure through which I have
passed during the past week, I can take occasion to write you a
brief notice of the fact that McClellan is whipped and his whole
army in full retreat. Poor Julia[4]
is a widow. Mr. Allen was
killed at his post of duty, at the head of his regiment, shot
through the head. She has at least that consolation, that he
suffered no lingering pain. How many other homes are left in
like manner desolate! God has in mercy spared us. General
Lee told me late last night that he had seen Sandie safe and
sound since the terrific battle. 'A fine young man,' added the
general. Mr. Lee is, I have good reason to hope, also safe.
The main fight was, as I wrote you, on the northern side of the
Chickahominy, my special post of duty being on the southern
side. On this side we had a good deal of cannonading, and
some very sharp infantry skirmishing, but no general battle. I
was, however, as everybody was, exposed to cannon-shot and
shells again and again. William Nelson was in several hot
artillery fights on this side, and acquitted himself most handsomely,
exhibiting as cool, calm gallantry as any man in the
sublime spectacle of a terrific battle about four miles off.
"In the night, night before the last, the Yankees all crossed
from that side to this, and destroyed the bridges, so that yesterday
and last night were full of anxious watching on our part lest
McClellan in sheer despair should combine all his force against
our portion of the army, in which event we might be pushed
back, Richmond fall into his hands, James River be opened to
his boats, and he master of the position, notwithstanding General
Lee's great achievement, and before the latter could recross the
swampy stream to avert the catastrophe. It was this in part
which laid me up. I had to watch the artillery along all the
line, make several important arrangements, etc., all of which
necessitated a great deal of riding in the sun; and about dusk
the President, with whom I had conversed freely about our
affairs, requested me to have a confidential interview with General
Lee. This called for another long and rapid ride. Then
other important arrangements resulting from that interview had
to be made, so that I was in the saddle until one at night. Of
course I was broken down. And, besides, a dysentery just then
set in, so that to-day I am pretty good for nothing. Still, the
tidings brought by my aides, sent out for the purpose, and by
others, that McClellan is making off with his army as fast as
possible, satisfy me to be quiet. I have done my duty to the
utmost in my power. No man in the service, General Lee
excepted, has had more work to do, and I thank God that help
has been given for its discharge thus far.
"You need not be uneasy about me. I am lying on a lounge
under a shady tree in the yard at my head-quarters. Randolph
attends me. I feel better already, and hope a day's rest, a blue
pill, etc., may have me quite well again to-morrow.
"General Lee deserves the gratitude of the country. He is
entitled to the full honor of the masterly combinations which
have brought about this result. But he has been admirably sustained
by Jackson, Longstreet, D. H. and A. P. Hill, and a host
of others, and by as brave an army as ever contended for country
and right. He tells me the battles exceeded in severity not only
anything he ever saw, but anything he ever read of. God be
praised for such a commander, such generals, such an army, and
be great. They may, by circumstances now unforeseen, be considerably
reduced. A short time will show."
Monday, June 30, General Pendleton was again in the saddle
to see what could be done in his particular department, and was
on the ground at the battle of Malvern Hill. As he had foreseen
and written, the character of the country about Richmond
rendered the effective handling of field-artillery very difficult, and
that arm of the Confederate forces was of less avail than in the
succeeding conflicts of the war. McClellan had possession of
the bridges and the elevated points and massed his guns upon
them. Especially was this the case at Malvern Hill, where on a
"position of great natural strength he had concentrated his powerful
artillery."[5]
On the part of the weary and battle-worn
Confederate army attacking this fortified height, "the obstacles
presented by the woods and the swamps made it impracticable to
bring up a sufficient amount of artillery to oppose successfully
the extraordinary force of that arm employed by the enemy,
while the field itself afforded us few positions favorable for its
use and none for its proper concentration."[6]
"General Pendleton, in whom were happily combined the
highest characteristics of the soldier, the patriot, and the Christian,
was in chief command of the artillery, and energetically
strove to bring his long-range guns and reserve artillery into
position where they might be effectively used against the enemy,
but the difficulties before mentioned were found insuperable."[7]
Sandie Pendleton wrote, July 2, from Willis's Church,—
"Another great fight has come off and again I am safe, with
all our staff. The fighting was terrific,—the most awful artillery
fire I ever imagined,—and our men suffered terribly, rather more
than the enemy, but we compelled them to fall back. They
have gone by the river road towards the mouth of the Chickahominy
and under cover of their gunboats."
The Confederate attack on Malvern Hill had been fruitless in
dislodging the Federal army from that strong position. The
fear, however, of being again struck in flank and rear, and
having his water communications interrupted, caused McClellan
to abandon his advantage there on the night after the battle
and continue his retreat to Harrison's Landing, lower down
James River. There the approaches were protected by gunboats,
and an attack by General Lee unadvisable, if not impracticable.
After watching the enemy for some days, the Confederate
army returned to the vicinity of Richmond July 8.
Before this week of battle opened, and throughout its continuance,
General McClellan insisted, and no doubt believed, that
the Confederate army was largely superior in numbers to his
own.[8]
Had this been so, his advantage in position, in arms, in
artillery, in all the supplies and appliances necessary for the
efficiency of a large army, would have more than equalized his
strength with that of his opponent. But the official returns for
July 20, 1862,[9]
give him one hundred and fourteen thousand
six hundred and ninety-one present for duty, while the largest
estimate, at random, for General Lee has never risen above
ninety thousand. Seventy-five thousand is probably the most
accurate estimate;[10]
and while his force was thus the smaller in
number, it was immensely inferior in arms, ammunition, and
equipments of all sorts; the artillery especially bearing no comparison
in weight or efficiency with that of the invading host.
The results of the struggle were not such as had been intended
or desired on either side. General Lee, summing up the aggregate
of success and disappointment on the Confederate side,
says, "Under ordinary circumstances the Federal army should
have been destroyed. Its escape was due to the causes already
stated. Prominent among these is the want of correct and timely
information; . . . but regret that more was not accomplished
gives way to gratitude to the Sovereign Ruler of the universe
for the results achieved. The siege of Richmond was raised,
months of preparation at an enormous expenditure of men and
money completely frustrated. More than ten thousand prisoners,
including officers of rank, fifty-two pieces of artillery, and upwards
of thirty-five thousand stands 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."[11] General
McClellan, at the close of the prolonged contest, found himself
many miles farther from Richmond, the objective-point of all his
operations, his fortifications abandoned, his vast stores destroyed,
his army forced to retreat day after day, disheartened and demoralized,
and congratulates himself, and the country that he
has at last ensconced the great host which was to seize the
rebel capital safe under the shelter of the gunboats and out of
reach of the enemy. The national appreciation of such success
was evinced by his removal from command a few months later.
The promptness with which General Pendleton carried out
General Lee's instructions to render the artillery as effective as
possible was remarkable. His letter-book (on file in Washington)
shows that as early as June 5 he drafted regulations for
the more systematic administration of the artillery, which, being
submitted for General Lee's approval, were issued on June 22 by
that commander as part of his General Orders No. 71, paragraphs
five and six being exactly in General Pendleton's own
words:
"5. The chief of artillery in each division will have charge of all the batteries
thereto attached, whether acting with brigades or held in reserve. A battery duly
assigned to a brigade will, until properly relieved, report to and be controlled by the
brigade commander. It must, however, report to and be inspected by the division
chief of artillery as he may require. When a brigade battery needs relief it will,
when practicable, be made to change places with one of those belonging to the
division reserve. Should this be impracticable, application, authorized by the division
commander, must be made to the army chief of artillery for temporary relief from
the general reserve.
"6. The army chief of artillery will have general charge of that branch of
service and special direction of the general reserve. He will, under instructions
from the commanding general, see that the batteries are kept in as efficient condition
as practicable, and so distributed as to promise the best results. To this end he will
require from the several chiefs of artillery weekly returns exhibiting the condition of
each battery and where it is serving. He will also make the commanding general a
trimonthly report." (War Records, vol. xi., part iii., pp. 612, 613.)
The faithful execution of these orders on the part of General
Pendleton and the subordinate artillery commanders brought
that arm up to the efficiency which it maintained up to the surrender
at Appomattox Court-House.
| CHAPTER XXVIII. Memoirs of William Nelson Pendleton, D.D., | |