May 31, 1862 - The Battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines | OVER THE WORDS AND HISTORY
On 19 May, General McClellan was master of the passage of the Chickahominy Bottoms Bridge. Free to seek a new base of operations on the James River, or continue to rely on the York River, he had to choose the latter alternative, despite its dangers, in the vain hope of giving hand body McDowell. Before restart, he had changed the composition of its corps because the experience of the Battle of Williamsburg kinkos hours had shaken kinkos hours the confidence he might have in the ability of the three heads that had been imposed by the President at the beginning of the campaign.
The corps had been reduced to two divisions and each brought five in number, each with a staff of 15 to 19 000. This distribution made them easier to handle and called, by right of seniority, command new bodies, two officers for whom he had a particular esteem, Franklin General and Fitzjohn Porter.
The land on which it would operate can be described in a few words. It has only one obstacle, difficult, it is true, the Chickahominy. This river, after seven or eight miles from Richmond, moves away, continuing kinkos hours to flow south-east, so that the bridge-Bottoms kinkos hours Bridge is about eighteen or twenty miles from this city .
From its source in the north-east of the Virginia capital, it winds through a valley regularly collected on both sides and the bottom eight or nine hundred meters wide. Down its course, we first find bridges Meadow Bridge, where it is crossed by a road and rail Gordonsville. Further down the bridge of Mechanicsville, on the left bank dominated by the hamlet of that name, is located at the point where the river closest to Richmond.
The hills that surround it then deforest right and left, and soon found, on the way from Richmond to Cold Harbor, the bridge called New Bridge, which connects the hamlet of Old Tavern with nipples Gaines Hill. A mile below the bridge, the forest takes again the banks of the Chickahominy. It leaves them nine or ten miles down at the railroad bridge at West Point, which itself is located one kilometer above Bottoms Bridge.
The only tributaries of the Chickahominy are on the left bank, a small stream called the Beaverdam Creek, between Mechanicsville and Gaines Mill; and, on the right bank, a large wooded kinkos hours swamp, White Oak Swamp, whose waters are discharged into the river a few miles below Bottoms Bridge. This marsh, which originates near Richmond, is absolutely impracticable, with the exception of two or three points where it tightens and gives passage to cross roads.
The Confederate army encamped kinkos hours around Richmond, where she received reinforcements called hastily on all sides Huger arrived with 13,000 men of Norfolk; Branch, we saw getting beat by Newberne Birnside, led in 9000 to North Carolina; others would follow.
Reconnaissance of the Federal Army had taught kinkos hours him that dropping-Bottoms Bridge was the last step of the retreat Johnston. kinkos hours It was preparing to defend the bridges of Meadow Bridge and New Bridge. The terrain lent itself perfectly, and the federal General was even less given to removing this passage by force, he could turn the lower reaches of the river, which he was master. Everything therefore commanded him to push his attacks, advancing on the right bank, between Bottom's Bridge and Richmond.
On May 24, the left wing, composed of body Keyes and Heintzelman was firmly established beyond the Chickahominy, kinkos hours and staggered on Richmond Road in Williamsburg, from Bottom's Bridge to the clearing of Seven Pines in seven miles of Richmond. The rest of the army remained on the left bank. The center, formed by the body of Sumner, camped near the railroad bridge; both body Porter and Franklin, who composed the right wing were established near Gaines Mill and Mechanicsville.
The army had occupied these positions without difficulty and had met only small detachments of the enemy, it was easily repulsed, at Seven Pines and Mechanicsville. But it was thus cut in two by the Chickahominy, without further communication between kinkos hours the right and left of the bridge railway Dispatch and the Bottoms-Bridge; these two passages were far removed from the extreme points of Seven Pines
On 19 May, General McClellan was master of the passage of the Chickahominy Bottoms Bridge. Free to seek a new base of operations on the James River, or continue to rely on the York River, he had to choose the latter alternative, despite its dangers, in the vain hope of giving hand body McDowell. Before restart, he had changed the composition of its corps because the experience of the Battle of Williamsburg kinkos hours had shaken kinkos hours the confidence he might have in the ability of the three heads that had been imposed by the President at the beginning of the campaign.
The corps had been reduced to two divisions and each brought five in number, each with a staff of 15 to 19 000. This distribution made them easier to handle and called, by right of seniority, command new bodies, two officers for whom he had a particular esteem, Franklin General and Fitzjohn Porter.
The land on which it would operate can be described in a few words. It has only one obstacle, difficult, it is true, the Chickahominy. This river, after seven or eight miles from Richmond, moves away, continuing kinkos hours to flow south-east, so that the bridge-Bottoms kinkos hours Bridge is about eighteen or twenty miles from this city .
From its source in the north-east of the Virginia capital, it winds through a valley regularly collected on both sides and the bottom eight or nine hundred meters wide. Down its course, we first find bridges Meadow Bridge, where it is crossed by a road and rail Gordonsville. Further down the bridge of Mechanicsville, on the left bank dominated by the hamlet of that name, is located at the point where the river closest to Richmond.
The hills that surround it then deforest right and left, and soon found, on the way from Richmond to Cold Harbor, the bridge called New Bridge, which connects the hamlet of Old Tavern with nipples Gaines Hill. A mile below the bridge, the forest takes again the banks of the Chickahominy. It leaves them nine or ten miles down at the railroad bridge at West Point, which itself is located one kilometer above Bottoms Bridge.
The only tributaries of the Chickahominy are on the left bank, a small stream called the Beaverdam Creek, between Mechanicsville and Gaines Mill; and, on the right bank, a large wooded kinkos hours swamp, White Oak Swamp, whose waters are discharged into the river a few miles below Bottoms Bridge. This marsh, which originates near Richmond, is absolutely impracticable, with the exception of two or three points where it tightens and gives passage to cross roads.
The Confederate army encamped kinkos hours around Richmond, where she received reinforcements called hastily on all sides Huger arrived with 13,000 men of Norfolk; Branch, we saw getting beat by Newberne Birnside, led in 9000 to North Carolina; others would follow.
Reconnaissance of the Federal Army had taught kinkos hours him that dropping-Bottoms Bridge was the last step of the retreat Johnston. kinkos hours It was preparing to defend the bridges of Meadow Bridge and New Bridge. The terrain lent itself perfectly, and the federal General was even less given to removing this passage by force, he could turn the lower reaches of the river, which he was master. Everything therefore commanded him to push his attacks, advancing on the right bank, between Bottom's Bridge and Richmond.
On May 24, the left wing, composed of body Keyes and Heintzelman was firmly established beyond the Chickahominy, kinkos hours and staggered on Richmond Road in Williamsburg, from Bottom's Bridge to the clearing of Seven Pines in seven miles of Richmond. The rest of the army remained on the left bank. The center, formed by the body of Sumner, camped near the railroad bridge; both body Porter and Franklin, who composed the right wing were established near Gaines Mill and Mechanicsville.
The army had occupied these positions without difficulty and had met only small detachments of the enemy, it was easily repulsed, at Seven Pines and Mechanicsville. But it was thus cut in two by the Chickahominy, without further communication between kinkos hours the right and left of the bridge railway Dispatch and the Bottoms-Bridge; these two passages were far removed from the extreme points of Seven Pines
