Following the Flag

Colony for many years before the Revolution. William and Mary's College is there, which was endowed by the king and queen of England with twenty thousand acres of land, and a penny

e Governor's residence was a magnificent edifice, with a great estate of three hundred acres attached, laid out in lawns, parks, gro

governor. The judges and counselors, in flowing robes and powdered wigs, the gentlemen of the Colony in broidered waistcoats, ruffled shirts, buff breeches, black stockings, and red, y

It was from Williamsburg that Sir William Berkeley wrote to the King's commissioners, thanking God that there were no common schools or printing-presses in Virginia. Washington, when but twenty-one years of age, mounted his horse at the palace-gate, for his long journey to the head-waters of th

d is called Queen's Creek. On both streams there are mills. The main road from Yorktown to Williamsburg runs on the high land between the head-waters of the creeks. About a mile east of the town the road forks. General Magruder had

n. Gibson brought his battery into position and replied. The Sixth United States Cavalry moved on towards the fort, but were met by infantry and cavalry, and were compelled to fall back with the loss of thirty men. Gibson was obliged to move his guns, fo

e fell into the mud, others tore up the ground and covered the artillerymen and teamsters with earth, others bur

d. Wagons broke down, artillery sunk in the mire; but the troops were eager to get at the enemy, who had eluded their commander, first at Manassas, and now at Yorktown. They marched, some of them, till midnight, and then, without kindling a

me upon the enemy's pickets posted along a deep ravine above

town, was on the Lee's Mills road, but it moved towards th

of Will

ook

anc

umn

ngst

Hi

t Mag

liams

et-shot of the fort. The artillery in the fort opened with a rapid fire of shells, but the skirmishers concealed themselves in the

xcelsior regiments from New York. His second brigade, General Grover's, was composed of the First and Eleventh Massachusetts, Second New Hampshire, and Twenty-sixth Pennsy

assachusetts, with the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania on the right. The other brigades did not a

een about thirty thousand, commanded by General Longstreet. A Rebe

gade, but in the afternoon dark columns appeared south of the fort, a

rs were driven in. Bramhall's battery came into position as the enemy

ich still kept coming on. The musketry began,-quick and sharp volle

ir with terrible hail. The Rebel lines were checked. Foiled in the attack upon the center, they advanced onc

und tenaciously, but were forced

lling, the ground was miry. The men were worn and weary; but they fought on, minding not hunger or thirst or exhaustion, calling for ammunition

umner for reinforcements, but Sumner felt that he could not spare any m

, and did not know there was a ba

y. His troops supporting some of the batteries gave way. The Rebels came on i

ad heard the roar of battle, and rode ahead of his troops. He was an old soldier, had stormed the heights of Chapultepec, and was

who commanded one of Kearney's briga

ed at the fro

r is a

pported b

king position far

s belonging to Sumner's corps. Berry looked at the blockad

and clear the roa

e double-quick," was the

p the line. The troops, the wagons, the artillery, t

,-a constant, steady rattle, like the patt

order. The men, panting for breath, came to a halt, threw their h

Berry. He stimulated the men, and fired their ardor with his own wild e

enemy were advancing for a decisive, a finishing stroke. Many had fired their last round of ammunition, and sto

s line right and left, and becomes a living barrier between them and the tide already rolling on over the bloody field. The enemy advances, but whole ranks go down before the deadly volleys given point-blank into their faces by that body of men whose brows are wet with t

regular. Nothing can daunt his men. They feel that they are a

is the thrilling order wh

is last will and testament, the adjutant of General Berry, leads the men from Michigan. His voice rings loud and clear above the wild uproar. The men follow where he leads, int

ho had led the charge so gallantly, as he returned and reported

on the left, there was it

the Rebels in that direction. He crossed the stream with the Sixth Maine, Fourth Wisconsin, Fo

party of Rebels, wh

ell supported," was the despatc

and throwing shells upon Hooker's command. General Smith sent the

you are," wa

rmission to go on. Smith

the welc

from Sumner stopped the movement. The Rebel

enemy is coming in superior force to a

house, where the Rebels had thrown up a

ought up and placed upon a knoll near the house. The Fifth Wisconsin and Forty-Third New York were stationed west of the house behind the fence. The Forty-ninth Pennsylvani

Rebels were near enough for canister, and the six pieces of cannon threw it into the advancing line. The Rebel cavalry dashed upon the Fifth Wisconsin, but only to lose a dozen men and horses. The infantry were close upon Wheeler, who covered the hillock with a murky cloud. Suddenly his fire ceased, then with wh

one magical word. The men, as if animated by an electric impulse, moved towards the enemy. Their bayonets became a gleaming, glittering, bristling, moving hedge. They brok

receive the blow, but fled

e battle was won. Night came on. It had rained through the day, and the men, victorious at last, lay down to sleep upon the field,

d and eighty-eight. The loss to the Rebels was f

thousand five hundred," says t

t consternation, which was increased by the news of the blo

time all was consternation and dismay,"

to a friend in Vicksburg, but the mail-

r go to a safer place than Richmond. O mother! Uncle Jeff is miserable. He tries to be cheerful and bear up agai

ook at him. He knows that he ought to send his wife and children away, and yet he cannot bear t

us, who can be against us? Our troops are not doing as well as we expected.... The regiments most apt to run are from North Carolina and Tennessee.... I am afraid that Richmond will fall into

Paul's Church, by Bishop Johns. He was bapti

ed up and sent away. Mrs. Jefferson Davis took down her window-curtains, tore up the carpets, packed her silver plate and pictures, and left the city.21 The Treasu

ort Darling, within ten miles of Richmond. The fort mounted four guns. Three o

is army was within five miles of the James. It will be for the future historian to inqui

eft behind when Lee retreated, and who was General Magruder's A

wn," he said, "when we saw General McC

dee

t any moment. We had only a handful

had Magruder

thirteen miles long, from Gloucester to James River. If General McClellan had acted with vigo

on, which swept the approaches, and

gruder's force was so small that he could not have resisted an earnest attack. The wo

an's officers were in fa

a Rebel to criticise your generals," said t

a mistake on the part

had expired, and the Conscription Act had not been enforced. The fortunes of the Confederacy at that time were not very bright, I must confess. Even the Confederate Congress closed its session and left Richmond, and, had it not been for McClellan'

how

hen the Merrimack was destroyed, General McClellan, instead of following us up the Peninsula through the mud, ought to have re-embarked his troops and made all haste up the James. Your gunboats went up to Fort Darling and got smashed,

cClellan did what he thou

ery best movement he could have made f

department was not well organized, but the delegates of the Christian

overed with filth. He had lost all his strength, and was so weak that he could not raise his hand to his head. They washed him, changed his clothing, lifted him from the damp ground and placed him on a cot, gave him nourishing food, talked to h

athy and charity, sustained and comforted the bra