. A brief history of the United States . ery morning McClellancame to this decision, and ere the flank movement hadcommenced, Lee, massing his strength on his left, fell uponthe Union right at Mechanicsville (June 26). Having re-pulsed this attack, at dawn the troops retired to GainessMill, where by the most desperate exertions Porter held thebridges across the Chick-ahominy until night, andthen, burning them, with-drew to the south night (June 28) Leedetected McClellans move-ment, and instantly startedcolumns along the roadsthat intersected the hne ofretreat. Magruder struckthe Fede
. A brief history of the United States . ery morning McClellancame to this decision, and ere the flank movement hadcommenced, Lee, massing his strength on his left, fell uponthe Union right at Mechanicsville (June 26). Having re-pulsed this attack, at dawn the troops retired to GainessMill, where by the most desperate exertions Porter held thebridges across the Chick-ahominy until night, andthen, burning them, with-drew to the south night (June 28) Leedetected McClellans move-ment, and instantly startedcolumns along the roadsthat intersected the hne ofretreat. Magruder struckthe Federal flank (June 29)at Savages Station. TheUnion troops maintainedtheir position till night, andthen continued the movement. Longstreet and Hill en-countered the line of march as it was passing FraziefsFarm (June 30), but could not break it. During the dark-ness, the Union troops, worn out by the constant marching orfighting and the terrible heat and dust, collected at an elevated plateau rising in the form of an GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. 240 EPOCH V. [s862. on whose sloping sides were arranged tier upon tier ofbatteries, with gunboats protecting the left, the broken frag-ments of the splendid Army of the Potomac made their laststand (July 1). Here Lee received so bloody a check that hepressed the pursuit no further. The Union troops retiredundisturbed to Harrisons Landing. Tlie Effect of this campaign was a triumph for the Con-federates. The Union retreat had been conducted withskill, the troops had shown great bravery and steadiness, therepulse at Malvern was decided, and Lee had lost probablytwenty thousand men ; yet the siege of Eichmond had beenraised, ten thousand prisoners captured, immense stores takenor destroyed, and the Union army was now cooped up onJames Eiver, under the protection of the gunboats. Thediscouragement at the North was as great as after the battleof Bull Kun. Lincoln called for a levy of three hundredthousand troops. Campaign aga
Size: 1490px × 1677px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidbrie, bookpublishernewyork
