the field early in the morning, in company with the city. They were sons, husbands, and brothhis nephews, the Duc de Chartres and the Counters, and we do not complain that loving hands de Paris, and had taken refuge in a steamer. The fact that they who had hitherto been foremost in every danger and undeterred by any fears had apparently recoiled from the prospect of this last day seemed a significant one. The paymasters, also, were all ordered on board of the gun-boats; and the evident apprehension and distrust on the part of the Commander-inChief, who remained for the greater portion of the day on the steamer, had diffused general distrust and alarm.

Our forces, moreover, were most undeniably in a deplorable state. Whole regiments were missing; divisions reduced to little more than a regiment; more than one half of the Grand Army of the Potomac, as it landed at Fortress Monroe, dead from sickness or battle, or wounded and in prison. It is estimated that during the three months of this Peninsular campaign nearly sixty thousand patriot troops melted away. It was not strange that it seemed impossible for this exhausted remnant to make one more effort. It is not strange that the commanding General could not realize that, bitterly smitten as his own army was, the army of his foe was still more enfeebled, and might be crushed. But his failure to realize this, and his persistent retreat to Harrison's Landing, closed the door for months, and even years, to our success on the Peninsula. As a part of the history of this campaign, it is a duty here to record the following statement, from the Report of the Congressional Committee on the Operations of the Army of the Potomac :

turned first to them; but Nature as well as Christianity must blush at the heathen neglect which, after their own sufferers had been cared for, left ours to die unsuccored. Appeal after appeal was made to the Confederate agents by those of our devoted surgeons who had remained behind, but to no purpose. Our men lay night after night on the wet ground where they fell, and no stretchers, no ambulances, no nurses, could be obtained to bring them in. Even the few stores our surgeons had of medicines, bandages, and food were taken from them by the orders of the Confederate surgeons to be applied to their own uses. In one instance a Federal surgeon lent his case of surgical instruments to a prominent surgeon in the rebel service, trusting to his sense of professional honor for its safe return. It could never be obtained again, and the Federal surgeon was forced to stand by powerless to relieve, and see his brave fellows die from loss of blood. From another of our surgeons were forcibly taken both his case of instruments and his horse.

The heavy army-wagons were loaded with our wounded men as with produce, and then left standing for hours in the July sun, until some officer should remember to give the order for them to start on their fatal journey to Richmond. Some of them died before starting; some died on the road; all were jolted on together, and unloaded together at the prison gates, living, dying, and dead! Others, again, were forced to fall into line with the prisoners, and march, shedding their life-blood at every step, only to fall dead at the end of the fourteen miles. So many the less to feed! But "the

"It would appear, from all the information your Committee can obtain, that the battles were fought, the troops handled, new disposi-tender mercies of" these "wicked," which "were tions made and old ones changed, entirely by the corps commanders, without directions from the commanding General. He would place the troops in the morning, then leave the field and seek the position for the next day, giving no directions until the close of the day's fighting, when the troops would be ordered to fall back, during the night, to the new position selected by him. In that manner the army reached the James River."

The Battle of Malvern Hill was the most severe of all the battles of this memorable retreat. The loss of the rebels was terrible, owing to our artillery fire-equaling the total of our losses in the whole seven days. Our own loss was not so severe as in the other engagements. But the sufferings of our wounded, whom we were forced to abandon to the inhumanities of their foes, were more terrible than have been elsewhere known in the history of the rebellion.

Four days after the battle of Glendale no bread or meat had been sent to some of the hospitals, in which our men were starving by scores. Ambulances, wagons, private carriages, and vehicles of all descriptions, had driven out from Richmond, bringing food and wine to the rebel ounded, and carrying them tenderly back to

cruel" and speedy death, are less harrowing to the soul than the conduct of those Confederate officers who had charge of the supplies, and day after day refused to our imploring surgeons the articles necessary to keep life in the bodies of their men. So long as men shall live to read the story of this war, so long shall these things make the names of those officers accursed on earth.

One hundred men, wounded at Gaines's Mill on Friday the 27th of June, had nothing from that day till the 16th of July but raw flour and water-not even salt, to enable them to swallow the nauseous porridge or rough-baked cake. During these twenty days many died of hunger. When the surgeons entered their tents the skeletons lifted themselves, and, with tears in their sunken eyes, cried, "Bread! bread!" The pain of their gaping wounds was forgotten in the more gnawing pangs of days and nights of hunger. Finally, in answer to the burning remonstrances and appeals of the surgeons, the Confederate authorities sent to Savage Station, where there were over 1500 men, stores as follows: camphor, 1 lb. ; cerate, 1 lb.; adhesive plaster, 5 yds. ; iodine, 1 oz.; opium, lb.; tincture of iron, lb.; whisky, 5 galls.; bandages, 6 doz.;

lint, 1 lb. These were sent as the supply for a to murder us, burn our houses, and destroy our fortnight! cities?"

The father's soul was roused in hearing this brutal attack upon his loved child.

'Stop, Sir," said he. "This is my son. I brought him. The fault is mine, if fault there be; and mine must be the punishment. I think it cruel in you to come and insult us, and instead of bringing us relief, to add to our misery. You know we are in no condition to answer you."

In the mean time the fields and hills were purple with the most luscious blackberries and whortleberries, which would have given life to the sufferers. But every hand of nurse and surgeon, for night and day, had more than its burden of work; and, moreover, it was with the risk of being shot down by Confederate soldiers that one of our men appeared in the fields. At Carter's house, however, was a hospital of less severe cases, and, in response to an appeal from one of their surgeons, this feeble band hobbled to the woods, and for days busied themselves in William Reed was a true Christian hero; filling their tin cups with the fruit, and sending more anxious for his father than for himself; it by the bushel to the poor fellows at Savage's patient, submissive, cheerful. Seeing one mornStation. Such acts as these shed a holy lighting some dead soldiers on the grass-plot under his window, lying with upturned faces upon which the night-dews had fallen, he said, “Father, the sweetest tears Heaven sheds are the dews on a dead soldier's face."

on the dark picture of woe. It brought tears from eyes which had learned not to weep before suffering or death to see these helpless soldiers in their beds look with speechless delight on the familiar berries, which they had gathered in peace on the hills of their New England homes. Rough, hard men, with moistened eyes, kissed the hands that held the cool fruit to their hot lips; and the givers were more blessed than the receivers.

ana.

Among our wounded officers at Meadow Station was a Captain Reed, of the Twentieth IndiWhen he volunteered to serve his country with his sword, his son, a heroic boy of sixteen, insisted upon leaving college to accompany his father to the field. In one of the actions a ball pierced his body, and he fell, calling to his father, who was near him, "I am shot; I am badly hurt." Captain Reed rushed to him; found him shot through the bowels, and, as it seemed, soon to die. Raising him up, William rallied a little, looked at his father, and said, smiling, "Father, leave me; take care of the men." Placing a pillow, made of an overcoat and some leaves, under his head, and tenderly bidding him farewell, he left his brave son to die, and resolutely nerved himself to duty. Ere long a rebel shot stretched the captain upon the ground; yet heroically he continued to direct the fire of his company.

At night the battle closed. Colonel Gorman, of the Fourteenth South Carolina, passed over the ground, viewing the result of the day's strife. To him Captain Reed surrendered his sword. To the honor of Colonel Gorman be it recorded that he nobly refused it, and with his own hands replaced it in the sash of the wounded officer.

"Sir," said Mr. Moore, "I beg pardon," and left the hut.

In suffering and in privation William lived about fourteen days, and then closed his eyes upon earth's woes, in the long-to-be-remembered Libey Prison. "I reached the room in which he lay," says a chaplain who had watched him tenderly, "just in season to commend his spirit to God; one of the most precious offerings laid on our country."

The suffering at the hospital in Willis's Church, on the Quaker Road, was, perhaps, more severe than that at any other. This hospital was under the charge of Dr. Marsh, of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, surgeon of the Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and contained one hundred wounded men, who were mostly from General Sumner's corps, and of New York regiments. For four days they were absolutely without any other supplies than such as the surgeon and his assistant could gather in a neighborhood where the inhabitants, in addition to their own vindictive hostility, had orders from Richmond not to sell to the Yankees. Our men died of hunger; and before any food was sent to them they had reached such extremities that a single cracker found in the haversack of a dead soldier would be eagerly seized, broken, and distributed among twenty ravenous mouths.

At last, after imploring appeals to General Lee and General Jackson themselves, there came, on the evening of the fourth day, two hundred crackers and one hundred and fifty pounds of fat bacon, which was totally unfit to eat. On the next day two barrels of flour completed the list of the provision deemed necessary for one After a time Captain Reed and his son were hundred wounded Yankees. Could we believe placed in a negro hut, where for five days they that there was the shadow of a necessity for this received neither food nor medicine. Here a restriction of supplies we could regard the agoparty from Richmond visited them. One of nies and death of our brave men as only a part these persons was Rev. Mr. Moore, said to be of the chances of a war waged against starving pastor of a Presbyterian church in Richmond, foes. But their own statements at this time who, approaching the noble, suffering boy, taunt- pointed to no such famine and destitution in ingly said, their midst as would justify these inhumanities. Later in the war they were undoubtedly, at times, too near starvation themselves to be able to give food to their prisoners.

"I declare! here is a fine blue-eyed boy among the wounded Yankees! Why did you come from your father and mother and school

troops, President Lincoln replied on the 2d as 101,691; special duty, sick, and in arrest, follows:

men.

17,828. This indicates a total loss, on the battle-field and in the hospital, of 39,981. There are other statements that 60,000 of the Army of the Potomac were buried on the Peninsula.

"Your dispatch of yesterday morning induces me to hope your army is having some rest. In this hope allow me to reason with you for a moment. When you ask for fifty thousand Four or five miles above City Point, on the men to be promptly sent you, you must surely Richmond bank of the James River, is a rude labor under some gross mistake of fact. Re- landing called Turkey Landing-a low, sterile cently you sent papers showing your disposal of plain, scorched black by the July sun, deserted. forces made last spring for the defense of Wash- and desolate. But it gave to our weary army ington, and advising a return to that plan. Ia Heaven of rest. They plunged, men and find included in and about Washington 75,000 horses, up to their necks, in the muddy water. Now please be assured that I have not They laid down on bare planks, and slept for men enough to fill that very plan by 15,000. the first time for seven nights without the sound All of General Frémont's men in the Valley, all of skirmishing shots in their ears. The festerof General Banks's, all of General M'Dowell's ing wounds were dressed, and some attempts not with you, and all in Washington taken to- made at reorganizing the regiments. On the gether, do not exceed, if they reach, 60,000, evening of the 1st of July, and the morning of with General Wool and General Dix added to July 2, the army moved on to Harrison's Landthose mentioned. I have not, outside of your ing, the place which General M‘Clellan had searmy, 75,000 men east of the mountains. Thus lected for his final encampment. A pitiless the idea of sending you 50,000 men, or any storm poured down with the morning, and addother considerable force, is simply absurd. If ed, what had seemed impossible, one more disin your frequent mention of responsibility you comfort to their load-mud, Virginia mud, ankle had the impression that I blame you for not deep. But the hospital transports and the supdoing more than you can, please be relieved of ply ships were seen anchored close at hand, and such impression. I only beg that, in like man- each breeze which came over their sails to the ner, you will not ask impossibilities of me. If bank of the river carried strength to the hearts you think you are not strong enough to take of the men. Richmond just now, I do not ask you to try just Save the army, material and personnel, and I will strengthen it for the offensive as fast as I can."

now.

The persistent importunity of General M'Clellan in calling for reinforcements is certainly a historic marvel. The very next day after the receipt of the above telegram from Washington, he writes to the Secretary of War from Harrison's Bar:

"I am in hopes that the enemy is as completely worn-out as we are. He was certainly very severely punished in the last battle. It is of course impossible to estimate, as yet, our losses, but I doubt whether there are to-day more than 50,000 men with their colors. To accomplish the great task of capturing Richmond and putting an end to this rebellion, reinforcements should be sent me, rather much over than less than 100,000 men.' 11

For the next two days all was confusion. The heights were not occupied, and the troops were not so placed as to be able to resist an attack. But for the heavy rain which made it impossible for the enemy to bring on their artillery, the disastrous seven days, the "Change of Base" would have perhaps terminated in a still more disastrous massacre of the remaining half of our army. But on the 3d of July the heights were properly fortified, and the Fourth found the army able once more to hold its ground against any probable attack.

A slight demonstration by the enemy on Thursday, the 3d, was met so vigorously that they retired for the last time, having lost a number of prisoners and guns. The sun of the Fourth rose as undimmed as if only peace and happiness lay beneath its light. The troops were reviewed by General M'Clellan in the afternoon, and they received him with the most irrepressible enthusiasm. Storms of cheers rent the air and followed him from line to line. During the review a proclamation was read to them, which must have stirred their blood almost to forgetfulness of the woes and the losses of the campaign.

There probably will never be any very accurate statistics in reference to the losses during this disastrous campaign. From testimony afforded the Congressional Committee, by Mr. Tucker, Assistant Secretary of War, it appears that prior to the 5th of April, 1862, there were landed on the Peninsula 121,500 men. Soon Those losses were appalling. General M'Celafter the divisions of Franklin and M'Dowell, lan gives the figures in his official returns of the numbering 12,000, were sent down. Then losses during the Seven Days' Battles as folM'Call's division of 10,000, and 11,000 from lows: killed, 1565; wounded, 7711; missing. Fortress Monroe, were sent; and soon after 5000 men of Shields's division. Total, 159,500

men.

On the 22d of July, 1862, by returns from General M'Clellan to the Adjutant-General's office, the army consisted of—present for duty, * Report of Congressional Committee, p. 13.

5958. Total, 15,224. The losses of the rebels were even greater, and were estimated by their own papers as high as 18,000.

It is easy to find fault. It is not difficult in a review of events to point out errors which could not have been foreseen. The causes of failure in this humiliating campaign are now