President, annoyed by these constant calls for reënforcements, and impatient at the delay, consented that Franklin's division of General McDowell's corps should be sent to General McClellan.

The contemplated movements of the army down the Potomac were kept, as far as possible, a profound secret. The country was electrified with joyful surprise and hope, when, on the 2d of April, the tidings flashed across the wires, that the grand army, which had so long been slumbering on the banks of the Potomac, had been transferred to Fortress Monroe, and was on the rapid march for Richmond by the way of Yorktown.* The rebels had not anticipated an attack in that 'direction, and had but ten thousand troops on the Peninsula, a force which could have offered no opposition to an enemy of over one hundred thousand men.

On Friday, the 4th of April, the advance of the army commenced its movement from Fortress Monroe towards Yorktown, about twenty miles distant. Yorktown presented a strong position, where the rebels had built quite formidable intrenchments. Beyond this line there extended a series of swamps, exhaling, beneath a summer's sun, malaria far more fatal to our Northern troops than the sabres or the bullets of the most intrepid foe.

Nearly a month before this time, on the 10th of March, the renowned conflict had taken place between the iron-clad Merrimac and the turreted Monitor. The Merrimac, disabled, had retreated behind the guns of Sewall's Point. No one knew the nature of her injuries, or how soon she might reappear with renovated power. Our dread of the Merrimac was the salvation of Richmond. But for that fear, we should have sent our transports up the James River, then but slightly protected, and, landing our forces within a few miles of Richmond, the city would inevitably have fallen. That one ship, skulking behind the ramparts which frowned along the Elizabeth River, held our whole fleet and army for weeks at bay.

Every arrangement was made which human ingenuity could devise, to meet her should she again come forth. The Monitor was there, vigilant, and ever ready. Five or six large ships, with bows of solid oak cased in iron, were on the alert, under full head of steam, to crush in with a butt, which no mail of iron or steel could resist, her sides, should she appear. A submerged network of cordage was also secretly spread across the mouth

*There chanced to be a pitiless storm when most of the troops were landed at Fortress Monroe, and gathered in shivering bands on the shore. Dr. Marks, who was present, writes:

"In the darkness, and with the storm beating in their faces, with no light but the flashes of the lightning, the men marched more than a mile and a half to an open moor; and there, without tents and without fire, nearly knee-deep in water, prepared to spend the night. Dreadful would have been the sufferings of that night; but there were those who heard of our distress and pitied us. The Sixteenth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers were encamped about half a mile from the place where we halted. Some of this noble body of men were on guard when our bewildered and dripping men passed by. When they were relieved and returned to their camp, they roused half their regiment, and in a few moments came to us with large buckets of hot coffee and crackers. This kindness was of incalculable benefit to us. It was the sympathy of true men and soldiers toward their companions in arms, and cheered us more than the warmth of their offering. But their efforts for us did not cease with this, for they aroused the camp of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, who opened for us their stables, and into these we crept and were sheltered from the storm. Without the kindly intervention of these two regiments, great would have been the sufferings of that wretched night."-Rev. J. J. Marks, D. D. The Peninsula Campaign, p. 113.

of the Elizabeth River, which could hardly fail to become wound around her screw as she passed through it, and thus to paralyze her movements. It cannot be doubted that, had she ventured out, she would have been almost instantly destroyed. It is apparently to be deplored that transports were not sent into the James River, to lure her out. Her destruction would have left the path open for our fleet, almost to the threshold of Richmond,

CHAPTER II.

THE ADVANCE TO YORKTOWN.

April Sd to April 16th, 1862.

THE LINE OF MARCH.-SLOW PROGRESS.-BRILLIANT SCENE.-FIRST ENCOUNTER. THE FORTIFICATIONS AT YORKTOWN.-ANXIETY OF THE PRESIDENT.-DISASTROUS EFFECT OF OUR DILATORINESS.-SCENE FROM THE BALLOON.-HEROISM OF THE PATRIOTS.—ANECDOTES.

Ir was but a day's voyage by steam from Alexandria to Fortress Monroe, the distance being about seventy miles. The embarkation of the troops did not commence until the 17th of March. A fortnight was then occupied in the transportation.

Though the National troops were all safely landed at Fortress Monroe, still this delay, caused by the transportation, and the subsequent slow movements of the army, afforded the enemy opportunity to gather reënforcements and to throw up intrenchments. Soon after landing, General Heintzelman pushed a strong reconnoissance towards Big Bethel. The force consisted of the divisions of Generals Smith and Porter.

The advance was made in two columns, each of which started at eight o'clock in the morning. General Smith took the road to Warwick, reaching the vicinity of Watt's Creek about three o'clock in the afternoon. Here the National troops were drawn up in line of battle, the defences and strength of the enemy not being known. As the division advanced to the ford, the Fifth Wisconsin were deployed as skirmishers, and pushed forward through the woods to within five hundred yards of the creek. The other division took the direct route to Big Bethel. General Morrill's brigade had the right, being attended by a detachment of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Spear. General Morrill made a détour, avoiding Little Bethel, and joining the main division below Big Bethel. As they emerged from the wood near the ford, six hundred rebel cavalry and one piece of artillery were discovered across the clearing. The Union skirmishers immediately deployed, firing a volley at the horsemen, who galloped away down the road, occasionally stopping their horses, and waving their hats tauntingly at their pursuing foes. They left their artillery on the field, which soon explained to the troops, who had so bravely charged upon it, the nature of their defiant gestures. The menacing piece of ordnance proved to be another "quaker," in the form of a stovepipe, mounted upon wagon wheels. It was soon effectually spiked.

Each column of the advance was accompanied by a band of Berdan's sharpshooters, as skirmishers, armed with Colt's rifles. With the main body of the infantry there was also a detachment of the same corps, armed

with the heavy telescopic rifle, weighing twenty-five pounds. The rebels, learning from the loud report of these guns that our men were armed with a formidable weapon, generally kept at a safe distance. One horseman, however, more bold than the rest, several times waved his hat vauntingly at our men. Colonel Berdan, having observed this, commanded one of his band to wing the man. Notwithstanding the distance of at least thirteen hundred yards, the moment the hat was again waved the ring of the rifle was heard, and the boasting rebel dropped from his horse. The two columns, having united, found themselves near the spot where, at the opening of the war, the heroic Winthrop fell, gloriously defending his country's flag, and where Lieutenant Greble, with chivalry unsurpassed in ancient story, died at his gun.

But there was no foe now at Big Bethel to oppose the Union troops, and they were soon within the ramparts, before which so many of our patriotic fellow-countrymen had, several months before, shed their blood. These fortifications were found to be sand batteries, with embrasures for sixty guns. The rebels, at the approach of our troops in such strength, fled, taking their guns with them. After having destroyed these works, the reconnoitring party advanced to within eight miles of Yorktown. General Heintzelman ascertained that the rebels had not more than ten thousand troops on the Peninsula, and was confident that he could immediately advance and take Yorktown. He telegraphed General McClellan what he was doing, and received, in reply, a dispatch urging him to be cautious and not afford the enemy any indication of the intended line of advance, whether by Norfolk or Yorktown. General Heintzelman accordingly withdrew his reconnoissance, and returned to Fortress Monroe.

On Thursday, the 3d of April, General McClellan arrived, and the order was given for the main body of the army to be ready the next morning for the advance upon Yorktown. The soldiers were ordered to prepare five days' rations, three to be carried in their knapsacks and two in the wagons. This command sent a thrill of joy through the ranks, for all were weary of the long months of inglorious ease, during which they had loitered behind the intrenchments on the Potomac. As the shades of night settled down over the bustling camp, a scene more beautiful than imagination can well conceive was presented to the eye. In that genial clime the air was deliciously pure and balmy. The winds had all fallen asleep, and scarcely a leaf moved. The new moon rode serene in a cloudless sky, without sufficient splendor to eclipse the myriad of stars which crowded the firmament. The exultant soldiers threw rails and logs upon their camp-fires, and the crackling flames so brilliantly illumined the scene, that, as with the light of day, all the movements of the camp were revealed. Never did a picnic festival present a more joyous aspect. The groups of soldiers were in all picturesque attitudes. Some were thoughtfully writing to loved ones at home, with pensive countenance and moistened eye, all oblivious of the wild and wondrous scene around. Others were frolicking and dancing, with shouts which rang through the groves. Some were burnishing their arms, or mending their clothes, or cooking food for the hungry hours which they knew would soon come; while others were soundly asleep, with the

green turf alone for mattress and pillow. The white tents, scattered around, added not a little to the beauty of the spectacle. Enlivening music from many bands rose over all, and floated through the night air in soul-stirring strains. But at length the moon went down. The camp-fires burned more and more dimly, until they expired, and the silence of midnight enveloped the sleeping camp.

At three o'clock in the morning, at the sound of the reveillé, every soldier sprang from his couch. from his couch. The camp-fires were instantly replenished, and almost in a moment the gloom of the undawned morning was dispelled by the flashings of a thousand flames. The hot coffee was soon drank, the morning meal hastily eaten, and at half past five the brigades were formed in line of march. Each soldier carried his own shelter tent. Six wagons only were allowed each regiment for the officers' tents, baggage, and the hospital and commissary stores. As the column took up its line of march, the cavalry and sharpshooters were sent in advance, to search out the foe, and to remove any obstructions of felled trees or broken bridges, by which the rebels might have endeavored to retard their progress. The main body of the troops advanced by the direct road to Yorktown. General Morell's brigade and General Hamilton's division took a road which led off to the right. The route traversed by both wings of the army led through a fertile and very beautiful region, shaded with forests, and embellished with the mansions of the wealthy planters. But war had already spread its desolation over these once fair fields. The farms were forsaken, and the little villages were abandoned by their terrified inhabitants.

Near Big Bethel the scouts of the enemy were first encountered. They offered little resistance until our troops approached Harrold's Mills. Early in the afternoon the report of artillery was heard in front. The wearied soldiers, exhilarated by the sound, grasped their muskets, and were eager to press forward at the double quick, but they were held back by their officers. The rebels had two field-pieces posted upon an eminence, behind strong ramparts, and had opened fire upon the advance. The Fifth Massachusetts battery moved forward, and threw such a shower of shells into their redoubt that the rebels speedily retreated, carrying their guns with them. As the Stars and Stripes were unfurled over the captured ramparts, the woods rang with the cheers of the patriots. The main body of the army remained at this point during the night, but General Morell's brigade moved on three miles farther to Cockleville, where they encamped. They had marched, circuitously, twenty-four miles during the day, and were within six miles of Yorktown.*

* "We reached Yorktown on the afternoon of Saturday, the 5th of April. If we had attacked Yorktown on that Saturday afternoon, there is no doubt we should have taken it. I conversed subsequently with several Confederate officers who had been at the siege, and they all assured me that they had made arrangements to abandon the town, and, accordingly, had sent away their families, servants, and camp furniture. They expected us to advance that Saturday afternoon, and carry the place by assault; but when they found that we delayed, the officers and troops determined to make the most gallant defence. And soon they gained large reênforcements, and received instructions.to hold us before Yorktown as long as possible. On the Saturday' of our arrival before that place the rebel officers informed me that they had but seven thousand five