appalling.

McClellan proceeded to transfer all his men to the south side of the Chickahominy River, excepting the corps of Franklin and Porter, which were left on the north side of the river to await reënforcements under General McCall, which arrived about the middle of June.

General Lee sent a division of his cavalry, under the command of J. E. B. Stuart, to encircle the army of McClellan. Stuart started in the direction of Fredericksburg June 12th, as if to reënforce Jackson, and the first night bivouacked in the pine woods of Hanover county. Then, turning to the east, he soon came upon a Union force, drawn up in columns of four, ready to dispute the passage of the road, and which fell back in confusion as the Confederates advanced. Stuart pushed on and fell upon a company of Federal infantry at Tunstall's Station, which surrendered at once. The Confederates quickly turned about, crossed the Chickahominy River and joined Lee's army before Richmond, thus giving Lee the desired information of the position of McClellan's army.

Meanwhile, General "Stonewall" Jackson with his army was making haste to join Lee's army, and on June 25th reached Ashland, in striking distance of the Army of the Potomac.

McClellan was pushing his men forward to begin the siege of Richmond. His advance guard was within four miles of the Confederate capital, and his fond hope was that within a few days at most his artillery would be belching forth its sheets of fire and lead into the beleaguered city.

In front of the Union camp was a strip of pine woodland, full of ponds and marshes. The Union soldiers pressed through this thicket, met the Confederate pickets among the trees and drove them back. Upon emerging into the open the Federal troops found it filled with rifle pits, earth works, and redoubts. At once they were met with a steady and incessant fire, which continued nearly all day, and at times almost reached the magnitude of a battle. This is sometimes called the second battle of Fair Oaks, and was the prelude of the Seven Days' battles.

The extreme right of the Union line, under command of General Porter, lay near Mechanicsville, on the Upper Chickahominy. It was strongly entrenched and was almost impregnable to an attack from the front. Before sunrise, June 26th, the Confederates were at the Chickahominy bridge awaiting the arrival of Jackson, but for once Jackson was behind time. The morning hours came and went. Noon came and Jackson had not arrived. About the middle of the afternoon, General A. P. Hill, growing impatient, crossed the river at Meadow bridge, and at Mechanicsville was joined by the divisions of Longstreet and D. H. Hill. Driving the Union outpost to cover, the Confederates swept across the low approach to Beaver Dam Creek through a murderous fire from the batteries on the cliff, but were finally repulsed with severe loss. Later in the afternoon relief was sent Hill, who again attempted to force the Union position at Ellerson's Mill. From across the open fields, and in full view of the defenders of the cliff, the Confederates moved down the slope in full range of the Federal batteries, but the fire was reserved by the Federals. As the approaching columns reached the stream the shells came screaming through the air from every waiting field-piece. Volley after volley of musketry was poured into the ranks of the Southerners. The hillside was soon covered by the victims of the gallant charge. As darkness hovered over them there were no signs of the cessation of the combat. It was nine o'clock when Hill finally drew back his shattered forces to await the coming of the morning. The Forty-fourth Georgia regiment suffered the loss of all of its officers, and thereby was unable to re-form its broken ranks. Both armies now prepared for another day of conflict.

McClellan became convinced that Jackson was really approaching with a large force, and decided to change his base to the James River, leaving Porter with the Fifth corps on the banks of the Chickahominy, to prevent Jackson from interrupting this gigantic movement. It involved marching an army of 100,000 men, with a train of 5,000 heavily loaded wagons, and many siege-guns, together with 3,000 cattle to be driven across the marshy peninsula.

On the night of the 26th, McCall's division was directed to fall back to the bridges across the Chickahominy near Gaines' Mill, and there make a stand, for the purpose of holding back the Confederates. Just before daylight the operations of moving the troops began.

The Confederates were equally alert, and opened a heavy fire upon the retreating columns. The Union force under McCall, by being skillfully handled, succeeded in reaching their new position on the Chickahominy heights, and on the morning of the new day made ready for action. The selection of this ground had been well made; they occupied a series of heights fronted on the west by a cycle shaped stream. The land beyond was an open country, through which a creek meandered sluggishly, and beyond this a densely tangled undergrowth. Around the Union position also were many patches of woods, affording cover for the reserves.

To protect the Federals, trees had been felled along their front, out of which barriers, protected by rails and knapsacks, were erected.

Jackson's forces had united with those of Longstreet and the two Hills, and were advancing with grim determination of victory.

It was two o'clock, on June 28th, when General A. P. Hill swung his division into line for the attack. He was unsupported by the other divisions, which had not yet arrived on the field. His columns moved rapidly toward the Union front, and was met by a hailstorm of lead from Porter's artillery, which sent messages of death to the approaching lines of gray.

The Confederate front recoiled from the incessant outpour of grape, canister and shell. The repulse threw the Confederates into great confusion. Many left the field in disorder. Others threw themselves on the ground to escape the withering fire, while some held their places.

The Federals were reënforced by General Slocum's division of Franklin's corps.

Lee ordered a general attack upon the entire Union front. Reënforcements were brought up to take the place of the shattered regiments. The troops moved forward in the face of a heavy fire and pressed up the hillside against the Union line at fearful sacrifice. It was a death grapple for the mastery of the field.

At this time General Lee observed Hood of Jackson's corps coming down the road bringing his brigade into the fight. Riding forward to meet him, Lee directed that he should try to break the Union line. Hood, in addressing his troops, said that no man should fire until ordered, then started for the Union breastwork 800 yards away. They moved rapidly across the open under a shower of shot and shell. At every step the ranks grew thinner and thinner. They quickened their pace as they passed down the slope and across the creek. Not a shot had they fired. With the wing of death hovering over all, they fixed bayonets and, dashing up the hill into the Federals' line, with a shout they plunged through the felled timber and over the breastworks. The Union line had been pierced and was giving way, and the retreat was threatening to develop into a general rout. But the Federals at this moment were reënforced by the brigades of French and Meagher of Sumner's corps. This stopped the pursuit and, as night was at hand, the Southern soldiers withdrew. The battle of Gaines' Mill was then over.

General Lee believed that McClellan would retreat down the Peninsula, but on June 29th, this being the next day after the battle of Gaines' Mill, he became convinced that the Federals were