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Seven Pines cont.
Keyes got so involved in the battle that he failed to wire his situation to headquarters or ask for help. When McClellan wired Heintzelman, at 2:30 pm, the 3rd Corps commander's response was that he had heard nothing from Keyes and therefore there were no serious problems, but his actions spoke differently than his words. He ordered Phil Kearney forward and Kearney reported quickly that Keyes was "being driven back."
By three o'clock the Union Army, in fact, had been driven back to the crossroads at Seven Pines where some of the retreating men fell in behind a second set of log works while others, too tired or afraid to fight continued to the rear for safety. Luckily, Darius Couch's division and Phil Kearny's forward brigades took up most of the Yankee line at Seven Pines. Heintzelman did maintain communication with headquarters and gave an acurate description of the battle (as he knew it) to McClellan shortly after 3:00pm. Based on Heintzelman's report McClellan issued an order to Edwin Vose Sumner to advance, but by the time Sumner received the order he had already sent Brigadier General John Sedgwick across Grapevine Bridge with orders to advance to the battle.
Sumner was much like McClellan, cautious to a fault. Fortunately, this time, he took some initiative. Had he waited for orders to send Sedgwick across the river, the last pontoon bridge would have been swept away in the flooding river, which it did shortly after Sedgwick got across. In fact, when the crossing was made, most of the bridge was partially submerged already.
While Casey was holding the Confederate advance as best he could, both of the high commanders were unaware of the severity of the battle. As late as 2:30 p.m., Heintzelman reported to McClellan, still sick in bed, that he had received no word from Keyes. Johnston was only 2 1/2 miles from the front, but an acoustic shadow prevented him from hearing the sounds of cannons and musketry and he and his staff did not know the battle had begun until 4 p.m.
Daniel Harvey Hill had been fighting the Battle of Seven Pines without support. When forward units of Longstreet's Corps arrived under the command of Colonel Micah Jenkins [CS], Hill sent them on a flanking maneuver that took him up to Nine-Mile Road, then crashing down on Keyes left flank. In 5 distinct battles, Jenkins' South Carolinians worked their way behind enemy lines, coming to the Williamsburg Road just before dusk. This caused a less than orderly withdrawal of the Yankees when word reached the Yankee line of Rebels along their path of retreat.
Major General Gustavus W. Smith, to the north of Hill, ordered General Chase Whiting to began moving east shortly after 4:00pm. His lead brigade under Evander Law ran into Darius Couch and his small federal force at Fair Oaks Station and was about to overrun them when Sedgwick's Yankees arrived at 5:30pm. Sedgwick deployed his artillery on both sides as he advanced down the road to Fair Oaks, something Whiting couldn't do - he had failed to bring any artillery in support of his infantry.
As Whiting's brigades arrived they spread out north of Nine Mile Road over the rolling hills south of the Chickahominy. Although they initially outnumbered the federals, as more of Sedgwick's men arrived the numbers evened up and the fight turned into a series of frontal assaults. Soon the federals were pushing the Confederate line back. One of Whiting's brigadiers, Wade Hampton, was wounded and another, Robert Hatton, was killed in the federal advance. Brigadier General James Pettigrew was captured. From a hill just southwest of Fair Oak Station, Joe Johnston watched as the Union line swept forward with surprising speed.
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/seven...npinesmap2.html
Soldiers near General Johnston warned him that he was not only within range of Sedgwick's artillery, but he was now in range of the advancing Union line. Before he could move, he was struck in the shoulder by a Yankee bullet as his position came in range of the advancing federal line. Moments later an artillery shell exploded in front of him, wounding him and knocking him off his horse. For Joseph E. Johnston, the Battle of Fair Oaks was over, as was his command of the Army of Northern Virginia. While Johnston was being moved to Richmond, G. W. Smith found out about his commander's injuries. Smith, Johnston's second-in-command, was now in charge of the Confederate Army.
Fighting at Seven Pines resumed the following morning, but neither army made much of an effort at it. Brigadier General Oliver O. Howard lost an arm to a bullet during a Rebel assault, but G. W. Smith would not support Hill or James Longstreet, who finally made a belated appearance. At 11:30 the battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines ended. Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee arrived at the Hughes home and Davis had Smith turn command of the Army of Northern Virginia over to Lee.
Keyes got so involved in the battle that he failed to wire his situation to headquarters or ask for help. When McClellan wired Heintzelman, at 2:30 pm, the 3rd Corps commander's response was that he had heard nothing from Keyes and therefore there were no serious problems, but his actions spoke differently than his words. He ordered Phil Kearney forward and Kearney reported quickly that Keyes was "being driven back."
By three o'clock the Union Army, in fact, had been driven back to the crossroads at Seven Pines where some of the retreating men fell in behind a second set of log works while others, too tired or afraid to fight continued to the rear for safety. Luckily, Darius Couch's division and Phil Kearny's forward brigades took up most of the Yankee line at Seven Pines. Heintzelman did maintain communication with headquarters and gave an acurate description of the battle (as he knew it) to McClellan shortly after 3:00pm. Based on Heintzelman's report McClellan issued an order to Edwin Vose Sumner to advance, but by the time Sumner received the order he had already sent Brigadier General John Sedgwick across Grapevine Bridge with orders to advance to the battle.
Sumner was much like McClellan, cautious to a fault. Fortunately, this time, he took some initiative. Had he waited for orders to send Sedgwick across the river, the last pontoon bridge would have been swept away in the flooding river, which it did shortly after Sedgwick got across. In fact, when the crossing was made, most of the bridge was partially submerged already.
While Casey was holding the Confederate advance as best he could, both of the high commanders were unaware of the severity of the battle. As late as 2:30 p.m., Heintzelman reported to McClellan, still sick in bed, that he had received no word from Keyes. Johnston was only 2 1/2 miles from the front, but an acoustic shadow prevented him from hearing the sounds of cannons and musketry and he and his staff did not know the battle had begun until 4 p.m.
Daniel Harvey Hill had been fighting the Battle of Seven Pines without support. When forward units of Longstreet's Corps arrived under the command of Colonel Micah Jenkins [CS], Hill sent them on a flanking maneuver that took him up to Nine-Mile Road, then crashing down on Keyes left flank. In 5 distinct battles, Jenkins' South Carolinians worked their way behind enemy lines, coming to the Williamsburg Road just before dusk. This caused a less than orderly withdrawal of the Yankees when word reached the Yankee line of Rebels along their path of retreat.
Major General Gustavus W. Smith, to the north of Hill, ordered General Chase Whiting to began moving east shortly after 4:00pm. His lead brigade under Evander Law ran into Darius Couch and his small federal force at Fair Oaks Station and was about to overrun them when Sedgwick's Yankees arrived at 5:30pm. Sedgwick deployed his artillery on both sides as he advanced down the road to Fair Oaks, something Whiting couldn't do - he had failed to bring any artillery in support of his infantry.
As Whiting's brigades arrived they spread out north of Nine Mile Road over the rolling hills south of the Chickahominy. Although they initially outnumbered the federals, as more of Sedgwick's men arrived the numbers evened up and the fight turned into a series of frontal assaults. Soon the federals were pushing the Confederate line back. One of Whiting's brigadiers, Wade Hampton, was wounded and another, Robert Hatton, was killed in the federal advance. Brigadier General James Pettigrew was captured. From a hill just southwest of Fair Oak Station, Joe Johnston watched as the Union line swept forward with surprising speed.
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/seven...npinesmap2.html
Soldiers near General Johnston warned him that he was not only within range of Sedgwick's artillery, but he was now in range of the advancing Union line. Before he could move, he was struck in the shoulder by a Yankee bullet as his position came in range of the advancing federal line. Moments later an artillery shell exploded in front of him, wounding him and knocking him off his horse. For Joseph E. Johnston, the Battle of Fair Oaks was over, as was his command of the Army of Northern Virginia. While Johnston was being moved to Richmond, G. W. Smith found out about his commander's injuries. Smith, Johnston's second-in-command, was now in charge of the Confederate Army.
Fighting at Seven Pines resumed the following morning, but neither army made much of an effort at it. Brigadier General Oliver O. Howard lost an arm to a bullet during a Rebel assault, but G. W. Smith would not support Hill or James Longstreet, who finally made a belated appearance. At 11:30 the battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines ended. Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee arrived at the Hughes home and Davis had Smith turn command of the Army of Northern Virginia over to Lee.