were now about equal in numbers, each consisting of a
little more than one hundred thousand men for duty. (Our army had
115,000 men for duty.) Our own army had recently been reinforced by
McCall's division, and five or six thousand troops from Fortress Monroe;
and the rebel army had been strengthened by the accession of Jackson's
force, of nearly twenty thousand, from the valley.

McClellan's first move was to advance the left wing, under Heintzelman,
who occupied the ground on which had been fought the battle of Fair
Oaks. General Hooker was ordered to advance his division about a mile
across a clearing in his front. This the gallant general essayed to do.

In front of his camp, before reaching the clearing, was a thick
entanglement of low pines and bushes, filled with swamps and ponds. This
chaparral was about five hundred yards wide. Beyond was the clearing, in
which were the rifle pits and strong redoubts of the enemy, and still
farther on a forest. Hooker's brigades, commanded by Sickles, Grover and
Robinson, protected on the left flank by Kearney's division, and on the
right by a Massachusetts regiment, moved into the tangled forest, about
eight o'clock on the morning of the 25th. Grover's pickets soon fell in
with those of the enemy, and sharp skirmishing commenced; but the rebel
picket line was steadily driven back into the clearing, where it was
strengthened by their reserve. The fighting now became general. The
woods rang with the sharp sounds of musketry and the deep tones of the
artillery, and clouds of smoke obscured the scene from view. Ambulances
were emerging from the woods bearing the wounded; and bloody forms on
stretchers, and the less seriously wounded leaning on the shoulders of
comrades, made up a melancholy procession.

The fire in the edge of the woods and in the open fields increased in
intensity, until all of Hooker's and part of Kearney's forces were
brought into action. The rebels finally retreated across the field to
the cover of their rifle pits. The retreat was slow and orderly, every
foot of the way being disputed.

Our men were exultingly pushing forward, determined to drive them from
their pits also, when an order from General McClellan directed General
Hooker to retire with his division to the original position. Here was
evidently a sad misconception of the state of affairs, for, when the
Commander-in-Chief, an hour later, arrived on the field and consulted
with General Hooker, the