sp, were to turn their
backs as _fugitives_ before their enemies! It was a time of humiliation
and sorrow. Every man was weighed down with a terrible anxiety. Officers
hurried to and fro, silently and hastily forwarding the preparations for
the retreat. The great caravan of army trains was on its way under the
direction of scores of officers, and with it were escorts of cavalry and
infantry.

At three o'clock Sunday morning the 29th, the Sixth corps quietly
evacuated its works and proceeded in the direction of Savage's Station.
The men slung their knapsacks and quietly moved off. A scene of
desolation met their view as they passed along. Tents cut to pieces,
commissary stores thrown upon the ground or burning in heaps, blankets
and clothing piled promiscuously about, not considered worth carrying
away; all indicating a retreat under most disastrous circumstances.

We had been preceded by Keyes' corps, which had started at noon the day
before, crossed White Oak creek and occupied the opposite side, acting
as advance guard for our long trains which were now making all haste
toward the James river.

The endless streams of army wagons, artillery trains and ambulances were
all pouring down the roads from the various camps, and crowding into the
narrow paths that led to the opposite side of the Peninsula. Porter's
infantry mingled with the trains, and thousands of cattle driven along
through the woods by the roadside made a strange scene. Franklin's,
Sumner's and Heintzelman's corps were to guard the rear, and it was with
secrecy that we had left the rifle pits; for the enemy was close upon us
ready to take advantage of every movement. A picket guard was left to
deceive the rebels, while regiment after regiment silently disappeared,
leaving only the pickets to hold the long line of earthworks. These
brave men waited hour after hour for the signal to retire. The gray
lights of the morning broke upon them, yet there was no sign for them to
join their commands. At length, when they had given up all hope of being
relieved, they were signaled to leave the breastworks, and under cover
of the morning mists, they quickly joined their comrades.

The Second division moved in the direction of Savage's Station, while
the First kept on to the crossing of White Oak Swamp, acting as
rear-guard to Porter's corps. We of the Second division kept along the
high lands which skirt the Chickahominy, when, after marching about two
miles, the di