evidently a gunboat on the river at
"Drury's Bluff." Two others followed, but they did not equal the
first. She was iron-clad--the "Virginia," as we afterwards heard--just
completed. She burst like a bomb-shell, and told, in anything but a
whisper, the desperate condition of things. There was no time to be
lost; the Yankees had heard it as well as ourselves, and we moved on
at once.

We overtook, just at daylight, and passed a small squad of our
dismounted men from the Seventh, who had got in from the picket line.
When we reached the intermediate line of works, where the "Charles
City" and "New Kent" roads come together, not far from the "turnpike
gate," which all who travelled that road--and who of the army of
Northern Virginia did not?--will remember, the sun was just rising,
and an ugly red glare showed itself in the direction of Richmond that
dimmed the early sunshine.

At this point the General determined (though expecting the enemy's
cavalry every moment) to occupy the works, and wait for the dismounted
men. The guns of the battery that accompanied us were placed in
position, and our men dismounted and occupied the lines on the right
and left of the road. In about a half hour's time, and to our great
satisfaction--for it seemed a hard case to leave the poor tired
fellows to be gobbled up--a straggling line of tired men and poor
walkers, as dismounted cavalry always must be in their big boots and
spurs, showed themselves over the hill, dragged themselves along, and
passed on before us into the city. We followed on, went down the
steep hill by the house where General Johnston's headquarters were
about the time of the retreat from Yorktown, and got into the river
road, and so had the enemy behind us. It was here he might have cut us
off from the city and secured the bridge.

We passed into the "Rockets," the southern suburb of Richmond, at an
easy marching gait, and there learned that the bridge had taken fire
from some of the buildings, which by this time we could see were on
fire in the city. Fearing our retreat would be cut off at that point,
which would throw us from our position as rear-guard, we pushed on
rapidly, the column moving at a trot through the "Rockets."

The peculiar population of that suburb were gathered on the sidewalk;
bold, dirty looking women, who had evidently not been improved by four
years' military association, dirtier (if possible) looking children,
and here and there skulking, scoun