commended for the excellent conduct of their commands in action. Captain Riley Johnson's company K, Sixth New York Cavalry, 2 men wounded. This company was from the beginning of the Peninsula campaign, in 1862, on escort duty at Second Corps headquarters. Their employment in that capacity was evidence of their intelligence and fine soldierly bearing.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE BATTLES OF MARYE'S HEIGHTS AND SALEM

CHURCH

G

ENERAL HOOKER'S operations on the left were primarily conducted to conceal his purpose of making the main attack from Chancellorsville, and before daylight on the 29th of April he caused the First Corps under Reynolds, the Third Corps under Sickles, and the Sixth Corps under Sedgwick, to be assembled on the north bank of the Rappahannock, three miles below Fredericksburg, all under the command of General John Sedgwick. At daybreak on on the the 29th, General Brooks's division of the Sixth Corps crossed the river in pontoon boats, at Franklin's old crossing, and took position in a dense fog close to the enemy's picket line. At 10 A.M., General Wadsworth's division of the First Corps began crossing a mile below and, when the division was all over, General Brooks extended the left of his line to connect with General Wadsworth's right. These divisions held the ground in front of the pontoon bridges under the enemy's fire of artillery and infantry, but no serious engagement took place. The troops of the three corps occupied their positions without change until 1 P.M. on the 30th of April, when General Sickles marched to join General Hooker at Chancellorsville. The First and the Sixth Corps remained in the same position until 6 P.M. on the first day of May, when the four divisions still on the north side of the river were put under arms by an order of General Hooker, which

had been five hours in reaching General Sedgwick, "to threaten an attack in full force at 1 o'clock and to continue in that attitude until further orders. Let the demonstration be as severe as can be, but not an attack;" the demonstration ceased at dark.

At 7 A.M. on the 2nd of May, General Reynolds withdrew Wadsworth's division from the south side, marched his corps to United States Ford, and thence to Chancellorsville. On the departure of the First Corps, General Sedgwick ordered the divisions of Newton and Howe to cross the river, and at sundown the Sixth Corps was united. General Sedgwick received an order at II P.M.,

"to at once march on the Chancellorsville road and connect with the major-general commanding; to attack and destroy any force you may fall in with on the road; leave all trains behind except the pack-mule train of small ammunition, and be in the vicinity of the general at daylight."

Without delay he proceeded to carry out the order, advanced on the Bowling Green Road, and, skirmishing with the enemy all the way, reached Fredericksburg at 3 A.M., carrying the intrenchments with the bayonet.

General Gibbon's division of the Second Corps was brought across the Rappahannock and put into position on the right of the Sixth Corps in its advance against Marye's Heights. Two storming columns and a line of battle were formed of troops of Newton's division, and, advancing at a double-quick without firing or halting, drove the enemy from his first line of works, pressed forward to the crest of Marye's Heights and carried the works in rear of the riflepits, capturing guns and prisoners. General Howe at the same time advanced on the left, gained the crest in his front and captured prisoners and guns. Thus Sedgwick's corps gained possession of the heights which had repulsed the

right wing of Burnside's army on the 13th of December. Gibbon's division was sent in pursuit of the enemy retiring south of Fredericksburg, with orders to hold the town. The Sixth Corps at once proceeded on the Chancellorsville road to comply with the orders of the commanding general, and carried each series of heights without halting until in the vicinity of Salem Church, where the enemy, having been reinforced by a brigade brought from Banks's Ford, made a most stubborn resistance. General Brooks's division on the left, and General Newton's division on the right, advanced slowly through a dense thicket of second growth and brush, to the crest of the hill. The left of Brooks's division was on a line with Salem Church. The enemy was in strong force about the church, with sharp shooters on the inside, and opened a sharp enfilading fire upon the left of Brooks's line. Unable to hold its position against superior numbers advantageously posted, the line fell slowly back, followed by the enemy, but his advance was soon checked by our batteries. The troops were reformed, and again advanced upon the woods forcing back the enemy, but with fresh troops coming to his assistance he made a determined resistance and checked the progress of the corps. Darkness ended the battle, and our troops rested upon their arms. The Sixth Corps had marched ten miles in sixteen hours, driving all the way a vigilant and determined enemy, captured three fortified positions and without halting, except to form lines of battle and columns of assault, and at the close of the day remained on the line of battle, the second of two battles fought on the same day, each of which will rank among the severest of the many fought throughout the war.

General Lee, having driven Hooker from two lines, as described in the last chapter, turned his attention to Sedgwick's advance. General McLaws's division was detached from Lee's line at Chancellorsville and sent to strengthen

the forces resisting the Sixth Corps at Salem Church, and, soon after, General R. H. Anderson's division was ordered to report to McLaws. At an early hour on the morning of May 4th, General Sedgwick learned that the forces in his immediate front had been largely reinforced, and that another column of the enemy had occupied the heights of Fredericksburg and cut off his communication with the town. He formed his corps for defense, putting Howe's division in line to the rear with his left on the Rappahannock, and his right extending south to join with Newton's south of the Plank road, which extended west to Salem Heights, joining Brooks's, which turned north toward the Rappahannock, forming three sides of a square in front of Banks's Ford, a battle line three miles long. The enemy, after cutting our communications with Fredericksburg, next tried to cut off our connection with Banks's Ford. General Howe defeated this effort and captured a large number of prisoners in doing it. While General Sedgwick was reforming his lines, on the morning of the 4th, General Hooker notified him that he had contracted his lines, and instructed him

"to look well to the safety of his corps, preserve communications with Fredericksburg and Banks's Ford, to fall back on the former place, or recross, in preference at the ford, where he could more readily communicate with the main body."

With his communications cut with Fredericksburg, and the enemy pressing his thin line, it was not possible to cross the river in daylight. General Hooker advised Sedgwick that he was too far away to direct his movements; he could not relieve him, and the day was passed in protecting his line until darkness should veil his movements; then the Sixth Corps began crossing on the bridge, which had been laid on the 3rd, after Wilcox had moved his brigade to the support of the enemy's line at Salem Church. At 2 o'clock on the