24 May 1862, Mechanicsville, Va - Battleground 5: Antietam

24 May 1862 [Curt Cabbage]

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF POTOMAC, May 24, 18629 p. m. Hon. E. M.
STANTON, Secretary of War: Advanced guard had an artillery skirmish
near Mechanicsville yes- terday afternoon. It was carried this
morning by Davidsons brigade, and the enemy driven completely
over the river at New Bridge. Five hundred of Fonrth Michigan,
under Colonel Woodbury, covering a very gallant reconnaissance
made by Lieutenants Bowen and Custer, came npon the Louisiana
Tigers, and handled them terribly, taking some 50 prisoners and
killing and wounding very large nnnibers, with a loss of 2 killed
and 7 wounded. On the Bottoms Bridge road General Naglee drove
the enemy from the Seven Pines 5 miles from the bridge. I would
request that these localities be not published. The papers soon
reach the enemy. GEO. B. MCCLELLAN, Major- General, Commanding
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Report of Gol. Beverly H. Robertson, Fourth Virginia Cavalry.
HEADQUARTERS FOURTH VIRGINIA CAVALRY, Near Meadow Bridge, Va.,
May 24, 1862. Soon after daylight next morning an extended hue
of infantry skir- mishers was seen advancing upon the river road
which was promptly met by onr sharpshooters and sl)eedily driven
back behind the crest of a hill parallel to the turnpike. Heavy
skirmishing with musketry then ensued for thirty minutes, when
our howitzer opened upon a house in and behind which many of
the enemy had sought shelter. They were soon put to flight, and,
as xvell as I could ju(lge, with con- si(lerable loss. By this
time one of the enemys batteries had opened a brisk fire, doing
some damage to the horses of the howitzer, the loca- tion of
which seemed to be accurately ascertained. For some length of
time the skirmishing between the infantry con- tinned, the enenmy
being invariably driven back whenever they made their apj)earance.
I then ordered an observation to be made from the to]) of a house
by means of a ladder, and learned that two regiments of influuitry
and three l)ieces of artillery were marching- to nmy left. I
had scarcely ordered the Ninth Regiment, Col. II. A. Turnipseed,
for- ward to ])revent my left flank being tnrned, when the enemys
artillemy in that direction opene(l such a galling fire upon
our howitzer that [it] was compelled to retire. I themi ordered
the whole line to fall back some 300 yards to a sheltered positiomi
in the woods, leaving the skim-- mishers to cover this movement,
which they did effectually. The fight- ing had been kept up for
about four hours, and the retirement was ma(le in perfect order,
an(l a new line of battle on the skirts of the woods ra~)i(lly
established, nn(ler a terrible fire from the enemys can- non,
at a veiny short range. As soon as our two pieces had fairly
comn- menced a rapid exchamuge of shots I received an order to
withdraw my entire command to the other side of the Chickahonuiny,
which was effected without further loss.