7 V THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. 87 count upon such favors from fortune. The best thing to be done Atiis to get well out of so critical a position. There was nothing for it but to retreat promptly; unluckily, however, this was not to be so easily done. We had a choice of dangers. To concentrate on the left bank of the Chickahominy was to abandon the enterprise against Richmond, and to risk a disastrous retreat upon White House and Yorktown, with the whole confederate army at our heels, in a country where we could hope for uo support. There was no good to be expected from this plan. To pass to the right bank was to risk the enemy’s cutting our communications with White Honde, and seizing the railway which brought our supplies. We should then be forced to open new communications with the James river, and to move in that direction en and with no delay. This would be a retreat, but for a few miles only, and if we were but moderately reinforced, with the support of the navy, we could reassume the offensive either against Richmond itself, on the right bank of the river, or against Petersburg on the left, the fall of that place involving the fall of Richmond McClellan chose the latter course. As we have said, he had long considered it as one of the necessities of his position, and had even taken some contingent steps in regard to it, the wisdom of which was about to be signally vindicated; but there was a vast difference between making this retreat at one’s own time and by a free, spontaneous movement, and making it hastily under the threatening pressure of two hostile armies. But there was no time for deliberation. The resolution taken upon the spur of the moment must be carried at once into effect. The distance from Fair Oaks to the James river was not great; it was but seventeen miles. But the stores and baggage had to be moved upon a single road, exposed in front to the enemy, who by several different roads radiating from Richmond could throw a considerable force upon several different points at once. The
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