8S THE ARMY HF THE POTOMAC. speed with which the operation was conducted upset his calculations: he probably supposed that we should feel the ground before we acted, and perhaps be thought that McClellan would find it hard to make up his mind to abandon his lines at White House. He acted at least as if this were his view. The troops of General Hill, mentioned above, having crossed the Chiekahominy at "Meadow Bridge on the 26th, the dav after the affair -with Hooker, in the afternoon attacked the troops of McCall, the advance of Porter on the left bank. Thisfirsi i-ontliet was very severe; but McCall occupied a strong position at Beaver Bam. a sort of ravine bordered with beautiful catalpa tree.-, then in flower. There he had made abattis and thrown up some earth »o that he could not be overcome, notwithstanding the length of the fight which lasted until nightfall. This vigorous resistance compelled the enemy to throw numerous reinforcements across the river. This was exactly what General McClellan desired, liis intention was to fix the attention of the enemy here while on the right bank he prepared bis movement to the James river. The night was spent in ]mssing over to this bank the whole of Porter's baggage and uniting it with the long train which was to set out in the evening of the 27th. The orders were given to re-embark or destroy all the stores and magazines along tin railway toAVhite House and to evacuate that depot, general Stoneman with a flying column was changed with the execution of this order. He was to delay the advance of the enemy and fall back when he had done bis duty upon Yorktown. All this was carried out exactly. Xt daybreak on the 27111. McCall muis ordered to fall back on the bridges thrown across the Chickahominy at Gaines's Mill. Followed up rapidly, as he had expected to be, he joined the other troops of Porter’s corps, the divi.-ioii of Morell and the regulars com manded by (tenoral Sykes. Porter’s duty, demanding as uiueh self-possession as vigor, was to make a stand in front of
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