Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 4.djvu/80

62 the Confederate retreat. Branch s loss, including Lane’s, was 73 killed, 192 wounded, and about 700 captured. If Porter s report, &quot;of the enemy s dead we buried about 200,&quot; be true, he must have buried some twice. The Federal loss was 62 killed, 223 wounded, and 70 missing.

General Lee sent his congratulations to General Branch, in which he used these words: &quot;I take pleasure in expressing my approval of the manner in which you have discharged the duties of the position in which you were placed, and of the gallant manner your troops opposed a very superior force of the enemy.

Closely following Hanover Court House came Seven Pines, with a list of casualties at that time thought appalling. There, as at Hanover, an officer from North Carolina directed the fiercest and most protracted part of the contest; for, says Gen. Cadmus Wilcox, &quot;Seven Pines, the successful part of it, was D. H. Hill’s fight.&quot; General Longstreet, who commanded the whole right wing, says: &quot;The conduct of the attack (on the Confederate right) was left entirely to Major-General Hill. The entire success of the affair is sufficient evidence of his ability, courage and skill. The Confederates in front of Richmond were apprehensive that the force under McDowell would be added to that under General McClellan, and thereby give him strength enough to overpower them and take Richmond. To prevent this, Johnston, learning that two of McClellan’s army corps, those of Keyes and Heintzelman, were on the south side of the Chickahominy, determined on an immediate attack upon them. In order to get an intelligible idea of the part of the North Carolina troops in this great battle, it will be necessary first to take a glance at the whole field.

Casey’s division of Keyes corps was nearest to Richmond. This lay behind earthworks, strengthened by an unfinished redoubt, on the Williamsburg road, west of