Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 5.djvu/67

Rh support in time to save him from destruction by the attack of that portion of General Johnston’s army, under General Johnston’s immediate direction, whose headquarters were at Old Tavern, about 2 miles from Fair Oaks. Anxious for the safety of the Confederate left, and fearing that it might be attacked by forces from the north of the Chickahominy, General Johnston had ordered the brigades of Whiting, Hood, Pettigrew, Hatton and Hampton, under Whiting, at about 4 p. m., to march by Fair Oaks to attack the Federal right and rear. The head of these troops (Whiting’s brigade), reaching Fair Oaks, were fired upon by Couch s battery at the Adams house, and by his advanced pickets. A halt was made to take the battery, and to drive the Federal infantry out of reach of the road, when followed the battle of Fair Oaks, the effort of which was to keep Sumner and Couch from the field at Seven Pines, and leave Hill’s division and Anderson s brigade masters of the battle in that quarter. But this was the main effect of the Confederate attack at Fair Oaks, for the battery was not taken, and Couch, reinforced by at least a strong division from Sumner’s advance, with artillery, held his position against the assaults of Whiting, Pettigrew, Hatton and Hampton. The latter commanded the only South Carolinians who were in the engagement at Fair Oaks, the infantry of his legion.

There is no report from General Hampton, but the reports of Generals Johnston and G. W. Smith define his position in the affair on the left of the Confederate attack. General Smith says, that as the musketry fire of Whiting, Pettigrew and Hampton rapidly increased, opening the attack on Couch, he rode into the woods where the troops were engaged, and learned from Col. S. D. Lee, of the artillery, that &quot;General Hampton had driven the enemy some distance through the woods, but that they were being rapidly reinforced [by Sumner], held a strong position, and extended beyond Hampton’s