Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 40.djvu/73

Rh the river, and a small creek running parallel with its front the entire distance. It was impossible to turn it, as General Lee readily discovered, and its approaches were such as to make it difficult to attack in front. From Chandler's house, Couch's corps occupied a line nearly at right angles to Meade's, and ran southerly across the turnpike a full quarter of a mile east of the Chancellor house bending westwardly to the Plank road, Slocum's corps connected with Couch's, and swung to the south and west in a half circle, the lines of the two corps having the shape of a huge bowl or kettle, with Meade's corps as the handle. The rim of this bowl touched the turnpike again about a mile west of the Chancellor house, and included all the open ground in its front, together with Fairview to the west. Fairview commanded Chancellor's and the open ground in its front, as well as the pike both east and west, and when Jackson made his attack on the afternoon of the 2d, as well as the following morning, it proved of great advantage to the Federal artillery. Birney's division of Sickles' corps formed a connecting link, between Slocum's and Howard's corps. Beginning at a point on Slocum's line which formed the most southerly part of the bowl, it ran with a wider curve northwardly to the neighborhood of Dowdall's tavern on the pike, a full mile from Slocum's right, and skirting the edge of Hazel Grove, which was destined to play a most important part in the coming battle. The balance of Sickles' corps was massed in the neighborhood of the Chandler house. Howard's corps extended westwardly from Dowdall's tavern along the turnpike by the Wilderness Church and by Talley's, a little upwards of a mile, the extreme right being refused at right angles to the pike, and its extremity covered by two field pieces placed in small redoubts looking west. Almost the entire front of the line was protected by earthworks, and covered by a thick growth of small scrubby oak and pine interspersed with vines.

In view of the surprise which the Federals suffered on the 2d, it must be said in justice to General Hooker, that on the afternoon of the 1st, he directed that the right of Slocum's line should fall back and rest at a saw mill on Hunting Run.