W. M. G. Crenshaw to George B. McClellan, July 14, 1862

GENERAL:

In obedience to your orders of 10th instant I beg leave respectfully to submit the following report: Soon after receiving your orders, while in camp at Dr. Friend’s house, Wednesday, June 25, to cook two days’ rations and prepare to march that evening, the enemy opened fire upon us from the earth- works he had just thrown up near Hogan’s house, on the opposite side of the Chickahominy. This fire was kept up very constantly during the day, and resulted only in the killing of 2 of my horses.

In accordance with your orders, the fire was not returned by me.

Soon after we started on the march; bivouacked near the brook about 3 o’clock at night; rested nearly all of Thursday in the road, and in the afternoon crossed the Chickahominy at the Meadow Bridge in the rear of your brigade.

In accordance with your orders I halted the battery under shelter of the hill about half a mile this side of Mechanicsville, where we remained until next morning, receiving the shell of the enemy, but withae taking any part in the fight. This shelling resulted in no loss

On Friday morning, June 27, we started down the Chickahominy in rear of your brigade, and my battery was the first to cross the bridge at Gaines’ Mill, which was effected about 1 p. m.

Soon after crossing, in accordance with your orders, we went into battery near New Cold Harbor house and commenced firing at the enemy’s infantry, who were drawn up in line of battle across the bill above us. They were soon scattered and driven out of our sight, and we were opened upon by three batteries of the enemy on the same hill, who fired very rapidly, and against whom we then directed our fire. Unfortunately for us our position was such that we could not maneuver our battery 10 yards to the right or left. the opening in the woods through which we had to fire being very narrow. We continued under the incessant fire of the enemy’s batteries for nearly two hours, ceasing our own fire more than once when the charge on the enemy’s batteries was ordered to be made by our infantry.

During this engagement I received your message to maneuver the battery or remove it from under fire at my discretion. Finding that no infantry of the enemy were in sight, and that we had been so long under fire of their several batteries that they had been able to get our range very accurately and that we were being damaged by them, having lost in killed and seriously wounded 5 men and 11 horses, I, in the exercise of the discretion you gave me, withdrew my battery some 200 yards from the field. After resting about three-quarters of an hour, and finding the enemy’s infantry had formed on the hill above us again, we returned with the battery to its original position, soon scattered them, and then continued firing upon their batteries. While firing upon the infantry on the hill to our left it was suggested that they might be friends, and we ceased firing upon them a few moments until, with your assistance, we could examine them minutely with our glasses. You being satisfied that they were not friends, we, by your order, opened upon them again, when they soon disappeared from our view. We continued in this second engagement about an hour, when, two of our brass pieces becoming disabled by the breaking of the axles and the other two brass pieces too hot to fire with safety, you ordered us to retire to make room for Captain Johnson, who had been ordered up to relieve us.

We had lost in it 4 men killed and seriously wounded and 11 horses, but succeeded in taking off the two disabled pieces by hand and the others by dismounting our chiefs and hitching three horses to most of the pieces.

In accordance with your orders the battery was then taken to the rear, and Lieut. C. L. Hobson started at 12 o’clock that night to Richmond with the disabled carriages for repairs and a wagon for ammunition and men to bring out more horses.

The next morning, Saturday, June 28, what ammunition we had left, consisting almost entirely of solid shot, canister, and long-range rifle shell, was placed in the chests of three pieces which we carried upon the battle-field of the previous day. Soon after we arrived there we received orders from Major-General Hill to return with my battery to Richmond, there to refit and remain for orders. Upon my informing you of these orders, you authorized me to rejoin you as soon as I had fitted up, and that you would take the responsibility of my doing so without orders.

I accordingly returned to Richmond Saturday afternoon and remained there until the Thursday morning following, having succeeded in getting a temporary detail to my company of 30 men. With these I proceeded down the road and overtook your brigade just below the battle-field of the Tuesday previous; remained with you until the return of the division to its present position near the city without being in any other engagement. We fired between 700 and 800 shots, with what loss to the enemy I do not know.

I thus sum up my loss: Nine men killed and seriously wounded, per list annexed, besides several others slightly wounded, and 24 horses killed and seriously wounded, including the 2 killed on June 25.

I went into the engagement with 94 men and 4 officers. None of my men left their guns while they were in battery. Only two who were in the first engagement failed to be present in the second, and both of those sent me certificates of physicians that each had a foot so badly mashed as to unfit them for duty. Therefore, when all behaved so well I cannot draw any distinction, and shall always be contented if in the future all do their duty as well as they did on June 27, which was the first regular engagement the men were ever in.

List of killed and wounded.*

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Respectfully submitted, by your obedient servant,