“Our Little Peninsula World”
Our little Peninsula world had now become a real “Theater of War.” [George B.] McClellan had advanced from Fort Monroe with 120,000 men and on the 11th April, Brigadier General Magruder withdrew all his little force behind his Yorktown and Lee's Mill line of works and stood ready to defend them. On the 12th a strong column of “blue jackets” came in sight on the Warwick Road and, deploying right and left in front of Lee's Mill, began to skirmish heavily. Another strong column appeared in front of the line near Yorktown, deployed, and “felt our position.” My regiment, with a battalion of infantry, was ordered to defend a portion of the line about half a mile long. The shallow, sluggish stream known as the Warwick River, being very small near its sources, five dirt dams had been thrown up between Yorktown and Lee's mill to back up the water and make it spread out into the marshes on either bank. These dams afforded a good passage for troops two abreast.
Hence, our first business was to throw up earthworks in front of and commanding them. I really felt like laughing when, with one squadron of dismounted cavalry and one company of infantry to hold down dam No. 3, I began collecting old broken logs and pieces of brush wood to shield my precious person from the view and the fire of the enemy. The rest of the regiment and the battalion were in line of battle in rear, being a “corps de reserve.” Armed as we were with muzzle-loading, smoothbore carbines and the infantry with smoothbore muskets, I trembled to think of the stampede and awful gap which would be made in the line if some ten or a dozen really good riflemen had posted themselves a hun-