Seven Pines: The Action

Judson Cheney
Born: May 11, 1838, Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County, New York
Died: September 29, 1864, Chaffin Farm, Virginia
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grand Uncle

As you know, Judson enlisted in the American Civil War 150 years ago last fall (November). Less than 7 months later - by the end of May - Judson found himself on the front lines in a major and deadly battle.

On May 31st, 1862, Judson Cheney and the 98th New York Regiment were engaged in the battle of Seven Pines (also called Fair Oaks). The Civil War Battlefield Guide says that the US lost (killed and injured) approximately 5,000 men and the Confederate States lost 6,100. Kreutzer says it was the deadliest battle fought on the continent at that time (though I think he overlooks Shiloh). 

This map on the Civil War Trust shows the lineup and the action. Look at the map and you'll see Judson's regiment on the front lines (at the bottom but right on the middle - in blue, 98NY).

The Confederates attacked because they saw that two US divisions were alone south of the Chickahominy River. The battle started at 1pm - on a day after a night of very heavy rain. The Union troops could tell the Confederates were moving in. They heard the movements during the previous days and shots increased between the two sides' pickets that morning.

There is a lot of action, but the summary is that the first push was mostly repelled by the 98th et al. The Battlefield Guide says the Confederate attack was not well coordinated - Longstreet took the wrong road and was late to join. After the first push, the 98th had lost ten men due to their batteries behind them, and lost none to enemy fire.

During the lull, the Union did not take advantage and counterattack. Kreuzter says that made all the difference. Soon, the rest of the Confederate troops came through and the 98th was driven from its position. I'll let Kreuzter tell the story, starting with the second wave of the attack:

Our batteries open; the air becomes full of lead and iron. High over our heads, around us, beside us, the lead is whistling, and the iron is whizzing, hissing, whirling. Every moment has a new terror, every instant a new horror. Our men are falling fast. We leave the dead and the dying, and send the wounded to the rear... The writer [Kreuzter] rallies a part of the regiment around the flag at the half-deserted intrenchments [sic]. There we use, officers and men, the sharp-shooter's practice against the enemy. We can mark the effect of our fire; no rifle was discharged in vain. Many of the men could pick a squirrel from the tallest trees of Wayne and Franklin; and they load and fire with infinite merriment and good-nature.

...

This advance of the enemy compels us to abandon our intrenchments [sic]. We retire with our portion of the regiment to our camp and find it deserted... we form a line of battle on our regimental color line, and wait the enemy there.

...

[After having to retreat further and leave their camp behind] Some fifty of the 98th were still on the ground unwilling to leave. To prevent their being killed or taken prisoners, the writer stayed behind and endeavored to collect them together, and have them go to the rear with him. Ten or fifteen went as far as the rail-fence which ran along the rear of the camp and stopped, unwilling to be driven from their camp; unwilling to be beaten they were determined to see the battle out... The enemy began to straggle in through the woods from the left. Here we witnessed several single-handed combats, hand-to-hand encounters between our men and those of the foe who ventured from their organizations. 

...

A little after 5pm we collected the survivors of the regiment whom we could find behind Couch and marched a half mile father to the rear [then on to Savage's station for the night]. The 98th lost that day 85 enlisted men and three officers, killed and wounded out of 385 taken into action.

...

Our total loss was 5,737 [more recent sources differ on this number]... and Casey's division [remember the NY 98th was in this division], then numbering between four and five thousand, sustained a loss of 1,700, or one-third of the entire casualties of that memorable day. In recognition of its services congress gave it a resolution of thanks.

...

Portions of most of Casey's regiments joined us during the night. But few of the men had their blankets and haversacks. Nearly all were without food or drink during the day. They built fires and sitting on logs, or lying on the leaves, talked the battle over and the night away... Now and then, a squad of men or an officer joined us, and standing or seated among us, told their story of personal observations, their opinions and encounters, and the news they had. 

The battle would continue the next day, but Judson's regiment did not participate. At the end of the day on June 1st, the Union would occupy the same land they had before these two days of battles. I'll let Kreuzter continue:

Monday, June 2nd we visited the battle-field, and rode from place to place on the scene of conflict. We have often wished that we could efface from our memory the observations of that day. Details were burying the dead in trenches or heaping the ground upon them where they lay. The air was sultry, moist and extremely warm... The decomposing bodies of men and horses polluted the air: Oh, their offense was rank, it smelled to heaven! The ground was saturated with gore; the intrenchments [sic], the slashing, the rifle-pits, the thicket, many of the tents, were filled with dead. In the Fair Oak farm-house, the dead, the dying, and the severely wounded lay together.