History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

1862 MECHANICSVILLE AND GAINES' MILL 815
of the weather. From Alexandria it moved vma Fairfax and.entrevlle to Ma.
nassas Junction, and thence to the neighborhood of Fredericksburg, where the
Reserves were attached to the command of General M'Dowell, charged with
the defence of Washington. While here General Ord was transferred from the
command of the Third Brigade to that of a division, and was succeeded by
Brigadier General Truman Seymour. On the 9th of May, Colonel M'Calmont
resigned, and Lieutenant Colonel James T. Kirk was elected to succeed him.
Captain A. J. Warner, of company G, was elected Lieutenant Colonel.
About the middle of June, the Reserves were detached from M'Dowell's
Corps, and ordered to the Peninsula, to reinforce the army of MPClellan. Proceeding by water to White House, on the Pamunky, the regiment marched to
the neighborhood of Mechanicsville, where, with the division, it was attached
to the Corps commanded by General Fitz John Porter, holding the left bank
of the Chickahominy River, and covering the line of supply to White House.
At the battle of Mechanicsville, which was fought on the 26th of June, the
Tenth occupied the ground immediately to the right of the road leading to
i.chanicsville, near its crossing of the Beaver Dam Creek, only a short distance above its confluence with the Chickahominy. Its left rested upon the
embankment at the old mill, and connected with the right of the Ninth. On
the sloping ground extending down to the creek, a line of rifle pits was dug,
under the direction of Captain M'Daniels and Lieutenant Pattee, the first experience which the troops had in this line of duty, but which subsequently became as much a matter of necessity to success as the musket or the cartridgebox. A part of the regiment was posted in these pits, and a part in a piece of
woods to the right of them, while companies C and I, Captain Ayer and Lieutenant Cochran, were thrown forward as skirmishers. Easton~s Battery was
stationed on the brow of the hill, just in rear of the Tenth. On both sides of
the creek, which is here a sluggish stream, the ground is swampy and was covered with a growth of underwood. On the Mechanicsville side the ground descends for a quarter of a mile to the creek bottom. As the enemy came down
the descending ground, through the fields and along the road, Eastons Battery
opened a rapid fire, andwhen within rifle range, the men posted in the pits and
along the old mill-dam, poured in so destructive a fire that he was forced back
with terrible slaughter. Notwithstanding this bloody repulse, again and again
he renewed the attempt to reach the creek and to force a passage, his main attacks being made along the road and upon the bridge near the mill. But nothing could withstand the steady fire of the Reserves, and his columns advanced
only to be broken and beaten back with most grievous slaughter. The line of
the Tenth was every where preserved intact, and a joyful exultation was felt
when night put an end to the battle. Its wounded were promptly cared for;
but all night long the rebels left on the field, mangled and torn in the dreadful
conflict, filled the air with their cries and groans. On account of the favorable
position which the regiment occupied it suffered small loss. Captain M'Connell
was severely wounded.
At three o'clock on the morning of the 27th, an order was received to fall
back in the direction of Gaines' Mill, the position at Mechanicsvile being no
longer tenable. The withdrawal was skillfully and successfully executed in
the face of the enemy, and the column retired in good order. In the neighborhood of Gaines' Mill, Porter's Corps had taken position with the river at its
back, to resist the enemy, now moving heavily upon the right flank of the army.