vision was brought to bay by the pursuing enemy. Facing
about we waited in line of battle for our trains to get out of the way;
when we again resumed the retreat. While here, General McClellan, with
his immense staff, rode by us on his way toward Harrison's Landing. He
passed White Oak Swamp the same day, and waited the arrival of the army;
which, hindered by battles and innumerable difficulties, did not come up
with its commander again till the 1st of July.

We arrived at Savage's Station at 4 P.M. Here trains and troops were
crowded together in wonderful confusion. Immense heaps of commissary
stores, arms and ammunition were waiting destruction lest they should
fall into the hands of the enemy, and hundreds of sick and wounded men
were taking sad leave of their friends; for it had been determined that
these brave unfortunate men must be left to the tender mercies of the
rebels. Again the division was formed in line of battle to protect our
pioneers and the regiments which were engaged in the destruction of the
stores. The long railroad bridge across the river at this point had been
burned. The work of destruction went on at a marvelous rate. Boxes of
hard bread, hundreds of barrels of flour, rice, sugar, coffee, salt and
pork were thrown upon the burning piles and consigned to the flames. One
heap of boxes of hard bread as large as a good sized dwelling made a
part of the sacrifice. Boxes of clothing and shoes were opened and every
man as he passed helped himself to whatever he thought worth carrying
away. Notwithstanding thousands helped themselves, and huge boxes of
clothing were cast into the flames, we found on our return to the
Peninsula two years afterwards, that the inhabitants for a long distance
around were clothed and shod with articles left by us at Savage's
Station on the grand retreat. The people had also made large gains by
gathering up the coats, pants, shirts and shoes left on the ground and
selling them in Richmond and elsewhere.

It was easy thus to dispose of commissary and quartermaster's stores,
but to destroy the immense magazines of cartridges, kegs of powder, and
shells, required more care. These were loaded into cars; a long train
was filled with these materials, and then, after setting fire to each
car, the train was set in motion down the steep grade. With wildest fury
the blazing train rushed; each revolution of the wheels adding new
impetus to the flying monster, and new volumes to the fla