IV.  General Stuart, with the First, Fourth, and Ninth Virginia cavalry, the cavalry of Cobb’s Legion, and the Jeff Davis Legion, will cross the Chickahominy, to-morrow, and take position to the left of General Jackson’s line of march.  The main body will be held in reserve, with scouts well extended to the front and left.  General Stuart will keep General Jackson informed of the movements of the enemy on his left, and will cooeperate with him in his advance.  The Sixteenth Virginia cavalry, Colonel Davis, will remain on the Nine-mile road.

V. General Ransom’s brigade, of General Holmes’s command, will be placed in reserve on the Williamsburg road, by General Huger, to whom he will report for orders.

VI.  Commanders of divisions will cause their commands to be provided with three days’ cooked rations.  The necessary ambulances and ordinance-trains will be ready to accompany the divisions, and receive orders from their respective commanders.  Officers in charge of all trains will invariably remain with them.  Batteries and wagons will keep on the right of the road.  The Chief-Engineer, Major Stevens, will assign engineer officers to each division, whose duty it will be to make provision for overcoming all difficulties to the progress of the troops.  The staff-departments will give the necessary instructions to facilitate the movements herein directed.

By command of General LEE:  R.H.  CHILTON, A.A.  General.

This order speaks for itself, and indicates Lee’s plan of battle in all its details.  Further comment is unnecessary; and we proceed to narrate the events which followed.  In doing so, we shall strive to present a clear and intelligible account of what occurred, rather than to indulge in the warlike splendors of style which characterized the “army correspondents” of the journals during the war.  Such a treatment of the subject is left to others, who write under the influence of partisan afflatus, rather than with the judicious moderation of the historian.  Nor are battles themselves the subjects of greatest interest to the thoughtful student.  The combinations devised by great commanders are of more interest than the actual struggles.  We have therefore dwelt at greater length upon the plans of Generals Lee and McClellan than we shall dwell upon the actual fighting of their armies.

III.

THE BATTLE OF THE CHICKAHOMINY.

On the morning of the 26th of June, 1862, all was ready for the great encounter of arms between the Confederates and the Federal forces on the Chickahominy.  General Jackson had been delayed on his march from the mountains, and had not yet arrived; but it was known that he was near, and would soon make his appearance; and, in the afternoon, General Lee accordingly directed that the movement should commence.  At the word, General A.P.  Hill moved from his camps to Meadow Bridge, north of Richmond; crossed the Chickahominy