Thirty-five miles now to Richmond, in rear of the left wing of the Northern army, and within range, for some portion of the march, of the gunboats on the James River!  Burning the bridge, with a wave of the hand to the Federal horsemen who covered the heights above Stuart plunged into the woods, and without further misadventure brought his troops at sunset to the neighbourhood of Charles City Court House.  Leaving his men sleeping, after thirty-six hours in the saddle, he rode to Richmond to report to Lee.

June 15.

Before dawn on the 15th, after covering another thirty miles, over a road which was patrolled by the enemy, he reached head-quarters.  His squadrons followed, marching at midnight, and bringing with them 165 prisoners and 260 captured horses and mules.

This extraordinary expedition, which not only effected the destruction of a large amount of Federal property, and broke up, for the time being, their line of supplies, but acquired information of the utmost value, and shook the confidence of the North in McClellan’s generalship, was accomplished with the loss of one man.  These young Virginia soldiers marched one hundred and ten miles in less than two days.  “There was something sublime,” says Stuart, “in the implicit confidence and unquestioning trust of the rank and file in a leader guiding them straight, apparently, into the very jaws of the enemy, every step appearing to them to diminish the hope of extrication."* (* Stuart’s Report, O.R. volume 11 part 1.) Nor was the influence of their achievement on the morale of the whole Confederate army the least important result attained.  A host of over 100,000 men, which had allowed a few squadrons to ride completely round it, by roads which were within hearing of its bugles, was no longer considered a formidable foe.

On receiving Stuart’s information, Lee drew up the plan of operations which had been imparted to Jackson on the 22nd.

It was a design which to all appearance was almost foolhardy.  The
Confederate army was organised as follows:—­
Longstreet 9,000
A.P.  Hill 14,000
Magruder 18,000
Huger 9,000
Holmes 6,500
D.H.  Hill 10,000
Jackson 18,500
Cavalry 3,000
Reserve Artillery 8,500
                         ------
                         88,500 *

(2 This estimate is rather larger than that of the Confederate historians (Allan, W.H.  Taylor, etc., etc.), but it has been arrived at after a careful examination of the strength at different dates and the losses in the various engagements.)

June 24.

On the night of June 24 the whole of these troops, with the exception of the Valley army, were south of the Chickahominy, holding the earthworks which protected Richmond.  Less than two miles eastward, strongly intrenched, lay four of McClellan’s army corps, in round numbers 75,000 officers and men.* (* Return of June 20, O.R. volume 11 part 1 page 238.)