Before following this interesting subject to its conclusion, the part actually played by General Smith in McClellan’s Peninsular Campaign should be briefly recounted.  After the Army of the Potomac had been transferred to the lower Chesapeake, by water, instead of landing at Urbana or on the estuary of the Rappahannock, as was at first intended, out of fear of the Merrimac, which had played such havoc with the wooden frigates of Goldborough’s fleet, in Hampton Roads, it was disembarked at Fortress Monroe.  It necessarily lost some time here before it could be reunited and begin its march up the Peninsula.  It had hardly got well under way, when much to the disappointment of the country it found itself stopped for thirty days, by an insignificant stream and a weak line of entrenchments held by a few guns and a single division of Confederate Infantry, under the command of General Magruder.

The so-called “Siege of Yorktown” followed, and General Smith, chafing at the delay which he conceived to be unnecessary set about studying the situation in his own front, with the keen eye of an experienced engineer.  Having the year before familiarized himself with the lay of the land near Fort Monroe, he was quick to grasp every condition which favored an advance.  A careful reconnaissance of his immediate front enabled him to surprise a crossing of Warwick River and to carry a section of the fortified line beyond.  This as might have been expected was done by a detachment of the Vermont Brigade, which made a gallant effort to maintain the lodgement it had gained, but as it was not supported by McClellan, it was withdrawn after suffering a loss of 165 men killed, wounded and missing.  This was the first engagement in a campaign destined to cost the lives of many brave men and to end in a terrible disaster to the national arms.

After making a heroic stand and holding McClellan and his overwhelming force at bay for nearly a month, Magruder abandoned his lines and fell back to Williamsburgh on the road up the Peninsula to Richmond.  He was slowly followed by McClellan’s army.  Smith’s division having crossed the Warwick at Lee’s mill, led in the pursuit, coming up with the enemy strongly posted in a new line of fortifications covering the town of Williamsburg.  Smith’s engineering skill and his quick intelligence served him again most fortunately, and with the aid of Captain West of the Coast Survey then serving on his staff, soon enabled him to find the weak spot in the enemy’s position.  This time it turned out to be on the extreme left, where he had failed, probably through lack of troops, to occupy the extensive works which had been previously constructed.  Realizing intuitively the futility of a front attack against such entrenchments, Smith threw Hancock’s brigade promptly to the right and under cover of the woods, succeeded without serious loss or delay in occupying one of the works from which, with his division he could easily have swept the whole line had he not been restrained by the presence of his seniors.