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Early after Gen. McClellans arrival in from the
Peninsula, Gen. Jos. E. Johnsotn commanding
the forces in defence of the Confederate Capital,
assisted by Gen. Robt E. Lee, then Presdt. Davis'
Chief of Staff, made a [ton] of inspection of the
defences of Richmond, and both Generals decided
it unwise to make any serious opposition to the
advance of the Union Army -- outside of the defences of
Richmond [proper?], Neither of these Generals expected at
that time that the Yorktown defences would present any
serious obstacle to McClellans progress, with his army
of 112 000 men, composed of the [flo...a] and freshness
of the Youth and Manhood of the North and provided
with every equipment which the Military Science of that
day could suggest and the lavish wealth of a great
and patriotic people bestow, But Gen Magruders
[blustering] display of his meagre force of scarcely 3000
men had met with such success and the Union
Commander had exhibited such timed caution in
consequence that it was afterwards determined to
reinforce Gen. Magruder to a large extent, and [?]
the main body down the Peninsula within supporting
distance, Towards Yorktown, and about two miles
in advance of Williamsburg, the Peninsula afforded
favorable opportunities of defence, and across this Neck
their Capt resting on Queen's Creek, a tributary of the
York river, and [their] right, on the James, Gen. Magruder
had Constructed a series of Earth works, thirteen in Number.
the most formidable of which was known as Fort Magruder
which was surrounded by a ditch and heavily armed
while to the right and left stretched a series of [?] [redoubles].
In front of those works the ground sloped gradually away
terminating at a distance of some thousand yards in woodland
which for some hundreds of yeards back had been felled
so as to form an almost impassible, barrier of trunks and
branches, termed in military parlance a slashing
The danger of these formidable works of being flanked
from the York river, had decided Gen. Johnston to occupy them
with a force only [supp...nt] to hold McClellans advance
in check until he could more fully secure the safety of his
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