May 31st. At last comes the order for us to cross the river, and go to the assistance of the troops on that side, who are being attacked by overwhelming numbers, and are in imminent danger of being destroyed, and driven into the swollen Chickahominy. I have just time to make this hurried memorandum. While at breakfast, we heard a gun fired, immediately followed by continuous volleys of musketry, indicating much more than the renewal of the skirmish of yesterday.
The river is immensely swollen, overflowing its banks some hundreds of yards; the bridges are under water, and some of them are reported carried away, so we may not be able to get across, and if the troops on the other side are not thrashed before we can get to their assistance, it will only be because the rebels don’t know how to take advantage of their opportunity; and this is what some people call generalship! At two o’clock, an aide-de-camp dashed up to Sumners’ headquarters, and a few seconds later, the order came to fall in; there is one thing certain, if anybody can get across, it will be Sumner. He, at least, has an eye single to the work on hand, and will succeed, or drown his corps in the attempt.
