Headquarters Porter’s Division, 3d Army Corps,
Camp Winfield Scott, May 1, 1862.
Dear Hannah, — . . . We are still in statu quo and shall probably remain so until the middle of next week. I begin to see into the cause of our delay, or rather the cause of our waiting to storm Yorktown. McClellan has not enough men, since McDowell is taken away from him. If he and his corps had been here, the works at Yorktown would have been stormed immediately on our arrival. As it is, every man is considered of great account, and as the battle will come off at Williamsburg, McClellan cannot spare the loss of so many men, which would necessarily ensue from storming the works here, and so weaken his force before the time came for the attack at Williamsburg. Yorktown once in our possession, the York River is ours, and with it, more suitable landing-places for goods, etc. Even should the enemy leave Yorktown without a battle, which I think is barely possible, the gain will be on our side, notwithstanding the immense time and labor spent on our works. You see how much harm has been done by some one, in detaching McDowell. It has caused a delay of some weeks, and all for the purpose of injuring McClellan by McDowell’s gain. I believe our generals do not expect the enemy to make a very decided stand at Yorktown against our batteries. Yesterday our battery (No. 1) of hundred-pounders opened on the enemy and kept up quite a lively little duel with them, although with somewhat larger weapons than are commonly used in such fashionable pastimes. No injury was done us, and we learned this morning from a deserter that one of our shells burst and killed 2 and wounded 11 of the rebels. We heaved a good many of these small tokens into their works, and I have no doubt that many more must have been killed. When any of these shells do not take the groove of a gun, they make a noise like an engine going at full speed. One of their shells burst, and we found that the shell was of English manufacture, and probably thrown from a 100-pound Armstrong gun.
I frequently go to mortar battery No. 4. This is situated on Wormsley Creek, and is on made land, a notch having been dug right in the side of the steep bank, and the dirt thrown into the water. In the notch they are mounting ten 13-inch mortars, each one weighing 17,180 pounds. It took 48 horses to haul one along the road the other day.
General McClellan spoke in terms of highest praise of General P.’s division and did not mean that sentence in the way you took it. General McC. resembles his photographs in the features, but his moustache is a light brown, and his complexion sandy, or rather colorless. . . .
