The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 26, 1862,

THE BAT7LE AT GAINES MILLS.

The Richmond _Dispatch, June 30, gives the fol-
lowing account of the battle at Gaines' Mills:—
_

"The heads of our three columns having reached
Walker Hogans's farm, north bank of the Chicka-
hominy, about 9 miles north-east of Richmond, all
came to a halt, and Generals Lee and Longstreet
took up quarters in the house and made dispositions
for a further advance towards Gaines' Mills, dis-
tant about one mile through the woods. Feather-
stone's brigade having suffered much in the morn-
ing, Wilcox led, being followed by Pryor, and
Featherstone in reserve. The composition of Wil-
cox's command is mostly Alabamians; Pryor has
the 14th Louisiana, St. Paul's battalion, 3d Virginia
and one other regiment ; Featherstone has the 19th
and 12th Mississippi and 2d Mississippi battalion.
‘ the head of our column being in view
of ‘ A
the Federal pm
camps, Gen. Pryor was sent forward
with his brigade to drive away the heavy mass of
skirmishers posted on our rear to annoy the ad-
vance. This being accomplished with great suc •
cess and with little loss to us, Pryor returned and
awaited orders. Meanwhile the Federals, from
their camps and several positions on the high
grounds, swept the whole face of the country
with their numerous artillery, which would have
annihilated our entire force if not screened in
the dips of the land and in gullies to our left.
Advancing cautiously but rapidly in the
skirt of the woods and. in the dips to the left,
Wilcox and Pryor deployed their men into
line of battle—Featherstone being in the rear, and,
suddenly appearing on the plateau facing the tim-
ber-covered hill, rushed down into the wide gully,
crossed it, clambered over all the felled timber,
stormed the timber breastworks, and began the
ascent of the hill under a terrific fire of sharp-
shooters and an incessant discharge of grape and
canister from pieces posted on the brow of the hill
and from batteries in their camps to the right on
the high flat lands. Such a position was never
stormed before. In descending into the deep creek
the infantry and artillery fire that assailed the
three brigades was the most terrible on record-26
pieces were thundering at them, and a perfect hail-
storm of lead fell thick and fast around them. One
of IV ilcox's regiments wavered. Down the general
rushed furiously, sword in hand, and threatened to
behead the first man who hesitated. Pryor steadily
advanced, but slowly; and by the time that the
three brigades had stormed the position, passed up
the hill through timber and over felled trees. Fea-
therstone was far in advance. Quickly the Federals
withdrew their pieces, and took up a fresh position
to assail the three brigades advancing in perfect
iine of battle from the woods and upon the plateau.
Officers had no horses—all were shot ; brigadiers
marched on foot, sword in hand ; regiments were
commanded by captains and companies by sergeants
—yet onward they rushed, with yells, and colours
flying, and backward, still backward, fell the Fede-
rals, their men tumbling every moment in scores.
But what a sight met the eyes of these three gal-
lant brigades ! In front stood Federal camps,
stretching to the north-east for miles ; drawn up
in line of battle were three full divisions, corn •
manded by M'Call, Porter, Sedgwick, ; ban-
ners darkened the air ; artillery vomited forth in-
cessant volleys of grape, canister, and shell ;
heavy masses were moving on our left through the
woods to flanks us. Yet onward came Wilcox to
the right, Pryor to the left, and Featherstone in the
centre—one grand, matchless line of battle, almost
consumed by exploits of the day—yet onward they
advanced to the heart of the Federal position ; and
when the enemy had fairly succeeded in almost
flanking us on the left, great commotion is heard in
the woods, volleys upon volleys are heard in rapid
succession, which are recognised and cheered by our
men. 'lt is Jackson,' they shout, 'on their right
and rear Yes, two or three brigades of Jackson's
army have flanked the enemy and are getting in
the rear.

" Now the fighting was bitter and terrific.
Worked up to madness, Wilcox, Featherstone, and
Pryor dash forward at a run, and drove the enemy
with irresistible fury ; to our left emerge Hood's
Texan Brigade, Whiting's comes after, and Ponder
follows. The line is now complete, and Forward !'
rings from one end of the line to the other, and the
Yankees, over 30,000 strong, begin to retreat.
Wheeling their artillery from the front, the Fede-
rals turn part of it to break our left and save their
retreat. The very earth shakes at the roar ! Not
one piece of ours as yet opened ; all has been done
with bullet and bayonet, and onward press our
troops through camps upon camps, capturing guns,
stores, arms, clothing, &c. Yet, like bloodhounds
on the trail, the six brigades sweep everything be-
fore them, presenting an unbroken solid front, and
closing in upon the enemy, keep up an incessant
succession of volleys upon their confused masses,
and unerringly slaughtering them by hundreds and
thousands.

"But where is Jackson ?' ask all. He has tra-
velled fast, and is heading the retreating foe, and
as night closes in all is anxiety for intelligence from
him. It is now about seven p.m., and just as the
rout of the enemy is complete—just as the last vol-
leys are sounding in the enemy's ear, the
distant and rapid discharges of cannon tell
that Jackson has fallen upon the retreating
column, broken it, and captured 3,000 prisoners,
Far in the night his insatiable troops hang upon
the enemy, and for miles upon miles are dead,
wounded, prisoners, waggons, cannon, &c,, scat-
tered in extricable confusion upon the road. Thus
for four hours did our inferior force, unaided by a
single piece of artillery, withstand over 30,000
of the enemy, assisted by 26 pieces of artillery.
"In total we captured many prisoners and 30
pieces of artillery up to five p.m. Friday, and in
the battle of Gaines Mill captured 26 field-pieces,
15,000 stand of arms, 6 stand of colours, 3 generals
(Reynolds, Sanders, and Rankin), and over 4,000
prisoners, including dozens of officers of every
grade, from colonels to lieutenants of the line.

" Every arm of the service was well represented
in the Federal line—cavalry were there in force,
and when our men emerged from the woods at-
tempted to charge, but the three brigades on the
right and Jackson's three brigades on the left
closed up ranks and poured such deadly volleys
upon the horsemen that they left the ground in
confusion and entirely for their infantry to decide
the day. M'Call's, Porter's, and Sedgwick's ' crack'
divisions melted away before our advance, how-
ever, and had the fight lasted an hour more, not
one whole regiment would have survived it. M'Clel-
lan, prisoners say, repeatedly was present and
directed movements; but when the three brigades
to our left emerged from the woods, such confusion
and havoc ensued that he gave orders to retreat,
slipped off his horse, and escaped as best he could.
Some say that he was severely wounded, and many
officers (prisoners) believe the report that he was
on the field is undoubtedly true ; for everything
had been previously prepared for a grand fight at
Gaines Mills, M'Clellan even promising to capture
our whole force should we attempt to storm his
camps. Results were different, and so the fates
reward the greatest liar of his age.

charge ; eected
nna ' repulses.' Wild imaginations have eon
" Much has been said of repeated ' charges' made,
mans such foolish reports. There was hut one
was given, ' Fix bayonets—forward,' our advance
and from the moment the word of command
was never stopped, despite the awful reception
which met it. It is true that one or two regiments
became confused in
passing over the deep ditch,
ete wounded men ;
abattis, and timber earthwork; it is also true that
several slipped from the ranks and ran to the rear
and
stragglers, would not amount
to more than one unred< This is
'v
h hd
strictly true,
nuamnyber cases
o t
,t bees
—but
total in
many