The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-16 00:00:00

LONDON,

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

BATTU BEFORE RICHMOND.

Newspaper reports state that during the engage-
ment Professor Lowe in his balloon was hovering
above the scene, and communicating information by
telegraph as to the movements of the Confederates.
It is alleged that Gen. Casey's troops were mostly
recruits, and that his fcrce was reduced by disease
to 6,000 men. The New ork, Times' correspondent
describes the engagement as fellows z---
" The position held by Gen. Casey was on the
Williamburg stage roe.al, within six or seven miles
of Rieamond, and on a line so extended at the front
that the troops required to keep picket guards of
sufficient strength made no slight draught on his
weakened forces. The right of the line was held by
hia first brigade, under Gen. H. M. Naglee, as brave
tad vigilant an officer as is to be found in the army
of the Potomac. Gen. Naglee's pickets extended
racross the railroad (running parallel with the Wil-
liamsburg-road, about a mile to the right) to near
the sixth milepost from Richmond, and so on fur-
ther to the right and a little to the rear until within
a short distance of a point on the Chickahominy;
where Gen. Sumner had thrown a bridge amass the
stream, and was hourly expected to cross to com-
plete the line of pickets to the river. The centre of
Gen. Casey's position was held by the 2d Brigade ;
Gen. Wassell's (formerly Gen. Keims's) extended
from Gen. Naglee's line to the left a short distance
across the Williamsburg-road, where it joined the
3d Brigade, Gen. Palmer's stretching some distance
further to the left, and joining the lines of General
Couch, who guarded the left flank, the main por-
tion of his force being a short distance to the rear
of Casey, on the Williamsburgh-road. The position
occupied by the main body of these two divisions
was a clearing of about one mile square, surrounded
on the left and the front by a belt of forest, in which
Gen. Casey's pickets were stationed. On the right
a wooded swamp divided the clearing from a similar
opening in the forest along the railroad, which was
occupied by General Naglee with his brigade.
Just beyond the woods to the front were similar
clearings with wood on their further side, where
the rebels lay concealed, their pickets occupying:the
edge of the forest, and separated from our pickets
by the width of the fields, forming a sort of neutral
ground between the two armies, over which each
kept close watch lest his neighbour should take pos-
aession. Step by step General Casey had pressed_ '
on to this point, overcoming such opposition as met
him, until it became evident that the rebels had
reached the limit of their retreat, and farther ad-
vance could not be ventured without the risk of a
general engagement, for which the plans were not
yet ripe. Our proximity to the rebels was evi-
dently annoying to them, and on Thursday, and
again on Friday, they made an unsuccessful at-
tempt, with a forte of a few hundred, to drive in the
pickets and discover what mischief was plotting be-
hind the belt of woods sheltering Gen. Casey from
their view. Their attack was resolutely met by the
pickets, who tell back on the reserves and held their
ground, defeating the purpose of the enemy. Mean-
'while General Casey was actively at work securing
his position, a large force of men being busy, under
the skilful direction of Lieutenant E. W. West, of
his staff, digging rifle pits and felling trees for
abattis. A similar line of defensive works had been
commenced and partially completed at General
Casey's former position, at the Seven Pines, three
miles further to the rear, and just back of these was
a line of earthworks, constructed by General Couch
and more carefully finished. Failing in attempts
to gather information by forcing back General
Casey's pickets, the rebels apparently resolved upon
an advance in force against the left wing of the
army, doubtless determined to drive it beyond the
Chickahominy, should the opportunity offer, and
put themselves in a position to turn Gen. M'Clellan's
left flank. During the afternoon of Friday a terrific
thunderstorm arose, continuing through most of the
night with uninterrupted severity, deluging the
earth with rain, converting the spongy soil
into a nearly impassable bog, and raising the
waters of the, Chickahominy so as to curry
away one of two bridges General Sumner had pre-
pared !am his passage, and somewhat disturb the
foundratione of the other. The broad sheets of
lig,latning that night, and the eamp fires of unusual
size, gleaming in the pitchy darkness, seemed to
illuminate our position, and may possibly have
assisted the rebels in getting an idea of the bearing
of things. Just before the storm had reached its
fury there was some skirmishing between the artil-
lery on both sides, This commenced again in the
morning, several shots flying over our camp, indicat-
ing that the rebels had in some way gained a more
correct idea of our position. Shortly after noon the
grand attack commenced, General Casey's pickets
being driven in all along the front, after a spirited
resistance, the rebels advancing in force along three
roads—the Williamsburg road, to our left, the rail-
road, in. the centre, and the' Ninemile-road,' as it is
called, on the right. With his feeble division
greatly weakened by extension, General Casey had
no backbone to oppose to this sudden attack. But
no thought of yielding his ground entered the mind
of the old soldier, scarred with the wounds of Mexico
and disciplined to danger by a hundred fights. His
troops were immediately formed into position, the
three brigades maintaining their relative positions
on the right, left, and centre, and as thorough pre-
parations were made for resisting the attack as its
suddenness -would admit of. Regan's New York
battery was stationed just to the right of the Wil-
liamsburgsroad, Bates' battery of Napoleon guns
further to the left across the road, and Fitch's bat-
tery 300 or 400 yards to the rear, the last sending
Its shell over the heads of our troops at the enemy
beyond. The fourth battery was near the railroad,
further to the right. The vigour with which the
enemy pressed forward to the attack indicated the
confidence of superior strength. A battalion of two
regiments pressed against General Naglee on the
right, another fell on General Wessell at the centre,
and a third on General Palmer to the left, pouring
in at once a fire hot and heavy, and advancing with
great resolution in face of the steady fire of
canister and grape from the guns in front, and
shell from those further to the rear, mowing down
their ranks in all directions. The rebels had
but little artillery, and were evidently oisposea
to make good the deficiency by pressing to close
quarters with their superior force, to bear down at
once by weight of.
thethrown advanced
numbers the feeble skeleton regi-
ments of 300 or 400 men whoaseycosratpr oGeoepds
were
division. Most of Gen. ()
forward to the edge of the woods 'in front of his
position to meet the advance of the rebels, a few
regiments being left behind the partially completed
rifle-pits a shag distance to the rear. Thus a di-
vision, nearly new to warfare, was suddenly ex-
posed, in an open field, to the heaviest of fire from
an enemy covered to a considerable extent by the
woods through which they were advancing. Ter-
ribly the tempest raged, the air almost growing
thick with musket balls ; officer after officer fell, or
was borne from the field a wounded man ; the men
dropped by scores, and the usual number of weak-
jointed ones were falling to the rear. But in spite
of the rapid thinning of their ranks the regiments
generally held their ground until the enemy euc-
ceeded in rushing around on the left flank, and
poured in an enfilading fire from that direction,
against which the rifle pits were no protection. The
60 rounds of ammunition with which they entered
the fight were nearly exhausted, and no more was at
hand. Meantime one of General's Couch's brigades,
commanded by General Abercrombie, was ordered
up to the support of General Naglee on the right,
General Devens, of the same division, sustaining
General Wessell on the centre, and Gen. Peck, with
the remaining brigade, supporting General Palmer
on the left. When General Casey's trocps were forced
to give way the rebels fell on these brigades of Couch's
division, who disputed every inch of ground, until
sustained by General Kearney, pressing up the Wil-
liamsburg road with reinforcements to meet them.
supported by the division of General lioaer in his
rear. pressing rapidly forward, General Kearney
advanced along the Williamsburgh road to within a
short distance of our original
position, where he
bivouacked for the night in front of the enemy. It
this Williamsburg road that the main
was along b Main
attack was made, and here our troops were forced
back for half a mile or more, before the arrival of

General Heintzelman's corps, the feeble brigades
\
of Casey's division, averaging less than 2,000 men,
being completely broken up, many if noz most of
the officers killed, wounded, or missin,, and the
privates scattered through the woods or along the
road. Bravely and well did General Casey do hie
duty, pressing on to the extreme front and cheering
on
nh
:aged aboutirsamenrega imrdhless:of the stores of fire and hail
that
tutting down hie officers on
all sides but strangely escaping his own person.
Bravely and well did most of his officers stand by
him until one after another they were borne from
the field dead or wounded. Colonel Bailey, Chief
of Artillery, was shot early in the afternoon, the
ball striking him in the head and causing his death
after a short period of insensibility. Major Van
Vaultenberg, the second in command of the Ist
New York Artillery, was killed, Adjutant William
Ramsay wounded, while every battery but one lost
its quota of men, and some of them lost nearly all
their horses. Bates's battery of Napoleon guns-
-12-pound brass pieces—which was to the front,
thus deprived of locomotion and stuck fast in the
mud, was left behind in the retirement of our
troops, but not until General Naglee had taken it
upon himsoll to see that several of the pieces were
spiked. In addition to this one three-inch Parrot
gun of battery H was disabled by a shot and fell
into the hands of the enemy. The Pennsylvania
Reserve Battery, of Couch's Division, also lost one
of their guns—these eight pieces of ordnance con-
stituting our entire loss, so far as I could learn.
We can better afford to spare the pieces than we
can afford to have the rebels profit by their gain.
They show every indication of being much in want
of artillery, and the need is evidently stimulating
their efforts to profit by the chances of war to
possess themselves of our guns. Meantime General
Sumner bad succeeded in bringing his trentle epeeee
the Chickahominy, and was advancing on the right
to maintain our position there, where less ground
(
had been lost. After several days of labour, Gen.
Sumner had thrown two bridges across the creek
between Bottom's Bridge and New Bridge, where
local reports held it to be impossible to find any
foundation for piles to support the superstructure.
One of these bridges was some two miles above Bot-
tom's Bridge, the other a mile further up the stream.
The lower of these was carried away during the
heavy storm of Friday night, and General Sumner
was obliged to depend upon a single shaky structure
for the
passage of his troops, who nearly all, how-
ever, succeeded in crossing that night, the head of
the column reaching the Nine-mile road, along
which the rebels were pressing our troops, at about
7 o'clock, holding the enemy in check for the night,
and preventing them from following up in that
direction the advantage they had gained during the
day. Flushed with their seeming victory of Satur-
day, the rebels awoke with confidence on Sunday to
follow up their movements, sure of driving us this
time to the Chickahominy and beyond; but they
had made the unfortunate mistake of estimating the
strength of our reserves by the weakness of our
advance. Most bitterly did they pay for their mis-
take.
Pressing eagerly forward with confidence of
victory, they were met by the trained troops of
Heintzelman and Sumner, whose unyielding columns
checked their fierce assault, turning the tide of
battle everywhere against them, and forcing them
at the point of the bayonet on towards Richmond.
The rebels presented a strong front to the gleaming
bayonets of our men, not 100 yards distant. As the
Second advanced on the double quick, cheering and
shouting, the rebels held back their fire until our
men were hardly 100 feet from their line, when they
fired a murderous volley into the ranks of the Second.
It proved too low, and few were killed or wounded.
Immediately after the rebels fired this volley they
broke ranks and fled through the wood. A few of
their bravest remained to resist our, passage, but
they were soon mowed down by the steel front of
the gallant Second Excelsior. It was now their
turn to break and run, and their losses of the Sab-
bath left them little cause for rejoicing over the
trifling gain of Saturday. Terribly did the rebels
suffer on this, as well as on the previous day, from
the well-directed fire of our artillery, piling the
ground with the slain. Terrible also to them were
the frequent charges of our solid column, pressing
them back, step by step, to the last point of endur-
ance when they broke and ran, ingloriously leaving
behind them many of their men and officers,
as well as privates, prisoners in our hands. The
number of these it is not possible to ascertain,
eeTeral days necessarily elapsing after every en-
gagement before a full inventory can be taken.
Even of our loss it was impossible to form any cor-
rect idea at the time I left the field of battle. The
only source of information was the wounded, who
gave such particulars in regard to their respective
regiments as they could, as they were borne by
from all parts of the field. To the oft-repeated
question,' Well, how did your regiment stand it ?'
I got uniform answers, ' Oh, sir, our regiment was
all cut to pieces—cut to pieces, sir ; nothing left of
it; I, of course, was able to rely little on such
stories from my disabled informants, knowing the
tendency, not only among soldiers, but equally
among people in civilised life, to magnify their
own misfortune into a measure of the public cala-
mity. They took no account of their nimble-footed
comrades, who had disappeared without damage to
life or limb. It is impossible, so soon after the
affair, to give even a rough estimate of the loss in
an engagement spread over so great a space of coun-
try, and in the confusion which always ensues after
a battle. That the loss is very severe, and parti-
cularly so in the matter of officers, there is no man-
ner of doubt. The difficulty of rightly estimating
our loss is also enhanced by the fact that many of
those falling were unaveidahly left on the ground
subsequently occupied by the enemy in his first
successful attack. The number of these we cannot
I learn until regimental rolls are compared. It is
I sincerely to be regretted, in view of the tales we
have of the barbarous treatment of our wounded by
the rebels, when once they fall into their hands,
that necessity should have compelled any to be left
upon the field, to receive 'the tender mercies of the
wicked.' That the rebel loss was greater by far
than our own I do not doubt. Besides our
superiority in artillery, our small-arms were much
more effective, having all the superiority in
fatal power which the Minie ball has over the
rnnna rifle ball. The wounds inflicted by the
enemy were mainly by the latter. nail ti«
leaden hail in which our men were obliged to
stand so long been composed of conical instead of
round shot, many more Rachels would be mourn-
ing over the lost, and many more homes draped in
funeral weeds. Your correspondent feels particu-
larly grateful to the bleckade,being morally certain
that had the ball which lodged so harmlessly in his
legging been a Minie he would have been obliged
always hereafter to write standing on one foot—a
good figure of speech for Juvenal, but one which
'lbodying.
e would rather be excused from practically em-
As it is, the alight abrasion left upon his
leg by the
ball, after forcing two thicknesses of
leather and
one of cloth, is sufficiently suggestive
of a reward to satisfy
his moderate ambition for
military adventure,
field of battle Besides the guns General
Casey lost all his camp Equipage,e
in
such istenteh
tents being
proximitypitched
as
to
render in-
evitabletuhetiralslooosfhsave
lost their effects,which, his
troops. The generals in his division in case of the slightest
yieldingms
fortunately, were of no
great valve, all the baggage of the officers, as
hi we k
well
.
hominy, with the waggons quartermaster's
as the knapsacks of the soldiers, having been Some
days before ordered to the other side of the c
stores,
and everything not absolutely indispensable. sc,
the loss was slight, except in the disappearance of
papers of considerable value, which were left in the
tents. At about 12 o'clock General M'Clellan rode
up to the front, accompanied by his Staff and body-
guard, and met General Heintzelman seated at the
foot of a tree. Little Mae democratically seated
himself at the side of Heintzelman, on the ground,
when his Staff grouped themselves, resting on
stumps of trees and logs, There was the Prince
de Joinville, the Count de Paris, and the Due de
Chartres, forming a select group of three, convers-
ing quite animatedly in French, and the other
members of M'Clellan's Staff joining in v. ith a
little English. ' They fight on Sunday always,' said
the Due de Chartres, alluding to the rebels. Gen.
i IVl‘elellan had been seatal probably half an hour _

'I FIE SUN,

conversing with General Heintzelman, when
General Hooker rode up from the extreme ad-
vanced line gained that morning, and, as he was
dismounting from his horse, General M'Clellan rose
from his Seat and, advancing, shook him warmly
by the hand, ani congratulated him and his noble
division in arms of the highest praise. A long con-
versation took place between them. It was plainly
seen no further advance was to be made that day,
as no troops were ordered up to the front. At a
little after one o'clock General M'Clellan mounted
his horse and rode along the lines of his troops, back
and forth, until all the soldiers had had an oppor-
tunity of seeing him. Napoleon never was re-
ceived by his enthusiastic troops with greater ma-
nifestations of delight than was M'Clellan by his
army, showing that he possessed the confidence as
well as the hearts of his men. They feel that they
must ever be victorious under his guidance. The
rebels during the fight had their sharpshooters
posted in trees to pick off our officers—a fact disco-
vered in the early part of the action. In company
with General Sickles, Col. Graham, Col. Hall, and
Lieut. Graham, I rode out on the battle-field on
Sunday afternoon at four o'clock. The scene wit-
nessed here baffles all description. Caissons, with
horses shot dead in their truces, ambulances, wag-
gons, &c., filled the road in front of Casey's camp.
There were about 200 of our wounded still lying
where they fell on Satui day. Some of them spoke
kindly of the rebels, saying they treated them very
well. Dead rebels, as well as our own men, were
lying in every part of the field and wood. I counted
57 dead rebels in front of a small piece of wood not
40 feet square. One wounded rebel was lying on
the ground, unable to move. He was shot in both
legs. On each aide of him lay some dead rebels.
As we passed by he begged us for God's sake to
taVp tha dead men AVM, frnm him. The stench
was intolerable. We lost 19 guns in the fight of
Saturday. Not one of them has been recovered.
The rebels ran a train down near Fair Oak Station,
find carried away our commissary stores, guns, &c.
to Richmond. The rebels . destroyed what they
could not conveniently carry away, including the
new tents of Cisey's and Couch's divisions. Our
loss in the two days' engagement, in killed and
wounded, will amount to about 3,000. A great
number are missing, who will probably return,
having strayed away. Four separate charges
with the bayonet were made yesterday. In
one instance the enemy were driven a
mile, during which 173 rebels were killed
by the bayonet alone. Lieut. Washington, aide
to Gen. Joe Johnston, was taken prisoner. The
enemy's dead left on the field amounted to 1,200."
The department of Virginia had been extended,
so as to include that part of Virginia south of the
Rappahannock and east of the railroad from Fre-
dericksburg to Richmond, Petersburgh, and Wel-
don. General M'Clellan had been put in command
of it, and would control affairs at Fortress Monroe,
General Dix, from Baltimore, would superintend
affaris at Fortress. General Wood would replace
General Dix at Baltimore.

From Corinth we have the following despatches :
" To THE HON. E. M. STANTON, SECRETARY OF

WAR.

" Halleck's Headquarters, Department of the
Mississippi Camp near Corinth, June 1.
" The following despatch has been received from
General Pope by Major-General Halleck :
" It gives us pleasure to report the brilliant suc-
cess of the expedition sent out on the 28th instant,
under Colonel Elliott. With the 2d lowa Cavalry,
after forced marches, day and night, through a
very difficult country, and obstructed by the enemy,
he finally succeeded in reaching the Mobile and
Ohio Railroad at Boonesville at two o'clock a.m. on
the 30th. He destroyed the track in many places
both South and North of the town, blew up one
culvert, destroyed the switches and track, burnt up
the depot and locomotives, and a train of 22 cars
loaded with supplies of every kind, destroyed
10,000 stand of arms, three pieces of artillery, and
a great quantity of clothing and ammunition, and
paroled 2,000 prisoners, whom,he could not keep
with his cavalry. The enemy had heard of his
movements, and had a train of box cars and fiat
cars, with flying artillery and 5,000 infantry, run-
ning up and down the road to prevent him from
reaching it. The whole road was lined with pickets
for several days. Col• Elliott's command subsisted
upon meat alone, such as they could find in the
country. For daring and despatch this expedition
has been distinguished in the highest degree,
and entitles Colonel Elliott and his command
to high distinction. Its results will be embar-
rassing to the enemy, and contribute greatly
to their loss and demoralisation. He reports the
roads full of small parties of the retreating enemy,
scattering in all directions.
" JOHN POPE, Major-General.
" H. W. Halleck, Major-General Commanding.'
" To M. C. MEIGS, QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL.
" Corinth, Saturday, May 31.
If Beauregard has been at Richmond, others
have forged his signature, as I have received let-
ters from him s bout the exchange of prisoners nearly
every day for the last fortnight.
" The evacuation of Corinth commenced on
Wednesday, and was completed on Thursday night,
but in great haste, as an immense amount of pro.
perty was destroyed and abandoned.

`No troops have gone from here to Richmond
unless within the last two days.
" H. W. HALLECK, Major-Gen. Commanding.'"
A letter dated Corinth, May 31, reports that on
the previous morning the Federal reserve divisions
were brought up, and the entire front moved for-
ward. During the day the woods were shelled, the
responses being feeble. The Mayor surrendered the
town o!' Corinth to Gen. Nelson. There were no
inhabitants remaining except women, children, and
old men, the rebels succeeding in carrying away
absolutely everything except a few provisions,
which, with the warehouses and railroad depot, were
burnt before we arrived. They took every invalid
from the hospital, and every letter from the post-
office. They did not leave a single gun, and had
been moving away troops more than six days, and
stores for two weeks.

On the 30th a brigade of Federal troops entered
Front Royal and drove the Confederates out of it,
took possession of a railway train, and captured 150
men. On the following day a reconnoissance was
ILA Manchester road, and a slight
engagement took place with the Confederates. The
latter were reported to have lost some prisoners,
a gun made at Liverpool in 1861, and several
waggons.
On tho 25th ult. General Fremont left Franklin
with a strong column, and by forced marches
crossed the Shenandoah Mountains. On the Ist
inst. he overtook General Jackson five miles from
Strasburgh, but was unable to force an engagement.
On the 2d General Fremont occupied Strasburgh
without opposition. On the 2d General M'Dowell
left Strasburgh in pursuit of the enemy, who en-
deavoured to make a stand in three strong positions,
with artillery, but were driven rapidly and with
loss from each. Jackson's rear guard passed through
Woodstock in the afternoon, the head of his column
having reached it at sunrise. The road and woods
were strewn with arms, stores, and clothing, A
large number of prisoners were taken.
On the 31st a reconnoissance in force was made
from Fortress Monroe to Winton, North Carolina.
The result was not reported.
The steamer Patras, of London, captured off
Charleston bar, had arrived at Now York. Her
cargo consisted of powder, rifles, coffee, and other
goods. The steamer Nassau had been captured off
Charleston, and the Cambria, from Liverpool and
Nassau, off Wilmington, North Carolina,
Prom Nassau we have advices to the 23d ult., at
which date the following vessels were in port :—The
Thomas L. Wragg, for Charleston ; the William
Seabrook, from Charleston ; and the Santa, from a
Southern port, with cotton. The steamers Kate,
Cecil, and Nelly, had sailed for Charleston.
The Memphis Appeal of the 27th ult. states, that
on the 26th the Federal
gunboats engaged the bat-
teries below Vicksburg, and after an exchange of
shots retired. The same paper states that the Mayor
of New Orleans was confined in Fort Jackson, and
several members of the City Council had been
arrested. The Provost-Marshal performed the func-
tions of mayor and police judge of New Orleans.
The Vicksburg Citizen states that on the 11th

MONDAY EVENING,

ult. 20,000 bales of cotton were burnt between that
city and Greenville, end that 9,000 bales had been
destroyed between the latter place and the Grand
Gulf. All along the river as high as Napoleon
cotton was being burnt.