The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-29 00:00:00

THE LEFT.

Franklin moved his column, consisting of the 1
first and sixth corps, just before sunrise, his right
resting on the outskirts of the city, his centre ad- 1
vented a mile or so from the river, and his left rest- ,
ing on the Rappahannock about three miles below,
Skirmishing commenced a few minutes after day- i
light on the extreme left. A rebel battery opened
on our troops, and the fire became so annoying that
the 9th Regiment New York State Militia were g
ordered to charge and take the cannon at the point
of the bayonet. The order was obeyed with 1
alacrity, but after a fierce struggle the charging 1
Party were compelled to fall back. At this critical
moment General Tyler, perceiving the disorder
into
which ;the 9th New York were thrown, 1
e,`"t'ir to their aid with a brigade. The
rusts quickly rallied, and, assisted by 1
bri,ade
ia.another attempt was made to storm the ,
rebel
bait
now bccuaZies, but 'without success. The fight
another deavergeneral on the extreme left, and
the rebel batteta effort was made to capture
but the fire of .Zeby General Tyler's brigade ;
,
effect that ourbr
avrebels was so withering in its
any advantage, paohfesllows were unable to gain
a fearful rate, and the charge thinned the ranks at
much-coveted battery app„nr a ees of capturing that
first. By noon the whole of no better than at
Franklin'
engaged with the enemy, and a ds corps was
erate effort was
wade to tint the enemy's position
creek,
nthe Massa-
ponax and drive him beyond the
movement in person General
Franklin commanded the
Handled his troops with remarkable judgment and The
rebels maintained possession of some small bills
with their usual stubbornness, but gradually fell
back as the Union troops evinced a determination
to go forward. During the afternoon the rebels
came to a stand, and for a time assumed the offen-
sive; but as they advanced to meet us they were
bravely met and repulsed with heavy loss. It was
at this time chat some 300 of Hill's mman fell
into our hands, and were conducted tcoo the re dar as
prisoners. Sell the enemy contested every foot of
the ground, and it was only by d:nt of the hardest
kind of fighting that he could be compelled to
change his position.
It was during the heat of this engagement that
the gailand Bayard was mortally wounded. He
was conversing with General Franklin, when a
cannon ball struck him in the hip and threw him
cle out of the saddle. Poor Bayard, he never,

dreamt of danger in the thickest of the battle, and
never lost his courage, even when his leg Ras am-
putated. The surgeons say that he cann,:t survive
' many days, and that the operation they have per-
formed can only prolong his agony a hort while.
Bnt I am digressing from main facts.
The obstincy with which the rebels held posses-
sion of their ground rendered General Franklin's
task a very difficult one indeed. He had to cope
with " Stonewall" Jackson and the veterans of
Cedar Mountain, Bull Run, and Antietam—troops
who understood their business thoroughly, and
were not to be scared by trifles. Hence the task of
turning the rebels' position on the Massaponax
was no ordinary one. Still the Union commander
was not discouraged ; he had driven the enemy
back several rods, and was determined to drive them
farther. Old " Stonewall" had met his match this
time, and, notwithstanding his troops fought with
their usual bravery, they were gradually pushed
southward. At sundown Franklin had succeeded
in driving the enemy nearly a mile, and his troops
occupied the field during the remainder of the night.
The movement on the left was a complete success,
although to-morrow is required for finishing up the
job. The casualties on both sides were very nume-
rous, as the list of the killed and wounded which I
have forwarded to you will show. Among those
who were wounded were Capt. Hendrickson, com-
manding 9th New York State Militia, and Capt.
Hartt, Assistant-Surgeon-General to General
Tyler.
Reynold's corps advanced before the dense fog
had lifted itself from the river banks, and about
9 o'clock the enemy's infantry were engaged. The
clap-sing columns had fairly got to work when the
rebel artillery commenced playing upon us through
the fog. The shots were all aimed at random,
however, and produced but little effect. Notwith-
standing the view was so obscured, the rebel artil-
lerists kept up the cannonade for several hours, and
as peal after peal rang through the air the effect
was terribly sublime. The fire was returned by
our batteries in gallant style, and for hours nothing
but the deafening roar of artillery could be heard
on all sides. Up to noon, when the fog cleared off
and the balloonists were_ enabled to get a glance at
the enemy's works, the fight was an artillery one,
and productive of no very important result on either
side. As soon as the sunshine showed itself, how-
ever, the infantry were brought into play, and the
work commenced in real interest. Generals Mead
and Gibbon's divisions encountered the right of
General A. P. Hill's command and Longstrtet's
veterans.

The fight raged furiously during the entire day,
and our troops suffered terribly from the enemy's
artillery. The enemy were posted behind hills in
great strength, and at one time it seemed impossible
to dislodge them. About noon General Gib-
bon was relieved by General Doubleday's com-
mand. General Mead, who was fighting against
superior odds, was also reinforced by General
Stoneman's command, which had the effect of
checking the rebels and driving them back a short
distance. It was in the midst of this struggle
that General Gibbon was wounded and partially
disabled. He kept the field, however, during the
remainder of the day, and won many laurels by his
bril►iant conduct. Gen. M'Clellan's endorsement of
Gibbon's dash and ability has been fully borne out
by the result of the day's fighting. During the
afternoon Gen. Newton's division was moved up to
the left of the centre, when the firing, which had
ceased in that part of the field, broke out again
with redoubled fury. Our troops were here exposed
to a plunging fire from the enemy's artillery, which
was postedon the neighbouring hills, and for a short
time the Union soldiers were opposed to a destruc-
tive fire. Our artillery returned the fire with deadly
effect, and immortalised themselves by their accu-
racy of aim and unwavering courage. The right,
consisting of the 7th and 9th corps, under General
Sumner, earned imperishable honours, and, as the
list of the killed and wounded will testify, the
laurels were won at a fearful cost. The action on
the right commenced about 10 o'clock, and raged
furiously all day long. The enemy occupied the
woods and hills in the rear of the city, and in point
of advantage the odds were decidedly in their fa-
vour. The courage of the Union troops was un-
bounded, however, and every inch of ground was
hotly contested. It soon became evident that the
first ridge of the hills, on which the enemy were
posted behind earthworks, could not be carried ex-
cept at the point of the bayonet, and accordingly
Gen. Sumner ordered French's division to charge
upon the batteries. Gen. Howard's division acted as
a support, and the troops sprang forward to obey
the order with much enthusiasm. By this time the
atmosphere was clear, except from the smoke of the
artillery, and a good view could be had of the rebels'
position and the country adjoining. It was a grand
sight to see that devoted column "seeking the
bubble reputation e'en at the cannon's mouth."
Steadily they marched across the plain, and never
faltered until they were within a dozen yards of the
ridge, when, suddenly, they were met by a galling
fire from the rebel infantry, who were posted be-
hind a stone wall. For a few moments the
head of the column exhibited some confusion,
but, quickly forming into line, they retired to a
ravine within musket shot of the enemy. Here the
Union troops were reinforced by a fresh body of in-
fantry, who advanced to the assistance of their
comrades in splendid style, notwithstanding large
gaps were made in their ranks at every step. The
reinforcements having arrived, and the line of as-
sault being again formed, the order" Double quick,
with fixed bayonets," was given, and once more the
column advanced to dislodge the rebel artillery.
From the moment the storming party left the ra-
vine up to the time they reached the foot of the hills
they were exposed to the hottest fire of the enemy.
The concentrated fire of Lee's artillery and infantry
rained upon their devoted heads in a manner truly
terrific. No troops, however disciplined and brave,
could withstand the shock, and after suffering ter-
ribly our soldiers were thrown into disorder and
brought to a sudden halt. At this juncture the
centre of the column gave way and fled in dismay,
but they were afterwards rallied and brought back.
A second and third attempt was made to dislodge
the rebel artillerists, but in vain, and at each at-
tempt the ranks of the storming party grew thinner
and thinner. Sumner now brought all his available
artillery into play, hoping to shell the rebels out,
and from that time until dark the roar of cannon
was incessant. The rebels, who had been driven
back a short distance during the day, returned to
their original position when night came, so that we
were unable to remove our dead. Several attempts
were made to remove the bodies during the night,
but the enemy opened upon us with their infantry
and compelled us to desist. All our wounded were
removed, however, and such of the dead as were not
within musket range of the rebels were buried.