The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-04 00:00:00

trusted to him, how keen was his insight into the
battle, how every opportunity was seized and every
reverse was checked and turned into another suc-
cess. I say this the more unreservedly because I
have no personal relation with him, never saw
him till the day before the fight, and do not like
his politics or opinions in general. But what are
politics in such a battle ?
Sumner arrived just as Hooker was leaving, and
assumed command. Crawford and Gordon had
gone into the woods, and were holding them
stoutly against heavy odds. As I rode over toward
the left I met Sumner at the head of his column ad-
vancing rapidly through the timber, opposite where
Crawford was fighting. The veteran general was
riding alone in the forest far ahead of his leading
brigade, his hat off, his grey hair, and beard and
moustache, strangely contrasted with the fire in his
eyes, and his martial air, as he hurried on to where
the bullets were thickest.

Sedgwick's division was in advance, moving for-
ward to support Crawford and Gordon. Rebel
reinforcements were approaching also, and the
struggle for the roads was again to be renewed.
Sumner sent forward two divisions. Richardson
and French on the left. Sedgwick moving in
column of division through the roads in rear, de-
ployed and advanced in line over the corn field.
There was a broad interval between him and the
nearest division, and he saw that if the rebel line
were complete, his own division was in immediate
danger of being flanked. But his orders were to
advance, and those are the orders which a soldier
—and Sedgwick is every inch a soldier—loves to
hear.

To extend his own front as far as possible he
ordered the 34th New York to move by the left
flank. The manoeuvre was attempted under a fire
of great intensity, and the regiment broke. At the
same moment the enemy, perceiving their advan-
tage, came round on that flank. Crawford was ob-
liged to give on the right, and his troops pouring
in confusion through the ranks of Sedgwick's ad-
vance brigade, threw it into disorder and back on
the second and third lines. The enemy advanced,
their fire increasing.
General Sedgwick was three times wounded, in
the shoulder, leg, and wrist, but he persisted in
remaining on the field so long as there was a chance
of saving it. His adjutant general, Major Se 4 -
wick, bravely rallying and trying to reform the
troops, was shot through the body, the bullet lodg-
ing in the spine, and fell from his horse. Severe
as the wound is, it is probably not mortal. Lieut.
Howe, of General Sedgwick's staff, endeavoured to
rally the 34th New York. They were badly cut
up, and would not stand. Half their officers were
killed or wounded, their colours shot to pieces, the
colour-sergeant killed, every one of the colour
guard wounded. Only 32 were afterwards got
together.
The 15th Massachusetts went into action with 17
officers and nearly 600 men. Nine officers were
killed or wounded, and some of the latter are pri-
soners. Capt. Simons, Capt. Samples of the Sharp-
shooters, Lieut. Darien and Lieut. Berry are killed.
Capt. Bartlett and Capt. Jocelyn, Lieut. Spurr,
Lieut. Gale, and Lieut. Bradley are wounded; 134
men were the only remains that could be collected
of this splendid regiment.
Gen. Dan was wounded. Gen. Howard, who
took command of the division after Gen. Sedgwick
was disabled, exerted himself to restore order, but
it could not be done there, Gen. Sumner ordered
the line to be reformed under fire. The test was too
severe for volunteer troops under such a fire. Sum-
ner himself attempted to arrest the disorder, but to
little purpose. Lieut.-Col. Revere and Captain
Audenried, of his staff, were wounded severely, but
not dangerously. It was impossible to hold the
position. Gen. Sumner withdrew the division to
the rear, and once more the corn field was aban-
doned to the enemy.
French sent word he could hold his ground.
Richardson, while gallantly leading a regiment
under a heavy fire, was severely wounded in the
shoulder. Gen. Meagher was wounded at the head
of his brigade. The loss in general officers was be-
coming frightful.
At 1 o'clock affairs on the right had a gloomy
look. Hooker's troops were greatly exhausted and
their general away from the field. Mansfield's were
no better. Sumner's command had lost heavily, but
two of his divisions were comparatively fresh.
Artillery was yet playing vigorously in front,though
the ammunition of many of the batteries was en-
tirely exhausted, and they had been compelled to
retire.

Doubleday held the right inflexibly. Sumner's
headquarters were now in the narrow field where
the right, before Hooker, had begun to fight. All
that had been gained in front had been lost. The
enemy's battalion, which, if advanced and served
vigorously, might have made sad work with the
closely massed troops, were fortunately either par-
tially disabled or short of ammunition. Sumner was
confident that he could hold his own; but another
advance was out of the question. The enemy, on
the other hand, seemed to be too much exhausted to
attack.
At this crisis Franklin came up with fresh troops,
and, commanding one division of the corps, formed
on the left. Slocum was sent forward along the
slopes lying under the first ranges of the division of
rebel hills, while Smith was ordered to retake the
corn-fields and woods which all day had been so
hotly contested. It was done in the handsomest
style. His Maine and Vermont regiment and the
rest went forward on the run, and, cheering as they
went, swept like an avalanche through the corn-
fields, fell upon the woods, cleared them in ten
minutes, and held them. They were not again

retaken.
The field and its ghastly harvest which the
reaper had gathered in those fatal hours remained
finally with us. Four times it had been lost and
won_ The dead are strewn so thickly that as you
ride over it you cannot guide your horse's steps too
carefully. Pale and bloody faces ara everywhere
upturned. They are sad and terrible, but there is
nothing which makes one's heart beat so quickly
as the imploring look of sorely wounded men, who
beckon wearily for help which you cannot stay to
give.

General Smith's attack was so sudden that his
success was accomplished with no great loss. He
had gained a point, however, which compelled him
to expect every moment an attack, and to hold
which, if the enemy again brought up reserves,
would take his best energies and best troops. But
the long strife, the heavy losses, incessant fighting
over the same ground, repeatedly lost and won
inch by inch, and, more than all, the fear of Burn-
side on the left and Porter in front, held the enemy
in check. For two or three hours there was a lull
even in the cannonade on the right, which hitherto
had been incessant. M'Clellan hand been over on
Meantime, the field after Sumner's repulse, but had speedily
returned to his headquarters. Sumner again sent
word that he was able to hold his position, but
until two o'clock, not advance with his own corps.
fortunes of the field.
M •
but nothing
, where was Burnside, and what was
he doing. .
On the right, where I spent the day
little was s known of the general
tWe had
from
heard Porter'sßurnside
o
in the centre,
left. The distance was
from Porter's
to distinguish the
on the
sound of"his artillery left. There was
no immediate prospect of
m fighting on the right,
and I left the field, whichalle dayvia long had seen the
most obstinate contest of the
rode over to
3l'Clellan's head •quarters. The and
different battle-
fields were shut out from each other's view,
,but all
Partially visible from the central whichhill General
M'Clellan had occupied during the day. But I
was
more than ever impressed on returning with
the
completely deceitful appearance of the ground the
rebels had chosen when viewed from the front.
Hooker's and Sumner's struggle had been carried
on over an uneven and wooded surface, their own
line of battle extending in a semicircle not less than
a mile and a half. Perhaps a better notion of their
position can be got by considering
their right,
centre, and left as forming three sides of a square.
So long, therefore, as either wing was driven back,
the centre became exposed to a very dangerous enfi-
lading fire, and the further the centre was advanced,
the worse off it was, unless the lines on its side and
rear were firmly held. This formation resulted ori-
ginally from the efforts of the enemy to turn both