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

found both armies just as they had slept—almost
close enough to look into each other's eye,. The
left of Meade'd reserves and the right of Eicketts'
line became engaged at nearly the same ii oment—
one with artillery, and the other with i ,lantry. A
battery was almost immediately push d forwards
beyond the central woods, over a ploughed field,
near the top of the slope where the eorn-field begun.
On the open field, in the corn beyond, and in the
woods which stepped forward into the broad fields
like a promontory into the ocean, was the hardest
and deadliest struggle of the day.
For half an hour after the battle had
grown to
its full strength the line of fire swayed neither way.
Hooker's men were fully up to their work. They
saw their general everywhere in front, never away
from the fire, and all the troops believed in their
commander, and fought with a will. Two-thirds
of them were the same men who, under M'Dowell,
had broken at Manassas.

The half--hour passed, the rebels began to give
way a little, only a little, but at the first indication
of a receding fire, " Forward" was the word, and
on went the line with a cheer and a rush. Back
across the corn-field, leaving dead and wounded
behind them, over the fence, and across the road,
and then back again into the dark woods which
closed around them, went the retreating rebels.
Meade and his Pennsylvanians followed hard and
fast—followed till they came within easy range of
the woods, among which they saw their beaten
enemy disappearing—followed still, with another
cheer, and flung themselves against the cover.
But out of those gloomy woods came, suddenly
and heavily, terrible volleys—volleys which smote
and bent, and broke, in a momen`, that eager front,
and hurled them swiftly back for half the dis-
tance they had went ; not swiftly, nor in
panic, any further. Closing up their shattered
lines, they came slowly away—a regiment where
a brigade had been, hardly a brigade where a whole
division had been victorious. They had met from
the woods the first volleys of musketry from fresh
troops—had met them and returned them till their
line had yielded and gone down before the weight
of fire, and till the ammunition was exhausted.

"In ten minutes the fortunes of the day seemed
to have changed. It was the rebels now who were
advancing, pouring out of the woods in endless
lines, sweeping through the corn-field from which
their comrades had just fled. Hooker sent in his
nearest brigade to meet them, but it could not do
the work. He called for another. There was
nothing close enough, unless he took it from his
right. His right might be in danger if it was
weakened, but his centre was already threatened
with annihilation. Not hesitating one moment, he
sent to Doubleday : "Give me your best brigade
instantly."

The best brigade came down the hill to the right
on the run, went through the timber in front
through a storm of shot and bursting shell and
crashing limbs, over the open field beyond, and
straight into the corn-field, passing as they went
three brigades shattered by the rebel fire, and stream-
ing to the rear. They passed by Hooker, whose
eyes lighted as he saw these veteran troops led by
a soldier whom he knew he could trust. "I think
they will hold it," he said.

" General Hartsuff took his troops very stea-
dily, but, now that they were under fire, not
hurriedly, up to the hill from which the corn-field
begins to descend, and formed them on the crest.
Not a man who was not in full view—not one who
bent before the storm. Firing at first in vollus,
they fired them at will with wonderful rapidity
and effect. The whole line crowned the hill and
stood out darkly against the sky, but lighted and
shrouded over in flame and smoke. These were the
12th and 13th Massachusetts, old troops all of
them.

There for half an hour they held the ridge, un-
yielding in purpose, exhaustless in courage. There
were gaps in the line, but it nowhere dwelt. Their
general was wounded badly early in the fight, but
they fought on. Their supports did not come—
they determined to fight without them. They be-
gan to go down the hill and into the corn. They did
not atop to think that their ammunition was nearly
gone ; they were there to win that field, and they
won it. The rebel line for the second time fled
through the corn and into the woods. I cannot tell
how few of Hartsuff's brigade were left when the
work was done. There was no more gallant, deter-
mined, heroic fighting in ail this desperate day.
General Hartsuff is very severely wounded, but I
do not believe he counts his success too dearly pur-
chased.

The crisis of the fight at this point had arrived ;
Ricketts' division, vainly endeavouring to advance,
and, exhausted by the effort, had fallen back. Part
of Mansfield's corps was crdered in to their relief,
but Mansfield's troops came back again, and
their General was mortally wounded. The left,
nevertheless, was too extended to be turned, and
too strong to be broken. Ricketts sent
word he could not advance, but could hold his
ground. Doubleday had kept his guns at work on
the right, and had finally silenced a rebel battery
that for half an hour had poured in a galling en-
filading fire along Hooker's central line.
" There were woods in front of Doubleday's hill
which the rebels held, but so long as those guns
pointed that way they did not care to attack. With
his left then able to take care of itself, with his
right impregnable with two brigades of Mansfield
still fresh and coming rapidly up, and with his centre
a second time victorious, General Hooker determined
to advance. Orders were sent to Crawford and
Gordon—the two Mansfield brigades—to move
directly forward at once, the batteries in the centre
were ordered on, the whole line was called on, and
the general himself went forward.
I To the right of the corn field and beyond it, was
a point of woods. Once carried and firmly held it
was the key of the position. Hooker determined to
take it. He rode out in front of his furthest troops
on a hill to examine the ground for a battery. At
the top he dismounted and went forward on foot,
completed his reconnaissance, returned, and re-
mounted. The musketry fire from the point of wood
was all the while extremely hot. As he put his foot
in the stirrup a fresh volley of rifle bullets came
whizzing by. The tall, soldierly figure of the ge-
neral, the white horse which he rode, the elevated
place where he was—all made him a most danger-
ously conspicuous mark. So he had been all day,
riding often without a staff officer or an orderly near
him—all sent off On urgent duty—visible every-
where
all dnay, the,
but field.
they The rebel bullets had followed
h
had not hit him, and he would
iOO%
not regard them.
Remounting on this hill, he had
not ridden five steps when he was struck in the
foot by a ball.
Three men were shot down at the same mo-
ment by his side. The air was alive with bullets.
He kept on hii horse for a few moments, though
the wound was severe
till he had given
and excessively painful,
and would not dismount
his last order to advance. He was himself
in the very front. Swaying unsteadily
on his horse,
"There is
he turned in his seat to look about him.
a regiment to the right. Order it forward. Craw-
ford and Gordon are coming up. Tell them to carry
these works, and hold them—and it is our fight."
It was found that the bullet had passed com-
pletely through his foot. The surgeon who exa-
mined it on the spot could give no opinion whether
bones were broken, but it was afterwards ascer-
tained that, though grazed, they were not frac-
tured. (IP
impossible it coursithe severity of the wound made
for him to keep the field which he be-
tedit.alreiatd
tasw°9a, so far as it belonged to him to
furious since ecktiQAck. The fight had been
was broken ; but with hi_ large part of his command
with Crawford's and Gorright still untouched, and
a ,
thinking
above all, with the advance
brigades just f
the whole central
°
up—
line, w hien the men had heard
tiered o
with cheers
—with a regiment already on thore edg;
of
_ the woods
11 id
he wanted, he might well leave the
the battle was won—that his battle
Was von, for I
am writing, of course, only about th attack on the
rebel left.
I see no reason why I should disguise my admi-
ration of Gen. Hooker's bravery and soldierly abi.
lity. Remaining nearly all the morning on the
right, I could not help seeing the sagacity and
promptness of his movements, how completely his
Buoy:., were kept is hand, how devotedly they

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 bread 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 manceuvre 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 Sect,-
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. Darley, 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 is 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
1 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
e eo
even in the cannonade on the right, which hitherto
had been incessant. M'Clellan hand been over en
the field after Sumner's repulse, but had speedily
returned
ot advancetohisheavdiqth hisuarters.
own
corps.Sull
Meantime, where was
again sent
word that
he was able to hold his position, but
he doing.
until two o'clock, was Burnside, and what was
On the right, where I spent the day
fortunes of the field.
in the centre, but nothing from
, little was known of the general
great
hadre
ahte
taor heard P
distinguishorte Porter's
left. The distance was teoe
Burnside
on the
gunsthe
sound of his artillery from porter's left. There was
no immediate prospect of more
fighting on the right,
and I left the field, which all day long had seen the
most obstinate contest of the war, and rode over to
M'Clellan 's head •quatters. The different battle- ,
fields were shut out from each other's view, but all '
partially visible from the central hill which 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 wi.ng was driven back,
the centre became exposed to a very dangerous enfi-
itring fire, and the further the centre was advanced,
e 19ptae off it Was, unless the lines on its side and
rear were' firmly hel,l. This formation resulted on from '
the efforts of the enemy to turn both j