The New York herald., 1862-12-25

When the conference Terminated AZ shosA nessA, s
has,cnea away 70 their respective army corps, TO sns
upon immediate activity -. !.
Nca1 in loossng at ne positions OF tAe oo o'mes,
,,iI bs sssa that in,oues,onaDg The ddranogs oos soh
s Ss,h,, bost. for General Mcclellan had his forces
necessarily ON both sides OF the Chckahominy ana ow
lug TO tie many raynes u US & ~ ns ~ lime asete
his mihtarv movements. His front line reached over
a distance Of more than twenty miles ~ the iorm
Of scmic circle. extending from the James river
tovari Richmond and Ashland. While one part of hs
army crossed the Chckshominy he took pos.toa With the
main b,dy the north eide OF the rNer frcu Mcauow
bdge 70 Bottom bridge The heights on the banks Of
tho stream fortified so that bis army, ncts'Ith'
standing the great ength its lines had exceont deen
on the 26th of Juns IN the morning troops took
up their positions Jackson fastened by forced marches
Ashland there COMMENCE his cutilnnkng operations
against the enemy Having arrived there his advanced
guard drove the weakly posted foe, aud pushed on
without loss OF time 10 Hanover Court House. where he
threw forward General Rranch's brigade between the
6bckahominy and Pamunkey rivers TO establish juno.
tion with General H ls) who had 20 cross the stream
Meadow bridge General Hill very gnlaAy opened the
offensive and began his operations against the little
OF Mechancsviiie. The enemy who were stationed
were made again and again with fury and as often re-
pelied With cool discrimination that awakened odmra
tion. In vain did General Hill send his aids in quest Of
General Branch. The latter had encountered go many
Typographical difficulties that he reached his position il
front Of Meohancsyio only late at night when the
hct end The morning of the 9th had scarcely
began TO dawn artillery oponed tremendous fire
upon the enemy's frcnt, thai the latter when they
Branchs brigade advancing :, the attack on their
back lighting upon their second defensive ne further
down the stream just at the moment when wo has es-
abshed the crossing Of the Chckahomiuy arrived Gen
Longstreet's magnificent army corls-oid experienced
veterans Of tao Army OF the Potonacrd tho division OF
Cen h sd Al once the %ar %a gseI H u
(2d). Anderson aud Whiting formed the centre,
and moved towards Coal Harbor, while Jack.
son. Hill (1s) and Lnngstreet formed tho left,
and marched down along the bank 81 the river. Magru
der commanding tho right wing was on account OF the
swampy nature of the ground he occupied ordered
mol IN Iugre
command Of Fort Darling. ou the James river. An hee
mory offensive orrrroas ard me tpo preceding 6ohts
must hare oivea t;epsToI .Nc(aa tse,clcdgs Of IN.
tendon charge inco1renient posi'io al Richmond,
10 procure far orss!,es o'e ace aud f'eedon. OF
notion He should Gts7,. hore instantly orttgcd Ec
army cops Of General M ioge ,riacs fsr foar onh had
Ind inoo.ue Fredericksburg, II make d1n ns9d-
the Han march Of Geneypt Jaesoa could here Der ron
desd inlpracicabe Bat Geaerdi 4cGlelan n.ast hare
bern deemed IN The character Of te'era AcDoce for,
notwithstanding all The COMMUNICATIONS IN reference
% oar combined aan9sqes, ths letter remained
NTH smpat,ylebe 'ndifsre.ce Il AIS secars aosi-
ton, ard left Geicral McclsLan's army, ,oifh
had suffered gyectty ty SICKNESS and dssediou,
prey 10 The heory ncGssios Of o' afiack. Scarcey.
therefore had General Ice received reliable intelligence
Of Mcowels inactivity than general and Simultaneous
attack on Mccellans whole line resolved upon SO
soon, then as the arrivn Of General jackson at Goa
Har Dor was reported the Comsn der nCnie with his
STAFF repaired Gaines Mill and ordered the divisions OF
Anderson Hill st. Longsreet and Pickett 10 attack Be-
fore these columns got into motion the thunder Of art
lery at our left announced that General Jackson al
ready work This called forth in our troops the Utmost
fisnerai McCelans position that day reuo,N-
able in the highest dsree. With one portion of his
troops he had crossed 70 the south side OF tic Chcaho
mny and there confronted Magruder, while with the
larger portion OF his force he had taken position
the and nearer 70 the railroad. where he
was resolved to accept battle His dispositions
,euted comprehensive forchough, tole: d'sd coues
The different divisions Of his army took their posi-
ticns with admirable precision and awaited onset
with rmnsss 1t was the first time that the two hos
tile armies had, in relation to numbers confronted
another with force SO nearly equal bus the Unoniss had
het tin
troops had to expose themselves 10 the hostile fire. The
attack opened by tho columns OF Hill (ls), Anderson
and Pickett. These gallant ses rushed forward with
laundering hurraAs upon the musk-try OF the foe
though il 10y to thein Whole ranks went down
under terrible hail, but nothing could restrain their
courage. The blnws OF battle ragged ercey onward the
struggle TO man. 70 eye, bayonet 10 bayonc
The hostile Meaghers brigade, composed chiefly Of Irish
men, offered heroic resistance After fierce struggle
our people began 10 give way and at length all orders and
encourasements vanthey failing back III the
greatest disorder nfuriae foamng al the mouth, bare
headed sabre in hand, AT this critical moment General
Cobb appeared the field, at the head OF his legion,
and with him the Nineieen.h North Carolina and
Fourteenth Virginia regiments. AT these
troops renewed the attack but all their devotion aud
selrsacrice in vain. The Irish held their position
with determination and ferocity that called forth the
admiration OF officers Broken pieces and dis
organized the fragments Of that fire legion came rolling
back from the charge. The Nineteenth North ,arons
lost eight standard bearers, and the Of their sa
officers either killed wounded. Again. Generals
Hill tIst) and Anderson led their troops TO the attack and
Some regiments covered themselves with immortal
glory. Our troops exhibited contempt OF death that
notwithstanding the bloody harvest the destroyer reapcd
in ranks that day, no disorder, no timd bearing
revealed that many Of the regiments we're under c and
smelt gunpowder then Tor the first time. BIT the
enemy, nerertheless, quietly and coolfy hsd against
epry attack made, one after The o.her No.,ruh-
their ground from four ani,l eight o'clock r. H., aey
performed feos of incredible pdo; and oay
the came that Jackson ,oas upon them IN sae reor s
about eight, they refired before dduace. Despite he
dreadful cdrRags in hsir ranks they marched sci,h
streaming bdnnsrs and rolling d,sms, and carried ,eih
.lx, u
yhe the cavalry regiments Of Davies and Wickham ren, in
pursuit. repeed ts ossdun also uith perfect cootness
By this time night had come aud overspreai the
field OF death with darkness, mpassionaely shutting
out from the eyes of the living the horr spectacle Of
slaughter Quiet gradually returned only feeble cam
nonade could be beard upon farhest lett and that
too, little by little, died away The soldiers FEAR
fully exhausted by the days struggle that many Of them
saDk down from their paces in the ranks the ground
Although l. too could scarcely Keep in the saddle,
great my fatigue, FASTENED with my aids
that s s o. the sa hs soa e S srS ,sn had
horrible; Whole ranks Of the enemy lay prone where
they had stood at ,he beginning Of lhe battle
and mplorns cries tor hep that all sides had, in
ouscurily u the night ghasy effect that roze the
blood in ones veins Although had been upon many
battle fields In Italy and Hungary had my vision
beheld such spectacle Of human destruction The pre-
,f the dae for na mess
too fcooc numbers had proper knowledge Of its
duties. Even the medical CORPS had, BY the tcrrors o
the situation been rendered Incapable Of attending
wounded with zeal and efficiency. With inconccivable
exerton at length succeeded, with the assistance of
some humane officers in bringing about some kind Of
order ENID this frighful confusion Ry the happcst
chance found some Union atnbuiances hal all
who could drive and knew war prsssed into service
and set TO work 10 get the wounded into Richmond.
most heartrendng task IL for often the poor
fersr would expire just as we were about TO extend
him succor. BY midnight we had got the first train
ready IL consisted Of sixty wagons with two hundred
seriously wounded cautiously ana slowly conducted
this train with success to the city, The first hospital
reached was met with REFUSAL "All full" Was the
ply to my inquiry "Forward TO the next hosptal.'
my word Of command. sAlifullln again the answer
Just then o friend said TO that Il would wait he
might be able TO help me, as he would have ncghbor
ing tenement used tobacco warehouse prepared for
"a hospital. 80 had 10 make up my mind 70 wait there
hour and half In the street with my dying charge
i did my best 10 supply the poor fellows with water
tea and other refreshments, as TO alleviate their suffer-
nss degree but the late hour Of the night aud
the agitation OF the city prevented me from putting my
design into more than hall execution.
Al length the so-caed hospital was ready, but could
Isau fhn