The New York herald., 1862-12-25
When the conference terminated all shook hands end
hAs,cneA away % their respective army corps, TO snsr

ing tie many raynes IN his nsghoorhooa, coe.u ny,
without great difficulty and much loss OF time execute
his miiisrv movements His frcuI lie reached over
n distance Of more than twenty miles, N the form
.avs,is Richmond and Ashland While one psrt Of his
army crossed the Chckshonny, he took position wh tne
bidre 70 Bottom bridge The heights the banks Of
tho stream were fortified so that bis army, nct.lih-
standing the great ength Of ts lines had excesn ceen
On the goth of June In the morning troops took
up their positions Jackson hssteped BY forced marches
TO Ashland there 10 COMMENCE bis outfankng operations
sgainst the enemy Having arrived there his advanced
guard drove the weakly posted foe, and pnshed
without OF time Hanover Court House, where he
threw forward General Braneh's brigade between the
Chickahoniny and Pamurkey rivers 20 establish juno
on with General Bi st) who had to cross the stream
at Meadow bridge General Hill very salaAy opened the
offensive and began his operations against the little town
Of Mechanicsvillc. The enemy who were stationed
here made q brave resistance. Stormng attacks
were made again and again with fury and as often
PEELED with cool determination, that awakened odmra
ton In vain did General Hill send his aids in quest Of
Genera, Branch. The latter had encountered many
Typographical difficulties that he reached his position il
front Of Meohapcsyilc only late at night, when the con
dic az end The morning Of the 9th had scarcely
began 10 dawn artillery cpcncd tremendous fire
upon the euemys front, tha, the latter when they
right abandoned their position at Mechsnicsvlo and tc
back lighting upon their second defensive ne further
down the stream just at the moment when wo has es-
tablshed the crossing of the Chckahomny arrived Gen.
Longstreets magnificent army corls-old, experienced
veterans Of the Army Of the Potonacnd the division Of
Gen Hill 2dl Al once the order advance gwen all
along the line. The divisions Of Generrs Hill
f2d). Anderson aud Whiting formed the centre,
SON SON Hill, Hin 9,st and Inpsstrest formed tho left,
ard marched along the bank ot the river. Magru-
der commanding the right wiag was on acooun. Of the
hold himself merely the defensive. General Wise took
command Of Fort Darling, on the James river. AHhee
mus hare oive, 6eleYul Nc6aa k'oecdps Of M
teahon 70 change i'oo'rsntent pos'o al Richmond,
motion Hs shsuld Gsen. haze intonay crieyea G.e
army co's Of General NJ Dos anes for mon rs had
Ind tnoo'ios mar Fieder'es'g e max a1n ns.s.
t.os ot9 The Richmcad read. i'y soh n'orene'a eren
the farL march of Geaeroi Jackson eoud hare Len
der9d ipliracstcahe Bat Geae.di nc1leIar n'sa hare
bern decered IN The chosater Of G'erai McDoce for,
notwithstanding all the communications an reference
q orr combiasi aaan.aarre', .a, Tia lateT :smei@ca
ton, and left Gclcrdl McC1eilans army, ,otita
had suffered greatly ty sickness and Gsetioa,
a prey 10 the heary of aiack scarcely,
therefore had General Lee received reliable intelligence
Of Mcdowell inactivity than general and Simultaneous
attack Mcciclans whole line was resolved upon so
soon then the arrival Of Genera! jackson at Coat
Har Dor was reported the Commsn der inCnie with his
STAFF repaired Gaines Mil and ordered the divisions Of
fore these columns got into motion the thunder OF ar
Iery at our left that General Jackson al
ready work This called forth in our troops the Utmost
Gsmerai Nccielans position TINT dag reno,t
abe IN tie highest degrse W!th one portion Of his
miny, and there confronted Magruder, while with the
larger portion Of his force he had taken up position
the and nearer TO the railroad, where lac
was resolved to accept battle His dispositions
,ea:ed comprehensive fore,houqst, talent assd coones
Tho different divisions OF bis armv took their posi-
ticns with admirable precision and awaited onset
with Grmnsss II was the first time that the two hos
tile armies had in relation numbers confronted
another With orce SO nearly equal bu. the Unicnis had
the advantage OF better protected position, while our
troops had to expose themselves to the hostile fire The
attack was opened by tho columns Of Hill ls) Anderson
and Pickett These gallant asses rushed forward with
laundering hurrae upon the mnsSetry Of the foe, as
though were 10y to thein. Whole ranks went down
under that terrible hail. but nothing could restrain their
courage The bhws OF battle ragged ercey onward: the
The hostile Meaghers brigade, composed chiefly Of Irish
rer, offered heroic resistance After fierce struggle
people began to give way and at length oil orders and
greatest disorder nfurlae foamtng al the mouth bare
headed sabre in hand, at this critical moment General
Cobb appeared upon the field At the head OF his legion
and with him the Nineteenth North Carolina and
Fourteenth Virginia regiments Al once these
troops renewed the attack but all their devotion and
self sacrifice were vain The Irish held their position
with determination and feroeity that called orth the
admiration OF our own officers Broken 70 pieces and dis
organized fragments Of that fine legion rolling
back from the charge The Nineteenth North ,aroins
eight standard bearers, and the mos, Of their sts
officers were either killed wounded Again. Generals
Hill s) and Anderson led their troops 10 the attack and
some regiments covered themselves with immortal
glory. Our troops exhibited contempt OF death that
made them the equals of old need veterans for
notwithstanding the bloody harvest the destroyer rapcd
revealed that many Of the regiments under and
smeit gunpowder then Tor the hrst time. But The
ENEMY css .. sads gg one o"y arr ~ OH oe 'a &
s'cndirV the fact that solitary brigcdes had TO stand
their ground iron, tour ait's eight o'clock r. M, they
performed feos Of incredible udioy and gny rhsn
the that Jackson upon them IN TINT,
about eight, they retired before adrunce. Despite The
dreadful carRass IN nei, ranks they marched ,cih
strean ming banners and rolling d,a,Ds and carried eh
them all their slightly oounsd and all their baggage and
uhes the cavalry regiments of Dasies and Wchkaa
pv,sua repeed his ossauu also mith perfect oooiress
By this time night had come aud overspread the
field Of death with darkness, compass onatey shutting
from the eyes of the living the horrd spectacle of
slaughter Quiet gradually returned; only feeble
nonade could be beard upon our arthest LETT and that
h.A
fully exhausted by the days struggle that many Of them
sank down from their paces the ranks upon tho ground
Although l. too could scarcely Keep in tho saddle SO
great was my fatigue, hastened with of my aids to
that quarter Of the field where the struggle had
horrible; whole ranks of the enemy lay prone where
they had stood at the beginning Of the battle.
The number OF wounded was fearful too and the grons
and mpiorns Tor iep that all sides ad in
opscurily the night hasty effect that froze
ones veins. Although had been upon go many
battle fields in Italy and Hungary, had my vision
beheld such spectacle Of human destruction The pre-
aratons for the c the wounded we're too
trg and tho force detailed for that purpose either
feoolc in numbers had proper knowledge OF It's
duties. Even the medical cops had by the errors of
the sation been rendered Incapable Of attending to the
wounded with zeal and efficiency With inconceivable
excrton at length succeeded, with the assistance of
some humane officers, 10 bringing about some kind Of
order enid this frightiul confusion by the happicst
chance found Union ambulances, had all men
who could drive and knew the way pressed service
and set TO work 20 get the wounded ipto Richmond.
most heartrcndng task IL for often the POOR sui.
fersr would expire just as we about TO extend
him succor. BY midnight we had got the first train
ready 1t consisted OF sixty wagons nth two hundred
seriousy wounded / cautiously and slowly conducted
this train with to the city, The first hospital
reached met with refusal. "Al ull" the re.
ply 10 my inquiry. 'Forward TO the hcsrita' was
my word Of command "Alifuln was again the answer.
Just then friend said 70 me that Il would wait he
might be able to help me, he would have ncighbor
ing tenement used tobacco warehouse prepared for
"a hospital 50 had ~ make up my mind 70 wait there
an hour and half In the with my dying charge
] did my best 10 supply the poor fellows with water,
and other refreshments, 10 alleviate their suffer-
in hut flp nf
the agitation Of the city prevented from putting my
design into than half execution.
Al length the socalled hospital ready, but could
scarcely believe my when the dismal hole offered
by that There in open lofts, without ndows
DOORS few pauks nailed together TO be the beds
Of the unfortunate defenders Of country During
those days fate the soldier had endured Oh things
hunger, thirst heat nothing could rob him cs his courage
his indifference 70 death and he lay there wounded
death the door OF his rrlendg ,yhnsc