Daily Nashville union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1862, 1862-06-08

II
battery three or four hundred yards TO the
rear, The last sending It's she'll over the heads
Of our troops az the enemy beyond. The
fourth battery was near the railroad further
to the right.
The vigor with which the enemy pressed
1 forward to the attack indicated the conf
denoe Of superior strength. A battalion of
two regiments pressed against Gen. Naglee
on the right, another fell on Gen. Wassell
on the centre, and third on Gen. Palmer
Ion The left, pouring 10 Are at once hot aud
heavy, and advancing with great resolution
in face Of the steady Gre Of canister and
grape from the guns In front, aud she'll from
those further TO the rear, moving down their
ranks ia all directions. The rebels had but
little artillery, aud were evidently disposed
to make good the deficiency by pressing to
close quarters with their superior force to
bear down at ouce by weight Of numbers
the feeble skeleton regiments Of three and
four thousand men who composed the ad-
vanced division.
Most Of Gen. Casey's troops were thrown
forward to the edge Of the woods in front of
his position, TO meet the advance of the re-
bels, a few regiments being left behind the
partially completed rife-pits, short distance
to the rear. Thus division, nearly new TO
warfare, was suddenly exposed, in an open
field, to the heaviest of fire, from an enemy
covered to considerable extent by the woods
through which they were advancing. Ter
ribly the tempest ragged, the air almost grow
ing thick with musket balls; officer after OF
foer fell, OF was borne from the field a wound
ed man; the men dropped by scores, and the
usual number of weak, jointed ones were fall
ling to the rear. But 10 spite of the rapid
thinning of their ranks, the regiments gen.
orally held their ground until the enemy sue
ceeded in rushing around on the left flank,
aud poured in an eu6lading fire from. that
direction, against which the rihe-pits were
no protection. The sixty rounds OF ammu-
milton with which they entered the fight
were nearly exhausted and no more was OF
hand.
ARRIVAL OF REINFoRCEMENTs.
Meantime one of Gen. Coucb's brigades,
commanded by Gen. Abercrombie, was or
dered up to the support of Gen. Raglee
on the right, General Devens, of the same
division, sustaining General Wassell on the
centre, and Gen. Peck, with the remaining
brigade, supporting Gen. Palmer on the left.
When Gen. Casey's troops were forced to
give way, the rebels fell on these brigades Of
COUGHS division, who disputed every inch Of
ground, until sustained by Gen. Kearney,
pressing up the Williamsburg road with re-
Inducements to meet them, supported by the
division of Gen Hooker in bis rear Pressing
rapidly forward, General Kearney advanced
along the Williamsburg road to within a
short distance of our original position, where
be bivouacked for the night 10 front OF the
enemy.
1t was along this Williamsburg road that
the main attack was made, and here our
troops were forced back for half mile or
: more, before the arrival of Gen. Heintzle
mans corps, the feeble brigades Of Casey's
division, averaging less than 1000 men, be.
I ing completely broken up, many, II not most
of the officers killed, wounded, or missing,
and the privates seated through the woods
aud along the road. Bravely aud well did
Gen. Casey do his duty, pressing on to the
extreme front and cheering on his men, re-
gardess of the storm of fire and hail that
ragged about him, cutting down his officers on
all sides, but strangely escaping his own
person. Bravely and well did most Of his
officers stand by him, until one after another,
they were born from the field dead or
wounded
THE LOSS OF ARTILLERY.
Col. Bailey, Chief of Artillery, was shot
early in the afternoon, the ball striking him
in the head, causing his death after short
period of insensibiity. Major Van Vaulten-
e New
York artillery, was killed Adjutant VIM,
Ramsey wounded, while every battery but
Que lost its quota Of men, aud some of them
lost nearly all their horses Bates's battery
Of Napoleon guns-l2-pound brass pieces
which was TO the front, thus deprived of To-
comotion and stuck fast In the mud, was left
behind in the retirement Of our troops but
not until Gen. Naglee had taken it upon
himself TO see that several Of the pieces were
spiked. In addition TO this, the 3 inch Par
rott gun of battery II was disabled by a shot.
and fell into the hands of the enemy. The
Pennsylvania reserve battery, Of COUGHS di-
vision also lost one Of their guns-these
eight pieces OF ordnance constituting our en-
tire loss, 30 far as / could learn. We can bet
ter afford to spare the pieces than we can az
ford TO have the rebels profit by their gain.
They show every indication of being much
in want of artillery, and the need is evident
ly stimulating their efforts to profit by the
chances Of war to possess themselves OF our
guns.
GEN. SUMMERS ADVANCE.
Meantime Gen. Sumner had succeeded ia
bringing bis troops across the Chickahominy,
aud was advancing on the right TO maintain
our position there, where less ground had
been lost. Alter several days Of labor, Gen,
Sumner had thrown two bridges across the
creek between Bottoms Bridge and New
| Bridge, where local reports held it 10 be Inn
possible TO find any foundation for piles to
support the superstructures. 0ne Of these
bridges was some Two miles above Bottoms
| Bridge, the other a mile further up the stream
The lower of these was carried away during
the heavy storm Of Friday night and Gen
Sumner was obliged to depend upon single
shaky structure for The passage OF bis troops,
| who nearly all, however, succeeded In cross.
10 g that night, the head OF the column reach.
iug the Nine.mie Road, along which the
rebels were pressing our troops, at about
seven O'clock, holding the enemy 10 check
Tor the night, preventing them from follow
ing up 10 that dir ection the advantage ihey
had gained during the day.
THE rIguT on SUNDAY