Newbern weekly progress., 1862-05-17


Scarcely Ten uinui,s had sispssd Aftsr his sIrit
Al en- the fed Leiers he gave the erdar 10 sup.
pert Gen. Haueoek and %. press the adrauisEs
already gained in that dirsetion; and IN ave
minutes more sssen thounand men were on the
march for that point. Night fell before ihsy
fsaehedit and no more ufs done that day; but
there, n subsequent examinations proved, was
The ensnys weak point, and The Gsnstal saw II
\ at UTcs.-s-s-- Fl-l-7s-' - Z
Al daylight We found al The forts In our front,
snd Williausburg itself, completely abandonsd
oy the rebel army, save only the dead and wsnnd-
ed, AL Alsng the reads and in the woods We
found the snemy's dead uRburied. and his weund
ed len In their Agonies. Every barn was full Of
them. and every bsuse in Williamsburg also,
aud the ensmy's loss cannot have been less thah
a thousand killed aud wounded.
OTHER ACCOUNTS OF THE BATTLE.
General sickles' Excslsior Brigade and Gen.
| Heoker's division bore the great brunt Of the
battle. and fought Gost valisntly ihroughou:,
thepgh greatly ovsrpowersd by nsmbors and the
Superior position and esrthworks Of the enemy
The approaches to their works were a series Of
rayines aud swamps, whils rain fell in torrents
throughout the day The men had also bsen iy
ing on their arms all the previous night in
weea and were soaked with the rain, and chilled
with cold. 3
The battle ragged from early in the morning
until i've o'clock in the afternoon, when General
McClellau arrived with fresh troops, and relieved
the troops Of General Hooker, whs were nearly
PROSTATE with fatigue and exposure, whilst the
! Third Exealsiorsegimsn Of Sisklss, BRIGADE had
its ranks terribly thinned by the balls sf the en-.
emy. They are represented to have fought with
such imprudent bravery that net less than two
hundred Of them were killed and wounded.
After the arrival OF Gen McClellan-ths enemy
were fertsly charged by Hapeock's brigade, and
were driven within their works before nightfall
with heavy loss.
Nearly seven hundred Of their dead were left
on the feld, with many Of the wounded, though
most Of The latter were carried into Williamsburg
0ar ibss was less than three hundred killed and
about seven hundred wounded. -ie-.-4-
Night having cone on, we oceupiea the battle
! field, the enemy having been driven within his
works, and our forces laid on thsir arms, pre-
| pared to storm the works in the morning
| AT daylight on Tuesday morning, General
Mcclellan sent out scouts, while preparing to
move on the enemy's works, who soon reported
that be had again taken lis flight during The
night.
The works of the enemy and the city Of vii.
liamsburE were then taken.
FoHTREss MoSRoB, May Z 1862.
The boat from Yorktown brings reports
from the army to noon to-day. The enemy
was still in full retreat, and followed closely
i by our cavalry
The rebels burned their gunboats in York
river yesterday morning. +
We have taken many prisoners in small
companies; but eannst learn Of any large
body having been captured. Two companies
Of the Eighth Illinois cavalry are reported
captured by the enemy.
The enemy was driven out Of Williamsburg
carly on Tuesday msrhiAg. Our troops rush
ed over their works and drove them from
their trenches by desperate bsyonet charge
Gen. AcCLellan eaS struck by a piece q
shell, but toas not injured.
The opinion prevails there that il franklin.
division receives reiniorcsnents in time grsa
part of the rebel army will be captured.
Tins roads are in very bad condition, b.
which our advance is greatly impedsd
The Ercslsior Brigade (Sick'ss) lost Sbou
240 men ia killed and rounded can get a
few names Of those lost, ss the confusion is u
great that details are hard to be obtainsd. .
As close my letter the latest intelligenc,
received from the field Of battle is that Genera
Mcclellan came up with the enemy abou
eight miles beyond Williamsburg, and, after |
pretty severe skirmish with his rear, aoaa
put him 10 fight across the Chickshominy. A
large additional number Of prisoners have beer
taken, including many dessrters, who roper
that they have had nothing 10 eat but few
bard biscuits for fortysight hours, and she,
) brought in they JsH dOWH in. a state Of o.
Adusti0h.
There is no doubt that the whole army o
Lee, Johnston and MAgruder are in q state o
: utter disOrgshizaiion, aRd, under the rapi'
pursuit Of Gen. Mcclellan, are fleeing will
great precipitation, without the intention o
making a stand anywhere; ard unlS@ h,l
redca RiehmoRd in boats by wny Of jams
rirer, h.y wM certainly be intercepted an,
. caJiurca JG the force, landing and landed a
Rst Point Not less than fifty steamers ar
, engaged in Transporting the bAlRncs Of th
, army to West Point.
A large number Of prsoners are arriving .
. West Point and others are being constant
brought in.
!: Ga Monday the enemy took about eighty {
: our men prsouers and captured one Of th
q Pennsylvania batteries, having hrst killed q
\ the horses. They, having but small suppor
!. Of infantry, were ovsrWhslmsd by = supsric
+ force, AAd were compelled to abandon the
II guns; but before the close Of the day ih
8 battery, with one OF the onsmy's, was rseal
e tured by General Mcclellan, and the prisoner
y they had taken were found in WILLIAMSON
o next day, engaged in attending on the Wounds
It Of the enemy they had lsfl behind. III
y retreat OF the enemy WAS Accompanied by. Il
. much confusion and hasts TO be troubled wi,
J. the prisoners
q have juEt learned that the enemy has d,
q troyed all the bridges across the Chickahom
= NY, aud that General Mcclellan is resting b
n army on this side It will be remember,
. th,t the GhlekhhmninJ runs parallel with Il
e James river, into which Il enters ria q
d general impression that Gen. McCisllan n
Il hOT got hs sHemy just WAre he Vdats Aim.
" Another Battle at West Point