The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1862-05-22

Williamsburg which would have
brought him on the right. Nightfall
carried our troops up to the rear of the
enemy, and brought Sumner past his
proper position, the left, and on to the
right, and into a dense, wet wood, that
not man in the army had ever en-
tered, or knew anything about. Where
were the enemy? How many were
they? Beyond there, in the dark,
were their entertainments? What sodS
there that corps of 10000 men might
run disastrously against? Military
questions all. A close coming storm
wholly obscured the sky. On my night
ride to the front so dark was it that the
better sight of my horse only saved me
from trampling on fallen soldiers who
lined the road for miles. Diverted into
the woods by artillery trains and am
munition wagons, l was, repeatedly,
almost swept from the saddle by the
unseen branches Of trees. Yet in such
darkness, and in such ignorance of his
ground, and such ignorance of his foe,
Sumner was stumbling around in the
forest, where his 10000 men were wait.
ing for daylight to enable them to find
the rebel rear, which they had been
ordered to attack the evening before
stumbling around to find his way back
to Adams's house, his headquarters
stumbling till nearly daydawn-while
one of his divisions, 900 strong, lay
down among the trees, cursing the mis-
management which had ordered them
10 march without mouthfnl of food i'm
their haversacks. and another division,
also 10000 strong, wrathfully thought
of their knapsacks, which they had
been ordered to leave behind in their
camp, and exhausted ingenuity in
avoiding the moisture of the swampy
ground. Before daylight heavy
down-pour of cold rain set in from the
northeast.
Monday = A chill northeast rain
storm was in full fweep over the conn
try. Sumner did not commence the
attack which he had spent the night
before in wandering through the forest
to make, but he commenced a confer
ence. Heintzelman earnestly advised a
reconnaissance. 1t was ordered. While
in progress from east to west the Off
GERS conducting it sent back word that
on the enemy's extreme left were two
unoccupied forts, part of a chain stretch
ing away across, below Williamsburg.
Negroes accidentally at headquarters,
offered to guide us to them by a road
which was in part a mill -dam. Sum.
ner minated that he should wait till
the reconnaissance was finished before
he acted. On Heintzelman's sngges-
ton that in the meantime the enemy
might occupy these forts. Hancock
was ordered to pour his troops into
them. This laid the foundation of the
victory of Williamsburg. Freed now
at headquarters, and alarmed from
Hookers division, Heintzelman instant
y went to the nearest practicable road
to his position, and about O'Clock
found the gallant General sorely
pressed and in great danger Hooker
inquired for. the reinforcements he had
sent for, by path through the woods
only mile long-sent to Heintzelman
for. His written message was re-
ceived and read by Summer soon after
Heintzelman left head quarters. Heint-
zelman instantly sent two orderlies
with another message to Sumner for
portion of his ,0OO-sent two SO that
if one got killed the other could go
through. He also began sending to
the rear to hurry up the march of the
brigades fiouEdering through the mud.
Officer after officer be sent to the rear,
on this painful anxious mission-till he
was frequently wholly alone on the
field. 1 told yesterday how he encour-
aged the troops-how lie rallied and
led back broken companies-how he
gathered the fragments of two bands
of music, and while awaiting the COM
ing Of the achievements from Sumner
on his right or from out of the mud in
the rear, animated the dropping cour-
age of Hooker's outnumbered and al
most over mastered men, with Yankee
Doodle" and the Star Spangled Ban
ner." To the repeated messages he
sent to Sumner for aid, he got no reply
whatever. At o'clock, and not be-
fore, Sumner ordered Hancock to the
front. Before S Berry had come up
with his brigade, and saved us from
the most imminent ruin that has low
cred upon our cause since Bull Run.
The thousands who unnecessarily
wear mourning in the North and West,
for our victory ut Williamsburg will
now understand the causes Of the
terrible mortality which accompanied
the demonstration of our superiority to
these barbarians. To further calculate
them-regard the plan of the field, and
see where the Yorktown road comes |
upon the corn6eld, directly in front of
the Fashioned Fort Magruder. That
was our direct line TO Williamsburg.
The swampy woods on both sides are
mile deep, the abattis OF fallen trees
about 500 feet deep; beyond that were
rifle pits away around the horse shoe
shaped plain; beyond them were bat
teries of flying artillery then Magru-
der, beyond all, vomiting shell, CAMS
ter and grape. In that mile depth of
thick woods, Heintzelman and Hooker,
with their brave comrades, fought the
part of the battle. 1t was
principally there, that in the long strug |
gle from eight o'clock in the morning |
till two O'Clock in the afternoon, 5000 |
men held their own against %, 900. |
But the battle ragged with desperate
courage on the edge of the woods, in
front Of the abattis, in the internal