The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1862-06-12

preparations were made for resisting
the attack as it's suddennpss wonll ad
? nit Of Reyan's New York Batter,
was stationed just to the right of tn,
Williamsburg road, Bates battery o
Napoleon guns further to the left acros,
the road, and Fitch's battery three %
four hundred yards 10 the rear, the las
sending a shell over the heads of on
troops to the enemy beyond. Th.
fourth battery was near the railroad
further To the right.
4 The vigor with which the enem,
pressed forward to the attack indicated
the confidence Of superior strength
A battalion of two regiments pressed
against Gen. Nhglee on The right, an
other fell t" Gen. Wasscll at the centre
and n third Ia Gen. Palmer To the left
lp"uring in at once fire hot and heavy
and advancing with great resolution il
the face .f the steady fire of canister
and grape from the guns i'm front, and
shells from those in the rear, moving
down their ranks in all directions. The
rebels had hut little artillery, and were
evi'lently disposed to make good their
deficiency by pressing to close quarters
with their superior force, to bear down
at once by weight of numbers the skel
eton regiments of three and four hun
dred men who composed the advanced
division. ~. 1.te sf.,,.E
Most Of Gen. Casey's troops were
thrown fnrw ard to the edge of the
woods liz front of his position to meet
the advance of the rebels, n few rrgi
menis being left behind the PARTIAL,
completed rifle e-pits, a short distance Il
the rear. Thus division, nearly new
to warfare was suddenly exposed, in
an! open fiel.l, to the heaviest of fire
from an enemy covered to considera
bic extent 10y the woods through which
they were advancing. Terribly the
tempest ragged, the air almost growing
thick with musket balls officer after
officer fell, ar was borne from the fitl,l
a wounded man the men dropped by
scores, and the usual numbernf weak
j"inted ones were falling to the rear.
lSnt in spite of the rapid thinning of
their ranks, the regiments generally held
their ground until the enemy succeeded
in rushing around to the left flank, and
pouring in an enfanking fire from that
direction, against which the rife pits
were no protection. The sixty rounds
of ammunition with which they entered
the fight were nearly exhausted, and no
more Were at hand.
| ARRIVAL OF FREINFORCEMENTs "a
Meantime one of Gen. Couch's bri-
gades, commanded by Gen. Aberc"m-
bic, was ordered up To the support of
Gen. Naglee on the right, Gen. Devens,
of the same division, sustaining Gen.
Wassell, on the centre. and Gen. Peek,
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
Couch's Division, who disputed every
inch of ground, until sustained by Gen.
Kearnev, pressing up the Williamsburg
road with rcinfnrcements tO meet them,
supported by the Division of General
Hooker in his rear. Pressing rapidly
forward Gen. Kearney advanced along
the Williamsburg road 10 within a
short distance of our original position,
where he bivouacked for the night in
front of the enemy. .ut
1t was along this Williamsburg road
that the main attack was made, and
here our troops were forced back for
half a mile or more, before the arrival
of Gen. lIeintzclman's corps, the feeble
briyadcs of Casry's Division, averay-
ing less than 1000 men, beiny com
plrtely broken mp, many, it not most
ct the officers killed, wounded or miss
ing, and the privates scattered through
the woods and along the road Bravely
and well did Gen. Casey dn his duty,
pressing on To the extreme front and
cheering on his men, regardless of the
storm of hail that ragged about him, cut
ting down his officers on all sides, but
strangely escaping his own person.
Bravely and well did most of his off
Gers stand 10y him, until, one after an
other, they were borne from the field
THE LOSS OF ARTILLERY.
Col. Bailey, Chief of Artillery was
shot early in the afternoon, the ball
striking him in the head and causing
his death after short period of in.
sensibilny. Major Van Va.ltenberg,
the second in command of the First
New York Artillery, was killed, Adju
tant WIN. Ramsey wounded, while
every battery but one lost its quota #
men, and some of them lost nearly all
their horses. Bates Battery of Ma
poleon guns-ll pound brass pieces
which was to the front, thus deprived
of .comotiun anil stuck fast in the
mud, was left behind in the retirement
of our troops, but not until Gen. Naglce
had taken it upon himself to see that
several of the pieces were spiked. In
addition to this, one three inch Parroit
gun of battery Ii was disabled by a
shot, and fell into the hands of the enc
my. The PENNSYLVANIA Reserve Bat.
terry, of Couch's Division, also lost one
of their gnns-these eight pieces of
ordnance constituting our entire loss,
so far as could learn. We can better
afford to spare the pieces than we can
afford to have the rebels profit by the
gain. They show every indication of
being much in want of artillery, and
the need is evidently stimulating their
efforts to profit by the chances of war
to possess themselves of our guns.
GEN. SUMMERS ADVANCE.