The dollar weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1862-1864, 1862-07-03
Tho Rebel Onset--An Awful Scene

An extract from a private letter of a mem
Der of battery A, New York Artillery. in
Casey's Division, bette known as the ma
po!eon gun Battery" in the front line of the
first days battle before Richmond, says:
"Our spherical case shot were awful mis-
siles, each Of them consisting of a clotted
mass of seventy si~ "'.rho' 1.iiS' WITH a
charge Of powder in the center, that is fired
by fuse the same as a she'll. The missile
first acts as solid shot. ploughing its way
through masses of m en-, and then exploding
hurls forward shower Of musket balls, that
NOW down the foe in heaps: Our battery
threw twenty-four of these a minute, and as
we had the exact range of every part Of the
6eld, every shot told the frishtful effect
But the enemy were not all daunted-they
marched steadily on, and hailed perfect
tempest of balls upon us. Why we, as well
as our horses. were not every one shot down,
will forever remain a mystery to me. We
did no. mind the leaden hail, however, but
kept pouring our case-shot into the dense
masses of the foe, who came in prodisious
and overwh elming force. And they fought
splendidly, too. Our shot tore their ranks
wide open, and shattered them asunder in
manner that was frightfrl to witness; but
they closed up again at once. and came on
as steadily as English veterans. When they
our case shot and opened on them canister,
and such destruction 1 never elsewhere wit
messed. At each discharge great gaps were
made in their ranks-indeed, whole COM
panies went down before that murderous
fire; but they closed up with an order and
discipline that was awe inspiring. They
seemed to be animated with the courage of
despair, blended with the hope of speedy
victory if they could by an overwhelm ing
rush drive us from our position. 1t was aw-
ful to see their ranks torn and shattered by
every discharge of canister that we poured
right into their faces, and while their dead
and dying lay in piles, closed. and still kept
advancing right in the face of that fire. At
one time. three lines one behind another,
were steadily advancing, and three of their
flags were brought in range of one of our
guns shotted with canister. 'FireI' shouted
tie gunner, and down went those three lines
as if thupderbolt had torn through them
and the dead lay in swaths. But they at
once closed up, and came steadily on.
never hating or waveriDg, right through the
woods, over the fence, through the field
right up to our guns, and sweeping every
thing before the captured every piece
When we delivered our last fire, they were
within fifteen or twenty PAGES Of us, and, as
all cur horses had been either killed or
wounded, we coHld not carry off gun
Our whole division was cut to pieces, with
what loss do not know. We fell back to
q second line Of intrenchm euts and there
held the enemy in check until reinforce
m ents arrived, and then we kept our position
till night put an end to the battle. This
morning the fight was renewed, and we have
driven the enemy back. regained possession
Of our camp, and it is reported, with what
degree Of truth cannot say, til at our battery |
has been recaptured. The rebels stripped
opr camp ,hofoughly.