Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-07-11
The Riehmoud Lines.
INCIDENTS OF TIE CONTEsT-sCENERY OF
THE BATTLE FIELD, ETC.


INCIDENTS OF TIE CONTEsT-sCENERY Ol
THE BATTLE FIELD, ETC.
From the Richmond Examiner
There appear to have been some imperfec
statements as to what forces were engaged il
Friday assault on the enemy'S works at Gaines
farm, where was, in fact, the great wrestle of tbs
contest. From the best information we can OBJ
tain, it appears that General A. P. Hills divis
ion, supported by General Pickett's brigade
from Gen. Longstreets division, made the first
assault upon the enemy's works. and were ST
terwsrds reinforced By Gen. Whiting's division,
when the enemy were dislodged Writings
division is composed of the 4th Alabama, Iltb
! Mississippi, 9th North Carolina, ID Mississippi
lst, 4th, and 9TH Texas, and 10th Georgia
A hill east of MechanicsVille offered an emi-
| nence, from which could be observed much OF
| the progress of the three days combat; the
smoke OF the battle affording the outlines to the
position Of the forces engaged.
! All day Friday and Saturday, as well as yes
terday, there could be seen hanging over the
woods heavy haze, yelling up from the scene
| OF the tight below. The shells often went up to
great elevation, and falling and exploding
were generally harmless. In the woods beyond
Mechanicsvile, some of the trees, as thick
around as mans body, are shot through and
| through by round shot, and the bushes are eve
| rywher0 cut and nPped by the bullets.
Signs of human habitstion, fences, and fruit
trees, have been swept from the face of the
| country as far as our army or that Of the enc
my has progressed in Hanover county.
The woods and swamps are represented as full
OF Yankee deserters, and they could be brought
in any number if our troops desired to leave the
regular lines and go to the frontfor that pur-
pose.
The farmers residing in the neighborhood Of
the battle fields have, with great unanimity and
patriotic devotion, responded to the demand for
hospital accommodations, and have opened their
dwellings and Out-hOuses for the use and occu-
patton OF the wounded.
Among the trophies Of our victory are several
very fine Federal flags, taken from the enemy
on Saturday and Sunday. One belongs to the
" Bucktail Rifles of the 1lth Pennsylvania
Reserves, and two others to the 4th New Jersey
regiment.
Around Mechanicsville the houses had been
occupied by the troops of both armies, and the
scenes of devastation and desOlation are very
great
Throughout the whole country the houses are
shattered, and nearly shot into pieces by the
cannon balls of the opposing armies. At Ne
chanicsville the explosion of a shell knocked a
large house into fragments, and killed six men
who were resting there.
In Hanover county the scene of destruction
is wide and appalling At Ellis mills the
wounded of both sides were lying through Sat
urday and Sunday. A great many of the dead
were picked from the canal at the mills. One
poor fellow was found lying by the side Of the
hill with his musket beside him, and a shot
through his breast
At DR.. Atkinson's farm, from which the enc
my bore off after the fight to the mills, the
fighting was terrific and the loss heavy on both
sides. The house of this gentleman is filed
with the dead and wounded, and the enemys
surgeons were among them, being furnished
with every facility. They lay unattended fT
miles, sick, prostrsted and wounded. The
Yankees have their hospitals in the woods, and
thousands are lying around, under the atteRtion
Of their surgeons. Amputation is going on at
all times but the green leaves furnish great re-
lief to the wounded. The demand for collins is
so great that some of the houses were torn down
On the route to make cofius for the dead.
Some fifty bodies were taken out of the canal
at Gaines mills. Over 500 horses were lost, be-
longing TO the several batteries, and their car
casses are now injecting the air
Among the prisoners taken yesterday, was
Mr. Thomas Corts, proprietor of the Yorkshire
mans Newspaper, Yorkshire, England whose
arrival in this country was noticed several days
ago He arrived at McClellan's lines not long
since to report the proceedings Of the war for
the London press. He is at one Of the city
prisons.
To the list, published yesterday, of the con
spicuOus dead, who have fallen upon the field,
we have to add the name of Col Robert Wheat,
of louisiana He received a mortal wound in
the head in the fight at Gaines Mills, and ex
pired on the field. Col. Wheat earned famous
name at Manassas, where he was severely
wounded, and where his Louisiana battalion
achieved some of the most conspicuous distine-
ton of the day.
YANKEE LETTER-THE SKULLS OF THE
"REBELs."
We have seen the usual number Of curiOsities
from the battle-felds in letters, etc. We content
ourselves in the way of "curiosites " with the
following extract from the letter Of strong
minded female of Philadelphia on the subject Of
rebel skulls. This female phrenologist wishes
TO experiment upon the skulls Of the Southern
people. For hippancy and fendishness, the
proposition Of this she-demon appears to match
Old Nick himself. She writes " Tell friend
Carleton, if he gets chance to cut of the head
of a rebel and boil it FIVE hours, so that all the
flesh may come off readily, and then saw the
skull in two from front, and he will find the un-
evenness of thickness to be mostly on the in
side The writer then adds some other theories
which show her to be a spirituslist as well as
phrenologist. She is quite satisfied, by eommu-
nicatiOns from the other world, that the rebels
are at their " last DITCH" and that " dear WILL"
to whom the consultations Of this strong minded
hag's letter is addressed, 'will be back in Phila-
delphia very soon"