Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-07-18

/ ColcEeiS RCwlev aEd HICCarteT, wls ordered,
with the concurrence cf General heintzeiman,
TO adTaEcc ecrcgr; the opc,i SPACE ana attack
the enemy, nov coming forward il great
numbers. These regiments passed through q
shower of halls. end formed in y line having
?! IN obliIuc direction % the rine-.nle road
Thsr .held their ground for more than hall an
hour. doing great execution Pecti'5 and Nc
CGTteT's horses we're snct uEsier them. After
cnntending aGainst, enormnns odds, those two
TeEir.ent5 TraTe iarced 70 gi:e var, Pack and
the lG2i crossing the williamsburg y read to
the "-o0d; and NcCartaT and tire bdLs ot the
93d passing IN the TiEbr, V here they took post
in the last'line OF battle, formed mostly after
O'Clock P. u. During the time last noticed;
-llller'5 battarT, HaTTing taken up a Ee1- pn-
sit!cE, did .first-Tate aerrice-
! As. soon IS Peck hnd Ei3--2d .iGr"aTd l
fastened to tine lQ:h Mas2ac cEu=Ctts, Cc!1ncl
Briggs ('Hhich regiment had uiyTeii once pe
fore movadl, &c" in the Tiie-pit; cn the ielt
CT the williamsburg read. ana ordered them
| 70 follow me across the field. Coloael Briggs
led them on in gallant style, moving quickly
oTer en- open space Of se-en:o or eight hundred
yards, under scorching fire, ana forming his
men "ith perfect regularity toward the riGht
&of the line iast abcfe reierredto. The po-
!iition'thus ctfpic;t nioss &. i.scrable ef,S
. being wond. without much underground,
where the ground slopcd somewhat abruptly
to the rear, This line was stronger toward the
right than on the left Had the 10th Massa-
chuseits been two minutes later, they would
have been 800 late to occupy that fine posi-
ton, and il would have been impossible to
have formed the next and the last line OF the
| Io{t1 l.. .eTt l. .s
defeat, and turned it toward victory; victory
which was then begun by the Fourth Corps
and two brigadcs from kearney's Division Of
the Third Corps, and consumnated the next
day By Sumner and others.
After seeing the 10th Massachusetts and
the adjoining line we'll at work. under mur
dcrous fire, observed that that portion of
the line hundred and fifty yards TO M left
was crunblirG away--some falling and others
retiring, perceived, also that the artillery
had Withdrawn, and that large bodie: Of bro
ken troops were leaving the center and move
ing down the Williamsburg road to the rear.
Assisted BY Capt Snyjam, nly Assistant
Adjutant General. Capt. Eilarceau, and Lieu
tenants Jackson and Smith of nv staff, ]
tried in vain to check the retreating current.
Passing through 70 an opening Of our in
trenched camp Oh the 2Sth ult., | found Gen,
Heintzelman and other officers engaged in
rallving he men. and in a very short time, a
very large number were induced to face
about. These were pushed forward, and
joined 10 others better organized, in the
goods, and line was formed stretching
across the road in perpendicular direction
Gen. HcintZciman requested me to advance
the line on the Left Of the road. which I did
until it came within 20 or % Yards Of the
opening in which the battle had been con-
fined for more than two hours. against a
yastly superior force. Some Of the lCtn
Massachusetts, no~ under the command OF
Capt Miller; the e3d Pennsylvania, under
Col. McCarter Of Pcck's Brigade; the 23d
Pennsylvania, Col. Neiil, Of Ahercrombic's
Brigade; portion OF thc Seth New York,
Col, Innes; portion Of he 55th New York,
and the lst Long Island, Col. adams, tcgeth-
cr With fragments Of ether regiments Of
Couch's Division, still conteuded on the right
Of this lime, while a number Of troops that |
did not recognize occupied the space between
me and them.
AS the ground was miry and intumbered
with fallen trees, l C-smUunted and mingled
with the troops. The first questioned be-
lorged. TO kearnv's Division, Berry's Brigade,
Heinuelman's Corps; the next to the seth
New York, now under command OF its Lieut..
Colouel sud the 3d belonging to the l04th
Pennsy ylvania, of Casey's Di"ision. ! took
out M glass to examine steady, compact
lne OF troops, ABOUT 65 yards III advance, the
extent of which toward our righ, | could not
discover. Tie line in front was SO quiet tina;
thought they might possibly be cur own
troops. The vlpors from the swamp, the
leaves, and the fading light, (or it was then
after t ocloch), rendered. it uncertain who
they- were So directed the men to get their
aim, but 10 reserve their fire until could 60
Up to the left and examine; al the same time,
that they must hold that line, or the battle
would pc lost. They replied with iirrn de-
termination to stand their ground
had just time TO put up NJ glass ana mcTc
ten PAGES toward the left OF the line, where
mr horse stood: but while was in the act OF
mounting. as fierce fire OF muSketry was
opened as am | had heard during the day
The fire from our side waS so deadly. that
the heavy masses OF the enemy coming IN on
the right, which had before been held back
for nearlv two hours chat being about the
time consumed in passing over less than
thousand vards) b. about a third part OF
II
The last line formed portions Of Couch his
and Casey's Divisions, and i portion
of kearnev's Division, checked the adTance
Of the enemy: ard finally repulsed him And
this was the beginning OF the :ictory- which,
on the following day: was so glorionslv COM
pletcd. During the action, and particularly
during the two hours Immediately preceding
the final successful stand made by the infant
r., the three Fcrnsv svlvania Batteries under
Major Robert ". West (Fiood's, McCarthy's;
and Miller;s), in C0uch's Division, performed
most efficient service The conduct of Mil
ler's Ratter:- was admirable, Having a CEN
tral position in the fore part OF the action, II
threw shells over the heads Of our own
troops, which fell and burst with unusual
precision among the enemy's masses, as did
also those Of the other two batteries. And
later in the day, when the enemy were rush
ing in upon our right, Miller threw his case
and canister among them, doing irighttul exc
cution.
The death of several officer: If high rank,
and the disability and wounds "i others, have
delared this report. 1t has teen M design
10 state nothing as fact, VIII: could not be
substantiated. Many things escaped notice
br reason Of the forests which. concealed our
own movements as well as the movements Of
the enemy. From this cause ;ome of the re-
ports Of the subordinate commanders are not
sufficiently full. In some cases it is apparent
that those subordinate commanders were not
always in the best pcsitior1 10 observe, and
this will account for the circumstance that l
have mentioned some fact: derived from per-
sonal observation not found in the reports OF
my subordinatcs. The r:orts Of Division
and Brigade Commander. trust will be pub
lished with this Immediately. / ask their
publication as an act Of simple justice to the
Fourth Corps against which MAN. ground
less aspcrsions and Incorrect statements have
been circulated i'll the newspapers since tie
battle. These reports are made B.: zen wio
observed the conflict while under fire. snd NJ
I, H.. hn