Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-06-09
June 2, 1852.

ITTeT5 naYlDE 65eu cAuBuL tlNIo " Az S~'H'
If tho gunb5ats past West Point. Dixie.
RICHMOND, june 2, 1852.
The heavy cannonade and rafting fire ofmGs-
kerry, Leard throughout Saturday, ss stated in
my last-letter, proved to have come from an OBJ
s.inately contested and bloody bAtto fought
within ,'cl. miles of the city. shall endesror
to give you an account Of il, such as hare
BEEN enabled to Aake Up from the statements Of
| ia.e!Itgen. officers and men who were active
participants.
A very la,ge force of the enemy, v~sricuSiy sa-
tina.cl a. from thirty-fve to fl ~ thousand, hsv-
| ing cros,cd tho Chickahominy as esrly as the
@9sh Nay, had iutrenchsd themselves at .sverRl
points along tbs Williamsburg road, and further
strengthened tho;r position by telling the treea in
| IA, woods and thus making a considerable abst-
is. Thr purpose having been formed tc attack
| snl d;,iodEe them, the divisions Of Generals
HG, LonsstrCet, and Whiting, with a portion Of
! General Hogsr's division were sent 10 tho i'm
medilts ueighbOrhOoi of tbs Cncmy's advanced
position at an carly houc on Saturday morning,
and arrived upon the ground about ten A n
Very soon thereafter The battle was opened with
muskU.y, aEd maintained on our eide moss gal
lautly by TIVE OF three regiments Of HIPS divis-
ion, ftfs q Flerida, 9th Virginia, and 9Th South
Carolua), thrown CIT as skiTm:shers, their fce
icing holy returned By the YsnEoos from the
cover o. tbs woods. This lasted for an hour Or
rnure, when :ls regulars Of Lopgatree:, lhs Same
uho voH the Day at Williamsburg, cake npoH
tAS grolrd, snd began - move upon this enemy
with a~lacritv, though meanwhile he Federal az
.i}lsry had commenced to play wiki havoc upon
The open ground between tbs woods ooncealing
! Gem and The Confederate lines. This % Aiss-s-
sippi aud 23.h Georgia were the Grss to dash Wig
orcusly against Tie fso sheltered behind tho fall
on timber, aud driving them through the woods,
caused the destructive isfantTy Are for a time to
slacksa. Bat thc Yankees retrea!ing to tAeir
b.eastworks and sgin making a deadly use OF
their Enfield uA5s, the 4:h North Carolina was
ordered forward, and little rocking the murder
Gus discharges Of the enemy, succeeded in car
Tyiag the first Ice of earthworks, which, how
| over, th2y were unable t~oretaiu, in consequence
Q. the fearful rSia Of canister from the Yankee
| kou:tsera tina. bore upon the spot.
Falling baek in excellent order, they vera re-
| infcIced by fresh arrivals Of Lougstreet's com
maad G. battalion Of Louisiana troops, whO
continued the attack, supported by Lalhsm's
battsIy, wk:ch opened upon tie Yankees with
such tremendous energy thst they abandoned
thar four brass LowitEers in confusion. Tho
yzl.r AID steady determination Of our troops up
TO this poin. can only be appreciated when it ID
s.a:,d that Leir advance to The eremy's an
tsnch77cuta wsS for a long distance through 3
10 beg, where the non were frequenty Up 70
their knees in tho mire, and Who're it was well
nigh inprae .icable that artillery coald be moved
a. al.
A jsApers.s sgh. row en- Ued in which victory
scanned doubtful, 50 obssinetely and bEayely did
lie Y,aIoes sustain their position. AT length,
artsr 1 flg.ou: hcO given and received by ih' lst
| Virginia, (7hich was literally anniEiiated, bring
ing ozly p men out Of the a.ior } the 4 h and
5 b S5uth Carolins, and tbs lah Mississippi,
AID othsr Iogimsnts, supporting and strength
ming tie columns, the entertainments Of
he Yankees were carried = d all Lcir
artillery, niue pieces together with their
camp, fell into our hands. Night then closed
over the scene, but net before the courage
All psrsi,tency eff tho gallant Tennessesans
lad been JiIi.ztlly illustrated in another part
Of he field in rspolling M attempted lsnk
mxyenert Of the enemy. regret that can
not give you The numbers Of th7 TENNESSEE regi-
men.s which achieved this noble suCc25S, follcw-
ing The flying Federals into the waters OF The
swollen Ch.ckahoniny Up TO the waist, amid the
cheers Of their eompaniOns-!n-aTms, who locked
on viii. dc iglt. They were { mmanded by The
bFayeG.n Ha.!cn, wh) here received his death.
wound.
When dusk hsd seen tie gas Temps squirting
into light throughout the city, the wounded men
began to arrive in ambulances from the faid,
and late into the night did the sheets contain
excited g7oupcs Ct citizens, eager 80 hear tho
Ia',s: Intelligence from the contest. Committees
sls5. were already at work il receiving the suf-
fsTe.s, and directing their removal to the places
to which they were assigned.
Es- y o. Sunday morning the whole city was
aslir. Tbo fortunate individuals who could &C
euro horses, were in the saddle after an early
breakfast, and on tbs road for Tho b ,ttls Fl lid,
while hundreds without the means q convey
ancs went a.oot, eager to be witnesses Of, CT vol
uuteers il, the conflict Ct tho day. Eaudom
guns had been heard at sunrise, and discharges
al long intervals were kept up Tor three or iouT
h5urs, when the baltic Of the day previous was
removed sudd ;uly enough, at d few minutes palt
= =. " q ErugdsTous vol!ey discharged by IA
~iuvis,o!s t5e. into the. uniformed line Of tic 9th
Vngieia, Lieut. Col. edwin commanding,
rom q teI.ss wood in font o. them. The gth
sprarg quickly to their arms, and forming i'll or
der Of battle, rushed upon their unseen assaii'
ans across tic fallen timber Of the abattis, and
dIyve them flcm their covert. The 81 Alabama
and I2'h AMI 41st Virginia regiments, coming
Immediately 70 tho assistance Of the . Il, pressed
forward upon the cuomy, and from that moment
until four O'Clock in the afternoon, the fight was
a continual Advance Of ouf troops aud retreat OF
the Yankees, until we had carried all their en-
trenehments, and taken tbs cam } occupied by
them the previous night, with large quantities of
KNAPP aeks, india rubber tent cloths, small! arms