The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-05-17
1uar Mus.
The Battle Near Williamsburg.

The second line of Rebel dcfcnscs
above Yorktown consisted of thirteen
formidable earth forts, within sure
artillery touch of each other. One of
them, Fort Magruder, was of grca;
strength. Most of these forts were in
front Of Heintzelman, and OH his left
With the exception Of Emory's cavalry,
and of Bcnson's Battery, the command
of Icintzelmau formed the extreme left
There was no infantry whatever beyond
him. Full ;wo-thirds of the Southern
army engaged in this important action,
were therefore nlassed against Heint-
Zclnan.
Between 7 and 8 o'clock Hooker gave
through the down-pouring rain the order
to drive ia the enemy's pickets. The
battle began. .
The enemy we're not in great force. -
Our most numbers we're 5000. All
of these were exhausted with twelve
miles march through the most atrocious
mud roads--wi Ii ii twenty -four hours
rain from which they had no shell or
with want of food for which official
negligence cannot justly be imputed -
But they went to work with characteris-
tic Northern resolutcncss, and sent the
rebel pickets in flying. But reinforce
ments FROM Williamsburg began to come
in immediately-thc oldest and bcs;
troops in the Rebel army-most of them
of the Bull Run aud Manassas cxpcr-
fence. AT 9 the enemy grew thicker
and more aggressive. Hookcr's second
and third brigadcs went in, and were
soon followed by Emory's cavalry and
Benson's battery. The fight now be-
came furious. The grea' preponderance
of the Rebels, with their carefully Guilt
waited contempt Of the courage of
Northern men, impelled them upon our
regiments with audacity and the char
acteristic rage of their civilization. The
steadincss and pluck of the Nerthcrncrs
were what was expected of disciplined
American troops. Our musketry fire
was terrible. Rapid, in time, and with
deliberate aim at the breast. it moved
the enemy in great swaths. The oldest
Mexican war soldiers on the field noted
its rapid and solid character, and said
that they had never seen it cquallcd.-
i, however, began 10 exhaust the car
fridge boxes. Soon the equilibrium of
q the fight was lost, and the result, to
Ilcintxelman's experienced eye, when he
arrival on the field at l2a, wore doubt
full look. He instantly sent to Kearncy
for REORGANIZATION hurried an
orderly to General Sumner to rcpresen;
the instant necessity of his re- enforcing
him with more troops, or By diversion
to be made by an attack on his part on
the enemy's center. To Kearncy, in his
rear, full eight miles off, he sent s,aif
ofhcer after aft officer, to hurry him to
extraordinary efforts to come up. For
whole hour at time, be was left
en- rely alone on the field. His impa-
tience, like Napoleon's for tile head of
Gr0uchy's column at Wa crloo, was so
intense, that in five minutes after tho
return of his messengers, be repeatedly
sent them back with new cntreaties to
kcarney to move quickly, to save the
uncqal fight. They did not come, for
the lain utterly ruined the swamp road.
The danger grew, and began to culnina.e
at II O'Clock, when the enemy made a
determined charge with the bayonet on
Hookcr's left with i column of G,000