Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1862-06-26


8 was signal to his men to quit pos
e ton which they could not hold. b
yond him, in the wood which fanks
4 the whole of Casey's last position. vi
e the admirable Berry with as admir-
? bic troops as ever breasted DEATH
! How one of bis regiments, Poe's 3
Michigan, was handled have told.-
> Another killed from 60 to 10 with II
{ bsyonst. Before the three regiment
lay 500 rebel dead at the conclusion {
+ the 6ght.
Not q mounted officer lived for
moment within range Of their rifles
Every one was killed. Yet they wer
not shooting at inanimate targets, no
playing with firearms. twenty-five
of Berry's shsrp-shooters, experiences
woodsmen, were killed or wounded
The terrible punishment he gave tn
rebels. however, on the very ground o
their first and greatest success, unnery
ed their fight way to the rear, wher'
Gen. Heintzelman was restoring thu
battle with his gathered fragments o
the broken regiments. Their fire slack
ened here, then died away. and the
echoes of Couch's fierce fight beyond
the railroad mile off. took its place
This good soldier had been sent to save
Casey by a flank movement. With
Neil, and Rippy's 93d Pennsylvania,
and the 6Ist Pennsylvania, and Coch'
rane's Cbasseurs, be penetrated the
woods to do the work that it would
have taken, at least, three brigades to
do. The 7th and 62d New York were
afterward sent in to support him.
Neil and Rippy. left in position to
check any movement on the flank be-
tween them and the railroad, were over
powered by the torrents of troops that
l have described as coming oyer from
the left. and forming in long and heavy
columns across the roadway above
Casey's old ground. Couch was cut
of, and in peril Of total destruction or
capture. But be has had his own fight
forced right on him. Sumner at this
instant came up, and by virtue Of his
rank took command. Pagan was there
with a section of Brady's battery,
which he handled to the admiration Of
everybody-and Taylor with battery
of Napoleon twelve-pounders. The
brunt of the battle here was borne by
Cochrane's Chssseurs. the New York
3lst, and Sully's Minnesota, and the
artillerymen of these pieces. 1t was
obstinate and bloody in the extreme
The rebel dead strewed the woods,
and where they sustained our fire in
line, their corpses were piled in line
The fight being not utterly unequal
here, they were positively whipped,
and the great attack on our right was
rolled back at the same moment that it
was discouraged on our center. Ma
gruder commanded opposite to Couch,
as Longstreet commanded opposite to
Heintzelman.
The sun went down upon the enemy
in full possession of our camps, for q
mile back of the position. Two days
passed before the gallant Hooker with
his Sickles brigade and the New Jer-
sey troops, had recovered this lost
ground and pushed the enemy with
the bayonet two miles away from the
bloody field. During all this time the
rebels were busy removing to Rich
mond their wounded, and in burYing
their dead upon the ground where they
fell. Yet so numerous were theiH
dead, and so many we're their wound
ed, that on the morning Of the thir,
day they were thick on every scene d
the sharp contest. cuinbering the wa
and Tightening my horse. My rid
was one of anxious duty, and WIS
compelled to visit every corpse, and |
every moaning form in the open fu6,
in the brush and in the timber, that ]
could possibly see from the saddl. -
The evidence of the rebel loss was
amazing to me on this third day liter
they were in possession of the gbund
where their killed and wounded ly.-l
From every one of our regim.us en-
gagged the reports are concurren ths
our Springfield muskets and or ac-
curate fire killed multitudes Of theene-
my.
Our loss is heavy-too Leavy@dt
that of the enemy greatly exceeds L.-i
/ fear that the official reports ofour
killed. wounded and missing will make a
dread total Of over 5000. The loss OF
the enemy is so vast as to smite them
with discouragement. They had been
made confident of beating us. JED.
Davis addressed the troops that .wsre
selected for this battle before they hft
Richmond, and promised them Sc
wards such as American soldiers I'D
never received" II they proved suce's-
full. He told them that viciry
would establish the independence othe
South and end the war. ,....,H i
Upon what small causes hinge feat
military results. Heintzelman onFri-
day telegraphed to Mcclellan thl he
did not consider Casey's position safe
one, and asked to be permitted toiove
up Kearney's division. He was I'd to
act upon bis own Judgment, s,dBer-
ry's troops were ordered forvsd EIth-
in reach. on the very short CT abw-
ed us, when the front was scsuddenly |
overwhelmed. Their proxirty ased
us.1c' Tagao' sasy OIL a;oyf'si.7s5 Il