Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1862-06-10
THE ATTACK on GEN. CAsEY,s P0.
SlTION.
The Desperate Nature Of the
Fighting.
Correspondence Of the n. =. Times.

Sunday, A. NJ, June l, 1862.
A battle before Richmond has at last put |
to the test the rebel boast as to what they |
would DO with Gen. McClellan's army when
they should get it beyond the protection of |
the gunboais. Though the advantage of
sudden movement, against the weakest
point in our lines, gave the enemy a tenn
porary success. the final result has rot been
such as to afford encouragement to their
dishearEened and demUralized troops, or
occasion any fears rs to our ultimate pos
session of the rebel capital.
The attack commenced shortly before !
O'Clock on Saturday, on the left wing OF the
army, on the further or south side of the
Cbickahominy, where the advance position
was held by the division Of Gen. Casey.
much the weakest in the army, com posed
almost entirely Of rdw regiments and reduced
by disease to an eBectire force of some 6. 900
men.
THE ATTACK on SATURDAY.
Shortly after noon the grand attack com
menced. Gen. Casey's piekets been driven
in ell along the front, after spirited re-
sistance, the rebels advancing in force
along three roads-the Williamsburg road
to our left. the railroad 10 the centre, and
the mine Mile Road" as it is called, on
the right. With his feeble division greatly
weakened by extensio a, Gen. Casey had no
backbone to oppose to this sudden attack.
But no thought of yielding his ground en-
tered the mind of the old soldier, SCARED
with the wounds Of Mexico and disciplined
to danger by hundred fights. His troops
were Immediately formed into position, the
three brigades maintaining their relative
positions on the right, left, and centre. and
us thorough preparations were made for
resisting the attack as its suddenness would
admit Of. Regan's New York battery was
stationed just to the right Of the Williams
burg road, Bates battery of Napoleon
guns further to the left across the road, and
Fitch's battery three or four hundred yards
to the rear, the last sending its shell over
| the heads Of our troops at the enemy be-
| yond. The fourth battery was near the
railroad, further to the right.
| The vigor with which the enemy pressed
| forward to the attack indicated the conf
| dence of superior strength. A battalion
of two regiments pressed against Gen. Ma
| glee on the right, another fell on Gen.
! Wassell at the ceotTe, and third on Gen.
Palmer to the left, pouring in at once a fire
hot and heavy, ard advancing with great
resolution IN face of the steady FIRE Of can-
mister and grape from the guns in front.
and shell from those further to the rear,
moving down their ranks in all directions.
The rebels had but little artillery, and were
evidently disposed to make good the def
| cheney by pressing to close quarters with
their superior force, to bear down at once
| by weight Of numbers the feeble skeleton
regiments of three or four hundred men
who composed the advance diyision.
Most of Gen. Casey's troops were thrown
| forward to the edge Of the woods 10 front
! of his position to meet the advance of the
rebels, few regiments being left behind
the partially completed rife pits, short
lance 10 the rear. Thus a division. nearly
new to warfare, was suddenly EXPOSED, in
an open field, to the heaviest of FIRE from
an enemy covered to CONSIDERABLE extent
| by the woods through which they were ad
vancing. Terribly the tempest ragged, the
! air almost growing thick with musket
balls officer after officer fell; or was bnrne
from the field wounded mar: the men
dropped by scores, and the usual number
! of weak juinted ones were falling to tie
rear. But in spite Of the RAPID thinning
of their ranks, the regiments generally
! held their ground until the enemy succeed.
| ed in dashing around on the left flank, and
poured in an enfilading fire from that di-
rection, against which the rife pits we're
no protection. The sixty rounds of ammu
milton with which thoy entered the fight
were nearly exhausted, and no more was
! at hand.
| ARRIVAL OF REINFoRCEMENTS.
Meantime one Of Gen. COUGHS brigades
| commanded by Gen. Abercrombie. was or
| deret up to the support # Gen Naglee on
| the right, Gen. Devens. Of the same divi-
sion, sustaining Gen. Wasseil IN the cen
| ire, and Gen. Pock, with the remaining
| brigade, supporting Ger. Palmer, on the
left. When Gen. Casey's troops were
| forced 10 give way, tie rebels fell on these
brigades Of COUGHS division, who disputed
every inch of ground, until sustained by
Gen. kearney, pressing up the Williams
burg road with reibforcements to meet
them, supported by the division of Gen.
| Hooker in his rear. Pressing rapidly for
ward Gen. Kearney advanced along the
| Williamsburg road to within a SHIRT dis.
lance of our original position, where he
| bivouacked for the night in front of the on
| envy.
1t was along this Williamsburg road that
the main attack was made, and here our
! troops were forced back for half mile or
more, before the arrival of Gen. Hein:zle,
MACS corps, the feeble brigaoes of Caseys
division, averaging less than 9, 900 men be.
| ing completely broken up; many if not
must of the Ofhcers killed, wounded, or
missing, aud the privates scattered thro'
the woods and along the road Bravely
and well die Gen. Casey do his duty, press
ing on 10 the extrome frunt and cheering
on his men, regardless of the storm of fire
and hail that ragged about him, cutting
I down his officers on all sides, but stran ge!y
escaping his own person. Bravcly and
well did moot of his Ulcers stand by him,
until, one after another they were borne
from the field dead OF wounded.
THE LOSS OF ARTILLERY.
Col. Bailey, Chief Of Artillery, was sbo,
early IN the afternoon, the ball striking
him in the head and causing his death after
a short period Of insensibility. Mai. Van
Naultenberg, the second in command Of the
First New York Artillery, was killed, Adjt.
Wm. Ramsay wounded, while every bat
terry but one lost its quota of men. and
many of them lost nearly all their horses
Bates Battery of Nanoleon guns 2-pound
brass pieces-whic5 was to the front, thus
deprived OF locomotion and stuck fast in
the mud, was left behind in the retirement
of our troops, but not until Gen. Naglee
he'd taken it upon himself to see that sew
eral of the pieces were spiked. In addition
to this. ono inch PARROT gun Of Battery
ii was disabled by shot, and fell into the
hands OF the enemy. The Pennsylvania
Reserve Battery, of Couch's division, also
lost one ct their guns-Ihese eight pieces
OF ordnance contributing our entire loss, so
far as could learn. We can better aenrd
to spare the pieces than we can afford to
have toe rebels profit by their gain. They
show every indication of being much in
want of artillery, and the need is evident.
| ly stimulating their eff ,rts ,o ,,roe. -, A.