Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-06-20
IL tas FaitorscJ' the Enquirer:

As 1;ir Iwu rs well as the Yankee papers
have catireiy l!lissprrehendcd and exaggerated
our strength in The bsttle Of "Ssven Pines
! [ hars thought it proper to correct, in
sn official MANNER, tho common mistake.
The attack was begun On the Williams.
burg road abuul one o'clock P. NJ. on
Saturday, the 3lst Of May, by portion Of
Major General d. Fl. Hlps Division, less than
5000 strong. This forcs drove the Yankees
back to til :lr enlrenchmunts, mile and half
through the woods and swAmps, in many
places covered with water three feet deep,
drove them frnn their abs'lis and rifle pits,
esrthw otksi snd csmps, captured eight pieces
OF artillery several thousand stand OF arms aud
many prisoners. The latter were from Casey 8
snd Couch's Division, showing that portion
OF ona Division had routed two in their en-
,renched camp About + P. M, Gen. R. Fl.
Ande-son's Brigade, OF l.ougstreet's Division,
was sent to the support Of General Hill,
and was ordered oil the left IF the
road to clear the woods Of the Yankees. The
Palmetto Sharpshooters Of this Brigade, under
Colonel Jenkins, some 100 strong, chased
brigade alter brigade of tho Yankees, and ad-
7anced more thau mile beyond Hills Dv.
sion, killing aud capturing more than any
brigade engaged. General Anderson, in per-
son, had a bloody 6s,bt With the ensdly in the
woods on the left, and near the road, but
routed him with heavy loss. The woods on
the right OF the road in rear of ths y ankes
entrenchments were still full Of those crea-
turss. Rodes' Brigade (Hllls Division) was
pushed forward, and soon became hotly On
gagged, and sustained fearful loss Kempers
Brlgaie of Lopgstreets Division camo up
shant s P. NJ to Rodes' assistance, and by
night fall we had cleared the woods OF the en-
tire Yankee turce. Prisoners had how been
taken from all OF the torty"Gve regiments Of
kayes' Corps Surprising that the Yankee
regiments avcrs god GOO men each, (Which ls
200 less than tue estimate placed by The pri
sonersl tile enemy had 81 GOO men engaged oh
the Williamsburg road on Saturday. Our own
force did not exceed II, 600 after the accession
of the tw splendid bligades from Longstreets
Division Of the operations on our lett on the
New Bridge road and of tne forces there en-
caced, know nothing 1t was, however, un.
derstood that General G w. Smith was to
make demonstration, in cur favor. This, was
not done until We had captured the enemy :
aatrenchcd camp. 1t then relieved US from all
pressure on the left, and kept the enemy's at
teation distracted.
On Sunday the whole Of Longstreet's, Hu-
GERS and Hills Divisions were on the bsttle
field awaiting an attack. The enemy opened
fro about sunrise, but slackened his hre and
kept up but desultory skirmlsh during the
day. The desperate bayonet charges spoken
Of by the Yankees, were not seen by any Uon.
federate soldiers-none Of our troops were
hotly engaged at any time except Pletetts
Brigade. Three. fourths of our men did not
fire q shot. The day was spent in removing
the wounded OF bot6skrmios to Richmond, in
sending upwards of 5000 stand of arms to the
Ordnance Department and medical and com,
missary stores to their appropriate departments
The sight (s) pieces captured at the For,
and the two captured by Jenkins, were Sent to
the rear Saturday night
The Yankees returned to lhelr entrenched
position Monday afternoon, hours after We
had left it. They are the most sensational
creatures on the isce of the earth, and they
NAV have stormed the place (as they claim
they did, st the point of the bayonet, but
they were we'll aware before they made thor
furious charge, that the Confederates were
miles away.
The plain statement, which have given
YOU, can bo attested by thousands OF living
witnesses, aud it is TO be hoped that it will
correct the misapprehensions among our own
people.
On Saturday we beat more than double Our
numbers. On Sunday, threo Divisions. Or one
Corps were opposed to three fankoe Corps.
Keyes's, Summers and Heintzelmsns-an
found SO little difficulty in keeping them III
check, az to be able to remove the captured
arms and stores.
The Yankees acknowledge that Keyes was
thrashed, but claim victory upon the ground
that Sumner and Heintzelman ware not. They
omit the very important fact these Generals
did not fight, and, therefore, could not be
whipped. We waited for them with conslde>
,abia patience oil day Sunday, hoping that
their pride would prompt them to undertake
tho rocapture Of their works. Failing in ou'
expectations NO won't back to our former posi-
lion, for Tho simple reason that the enemy hao
,ntre1chmenla nearsr 10 Richmond than tht
Seven Pinos"
GEORGE WEST,
| Capt. and Ofd. Otticar,