Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-06-14
Ths Ba,.I: q EaIE :EIlaEElsle sIaesh-

ter from the Artillerys
The following is part Of Q private LETT
ter from nember Of Battery a, Casey's
division, which is, perhaps, better known
as the Napoleon gun battery, which was
in the front line of the frst days battle
before Richmond;
BoTToM's BRIpGE, jane 1.
About II o'clock on Saturday, May 81,
the enemy sent a couple Of six pound balls
over into our camp, and Immediately com
menced the attack by driving in our pick
cts. Our division was quickly formed in
line Of battle. A strong force was sent to
support the pickets, and a ritled battoryof
four guns was ordered up to the right and
opened FIRE We were all ready for any.
thing that might come, but not for a mo
ment did we dream that we had on our
hands one Of the most fereely fought bat
ties that has taken place during the rebel
/ lion.
The pickets soon began to FIRE rapidly
and came running in; while the infantry
posted behind fence 10 support them
blazed away into the woods. The artillery
ON our right opened FIRE and mingled their
thunder with the sharp roll Of the musk
etry. Soon our Napoleon guns three Of
which were posted in an unfinished re-
doubt, and three on the left near rife pitt
opened with case shot, which went whizzing
| through the air, over the heads Of our own
men, right into the midst Of the enemy,
and their exploding scattered death
/ throughtheir ranks On the left, the reb-
/ els were seen couii1g through the woods TO
/ flank as, und wheeling three Of our guns
so rs 10 bear upon them, we poured case
| shot among them with unexRmpled rapidi-
I ty and terrible effect. -Eak
] The destruction was horrible. Our
/ spherical case shot are awful missiles, each
Of them consisting Of elotted mass Of
! seventy six-musket balls, with charge Of
/ powder in the centre, that is fired by
| fuse the same as shell. The missile first
acts as a solid shot, plOughing its way
/ through masses Of men, and then explOd-
/ ing hurls forward a shower Of musket balls,
that NOW down the foe in heaps. Our bat
| terry threw tWenty-fOnr of these a minute,
and as we had the exact range of every
part of the field, every shot told with fright
full effect But the enemy were not at all
daunted.
1 They marched steadily on, and hailed a
as well as our horses, were not every one
i shot down will forever remain a mystery
/ to me. We did not mind the leaden hail,
however, but kept pouring our case-shOt
/ into the dense masses Of the foe, who came
on in prodigious and overwhelming num-
bers. And they fought splendidly, toO.-
Il Our shot tore their ranks wide open, and
/ shattered them asunder in a manner that
was frightful to witness but they closed
up again at once, and came on steadily at
once and came on steadily as English vet
/ erans
When they get within four hundred
yards, we closed onr case shot and opened
on them with canister, and such destruc-
tion never elsewhere witnessed. AT
each discharge great gaps were made in
| their ranks-indeed whole companies went
down before that murderous fire; but they
! closed up with an order and discipline that
was awe-inspiring They seemed to be
animated with the courage Of despair
/ blended with the hope of a speedy victory
\ if they could by an overwhelming rush
4 drive Us fromEour position
/ It was awful to see their ranks torn and
shattered by every discharge Of canister
| that we poured right into their faces, and
| while their dead and dying lay In piles
close up and still kept advancing right in
the face of that FIRE. At one time three
lines, one behind another, were steadily
advancing, and three of their flags were
brought in range Of our guns shotted with
I canister.
gEireF shouted the gunner, and down
ed through those three fIne6 as II a tHun-
derbolt had torn through them, and the
dead lay in swaths. But tb at once
closed up and came steadily on, never halt
ing or waTeEng, right through the woods;
over the fence, through the field, right up
to our guns, and sweeping everything be-
fore them, captured every piece
When We delivered our last fire, they
were within fifteen or twenty PAGES of US,
and as all our horses had been killed or
wounded, We could not carry off gun
Our whole division was cut to pieces, with
what loss do not know. We fell back to
a second line Of intrenehments, and there
held the enemy in check till reinfOrcements
arrived, and then we kept cur position till
night put an end to the battle.