The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-07-09

tindale's Brigade, and after this, III quick
succession, Butterfeld on the right and
Grihin's Brigade as . support Into the
woods went these soldiers, only (almost
as rapidly 20 fall beneath the deadly
hre Of the Rebel foe.
Already the dead aud wounded ON the
side Of the enemy was counted hY hum
dred8, Beneath. the steady fire of our
soldiers the Rebels disappeared like
wheat before the scythe Of the mower,
and friend aud foe fell headlong togeth-
er in bloody embrace, The soldiers of
McCalPs Pennsylvania Reserve Corps
were then called to the support of our
gallant troops on cur left. the ranks OF
whom were already sadly deoimated
and into the fight, with prolonged
cheer, they went; crack crack crack I
bang bang bangl rattle rattle rattle
went The moskeis, aud hardly,a second
had elspsed before the forms Of dozen
or more Of these noble patriots of the
old Keystone were brought out into the
open field, somo Of them only 10 close
their eyes in death, and others TO go
crippled the remainder Of their days.
Thus regiment after regiment Of this
same division went into the fight, and
bravely contested the ground, until tIiey
could no longer hold out against the su-
perior opposing force Of the enemy. Then
came the troops OF Slocum's Division,
aud tnese being thrown into the woods,
the fight was again renewed with in-
creased ardor.
All this time fighting Of a terrible
character had been progressing on the
right and left wings, IS we have already
stated, a portion of McCalls troops, to-
gethor with those of Morrell, were en-
gagged; while on the right the regular in
fantry, under command Of General Sykes
lin whose Numbers were also included
the Fifth New York Regiment), together
with General Cooks Cavalry, sustained
some severe fighting. AT both Of these
points the loss on either side was very
heavy, the fighting on the left being car
ried on in an open plain, and the expo
sure of troops, on either side, being
necessarily very great.
Two hours had now elapsed since we
first entered the field, and yet the dis
charge of niusketry,was as rapid and in
tense as when il first commenced. Up TO
the hour of four o'clock our loss, in COM
paris0n with subsequent results, had
been comparatively small, but between
this hour and five o'clock our ranks were
speedily decimated. Up TO the hour
when reinforcements arrived, not over
twenty-five thousand troops had been
engaged on our side, while the Rebel
force was estimated at from seventy -fVe
% eighty thousand men. Brigade after
| brigade WAS thrown into the fght by
them, the opposing column, in many in-
stances, being seven or eight lines
deep.
II soon became apparent that the Rebels
were being strongly reinforced from
Richmond, and that the main body oI
their army had been thrown upon oui
right wing. Notwithstanding this fact
our troops stood their ground manfully
never ainching the Gre of the mpsketrJ
on all sides, though possessed Of Che
knowledge that to stand before the fos
was instant death
Thus the battle waged until the sur
was nigh setting in the western horizon
Upon the battlefield lay great piles o
dead mems bodies, while now and ther
the movement Of hand or leg Of som,
struggling being beneath told that lft
was not yet extinct and that death anS
life were there waging fierce combat.
/ The musketry still reyerberRtet
through the valley, and the lively fire o
Napoeons' and "Parrotts' could'nOt o
themselves drown the sharp report oil
the Minnie weapon. Our hospitals in th'
vicinity were filed with wounded ant
dying. soldiers, and the roads leadiul
10 them were crowded by manned sol
diers, in guest of medical aid. As ye
we had held our ground, although agains
far superior Rebel force, but now tber
was a wayering on the left column, an,
soon hundreds Of soldiers fell back In tb
direction where we stood, only 10 be FOL
lowed by numbers Of their comrades
who tired, exhausted and bleeding
sought refuge in the country behind.
So soon as IL was perceived that th
Rebels were endeayoring 20 turn our lel
flank, the guns OF Porter's Division i'm
mediately opeued a terrific fire, hefor
which the advancing Zoe fell by the hun
dreds. Nothing daunted, however, AM
yelling like demons, onward they pres
up 20 the cannon's mouth, until the can
noniers, terror stricken, desert their pos
and cutting the traces Of their horse
some Of them mount the beasts and rid
to the rear. Then the alarm become
general, and thousands Of our brave bu
oyerpoWered soldiers fall back TO thei
second line Of deieuces at Adams hous'
just then, az Meagher's and French
Brgades were advancing up the hill I
repel the advance of the Rebel foe, wit
colors flying, and shouts Of triumph ring
ing out upon the air, 8 sharp blow up0
the knee caused ne TO turn In our saddle
Blower, did You get that ball p aske
our friend Deming, who rode At our sid
"Eyen 50" we answered, wincing wit
pain.
"Let us retire in order" was the re
spouse; and we retired.
itcmarks.
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