Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-07-03
Gge gntelligenter,
Great Battle Near Richmond.
REBELS REFUSED.

battle lasted three days, and the whole
affair is claimed as a great strategic
movement on the part of Mcclellan,
into which the enemy were inviting
~ drawn, and which will soon result
in the capture of Richmond and the
entire rebel army.
On the first day Thursday, June
26th, the only forces engaged were
McCalPs Division-the battle lasting
from 2 till Q P. NJ. Mcclellan was on
the field and declared himself satisfied
with the result.
On Friday the attack was renewed.
A correspondent says Twice all
along the front, did the rebels attack
our lines, our rifle pits and redoubts.
Porter, with fifty cannon, and Sum-
ner's, Rockers and Ayers guns, now
cd the rebels with death harvest"
Count Departs captured rebel
Major who belonged to Jackson's
army, who said he had been in the
valley of the Shenandoah all winter,
and came there Wednesday with a part
of Jackson's army. The rest of it ar
rived next morning, and the whole of
it is now there. He said that in the
attack on our right the rebels had
from 10000 to $4,000 troops. This
will explain the enormus fire under
which our men were borne down and
swept away, precisely as some of the
regiments were swept away at the
Seven Pines.
Thursday the Pennsylvania reserve
drove the attacking regiments of
Jackson's command. Friday they
were overpowered by the same troops.
They were reinforced by Sykes regu-
lars, who were called up, but proved
unequal to the task of stopping them,
and Slocum's command had to be
added to them.
The Count Departs testifes to the
remarkable good conduct Of all the
regiments that sustained this unequal
attack. On Porter's line the men
gave way, indeed, but not one of them
ran. Their losses are enormous.
The 18th regular Infantry is about
annihilated. Nearly every officer in
il is killed or wounded. The l4th
also suffered severely. Maj. Russell
( Of the regulars, kinsman of General
Mcclellan, is killed. Col. Pratt of a
New York regiment is also killed, and
Lieut.. Coils Black and Lwcitzer.
Our loss in officers is very marked
indeed. The disproportion in numbers
was SO extraordinary, and the obsti-
macy Of our troops so unyieIdng, that
our losses were inevitably large The
artillery in both PoIter's and Smiths
division piled the rebels in heaps.
The fire was terribly effective.
The N. Y. Herald correspondent
says that in order to have the whole |
Of McClcllan's force within more Of.
fective distance, also to allow the
rebels to follow up, and if possible to
bag them, Mcclellan ordered Porter
Ito withdraw to two miles this side of
Garret's Mills, early on Friday MORN
ing, which was done the enemy fol-
lowing up, thinking they had gained
p victory over our troops, who slowly |
moved back in order, fighting as they
vent, crossing the Chckahominy, and |
teaching the position designated for
heir occupation. The rebels followed |
s. n great force, and by 2 o'clock p. NJ
there was a genera, and heavy en-
gagement, lasting till o'clock, when
"a lnll took place, but the rebels again
renewed the fight with greater teroc-
ity, having been reinforced.
Our men stood the unequal contest
Z like heroes, and did fearful execution
Our forces were increased by Gene
raj Slocum's, Palmer's, FrenclI's and
Meagher's brigadcs, and tho rebels
! were badly beaten. When the enemy
had almost reached the main hospital
half q mile from the river, General
Meagher's lrishmen came over the
hill, stripped to the bare arms, and
I; were ordered to ego in.' They gave
yell and went to work. The result
was that the enemy fell back to the
woods. The ground which General
Mcclellan ordered Gen. Porter to &C.
cupy and hold, was occupied and held
in the first part Of the day by General
Portcr's corps alone, but subsequent
ly Inducements swelled the number
to $4,000. The rebels also had &C, 900
men under Generals Lee, Hall, Ander.
son, aud Burch.
A rebel mail captured states that
Bcauregard had arrived at Richmond
with the main body of his army, and
that $4,000 men had been seut to
reinforce Jackson, and the latter
would at once attack the right flank
of our army, while Lee would make
desperate attack in front.
1t is said that the advance guard of
Jackson drove in our pickets five
miles from the White House A Union
regiment aud all the sick, able to bear
arms, were at once ordered out, and
the White House was evacuated.
Word was sent to Cascy's division,
and all the trees on the Pamunkey
river were cut down to give play to