Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-07-01
TW0DAYs DESPERATeF FIGHT
ING BEFORE RICHMOND,
Severe Engagement Near Han.
over Court House.
FULL Is.GHTxCULARS S
Capture Of a Train of EichtS
Wagons of Army Stores
By the isebels.
GEN. FREM1NE BUSINESSES HIS
STAFF AND LEAVES CAMP.
From New York.

From New York.
New 1oeg. June 80.
The Tribune has issued an extra, dated battle
held, giving an account of two days desperate
fighting.
company of Bucktails was surrounded and
captured in the retreat Of our right wing.
Over $4,000 men were engaged.
:, All civilians are ordered away from the White
House.
A severe and most determined battle was fought
on the right wing. oa Thur day and rday, VII lch
is ciaimed, by s1me Of officers, as successful
strategettc movement, into which the enemy b ad
dnWittngly been drawn. and which will soon re-
suit in the captlre OF Richmoad aud the entire
rebel army.
The attack was made by tho enemy in immense
force, who crossed the Chickahominy near the
railroad a Joye Mechanicsville, Thursday afternoon
They fought desperately but were unable to drive
our men single rod, though the enemy were ten
to one.
The only forces engaged tn at Cay was McCaiis
division, the battle lasting from o'clock till 8
o'clock +. NJ, when the division was ordered
back.
Con. Mcclellan was IN the field, expressing
himself satisfied with the result.
n Thursday about aoon, the enemy made an at
tack upon Gen. Ston .man's fcrccs IN the vicinity
Of Hanover, q. f., ooaby Tor the purpose Of ac-
conlpiishing an out-aankins movement on the
right, and to engage our attention in tina. drec-
oroas cannonading from their works on an eml-
nence opposite Mechanicsyi!Ic, sb Ut orc ard
bali mile distant, also from two batteries, one
above a.ld the other below they we're replied to
by CampbeiFs Penasy lvana batteries on picket
day, oaa on the Mechauicsyille road and another
from bchild earLhworks at the right Of q grove.
About ?. a., The enemy's infantry and squat
ror OF cavalry crossed the Chiehaitom,ny III i'm
mcnse force, . short distance above the Virginia
Central Railroad, making rapid advance toward
Gen. McCaii $ div sion, who were intlenched or
hiily woodland across swamp rAyins, about q
mile ia the rear CT necA2ncsvlie. Tho lsJ Penn.
sylvaLia, Huektai!s and Campbcll's lennsy lvania
batteries were picket daty, all OF whom excep,
one company fell back behind tao breastworks
and rife pits, where o line Of battle was drawn
up. Cook, OF the Buckia.ls, VINO were on pick /
beyond tho Railroad, were surrounded by the enc
my, and the last that was known Of them they
were trying to cut their way through. 1t is pre-
sumed the greater portion were taken prisoners.
The enemy advanced down at the rear Of Me-
chanicsviio, on o low maEshy ground, to where
our forces were drawn up behind rifle pits and
ear works on az eminence on the northern side
Of the ravine, when the conflict became most tor
rible. rho rebels, With the most determined cour-
age, attempted to press forward over Mry ground.
but tho bullets and grape shot fell amosg them
like hail, moving them down. This continued
till dark, whcu they withdrew. The cannonading
Was kept up on both sides until about o'clock p.
NJ, when the battle ceased. Our forces were COW
cred by earthworks and suffered but slightly.
Late IN the ?. NJ, the enemy made charge
with cavalry. About leo of them calDo rushin,
down aud attempted to cross the ravine, when the
horses became mixed. squadron of our cavalry
seeing their position, made charge down the
hill, when the cavalry men abandoned their horses
and fled. The infantry fight was then renewed.
and, according to the statement OF my nt0rmaD., ;,
Surgeon Humphrey, OF the Pennsylvania Buck
tails regiment, continued uLtii about A. NJ, VIII en-
IA
OF the Pennsylvania boys, who be- ged to be al
loved to hold their tion. The outer forces
then began 10 fall back. Porter's corps were some
distance below DR.. Gaines residence.
Of the next days battles the correspondent
says: The cannonadlng and musketry was terrific.
Duryea's gallant Zouaves were lying upon the
ground fer two hours, while our batteries were
sheliag tho woods over them Finally, towards
night, the enemy attempted TO break the centre
| limo in front Of DURYEA'S Zouaves; the mu.ketry
firing became terrific, lasting 20 or 80 minutes
shortly afteTward an attempt was made to break
through the right, which was repulsed. an hall
an hour later another attempt was on the lett,
| with the same result. The battle had then been
raging for some hours, without any apparent
change or advantage ON either side; reinforce.
ments on artillery and iafa ntry then came stead
| iy along the hridgo to the field oi battle The
enemy then seemed to make their last desperate
| determined effort, and came forcing our men back
| into the low ground between tue hill and tho
br,dgo where they could have been slaugh tered
I by tens of thousands before they could have
| crossed that lorg, narrow bridge-wagon artil
| lery, ambulapces and men were hurrylng toward
the bridge, and paaic was almost inevitable,
when strong guard was placed across the bridge.
| At the time wten the enemy had almost reached
| the main hospital, hall mile from the river
Thos. Francis Meaghers lrishmen came over the
hill stripped to the bare and were ordered to
| go In. They gave yell and went to work, and
the result was that tho enemy fell back to the
woods, and thus matters stood up to II O'Clock
yesterday, sunday morning. AT dark an attack
| was made along the front of the entire line, and
was renewed at A. H., in front OF Gems Hooker
kearney and Sumner, without material result.
Another CORRESPONDENT says of Fridays battle
Twice, all along the front, did the rebels attack
lines, our rifle pits and redoubts Porter, with
| 50 cannon, ard Summers. Hooker's and Ayres
guns .newed them with death harvest. Their
| loss in killed and wounded was horrible.
| Under date Of Friday. at midnight. the same
correspondent says 10 guns "ere taken from us by
a sudden flank attack, covered by the thick smoke
which hung around.
| Count de Paris captured a rebel Ma jor, who
| belonged to Jacksons army. he said he had been
| in tho valley of tho Shenandoah all winter. and
came here yesterday with part o. JACK sons army
| The rest Of it arrived this morning. The whole
Of it was here. He said that in the attack on oul
right the rebels had from go 600 to $4,000 troops
| This will explain the enormous FIRE under VIII ch
our men we're borne down and swept away, pre-
| cisely as some of the reg iments were swept away
| at the Seven Pines.
| Yesterday the Pennsylvania reserve drove ths
attacking regiments Of JGckson's command. To
day they were overpowered by the same troops,re
| inforced.
Sykes Regulars were called up, but proved nm
| equal to the task Of stopping them, and Slocum'
command had to be headed to them.
The Count de Paris testifes to he remarkable
good conduct Of Ill the regiments that sustsinet
| this unequal attack on Porter. They gave way
| indeed. but not one Of them ran. Their losses
| are enornous. The Regulars, ltth Infanty, il
about annihilated, nearly every officer in IL beint
killed or wounded. The 14th also suffer ed SO
| verely.
Major Rosette, of the Regulars, kinsman 0
Gen. Mcclellan, IL killed. Col. Pratt, Of : Nev
YoekroSimsnt, vas also killed, and Lieut.. Coils
| Black and Sweiszer.
i Our loss IN officers is very marked, indeed. TIT
i disproportion in numbers Was extraordinary, ant
the obstina y Of our troops TO unyielding that on
| losses were inevitably large.
The artillery in both POrteps and SMITHS d
Il visions piled the rebels in heaps. The hrs va
terribly effective.
Il The New Y ork Herald report dated the 28tl
i states that our killed, wounded and missing Of
that day reached 1920.
The ohieot Of the movement Was - bring PoE
jtsEs I'd o1bsr divisisas into closer ssoasstis'