Newbern weekly progress., 1862-05-17

~ oid mol ~ hrft seem serious, this IRE va,
exehanged intsnnitsntly for rood Will.
Sons light batteries became euKsgsd 10 IL and
drove the enemy pretty hard, until unluskily
they got nnasr hre Of the snsmy's kssvi,,
guns, uhsn they, Of course, got the wortt OF il.
bramhslrsI New York -hastss5, in particular,
had gotten into . scrtps, and tsry hlrd. fixhI
took place in the sudsavor 10 save H. All III,
hsrses were sither killed or wouhdsd, tbs gun,
we're mirsd, and, though our enemy fought
well and bard, the enemy poured his iniantry
Out iaTishly at the right time and in ths right
Plscs, and finally carried away the guns, with
a mosttsrribls chorus of yslps and cheers.
-nMas lear noon, and the enemy encoursgad
was disposed to push harder. Two division,
Of the Fourth corps we're now on the lield, and
Pecks brigade, Of Coueh's division, with two
regiments Of Dsyens brigade - the Seventh
massachusetts,, Col Russell, aud the Second
Rhode Island, Col. Frank Wheaton-in all
ABOUT six thousand men, were pushed in 10
the right Of Hooker, and stopped the ensmyE
advance.
Smiths division was formed on the right
'front.' Of enr line Of battle, and sone portion OF
its artillery bothered the enemy At long range.
while lis three brigadss Of infantry were held
i hand ready to participate when called upon,
They were called upon soon. General Han
cocks brigade, with Wh,slsr's New York bat
tery ,t~ss accordingly sent out by side road.
After wide circuit, which opened IN full view
Of the York river, the head Of the column found
an unmistskabls evidence that the enemy had
expected an advance by this way. To the left
oi the line of march there Was wide, full dam,
and there for some distance the road had form
srly run close by the water side; but the dam
had now been so raised that the road was food.
| Cd aud impaSsabls for a considerable distance.
No tine was To be lost, and 4 party at once got
to work to cut new road through The woods
over steep hill All tsiled on brayely aud
with will, and finally cam0 otit to wide open
fslt, in full yisw OF three redoubts of conIid.
cradle size, hut not pierced for cannon. No
sooner was our fire opened upon the nearest
than the rebels burst out of it in complete
stampede, and made good time in safe dlrsc.
ton SO they did also from the second and
third, which stood in line with one another
acrdSs the plain upon which our columns ad
wanted. At this time, about two P. NJ, Gen.
Hancock sent back word to the division com
mander, General Smith, that he had a fail
chance to 60 on, and that If well supported Ii,
could certainly carry Fort Nagruder.
No force was sent, and he as compelled tc
ramalni in the position he had taken near tht
! first rsdoubt Doubtless the enemy supposed
this to be the reant Of timidity. Tbsyln turr
determined to advance. Out Of this move
ment Of theirs grew what proved to be th
| fight Of tbe,dGy-7s fight that vas itself a har,
fought and beautiful battle; battle in whiel
each side must have learned to respect th
coungs Of ths other, and which sheds gor,
upoa every man engaged in it.
Gen. Hancosk's position was in an open plail
Of about two miles in length from north t,
south; and about mile in width. He had en-
tered il at the northerly end, and at tho othe
stands Fort Magruder. About mile ami
half above Port Magruder, and half,s mile ava
from the line Of woods that bounds ths piail
on the lslt are farmhouse and two barns-
A fsnse stretches from this farmhouse to th
woods Between the farmhouse and Fjrt Ma
1 grudsr are two redoubis, and three hundre
yards above the farmhouse is the first redoubt
Around this farmhouse General Hancock
men were posted. Wh,eieris battery wus d
position BY the corner Of the farm torArds IN
plain, and commanded tho whole fisld below il
Undg cover Of the wood, and directly thrc
il, the enemy advanced from the ne ghborhoo
Of Fort Aagrudsr doubtless tempted, as '
said, by the halt OF battery Of beautiful fel
pieces. From tho sharp fire Of the skirmiSher
in the woods on our right came the first mt
nation OF a moIcnsnt in that direction, All
this put all on the alert BY the field pieces
the great central point Of interest, every ma
was in his place Down the lines, too, OF tll
infantry regiments all was steady, and th
jaded nen, who had bivouacked the night b,
fore in mud and RAIN, and were drabblcd frol
head to foot with the one and wet 10 the ski
with the other, stood up in their places liz
heroes.
Still the FIRE grew hotter in the woods, an
in few miauteI, at point fully half a mi
away from the battery the enomy's men b
gln to ale out Of the cover and form in y
open n,ld. Wheeler opened his guns on Ii
instant and the Iwsth Of dad that subs
quently marked the course of the brIgsl
across the open field began at that spot.
Sui the enemy fofm,d across the opsniu
!, with rppidity and precision, and "a coolly |
il the ere bad been directed elsewhere, ar
then came on at the doubls quick step,
three distinct lines, firing as they came. Ma
ullly their ere could do US, under the sirsuI
stances, but little harm, and thus We had tho
at fair advantage, and every nerve WI
strained to make the most Of il. Still they can
, on. They we're dangerously near. Alrssd
the strmishsrs TO the left had fallen back
: their lins, and the skirtnishsrs 10 the rig
had taken cover behind the rail fence that RI
from the house to the woods; but from then
, thoy blaz,d lwty earnestly a. ever. In 4 ID
I, msnt more the CONS emerge from the safe siI
= !, Of the smoke cloud, aud away they 20 aero
' the 6cld to point near the upper redoubt.,
! There sgain they are unlimbersd, and iEa
: they PLAY away. Farther back also go d
! skirmishsrs. And nov for a few nsmsn;s 4
resels had the partial cover Of the farm Al
. outbuildiugs; but they nv that they had
: thar work TO do over, and 90 they came
again. They uoVe rapidly there, hsWsvsr,
= = another dangerous line OF infantry; they q
:, near to US but We also are lssr 10 them.
!, Scarcely hundred yards were between the
y and the guns VIXEN our skiunish 6r. beest
! silent; the linu OF the Fifth Wisconsin asd I
:, forty.third New York formed up in close ord
> to the right Of the battery, the long range
mustet barrels came 10 one level, AGd one Il
rible yolley tore through the rebel line. "
= moment more the nmo long ranEs Of musk,
y came 10 another lsy,l-ths order 10 char
. With tn, b,yOHei was gives, and away ",
> the Two regiments with one glad cheer. q
= liant 80 our ioes undoubtedly we're, III
= couldn't meet that But fcu brEsd.s IN,
Iionsd 10 history have dsne better than d
. brigade did. For aspice which Was gensr
estimated At three quarters Of = mile III
" had advanced under the Are Of a spleudi,
, |, served battery, and with = cloud Of skirmi
~ \, srs stTstchtd .sross their 'front.' whose Gre '
" very destructive; and i, aflsr that, they
. not the nerve TO msot limo Of biyonetI d
I. same towards them like tho spirit Of des,r