, 1862-05-02
Ttt Grih1&t1te.



FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1862.
the SEIeE OF YORKTOWN.
Artillery and Rife Due1s.
sKiRAltH OF MASSACHUSETTS BOYS,
Correspondence dated 2ith) N, Z. Tribune,1
The shorpshooters received d compliment
last Sunday, when Generals Reyes and Smith
applied to Gen. Hefntzelman to borrow $50 Of
them, just to pick off the gamers of the Reb-
e batteries on the extreme left. By II O'Clock
they had killed nine men, " "conuting the
gToans." The men are now relieved from
nlght-duty, returning to camp at sunset. I
hear that Col. Berdan has applied for the for
Wa1ding OF his regiment, At present with Gen.
Mcdowell, and for the Minnesota Company
with Halleck When general engagement
occurs, We cannot lave too many sharpshoot-
CTS.
They say the rebels fire pretty well, using
generally Mississippi rifles, but some have tar
get ones and repeaters. One person Of the
I'd has become prominent. He is fine-look-
ing bearded man, not in uniform, and be walks
leisure}y from point to point within the rebel
cLtre ncbments, or along the woods skirting
them, accompanied by negro, who dutifaf.
u carries his rifle, weapon OF at least forty
pounds weight H9 Is never IL hurry, and
fallen By his hand. They suppose him to be q
civilian. secesh version Of the newspaper
story Of "Garibaldi's Englishmau,'' and baye
banded together to make sure Of him. Still,
up to The present date, lie is alive and shooting.
Some one said that the rebel fortiacations
between the James and York rivers were SO
extensive fHff m han
ted By the rebel soldiers, and that consequent
II they could not have had the time for militia
r. exercise enjoyed by tie Union Army Of the
Potomuc. I hare found cut differently. Il
was the sweat, and the muscle, and the blood
Of tue black man that reared these breast
works. An aged negress informed me that
hundreds on hundreds" Of slaves had for
months been goaded on like SO many mules in
this service She said tall de free cord men,
were pressed In and compelled to give their
time to the work The free men were pro-
missed pay, but she said they never expected
OF the operations In front you are daily aJ-
yi5ed by, telegraph; but then there are many
points which can only be known to those en-
gagged, and some things never will be known,
save as some father, or mother, OF wife, or
children hear the news in d private letter
mere = q mine OF hidden news, an und ercur-
rent Of items connected with such great ope-
nations, that will hardly ever be known sage
to those directly participating. If man il
killed in New York, each morning paper will
give its own version of the affair, aud all the
accounts will differ materially from each 9TH
er. But many man will here die for lis
country, and no record be made In the dark
ness OF the night or In the brightness Of noon-
day the bullet may come. The rebel pickets
are absolutely murdcrers. They lie in wait
behind trees, and If Union picket makes his
appearance, they send their deadly missiles at
him. # an arm il. broken, OF 3 leg, OF il death
Is caused outright, there is an end Of it, stHe
was shot by q pickett"
MASSACHUSETTS TROOPS IN s61RH1sH,
Correspondence dated 25th) N. 7 Herald.7
Five companies of Massachusetts, troops
participated in splendid little actioa which
took T1ace this morning. One company made
= brilliant charge upon rebel redoubt, drove
the rebels away, killed quite number, and
hemmed in fourteen, who we're taken priso-
ners. The redoubt is situated in front Of a
piece Of woods, and faces an open corntield to
the right Of the Yorktown road. It was deter
mined last evening to reduce the work and as
certain what Notifications were behind, beyond
the woods. Early this morning three compa-
uleE Of the First Massachusetts, regiment, nm
der Lieutenant Colonel Wells, and two compa-
panjes Of the Eleventh, under Major Trlpp,
left camp and arrived on the ground Just
about daylight. Company A, Captain Wild,
the field to prevent 4 flank movement Of the
enemy. Company I, Captain Rand, was held
in reserve towards the right near small ra-
vine, while Company Il, under Capt. Carruth,
advanced at double quick across tile field and
charged upon the work. Led by Lieutenant
Colonel Wells, they dashed ahead In the most
gallant manner.
As soon as they were seen crossing the
open field, 8 distance of four or five hundred
yards from the redoubt, the rebels opened
spirited fire from behind the parapet. In face
OF this fire the gallant little band Of sixty
ADVANCED at double quick, with bayoaets tx
ed. Their comrades we're falling on tho field
around them; but not 4 man on our side fired
gun until those ,Fho charged the radoutt
had arrived within few yards Of the ditch in
front. Then they discharged rol1ey, and
the rebels retreatcd. Although much ex-
haustt BY the run across the cornteld, our
men Jumped into the ditch and c1imed over
the paraprt. Thus the work was successfully
taken in few minutes. Lieutenant Chandler
and Lieutenant Colonel Wells were among
the grst to reach the fort Company Il lost
three men killed and thirteen wounded. No
other c1sualtics occurred On our side Most
OF the killed and wounded fell within twenty
yards of the ditch, which was six or seven
tect deep and eight feet vide in front of the
Fedoubt.
In the meantime Company 4, 1lth Massa-
chusctts, Capt. Humphrey, came forward to
the right ct double quick and kept the rebels
back. while Company Z, Captain Allen, which
artillery, also advanced, and with picks and
shoyc}s commenced destroying the redoubt
Our artillery did not fire single shot. Pres
entity 1hc rebels opened with their artillery
from their Notifications to the left Ourb brave
Massachueetts boys fired away into the
woods, while some Of their comrades were
Ehovclipg the earth from the parapet Of the
rebel fort into the ditch below. 4 little to
the right Of this work there VAS an opening
through the woods and clearing behind,
where another rebel redoubt was situated,
From this the rebels poured forth L contlnu-
Gus lire; but the skirnlishcrs from the 1lth
regiment filed of to the right and left, covered
By the woods, and thus escaped the effect of
their fire. When the attack was made On our
left the rebels were driven in confusion in
eye13 direction. Fourteen Of them got On
Small strip Of ground, behind which was q
stream which They could not Cross. Hence
they were taken prisoners.
The object Of The movement having been
nest successfully accomplished, our men re.
tired from the field III perfect order When
they Wtre retiring, the rebels commenced q
brisk cannonade from the forts to the left
which were not more than seven or elghi
hundred yards distant. It WIS beautiful to
gee how srlendidly our skirmishers retired ir
the midst Of this heavy fire from the enemy's
artillery. Shells were bursiug all around them
seattering dirt over many Of the men buf
the rcglnltnt had been so we'll drilled In skir
mishing that this company came in
cautiously, without 1oosinS siuge man
Not one thought Of running. On the contra.
~, all seemed reluctant to leave the field oi
action. Company H. list Massachusetts,
which took the principal part In this splendid
little action, was one Of the three com pauics
which bore the brunt Of the battle at Black,
bu:u|s Ford, Bull run, on the 18th Of July
On that occasion, as On this, Lieut. Colonel
Wells commanded. On that occasion, as or
this, The company lost nearly onc~third it,
humber in killed and wounded. Several who
we're wounded in the first af;lir, when they
datltd down to the stream in front of Il forti
Dcation, wire also wounded this morning.
WHAT AMMUNITION TUE REBELS USE.
Correspondence dated 25th) Cincinnati Com
The several little affairs which have relieved
the solemn monotony Of the siege have devcl
oped i cnrions fact. Most of the casualuie:
by Euskctry on our side, have been cAuseG
by round bu lcts-iudicatiny that the rebel:
are not amply supplied with approved ritIeG
aims, and tina. snch weapons are held in re
serve II also nlpe:lrs that they are not argel1
| supplied with PARROT guns but nanitestl}
| thcy have mounted Armstrong cannon Q
| SO large celibre. Yesterday they sen
| us q cartel from it in the form oil
a long hidcous SHE'LL which failed to explode
! The officer in charge OF our battery discovered
| a projecting tube which was capped. Beius
cautiously bumped, he wisely concluded no
| to tanlper With il, but sent it awaY to be ex
| amined. No doubt it tsas an Internal N hine
| intended to explode in the hands Of any onG
| who carelessly manipulates it. During tht
off ~,