Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-06-11
w AR N E W 5,
THE BATTLE BEFORE RICHMOND
Field Of battle before Richmond, !
SUNDAY, June |, 1862.

Ftetd of battle before Richmond,
SUNDAY, June |, 1862.
\ battle before Richmond has at last
put to the test the Rebel boasts as to what
they would do with Gen. McClellan's army
when they should get it beyond the protec
ton OF the gunboats. Though the adyan-
tage of sudden movement, against the
weakest point in our lines, gave the enemy
temporary success, the final result has
not been such as to afford encouragement
to their disbeartened and demoralized
troops, or occasion any fears as to our ulti-
mate possession Of the Rebel Capital.
The attack commenced shortly before l
o'clock on Saturday, on the left wing of
the army, on the further or south side of
the Chickahominy, where the advance posi-
ton was held by the division of General
Casey, much the weakest in the army, COM
posed almost entirely ofraw regiments, and
reduced by disease to an c6ecttUe force Of
some 5000 men,
The vigor with which the enemy pres
sed forward to the attack indicated the
confidence of superior strength. A battal-
ION OF two regiments pressed against Gen.
Naglee on the right, another fell on Gen
eral Wassell at the centre, and third on
General Palmer to the left, pouring in at
once a fire hot end heavy, and advancing
with great resolution in face of the steady
fire of canister and grape from the rear,
moving down their ranks in all directions.
The Rebels had but little artillery, and
were evidently disposed to make good the
deficiency 10y pressing to close quarters by
weight of numbers the feeble skeleton reg
iments OF three and four hundred men who
composed the advanced division
Most OF Gen. Casey troops were thrown
forward to the edge of the woods in front
of his. position to meet the advance of the
Rebels, few regiments being LETT behind
the partially completed rifle pits, short
distance to the rear. Thus division near
ly new to warfare was suddenly exposed,
in an open field, to the heaviest of fire from
an enemy covered to a considerable extent
by the woods through which they were ad-
vancing. Terrible the tempest ragged, the
air almost growing thick with musket
balls officer after officer fell, or was borne
from the field wounded man the men
dropped by scores, and the usual number
of weak -jointed ones were falling to the
rear. But spite of the rapid thinning of
their ranks, the regiments generally held
their ground until the enemy succeeded in
rushing around on the left flank, and
poured in an enfilading fire from that di-
rection, against which the rife-pits were
no protection. The sixty rounds of am
munition with which they entered the fight
were nearly exhausted, and no more was at
hand.
ArriUal Of cfReintorcements.
Meantime one of Gen. Couch's brigades,
commanded by Gen. Abecrombie, was Or
dered up to the support of Gen. Naglee on
the right, General Devens, of the same di.
vision, sustaining Gen. Wasseil on the GEN.
tire, and Gen. Peck, with the remaining
brigade, supporting Gen. Palmer on the
left. When Gen. Casey's troops were
forced to give way, the Rebels fell on these
brigades of Coueh's Division, who disputed
every inch of ground, until sustained by
Gen. Kearney, pressing up the Williams
burg road with reinforcemepts to meet
them, supported by the division of Gen.
Pooker in his rear. Pressing rapidly for
ward, Gen. Kearney advanced along the
Williamsburg road to within short dis
tance of our original position, where he bi-
vouacked for the night in front of the ene-
my.
II was along this Williamsburg road that
the main attack was made, and here our
troops were forced back for half mile or
more, before the arrival of Gen. Heintzel-
mans corps, the feeble brigades of Casey's
Division, averaging less than 1000 men,
being completely broken up, many, if not
most of the officers killed, wounded or mis-
sing, and the privates scattered through
the woods and along the road. Rravely and
well did General Casey do his duty, pres
sing on to the extreme front and cheering
on his men, regardless of the storm of FIRE
and hail that ragged about him, cutting
down his officers on all sides but strangely
escaping his own person. Bravely and
we'll did most Of his officers stand by him,