The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-10-04

cheer, and rush Back across the corn
field, leaving dead and wounded bchint
them, over the fence, and across the road
and then back again into the dark wood:
which closed around them went the re-
treating Rebels. s.
Meade and his Pennsylvanians followed
hard and fast--followed till they came with
in easy range Of the woods, among which
they saw their beaten enemy disappearing
followed still with another cheer, and flung
themselves against the cover.
But out Of these gloomy woods came sud
denly and heavily terrible volleys -volleys
which smote, and bent, and broke in a mo-
ment that eager front, and hurled them
swiftly back for half the distances they had
won. Not swiftly, nor in panic, any fur
ther. Closing up their shattered lines, they
came slowly away--a regiment where a
brigade had been, hardly a brigade where q
whole division had been, victorious. They
had met from the woods the first voleys OF
musketry from fresh troops-had met them
and returned them till their line had yielded
and gone down before the weight Of fire, and
till their ammunition was exhaused. ey
In ten minutes the fortune Of the day
seemed to have changed 1T was the Rebels
now who were advancing, pouring out of
the woods in endless lines, sweeping
through the corn-feld from which their
comrades had just fed Hooker sent in his
nearest brigade to meet them, but it could
not do the work. He cal led for another
There was nothing close enough, unless he
took it from his right His right might be
in danger If it was weakened, but his centre
was already threatened with annihilation.-
Not hesitating one moment, he sent to
Doubleday /" Give me your best brigade in
stantly," " q <s
The best brigade came down the hill to
the right on the run, went through the tim
Der in front through storm Of shot and
bursting shell and crashing limbs, over the
open field beyond, AMI straight into. the
corn-feld, passing as they went the frag-
mcnts of three brig,des, shattered by the
Rebel fire, and streaming to the rear. They
passed by Hooker, whose eyes lighted as he
saw these veteran troops led by soldier
whom he knew he could trust "I think
they will hold it," he said. '.'
Gen. Ha,tsuR took his troops very steadi-
ly, but now that they were under fire, not
hurriedly. up the hill from which the open
corn field begins to descend, and formed
them ON the crest. Not man who was no
in view-not one who bent before the storm.
Firing at first in volleys, they fired them at
viii with wonderful rapidity and effect The
whole line crowned the hill and stood out
darkly against the sky, but lighted and
shrouded ever in fame and smoke. There
were the 10Th and 18th Massachusetts, and
another regiment which cannot remember
old troops all of them. t ..-m
There for half an hour they held the
ridge, unyielding in purposes. exhaustless
in courage. There were gaps in the line,
but It nowhere quailed. Their General
was wounded badly early in the fight, but
they fought on. Their supports did not
come-they determined to win without
them. They began to go down the hill and
into the corn, they did not stop to think
that their ammunition was nearly gone,
they were there to win that field and they
wen it, The Rebel line for the second time
fed through the corn and into the woods
/ cannot tell how few of Hartsuf"s brigade
were left when the work was done, but it
was done. There was no more gallant, de-
termined heroic fighting in all this desper.
ate day. Gen. Hartsuff is severely wound
ed, but do not believe he counts his sue
cess to dearly purchased. oal e6r 80
The crisis Of the fight at this point had ar
rived; Ricketts, division, vainly endeavoring
to advance, and exhausted by the effort, had
fallen back. Part of Mansfeld's corps was
ordered in to their relief, but Mansfeld's
troops came back again, and their General
was mo, tally wounded. The left neverthe-
less was too extended to be turned, and too
strong to be broken. Ricketts, sent word
he could not advance, but could hold his
ground. Doubleday had kept his guns at
work on the right, and had finally silencel
a Rebel battery that for half an hour had
poured in CALLING enfilading fire along
Hooker's central line.
There were woods in front of Doubleday's
hill which the Rebels held, but so long as
those guns pointed that way theydid not care
to attack. With his left then able to take
care ofitself, with his right impregnable
with two brigades Of Mansfield still fresh
and coming rapidly up, and with his centre
a second time victorious, Gen. Hooker de-
termined to advance. Orders wersssent to
Crawford and Gordon-the two Mansfield
brigades-to move directly forward at once,
the batteries in the center were ordered on,
the whole line was called on, and the Gener-
al himself went forward. aR
To the right of the corn field and beyond
it was point of woods. Once carried and
firmly held, it was the key of the position.
Hooker determined to take it. He rode out
in front of his furtherest troops on hill to
examine the ground for battery. AT the
top he disnounted and went forward on
foot, completed his reconnaissance, returned
and remounted. The musketry fire from the
point of woods was all the while extremely