The Portland daily press., 1862-07-01


'less reinforced, despatched an officerto Gen.
"Casey for that purpose. The Col. of the Tooth
IN. Y. being killed, the Col of the 104th being
severely wounded, the Majormortally wound
led, the 1t Col. absent sick, half of our men
having fallen, killed or wounded, the enemy,
"tentimes our numbers, being within few
feet of us, one of them striking Sergeant Por-
'ter, the left guide of the 1O4th on the neck
with his musket, and several of the 18th Maine
"being bayoneted, receivingno reinforcements,
''we were ordered, with Spratt's Battery, to re-
"tire, but unfortunately the horse of one of
'the pieces being killed, we were compelled to
abandon that piece"
The enemy endeavored to follow up his sue
cess, and was advancing in closed columns,
when, our troops being sufficiently withdrawn,
Col Bailey Of the 1st N. Y. Artillery, at my
request, directed the fire of the batteries Of
Fitch and Bates, to be concentrated upon the
advancing mass. At every discharge of grape
and canister, wide gaps were opened in his
raslks, which were filed as soon as opened:
still he pressed on, but finding that he was ad-
vancing ''into the very jaws of DEATH" with
sullen hesitation, after many trials, and with
immense loss, he concluded to desist at this
point
Congratulating Col. Bailey upon his gallant
conduct and good services as above described,
and suggesting that, in the event OF being
compelled to abandon another piece, he should
instruct his gunners TO spike before leaving it,
he went into the redoubt to give these orders,
when he was shot by rifle ball through the
forehead, and died few minutes after-the
State losing gallant soldier, and his Artillery
friend to whom they were entirely devoted.
Soon after this, Major Van Valkenburgh of
the same Artillery was killed by rife ball,
whilst actively engaged in working these bat
teries, and but little while after Lieut. Rum
sey, the Adjutant in the same manner. All
of the field and staff officers being killed. as
sumed the direction of the Batteries compos-
ing the 1st n Y. Artillery.
No reinforcement having been sent to us,
and desrous of following up the success refer
red to, about p. NJ. l rode TO the rear and
lead up the 55th n. Y, Lieut.. Col Thouronte,
and placed it in line at right angles to the VIII
liamsburg road, about 80 yards in advance of
the redoubt, the left resting short distance
from the road, and before getting into position
they were compelled to march over the bodies
Of their killed and wounded comrades, and
soon afterwards found themselves fully en-
gagged. Leaving the 55th, my attention was
detected towards the right, when / found at
p. NJ, the 55th, with l1th Maine, which after
four hours contest had fallen back about four
hundred yards, and were again placed at four
O'Clock and ten minutes, facing the front, in a
depression in the ground, about midway be-
tween the Williamsburg road and the Railroad,
and about three hundred yards in front of the
nine mile road Near by / found the SD.
which had been ordered from the right, and
placed them in echellon to the right and rear
of the 56th, with the right resting upon and in
rear of large pond. At this time the fire
here had considerably slackened, but was in
creasing on the left. Returning in about an
hour to the left, found the 55th engaged to
their utmost extent, and ascertained for the
first time that the enemy had discerned, what
had long feared that there were none of our
troops between the white oak swamp and
line parallel with, and but two hundred yards
from the Williamsburg road. He had more
than an hour before discerned this, and with
sharpshooters concealed in the woods, they
had killed many of our most valuable officers
had picked off the cannonneess, had killed
from three to four horses out of every team
attached to the artillery, and at the time of my
return had driven the men from the rifle pits.
No time was to be lost. Fitch's battery Was
ordered off TO the rear. The battery under
Lieut.. Hart was next ordered to retire. but it
was soon found that but one timber could be
moved. l ordered the pieces to be spiked, but
after spiking the pieces in the redoubt those
on the outside were in the possession of the
enemy. BY way of precaution had ordered
the prolongers to be fixed to the sections of
Regan's battery still firing up the Williams
burg road and ordered it to retire firing, until
in the abaitis that crossed the road / then
withdrew this regiment under the protection
of its fire, which had fought most gallantly,
suffered severely, and contributed much in the
end towards saving Regan's battery from fall
ing into the hands of the enemy. Then the
entire field in our immediate rear being in
possession of the enemy, who had pressed to
within few yards of us, supporting many of
our wounded horses to keep them from falling
in the traces, we brought the last sections of
the battery from the field. The air by this
time was literally filed with iron and lead.
Returning rapidly to my Seth N. Y. End 1lth
Maine, my anticipations there were realized.
Being successful in turning our left flank, the
enemy had opened a most destructive cross
fire upon them from the pieces near the redoubt
that had not been spiked, and this, with the
fire from their immediate 'front.' was no longer
to be endured, and they were withdrawn and
marched from the nine mile road and placed
in position in rear of this road, about seven
hundred yards from the Seven Pines where
soon their services were required. In the
meanwhile, Col Neil of the 23d Pa, had come
upon the ground occupied by Col. Dodge, and
induced him TO advance i'm front and to the
right of the position that had been assigned to
him, while he, Col Neil occupied that which
the sd vacated. But these dispositions were
scarcely made before the masses of the enemy
broke through, and a few minutes sufficed to
leave the half of Dodge's command upon the
ground. and to force Neil precipitately from
his position.
The remaining portion of the 52d,-for it