Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-05-28
G. Communicated.
From the 5tE WIS. Realm ment
CAMP No. 18, o. TO RicHsoSD

CASF No. ls, . oS TO RicHAoNp,"
ay II, 1862.
Fina.Ir, the 5th Wisconsin Volunteers
have met the enemy anG defeated him.
with the odds Of two to one against them.
On the Of May, 1862 the battle o.
( Williamsburg was fought and the rebels
driven from their works. The turning
point in the hattie was the behavior Of
Hancock's BRIGADE on The extreme right
Of our army, and the 18th Wis played the
prominent part, and suffered the princi-
pal loss
The wing commanded by Hancock m
sisted of the 9th Wis, 49th Penn, 9th
Me, SD y Y, 9TH Me and portion OF
kennedys and Wheeler's batteries Of
/ light artillery. The rebel forces brought
against Hancock's command, were under
Gen. Farley, and consisted of the 23d and
Nth Virginia Goth Georgia. 4th and 9Th
North Carolina, and three other regiments.
besides several pieces Of artillery and a
body Of cavalry. Our artillery wa.
planted on a little rise of ground, supper
ted on the left av the 10Th Penns ylvania,
and on the right by the 5th Wisconsin, at
which point the attack was made on Us
and the battle fought Five companies
from the 5th Wisconsin were thrown fo--
ward as skirmi>hers, thus leaving only
i've companies to represent the regiment.
The 9th Maine were drawn up short
distance behind the 49th PennSv v}vania
ana the SD New York and the 7th Me.
were dep,oved as skirnisilers in o the
weeds to cur right and rear. The rebels
formed their lines cf battle in the woods
bev.nd our fed of vision, and came sud
denly upon our pickets at double-quick,
thinking no doubt, to cut our regiment to
p.eees and c. pture our artillery But the
irmishers although somewhat surprised,
held them in check by " I'll directed FIRE,
and fell back to the regiment Mean
while the artillery was ordered to fall
back, alter giving out IA turn of grape and
canister. To , mere commandins position.
As soon as the rebels com menced the at
ck, Col Colh was tod their cavalry WAS
charging down upon him. ana he with Ills
usual coolness, threw his men into hol
low square. Perceiving that the cavalry
rumor was false, he Immediately reduced
his square, formed into line of battle un-
f der most calling hte thar had been
opened upon him, and changed his posi-
ton To meet the enemy fairly in
front Receiving riders To retire from
his position, he gradually fell back To the
+! batteries on the hill behind, fighting and
/ contesting all the whole distance, until
reaching the line of battle there formed
Here the hoys stood like heroes, rs thev
were. and greeted the approaching rebels,
now within ten rods of them, with such
/ destructive fire that they were paralized,
and with the next round broke and fed !;
when our boys charged down upon them
/ with shout The victory was complete
and the dav was ours. These who could
esca ped TO the woods hut we took about
three hund- ed prisoners. besides two hun
dred wounded and over hundred killed
found on the field
The regiments Immediately opposed to
ours were the 5th North Carolina and
2fsh Virginia, the same, it is said that
; faced the gallant 2nd Wisconsin at Bull
* n The latter was badly cut to pieces
: but the former 18th \. G were wiped
out of existence. The field officers and
most ofthe officers of the line were killed