The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1862-05-21

7
nally came out to a wide open field in full
view OF three rcduubts OF considerable
/ SIZE, but not pierced for cannon, Why the
enemy occupied these works at all il would
bC difficult to say for no sooner was our
| tire opened upon the nearest than the rebels
I burst out IN complete stampede, ard made
| good time in a safe direction. So they did
/ from the second and third, which stool in
| line with one another across the plain upon
! VIII ch ouc column advanced. N this umc,
/ al ont two =. NJ, General Smith, said hc had
fair chance ~ $50 ON, and that II well Sup
| ported he could certainly carry Fort Ma.
! grulcr. General Smith Ea, u short tune
| before asked permission ~ 20 forward, aud
had been UrdorcI to remain where lac was
/ but he sent General llaucock's message Ten
| General Sumner, with a renewed request Tor
/ permission To SO forward. Orders catno, in
answer, for him to go ON. with his whole dj-
! vision. to llaucock's support Scarcely,
however had he spoken few necessary,
| preliminary words to the officers about him
| before the order just given WAS counter
maudcd by Gen. sumner, and Gcr. Smith
was ordered to retain his men exactly ia
/ the position they theu hc'd By this last
| order two hours OF iuc1lcuiablc value were
lost to our army.
! Several times General Hancock sent back urgent
appeals for more force; hut none was sent, ami he
/ was compelled tn remain in the position he had
/ taken near the first rydouht. Doubtless the enemy
/ supposed this tn be the result OF ,imdity They in
turn determined To advance hoping, perhaps, to re-
/ peat what they had already done on eur lit. Out
ul tnis movement of thciIs grew what proved tu I've
/ the fight of the day hEu that was IN its .lt a
hard fought and beautiful battle: battle IN which
each side must have learned to respect the courage
oI the other and which slrdS glory upon every
! man engaged IN II.
| Different statements have been made rs to the
| force The cncmy had engaged in this movement. --
One prisoner stated that there were six regiments,
and another shat they were led hy two Generals. lt
| is probable that there were two brigadcs or parts
! Of two. One of these was General Early ;, Oui
. comprised the Firth North Carolina and Twenty
fourth irGiuiA regiments, and Georgia rrElm'nt,
, Dead men wvrt iuuul On the field in the uniform
| ut the Louisiana Tigers. Beyond this We can not
designate thc rcgim mis- hW it would he safe 90
stale the force at three thousand. On cur part this
force WAS encountered by the sixth Maine the lil,h
7 Maine, the Fifth Wisconsin, and the ErrIy THIRD
, New York regiments, and Captain Nhcelrvs bat
terry Of volunteer artillery, with some guns also,
! we believe, Of Captain hcuncdy'S battery hut
! Captain Kennedy was on duty in another part OF
! the Glld.
Cen IIancock's position WAS in an open plain ct
about two miles in length from north to south, and
about mills in width. lie ha entered it at the
uurtherly end, and at the Other stands Fort N'gru-
der. About a mile and a half above Fort Mlgru-
NVI' ul" ''"h illl' away lt"l" N'C ''C '' "'""n
that bound the plain ON the LETT, farmhouse aud
! two barns. irucc stretches from the farmhouse
| TO the woods. Between the farmhouse and Fort
| MaEfhdti are two rrdouhlS, ara threc hnndr'd
yards @t"Ne tie farmhouse IS the hrSt 'cdenht.-
| Around tHiS farmhouse General llaucucks mr,
were posted. WhcclaI'S battery was in position by
the 'H'i.C "' tnt IatIn ln""ruS t'e pam ana '"",
manure ''v "n'l' I'ctu "t'n" u. prhll'u; anu wen
| t,"fH l'' "r' r'dou"t on 'he 'ei'' "e HN'
M'ii, 'rs'h-h. "io p't"c'h tnE i%int'WSe anu
lc Ut o"Hht ON EcrE NJ were ie IHlu N'N'"il
SIN ana rory -lhlid Nc" lorN nE'wsh'S' "Nlru
is"'rs Il"ih 'hG Eut'r were thrown our IN t' woods
"h our tA"' ana Tar ,l advance S"''mantt IRON
u. '"'l'' N''t ~ "HN N'''t ON '"' 'l'" "'!I ana
sHlln'N"'rS "' ult r'N." ''!'It were Ia advance
also ii 'hs opth h'ld ON our '''t'
Under cover ut the wood, aud directly tlryuCl
il, the enemy adv drrcd ir ~ the neigh Durhocd al
Fort NUguirr, G,ubtcsS tempted, rs we have said
by the Llil Of Il battery ut beautiful field pieces
From the sharp fire ct the skirnshcrs in The woods
on our RIGHT came the first in .imatiuu Of u movement
in tiHt direction. and tiis put all ON the alert. lN
the i'lI pieces the ar,nt central point of interest
oycry man WAS in his pi CO. and many ewes turned
with deep interest on ,he lsomr aud int lcctua
face OF tAoir commander, the auab,c gentleman
U0I gallant sol ljcr, Captain Wheeler OF the New
York Volunteer Artillery IT, was n It only in hi.
place, but il was vnlucnty the right place. and ht
was the right man in it. Down the lines. too, o.
the infantry regiments all was steady and the ia lee
men, who had biyouackcd the night before in ui,tt
ami rain. an were drabhlcd from head to foot viii
the an wet TO the skin with the other, stood NJ
in their places like heroes though they did not luui
exactly as if they were ON parade. They did NO
have the parade dress, nor had they either the pa
rAdc faces.
Still the fire grow hotter in the woods, and in ;
few minutes. at point fully half a mile away from
the battery, the enciny's men began to file urt O
the cover, and form in the open field. It was (
bold and proved an expensive way tu handle men
Wheeler opened his guns on Tia, instant and III,
swath of dead that subsequently, marked the cDur.
g lpr, sl.,
spot. At the same moment also the skirmishcrs il
the field began their fire Still the enemy lnrInr,
across the opening with admirable lapidily and prc
csion and as coully as il the fire had been directed
elsewhere, and then came ON at the double -Quicl
step, in three III tin( lines, firing as they CAM, Al
! sounds were lost for few moments in the shOr
roar of the field pieces, and in the scattered ratl
and repetition OF the muskeuy. Naturally thci
fire could do ls, under thc circumstances but it'll
harm, and thus we had them at q fair advantage
. and every nerve was strained to make the most u
, il. Still they came on. They were dangerousl
near. Already the skirnishers TO the left had cal
E len back to their line and the skirmishcrs 10 th
woods but from thence they blazed away carncsd
as ever Yet the guns are uut there, and they ar
2 what those fellows want; and in the next istar
{ the guns are silent. For lnum.nt, in the confI
{ sion and the smoke one might almost SuppoSp tla
| the enemy had them; but in n moment more, th
guns en- rgc from the safe side of tie smoke CLOUD
and away they go across the field to point nea
c the upper r.duubt There again they are uuliu
c bered, and again they play away. Farther bac
i alsr 60 to the sk1nishc And now for few me
ments the rebels had the partial of the iarl
, buildings but they saw that they had all tho
: work Ia do over, and 50 they came on again. One
u more they ar, in a iair upcn'icld, exposed both
Il artillery and muskctIy but this time tbs di,tanC
G they have tp 20 is not So great. They move RAJ
idly there, however, is another dangerous line
;, infantry they are near tc us but also uef
u to them Scarcely hundred yards wera bctwoe
I them and the guns when our skwmsh fire bccau
4. silent; the lines Of the Fifth Wisconsin and II
It Forty-third New York formed up in close ordgr