Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-05-16
General Bowmans Brigade al
ChancellorVille.

HEAD-QUARTERS BOWMAN DRlGADEj
ARMY OF Potomac, May 7, 1868.
ED. Phil INoR.--I send you herewith
few particulars of our late fight We
had a sharp skrmish on Saturday after
noon in deep hallow, or rather a large
plain, surrounded by high, steep hills on
two sides, and by woods on the others
Gen Birnoy thought the rebels were re-
treating, and ordered general advance
We pushed through about mile of very
thick underbrush and woods, and halted
for short time on the brow of a high
hill that overlooked the plain above mon
toned. The Rebels had good position,
but we were ordered to charge them. Gen
Birncy's Division and ours (Gcn. Whip
plc's) charged down the hill and across a
c.eck, about a rod wide and five or six
feet deep and when en- the other side the
General found the rebels in too strong force
for us, and the order was givcn-"About
face" "Forward march" we lost but
very few wounded then. We came back
mile or two and found the enemy in
strong force OF our rear; that they had
captured our pack train, and almost
completely surrounded us. The next
morning, at six o'clock, Sunday morning,
the battle commenced. Our Brigade was
first in the third line Of battle, and in
hollow just behind Il wooded hill on which
our other lines were engaged with the en-
cmy. The Rebels soon commenced a
terrible attack Immediately on our front,
and succeeded in driving our men from
the wood with terrible slaughter. The
enemy was charging down over the hill,
and our lines were falling back in great
confusion. Colonel Bowman had only the
Eighty foutth aud Ono. hundred and tenth
Pennsylvania Volunteers with him al that
time, and seeing the danger Of the delay,
or dallyng, or falling back. as the others
were doing, doubled-quckcd the Eighty
fourth and Onc-hundrcd. tenth down
the hollow 10 q row Of breast orks, where
he stationed them. The firing immcdi-
atcly became terrific ; but our men could
rake the enemy without exposing them
selves, aud thus held the Whole Reb(IrH
ring, until our troops could reform in the
woods on the hill The Twelfth New
Hampshire Volunteers, (Sec md Brigade, }
was stationed in front OF our first position,
i. c. in the woods on the top Of the hill
Yon can imagine what it was to take two
small Regiments on the double quick
through mass of flying and disorganized
troops, in the face of the enemy, who
were advancing with loud yells, and keep
ing up II terrible fire into our ranks, to
line of temporary brcast-works (piles Of
fence-rails hastily thrown togcthcr) and
there check the enemy until new lines
could he formed.
General Whipplc said it was the hand
soonest thing he had ever seen DONE
They Ec their position there until the
troops on the right and left Of them h d
been driven in, and only then would they
commence retreating About six hundred
out of the ten hundred in the fight were
killed, wounded and prisoners,
Colonel Bowman was il the tlickcSt Of
the fight, on his brown horse "Tiger. "
''Tiger' was shot in the neck with partly
spent ball, but the Colonel escaped with
out a scratch OF the staff, Lieutenants
Jackson, Mitchell and Nixon were taken
priso2crs. n xon was badly wounded -
Captain Pcterman was wounded tlkcn
prisoner. Lieutenant Cool was killed.
Lieutenant Ross, Stcinmar, Hays and
Worling wounded. There are about one
hundred and thirty men left Of the Eighty
fourth Pc nnsylvana volunteers. Colonel
Pot tor, Lieutenant Colonel Marsh, and
Major Savage, of the Twelfth New lamp
shire. Wounded. Colonel Crowthcr, One
hundred -and-tcnth Penns ylvania Volun.
teors, was killed. General Whipplo was
badly wounded on Monday bv Rebel
sharp shooter. The Tewlfth New II amp
shire behaved splendidly. Our little bri-
grde saved the fate of that battle on Sam
day. We expect to march again soon.