The Portland daily press., 1863-05-08

night, was placed on the extreme right about
a mile in rear of the position occupied by
Howard the day before.
Meade was sent over from the extreme left
and placed next in line, aud intrenchments
were thrown up. Howard. with indefatigable
exertion, had re-orgauized his corps and was
placed In Meade's former position on the
extreme left.
The two armies have been close together
during the night. Beyond the hill, where
Best has his twenty pieces of artillery, is
ravine. Down that comes the rebel column.
There Berry, with the men who have faced
the foe score of times, met him once more.
The weather-beaten veterans have become
accustomed to thick fights. They are ready
for the contest. 1t is a terrible shock. Berry
is first engaged, but in a few moments the
entire force of Sickles and Slocum are at it.
From five till seven it is one unbroken sheet
of fiame-one continuous roar of thunder and
roll of musketry. Jackson hurls his men upon
the line, again and again, but they are turned
back as the ocean pillows from the rocky
shore. 1t is in thick woods.
The conflict is close, almost hand to hand.
Our line has the advantage in position. Whole
regiments of rebels melt away before the ter
rife fire which blazes from our lines. The
carnage among them is frightful, surprising
even that at Malvern Hill or that at Antietam,
Z, III.
like ties of railway.
The rebels fought with desperation. They
came up recklessly to the muzzIes of our guns
to be cut down like grain before the reaper.
Sickles was hard pressed, but Hancock came
to his relief Jackson, undaunted by the ter
rife slaughter among his troops, massed them
for decisive onset, and Sickles was forced
to yield. He fell back slowly to the Chancellor
Honse. There he fought again, holding his
bod han a1tr LAt-
the rest of the line.
Meanwhile French had swept round upon
the enemy's left flank and had driven him
back, completely routing him. The rebel
troops in front of him became panic tricken
and fled, as the Germans had on Saturday.
For six hours the battle ragged with terrible
fury 1t closed at IL o'clock Sunday forenoon.
In the center we had yielled the ground,
while on the right, the enemy had been driven.
Jacksons coup had failed, and he had suffered
terrible slaughter, besides losing from three
to four thousand prisoners.
On Sunday night Hooker was intrenched in
position where he could not be fianked. To
stop the advance of Hooker, Lee was obliged
to withdraw nearly all his troops from Fred
ericksburg. Sedgwck, who had crossed
below Fredericksburg, seizing the oppor-
tunity, moved through the town, charged
up the nights, drove the rebels from the stone
and batteries on the crest of the first ridge,
and captured two whole regiments, Barks-
dale's Mississippi 18th and 18th, and one com
pany of the celebrated Washington artillery
with eight guns.
Meanwhile Griffins brigade of Couch's
corps came down from Chancelorvie, took
the Fredericksburg rebels in the rear and oc
cupied the batteries on the second range of
hills. Sedgwck advanced four miles toward
rpfi I.xt
Gen. Hooker held his ground, and late in the
afternoon skirmished heavily to ascertain the
enemy's position. The rebel army had fallen
back upon Fredericksburg, where they made
determined effort to entrap Sedgwick. Sedg-
wick's corps suffered severely, but fought its
way westward, crossing the Rappahannock at
Banks Ford i'm the face of the enemy. and
marching for United States Ford to join the
main body.
Up to 10 o'clock Tuesday the battle had
not been renewed. Heintzeman was moving
from Washington with reinforcements.