The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1863-07-17

| Kept up gallant resistance for half bonr
Wnen the Thirty-frst Illinois, under Lieut..
Celonel kessee, went in. subsequently, dur.
| ing the evening and night, the Twenty-third
Indiana, the Forty-sixth Illinois. the latter
under It's beloved Colonel, Melancthon Smith
/ Inc list then commenced again relieyine in
this same order.
/ The melee at first was terrible, although
the losses were not proportinate at all to the
| noise The men on both sides were engaged
IN throwing up temporary works, with a view
to getting feld-piece in position. Tbey had
gotten notched piece of timber rolled IN to
the top OF rough bank, when smash came
blast from ten-ponnder right in their faces
sending the stick of timber RIGHT amonost
them, smuggling their hair. and blackenino
them with the discharge, killing two or three
outright.
This blow struck Col. Malthy with stunning
force The rattle of musketry kept up until
nlghtiali. Our batteries on Lightburn and
GIles Smiths front, as well as from Burbride'
Kept firing on the rebels; but FROM the near
ness OF the combatants the missiles either did
not reach the thick of the rebel opposition.
or came SO close as to injure our own men,
IN lew hours, however, they had felt SO
much reconcned to their position as to com
mence most dangerous and dreadful piece
OF warfare, casting lighted she'll over into one
ehd OF tue tort. Some grenades, it is said, |
were hrst thrown, and afterwards TWENTY
twos and twenty-fours. Our forces SEEING
inc dlsmay and destruction, still felt secure
enough to commence the same game heayine.
however, some very heavy shells to the rebel
snd OF the work. There is only one precau-
Ion against this species of fighting, that is IN
uch case to dig a funnel shaped pit or pits
within the lnclosure, into which the shells
haK roll and explode in depression at the
,ottom, prepared for the purpose This prac-
ice has been continued up to this morning.
may mere say that our possession Of this
nd OF the fort is regarded as complete as that
the enemy to the rest. 1t is believed. alsN.
y General McP herson and his engineers that
not too much pressed he can in a day or
NO establish battery within the work. The
'ntest still RACES, and as both sides are J
,rowing up earthworks, it seems as if we
light lind at the end of a few DAYS our point
AIMED and our lines advanced to a most com. /
anding position.
Our losses, grieve to say, include several +
ny me oillcers. The total up to noon to- Il
- o'ii' P@iu ouldi lSlOn, VIII amount n
about three hundred in killed and wound $,
forty of the former. Mai. Dean Il
r Find is killed by ball through the fore y
ad. Colonel Melancthon Smith. an excel IL,
1t soldier and model gentleman, is DANCE a
a,sly, and, we fear, MORALLY wounded. =,
Inc substantial value of this operation. Is
'ich must have been as deadly in life and to
70 to the enemy as to ourselves, is that it b,
ables us to break into their chain of reel. 70
'caily supporting works at the point where ,,
y are nearest being impregnable. Two or he
ZEE such gaps in their line, they are oblir- re
to draw back, to their inner line. battery | wl
er battery being silenced, until the COM A
IS OF their works is so small that from eve ed
side they are in range of some of our can tn
!. Loeomatlon about ground thus becomes
possible; without this they are unable to- pr
or relieve their overtasked men. and so ~.
whipped. We can scarcely imagine that m.
n the vlndictive tenacity of Pemberton oil
/ continue resistance to this extremity ms
en- the hnaleis in no way. changed an
his would be a long process to undertake. 70,
involve an immense amount of work and ~
N view OF the vast burrows Of pits and the ne
riiices already made; but it would grow :,
e rapid as we proceeded, as it is also GER
Of its end.