Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-07-28

hcers urging them to distinguish them
selves. But the rebels made dash at
them with all their bitter feeling against
negro troops aroused, and neglected all else
for a moment in attacking the negroes They
took some prisoners, slaughtered many; bay
onets clashed and muskets ratified, and the
Massachusetts blacks got bewildcred. They
barely saved one of their flags, and the staff
of another, and then, with thinCcd ranks, re-
treated through the showers Of iron hail, leav-
ing their colonel in the fort, many officers I'M
accounted for, and many black bodies, litcless
or disabled, along their track. All the other
regiments got, wholly or in part, on or over
the parapets, but all were finally forced to
flee. The contest ON their part was short
but bloody one. Had these regiments held on
together hut II moment longer they would
have had a whole brigade to help them; but
the difficulties were greater than had been an
ticipated, and they could not be longer held
where victory seemed impossible. With
one or two regiments it was il ruut; they
went off helter-skeltcr. running wildly, anx-
ious only for some shelter from the rebel
fire Others marched oil as orderly as if
executing Il simple maueuNre, carrying their
a?lia and liking away such Of their wounded
as were outside the ditch.
CHARGE OF PUTNAM's BRIGAIE.
The hIigade Of Col. II :. Putnam, with his
18th New Hampshire regiment ON the right,
when the advance was ordered, moved to the
rear Of the old house behind our batteries, and
deployed into line In this form they adj
vanced to our intrencimcnts Col Putnam
was one Of the first to reach the ptrapet, sur
rounded by his brave New Hampshire 9TH
boys, and inspiring hi, whole brigade by his
fearless, gallant conduct. In approaching the
flt oh, 3
were met, and some portions of the brigade
were detained for moment. but not perma-
nently demoraIIzed. Col. Putnam sent Lieut..
Col. Abbott, OF the 18th, and Maj. henderson,
his adjutant general to intercept StragglerS,
rally those who halted, and hurry forward all
troops. They did this under ii very hot fire.
which was as terrible short distance from
the fort as in it. The rear division of the 9TH,
and a portion of the Tooth New York, were
massed together, crossed the ditch ard essayed
TO get IL tOothuld inside from one point while
the cd and 9th Ohio went to another.
Every regiment behaved n0bly, and all have Il
fearful roll Of casualties to attest the persist
ency and energy of their effort to obtain and
hold the fort One corner of the fort only
was ours, and that was swept by grape and
canister and exposed to muSketry. The troops
looked back, saw they were alone, and began
to falter. Gen. Strong had been up and
cheered and rallied his quondam classmate
and ever FRIEND Col Putnam, and returned to
try and bring up reintorcements.
Col. Putnam implorcd, enreated, command
ed his troops to hold on but a moment longer,
and then another minute, and then IL moment
again, but no help came. He had sent Il mes
senger t. ask for reinturcements. He did not
know that Gems. Strong and Seymour had
h,,th Al,
The messenger learned the fact, and went to
Gen. Gilmore. The latter, anxious, but still
cool and clcar-headed, told him the reserve, a
fresh brigade, had been ordered forward as
soon it was known tuothold had been
gained in the rebel work. Before this mes
senger left, another arrived to say that Col.
Putnam was killed, and that our troops had
retired from tie fort entirely. That was the
result, briefly told. Gen. StevensunS brigade
was being conducted by Col. Turner, of Gen.
GilmOre's staff, to reinforce Colonel Putnam,
when the news IF his death and the retirement
of his troops reached them in season to pre-
vent the whole rebel lire taking effect on them
Sadly and disappointed they turned back, and
the battle Held was lett to lie enemy, and our
dead and wounded The rebel fire ceased
the dmbulHncea met the strrlChcrs at the edge
Of danger, and the gtuanS Of the wounded, the
chirps of the CrlckctS and the beating of the
surf were jOn all the sounds we could hear,
for the fire on both sides had ceased. The
rebels too, had dead to barry and wounded to
care for and peace was TO reign for II night at
least. Our fresh troops fell back to the in
trenchments in good order, occupying all our
old positions; and the shattered regiments
rallied around their torn, burned and smoked
standards, to go into camp and call the names
of the absent forever.
The loss OF officers was found to be unu-
sually large in proportion to the enlisted men.
Col. Putnam, the accomplished gentleman,
had been instantly killed by grapeShOt in the
head. Gen, seymour had received painful
wound in the foot from grapeShot. Another
from the same discharge passed through the
breast Of Lieut.. s. S. Stevens, his aid de-
camp. General Strong, while striving to rally
stragglers, got canister shot through the
thigh, making a severe but not fatal wound.
His adlutant general Lieut.. a. IL. Libby, of
of the sd New Hampshire, a brave and etiic-
lent officer, was killed in the carly part OF the
fight. Mai. Flleo, Of the Doth Pennsylvania,
Il volunteer aid to Gen. Strong, rushed once
impetuOusy into the fort with the first corners,
came back to the parapet and tried to get
volunteers Tor charge on gun, and, won
dertully escaping death, was taken prisoner.
Col Robert Shaw of the Massachusetts oath,
was wounded, taken prisoner, and said TO be
dead 1t. Col. Green, OF the 18th New York,
was mortaly wounded and died after being
taken to Charleston. Col. j. l.. Chatfield, of
the 9th Connecticut, lost part of his right
hand and received discharge of grape in his
left leg, after performing prodigies of valor.
Scarcely field officer escaped wounds, and
line officers fell by the score. In Gen.
Strong'S brigade, Maj. j. |. Plympton, of his
staff, was the only ranking officer able to do
duty, and commanded the brigade night and
a day.