Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1863-07-15

the decliyity What hIdeous carnage filed
the minutes between the appearances OF the
9th Corps and the advance to the support oil
the rebel columns of still another column from
the right cannot bear to tell. Men fell as
the leaves fall in autuma before those horrible
discharges. Faitering for an instant. the reb-
el columns seemed about to recede before the
tempest. But their officers, who could he
seen through the smoke of the conflic. gallop-
ing and swinging their swords along the lines,
rallied them anew, aud the next instant the
whole line sprang forward if to break thro
our own by mere weight of numbers. A di-
vision from the 18th Corps from the extreme
right reached the scene at this instant, and at
the same time Sedgwick came up with the 9th
Corps, having finished march of nearly thir-
ty-six consecutive hours. To what rescue
they came, their officers saw and told them /.
Weary as they were, bare-footed, hungry, ut
to drop tor slumber they were, the wIS5 for
victory so blended with the thought OF
exhaustion that they cast themselves in turn
en- masse into line of battle, and went down on
the enemy with death 10 their weapons and
cheers on their lips. The rebel camePs back
was broken by this ''feather" His line stag
gered, reelea, and drifted slowly back, while
the shouts OF our soldiers lifted up amid the
roar OF musketTy over The bodies OF the dead
and wounded, proclaimed the completeness OF
their victory. Meanwhile, as the division cf
Slocum's corps on the extreme right left its
post TO join in this triumph, another column
of the enemy, under command of Gen. Eweil,
had dashed savagely against our weakened
right wing, and as the failure TO turn our left
became known il seemed as il determination
to conquer in this part of the field oyercaIne
alike the enemy's fear of death and his plans
for victory elsewhere The fight was terrific,
and for fifteen minutes the attack to which
the three divisions of the 18th Corps were
subjected was more furious thai any thing
known in the history OF this army. The 9th
Corps came to their support, the lst Corps
followed !; and from dusk into darkness, until
halt past nine O'Clock. the battle ragged with
varied fortune and unabated fury. Our troops
We're compelled by overpowering numbers to
fall back short distance. abandoning several
rife pits and an advantageous position to the
enemy, who, naughty over his advantage and
made desperate By defeat in other quarters,
then made last struggling charge against
that division OF our right wing commanded by
General Geary- General Geary's troops i'm
mortalized themselves by their resistance to
tins attempt. They stood like adamant,
move less death dealing machine before whose
volleys the rebel column withered and went
down by hundreds. After a slaughter iEcon
ceivable the repulse of Eweli was complete,
and he retired at ten O'Clock p. N. to the po-
sition before referred to. The firing from all
quarters ofthe field ceased soon after that hour,
and no other attack was made until morning.
THE BATTLE or FRIDAY
As one who stands in tower and looks
down upon lengthy pageant marching thro'
thoroughfare. finds it Impossible at the close
10 recall in order the appearances and the in
eidents of the scene, so |, who sit this evening
on camp stool beside the ruins OF the mon
ument against which | leaned listening TO the
robin of yesterday, find it Impossible to recall
vith dIstinctness the details of the unparal-
ieled battle just closed. The conflict, waged
by 10000 men, which has occupied with
scarcely an interval of rest the entire day from
4 a.. N. until 6 O'Clock this evening, contains
SO much, so near, and such voluminous mai
ter of interest one mind cannot grasp with
out time for reflection.
This last engagement has been the fercest
and most sangunaty of the wE. Ii was be-
gun at daylight by Gen. Slocum, whose troops,
maddened by the loss of many comrades, and
eager to retrieve the position lost by them on
the preceding evening, advanced and deliv-
cred destructive fire against the rebels un-
der Ewell. That generals entire force res
ponded with charge that is memorable even
beyond those made by them yesterday. II
was desperation against couragei The fire of
the enemy was mingled with yells, pitched
even above its clangor. They came on, and
on. and on, while the national troops, splen-
dIdly handled and we'll posted stood uu ushakeB
did receive them WAS so rapid and so thick as
20 envelope the ranks of its deliverers with a
pail that shut them from sight during the bat
tie which ragged fhenceforward tor six dreary
hours. Oat of this pail no straggler came to
the rear. The line scarcely ainched from its
position during the entire conflict. Huge
masses of rebel infantry threw themselves into
IL again and again in vain. Back, as ball
hurled against rock, these masses recoiled,
and were reformed to be hurled anew against
IL With ferceness unfruittul of success
fruitful OF carnage. as before The strong po-
sItion occupied by GeB. Geary. and that held
by Gen. Blrney, met the first and hardest as
sauits, bat only fell back short distance be-
fore fearfGi odds, to re-advance, to re assume
and to hold their places in company with
Sykes's division of the Fifth corps and Hum
phrey's (Berry's old diysion) of the Third,
when, Judiciously reinforced with artillery,
they renewed aud continued the contest until
its close. 1t seemed as If the gray uniformed
troops, who were advanced and re advanced
by their officers up to the very edge of the
line of smoke in front of our infantry, were
impelied by some terror in their rear, which
they we're as unable to withstand as they wsre
TO make headway against the fire in their front.
1t was hard to believe such desperation voIun-
tary- 1t was harder to believe that the courage
which withstood and defeated il was mortal.
The enemy gradually drew forward his whole
line until In many places hand TO hand con-
Act ragged for minutes. His artillery, an
swered by ours, played upon our columns with
frighiiui result, Yet they did net waver. The
battle was in this way evenly contested for a
time. but at moment when it seemed prob
lematicai which side would gain the victory, "a
reinforcement arrived and were formed in line
at such position as to enfilade the enemy
and teach him at last the futilty of his efforts.
Dlsordered, routed, and confused, his whole
rsafra tod I
ceased ard the stiffness of death ensued This
silence continued until p. m. At this mo-
ment the rebel artillery from all points. in a
circle radating around our own began a ter