The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1863-05-29

/ This same rcgim ntal officer then went
TO an old resident Yankee clock ped.
dlcr," aud got description Of them, and
/ then made rough diagram. and brought
| it 10 his uudis,urbcd general ! but even
after this he failed to appreciate the sig.
nilicancc of these numerous roads us
channel for the rapid movement of troops.
I The day wore idly away with US, while
/ the rebels were pcriccting their rlaus.-
At about =. NJ. Cupt. Suntur, Co u,
Z 55th Ohio, cut ON picket, sent in his
| first sOrgCant with word that the enemy
was massinE on the extreme right with
/ infantry aud artillery. Subsequently
scouts lrum the 25th Ohio brought the
general intelligence that the enemy were
/ IN foil force upon our right. After q
while cavalry ,fliccr came dashing down
the road, announcing that the cnrmv
were in iull force upon our right with
artillery! Thrsc thricc.rcpcutcd wurn-
ings ought to have rouscd the most lc.
thargic keeper of such holy intcre sts
as were assembling ia the balances of
chat hour. But they tell upon curs that
hVtdeu thcn not No change of front
was ordered No adequate distractions
were plrccd in the way oi the advlnc ing
hosts. Tie artillery all remained in its
former position, ready to rcpcl only u
front att1ck--thc front aud flank skir.
mishcs had not tvcn liuc of co,nmuni-
cation with each othcrl Such was the
position of affairs with the First division,
Occupying the extreme right. Nbwon-
der the fear became general aud painfully
evident To every subordinate officer, that
our.lank was being turned
| At L. NJ. the attack commenced
without prcmonition. No mounted sem
tincl came gallcping up with the news /:
but very little of picket firing hcrnIdcd IT,.
/ The first note of warning ihst the shock
/ had come, was the shock Itself. A trc-
mcndous volley Of musketry, immediate.
| ly followed hy dclugc Of grape and
canister and the rebels were upon us
in overwhelming numbers, in three con.
centric columns. One was movrg down
the turnpike, one down Brooks roai,and
the Other further to the lrit aud as their
prisoners stated, in full brigade line and
forty deep, while section of their urlil-
lcry was brought up TO position IN the
road commanding our line, which ii
swept. a
What could 1900 men do with 30, ,o00l
Their flank and roar being entirely ,x-
posed to its foes, aud their position cn-
hladcd at that. But now surely,
utter, this surprise in the rear, they will
change front common sense demands,
that, and military science may well blush
in shame if il be not instantly done. The
commander of the 55lh Ohio, his eye up
on The right, detects it completely II nk-
ed. Putting spurs 10 his horse, he hast
ems TO the division commander and shouts.
" Our right is turned may change
front !" " No, is the reply. In mo-
ment he is with his regiment again, and
sccing his right give way, he nIcs to his
General u second tine. The right is
breaking, aud no enemy in front of us
may not change front, and at them in
our rear! "No,' was the gruif reply
aud thus soldiers who never yet had fail
ed TO do their duty, aud whom Napoleon
would have deemed worthy place in
the Old Guard" were left in the trench
cs under an eniilading fire of grape aud
canister, ard uuuhlo to dis churge musk.
ct directly or obliquely ut their. foes who
were sweeping them down.
When called, Of at last, without COM
mnnd OF any general officer, they broke
10y files and companies, but reformed be-
hind the gallant 25th Ohio. | cite the
both, not that they did better than others
but TO show the consumate skill with
which the division was handled. The
10th and Goth Ohio Regiments acquitted
themselves like men who had n country
and honor 10 defend, while the 18th Con-
nocticut, although under Ere for the first
time, cqualed the most veteran in splend.
id conduct. Tho loss in McLeun's brig
adc is very great. both in the runks aud
in the field officers. The noble Riley is
dead. The heroic Richardson Is danger
ousy wounded. The brave aud undnunt- |
ed Noble, faint from loss of blood, leaves
the field 10 his gallant Leutenunt.Co Colonel
Walter, who gave up his life in the very !
act Of cntrcating his men to stand las by
the flag of the country of his adaption |
and his love.
II was a surprise! Who doubts it, /
and that in the broad daylight! There is /
not an officer in the corps, aside from the |
guilty, who will not affirm II. No troops /
in the world could have stood, placed as
were the right of the llth Army Corps. /
Far nobler would il be for the guilty TO |
frankly acknowledge their errors than 10
skulk behind voiceless privates, with a
charge Of cuwardice, aud staining the
memory oftae, heroic dead with detection,
or robbng the bereaycd Of the consola.
tons that their loved ones died with their
soldiers honor bright.
II is far custer to 1atter and praise
than TO ccnsuro ; but the memory of the
noble men gone to their graves, and now
in hospitals, is entitled to
This plain, uhvarnished statement of facts
have given you aud il it mOy serve
The purpose OF inciting greater diligence
aud wutehlulness in the future, every !
motive aud object desire will be fully
'ealized. II Sgel had been in command
)f his old corps, none believed that such
! sruprise could have happened; yet who {
AN doubt that responsibility rests upon
lin who was thrice notified of the danger
which finally robbed US Of a complete vic [
ory! Complete victory, | say for /
lain that such fight and such results
IS Hooker ther achieved cannot be de.
dominated defeat, and the pride and in I
I'gnation OF every true soldier of the Po. 6
olnne Army is touched if il be intimated. I
,ven as | write, our returned surgeons v
tate, as the admission of all the rebel Of y
GERS they met on the other side, that l
hey have received no such terrible pun q
shmpnt since the uar commpnpad mud n