Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-05-16

tinued yesterday in tire most sanguinary of
the six bloody engagements which have dis
| tinguished this campaign. The army was
disposedAt early morning MS follows, slight
! ly In advance of the position occupied the
| previous day. The Second Corps on the
| right, west OF the river Po, and nearly in a
! line with the road running from Shady
Grove Church to Spottsylvania Court
! House; the Fifth Corps in center east of the
| river and facing southwestward of Spottsyl-
vania, and the Sixth Corps on the left, facing
toward Spottsylvania: Batteries were post
| ed in the rear at all available points-Burns's,
Arnold's, Sleeper's, Rodgers and Ayell's
batteries supporting the right dprotecting
the bridge across the Po river, formed OF
three pontoons.
Meade's and Stewards batteries were dis
posed toward the left of the Fifth corps in
! front of wood. The country is quite as
wretched and barbarous for fighting pur-
poses as that beyond the old Wilderness
| tavern on the Germania plank-road.
! There are few scattered openings
across which our lines of battle could be
seen at intervals, but the main position of
our own army and that of the enemy was
concealed rs heretofore by the dense forest
which made the battle almost mystery.
Desultory fighting began early in the day.
Our artillery at from eight O'clock A. NJ. un-
| til after dark, was never silent. From ev-
! cry position wherever the enemy's lines
were at all exposed the guns belched forth
| upon them a tempest of shrieking shot and
shell.
| Mink's battery, attached to the Fifth
| corps, and posted on the edge of the forest
mentioned, evidently did terrible executions;
and about eleven o'clock in the day charge
| OF the enemy, intended to effect its capture,
was repulsed. Musketry firing by sharp
shooters and fierce skirmishes continued at
different points during the forenoon.
The enemy had evidently massed the
greater portion of his troops on his left and
| left center. 1t having been determined to
assault his center, the divisions of Gibbons
and Birney, belonging to the Second corps,
were withdrawn across the Po river to as
sist the attack. The First Brigade, Robin
sons, and the Second brigade of Cutters
| division, Fifth corps, General Rice, COM
menced the fighting. Griffin's division and
| the main portion of the Fifth corps, and
| Gibbons division of the Second, then ad-
vanced. driving the enemy into their rifle
pits after several hours of battle, during
which the roar of musketry was louder and
more continuous than at Gettysburg. The
lcorks lrere not taken. General Rice was kill
ed early in the fight, while getting his col
umn ilto position.
Meanwhile, Barlow's division of the Sec
ond corps, left across the Pc river, and fac
| ing in line nearly perpendicular to our
| general line, was attacked by heavy body
| of the enemy in flank, and forced to swing
round. A second charge of the rebels in
overwhelming force drove the right of the
division still further around, its rearin line
with the river. Holding its own for atime,
it finally withdrew across the bridge, still
fighting.
Officers returning from the right exag-
gerated the occurrence into position very
dangerous to army headquarters, tents, &C.,
which were suddenly struck, and the force
evacuated at double quick.
The loss in all this fighting was very Sc
we're, both in men and officers.
General Barlow, being still pressed after
retiring across the river, kept on fighting
until dark.
Meanwhile the dispositions for general
assault by our whole line, which had been
made in the afternoon to take pace at
o'clock, were postponed until nearly dark.
At 6 O'Clock whitening fire upon the enc
in position; the roar and shrieking of shell
and grapeshot was awful. Generals Grant
and Meade, with their stats, took position
on a hill overlooking the woods, but from
which very little of the battle itself could
be seen.
| At 615 o'clock precisely the engagement
began with vindictive vigor. A portion OF
General Upton's brigade, of the Sixth corps,
moved against the enemy's rifle-pits some
three hundred yards in their front. A por-
ton Of the route was across an open space,
where the lines were subjected to deadly
fire of grape and canister. They moved
steadily forward, however, without firing a
shot until they reached the breast-works,
which they scaled with their hands and
knees, driving the enemy out and &capturing
nine hundred prisoners. The assault was
at the same time made by the Fifth and a
part of the Second corps to the right and
center in the following order: Wards bri-
gade, of Birney's division, in rear on the
right; Crawford's division Pennsylvania
Reserves, in two lines in front on the right;
Gibbons division next on the left; the
Fifth corps troops in center; Griffiins di-
vision on the left. The assault was under
taken with varying enthusiasm, but failed
Our men were nearly exhausted and fell
back. We did not take any position of the
enemy.
Gen. Upton, whose achievements on the
left are described, finding himself so far in
advance of the main army, hard pressed
and unsupported, retired from his position
cannot perceive that the days fighting
has brought us any substantial advantage
We had not advanced Deyonu tne line oc'
cupied by us the previous night. Our righ
wing, at least, has been forced from its po.
sition; the enemy still hold their own, ant
we rest on our arms this morning, having
suffered, since the same hour yesterday, ;
loss which to estimate is now quite impos
sible.
1t is noteworthy that in yesterdays en-
gagement, in which we suffered so serious
", the enemy did not employ much ar,il
lery, we had the advantage of position TO
artillery from the fire of which the foe mus
have greatly suffered, but in positions TO
troops they held that dreaded advantag
which the formation of the country enable
them to maintain. believe we shall ge
Richmond in time. Not even Gen. Gran
can quite overcome the difficulties of thi
route. The enemy retiring before on
troops, select their own fighting ground
are covered by the woods and protected b.
abatis and intrenchments, while our owl
troops, as during yesterday, are forced +
expose themselves in charges across opel
fields, where both artillery and musketr
Il do tremendous execution.
[From another correspondent.]
L ...Irf.