Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-05-20
FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
Worlds Correspondence
HEADou ARrERs ARMY OF THE POToMAo.l

gladiators i'm the midst of their combat, to
gather strength and maneuver for fresh ad-
vantages. Such an interval, brief though
| it may be, is sorely needed. Sinews of iron
could not prevail long against such unre-
mitted fighting and marching MS the troops
of this army have had to undergo. 1t will
have been perceived that the efforts of our
forces have been chiefly directed against the
| flank of the enemy. Every shift of the
battle has been toward our left. We have
moved by the left flank continually.
At the close OF Thursday, day OF such
q battle as General Grant himself said was
never fought on this continent, the army
was In line as follows: The Fifth corps on
| the right the Sixth corps next, the Second
corps occupying the left center, and the
! Ninth corps forming the left wing. This
position continued on Friday, no battle
taking place. Our men were engaged bury
ing the dead and caring for the wounded
during most of that day and evening. The
enemys sharpshooters, watchful as ever,
fired at every head which showed itself too
far above the intrenchments, and an officer,
whose name did not learn. was shot dead
while riding across the field. An OCCASION
al cannonade broke in upon the quiet OF the
day, which was one of rains and terrible
weather, spelling the roads, which have
now got from bad to worse.
! Notwithstanding the mud, another swift
and bold maneuver was accomplished on
Friday night, again changing, toward the
left, the position of our whole line. The
Fifth and Sixth corps were marched all
night, aud the army yesterday morning
! faced the enemy about two miles above
Spottsylvania Court House, along the Ny
river. between the Po and Mattapony, and
across the fredericksburg and Spottsylva-
mia Court House road-thus: the Second
corps on the right connecting with the
Ninth corps on the left, and occupying the
line held by the Sixth corps last night; the
Fifth corps on the left, connecting with
Burnside on the right, and the Sixth corps
held mostly in reserve on the left. The
headquarters of the army, including those
of General Grant, were established, as also
those of the Sixth corps, at the house of
| noted and wealthy secessionist named Gail,
who, in company with brother, held pos
session of an immense estate, upon which
that part of our line of battle, held by the
Fifth and the reserve of the Sixth corps, was
disposed in sight.
Let it be understood t'lat this doubling
movement of our line did not turn the en-
emy's flank, as intended; but, nevertheless,
it being in n southeasterly direction, was an
advance movement, and brought us so
much further OH our way. The enemy was
found in front ubiquitous as ever, and leis-
urely engaged In strengthening his works,
which are understood to be of long stand
| ing and very formidable. Observation of
| the field yesterday forenoon revealed GU
rious sight. The advance forces of both ar
mics were quietly digging within four
| hundred yards of each other, exposing their
bodies in full view without firing a shot
Batteries were coolly placed in po ition, and
the aspect showed that the troops on both
sides were too worn out by hard fighting
and marching to waste their strength in the
useless animosities of the picket line.
Our batteries on the left, about 8 A. NJ.
lazily felt of the enemy's position and then
subsided. A sharp and successful extern
poraneous fight did occur on the left how
ever, which resulted in more serious fight
ing in the afternoon. The enemy had pos
session of house across the Ny river, near
the termination of our line of battle-a
commanding and dangerous position. Soon
after o'clock Colonel Upton's brigade of
Russelrs division of the Sixth corps, with
q portion of the New Jersey brigade of the
same corps, crossed the Ny, charged up the
hill, and took this house from them after
lively engagement. The day was one of
showers. About the middle of the after
noon, when one of these showers was at its
height, General Meade, accompanied by
General Wright, commanding the Sixth
corps, rode up to this house, entered it and
sat down for a light conference.
The grounds were still held by Upton's
and the New Jersey troops alluded to,
which, except the pickets, formed the ex-
treme left of our position. The two Gene
rails had been conversing but few minutes
when sudden rattle of musketry from
above startled both. The next instant an
other vOlley nearer, and accompanied with
wells that could not be mistaken, was heard
and number of bullets penetrated the
house. Generals Meade and Wright had
lust time to rush out the rear doors and
mount their horses when the enemy came
down upon the house and the troops around
it like wolves; at the same time they brought
out battery from behind wood above,
unlimbered it and poured in cooperative
storm of grapeshot upon our men. The
latter, although taken at a sudden disad-
vantage, fought valiantly; but were forced
back through an orchard and down the
face of the hill, yielding the position to the
enemy with loss in killed and wounded
and prisoners of from fifty to seventy-five
men. n l1.a
The position was too valuable to be lost.
The enemy proceeded at once to plant a
battery in the grounds about the house,
which threatened to enfilade our left wing
completely, and the Sixth corps was ordered
to drive them back, retake and hold the
hill. The order reached General Wright
an hour before dark. At that time the main
body of the Sixth corps was still in reserve
this side of the Ny river; but it was inn
mediately sent forward to the left, behind a
piece of woods, to cross that stream and
| form a column of assault. The river was
unbridged, and was so swollen by the rains,
that the ford was next to impossible. Be
| fore bridges could be constructed 1t was
dark, and the assault by the Sixth corps had
to be abandoned.
Meanwhile battery was placed on an
eminence to the left, commanding the house.
Another, also bearing upon the house, was
already in position near the house of Gen.
| Warren, whose corps was encamped and in
| line of battle to the right. These two bat
teries opened fierce and rapid fire upon
| the enemy, weakening and scattering their
| line to such an extent that just at dark the
regular brigade of Griffin's division, Fifth
corps, commanded by Col. Ayers, charged
| up the hill from the rightand took the place
without difficulty. Some losses among our
own troops resulted from the neglect of the
| battery on the left to cease firing in time.
| While they held possession of the house
and grounds the enemy behaved toward
our dead and wounded with remarkable
barbarity, refusing the latter every attention
and robbing them of everything. The body
of Lieut.-Col. Wiebecke, of the Second
New Jersey regiment, was found stripped
naked, lying in an orchard. This closed
the DAYS fighting, the enemy being driven