The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-06-10

the extreme right forming the extreme left,
and what had been the extreme left form
inc the extreme right and thus the army
finds itsslf drawn tothe left BY the length
Of IS whole lins Of battle SAY eight or ten
miles. K " # sH
N,sS Brs0RE THE BATTLE. W.
Goal Harbor being secured by the action
of Wednesday, General Grant determined
to give battle the day following, Tor the
purpose of essaying the passages OF the
Chickahominy. Accordingly, during the
night, Hancock's corps, which held the right
of the line, was moved and took position
on the extreme left; and early on THURSDAY,
the headquarters Of Generals drant anu
Meade were transferred to the rear OF the
left and established at Coal Harbor. IL
had been designed to give battle on Thurs
day but Hancock was compelled to tight
his corps into position, and his formation
was not completed unIil afternoon. The
attack was thon ordered for S o'clock in
the afternoon but Q thunder storm as
heavy as that which swelled the Chicka
bominy on the day before Fair Oaks set
in. and the order had to be counterman>
dei. .....
TIE SITUATION AT 4 A. M. FRIDAY.
On the left wing of the army is the corps
of Hancock 1.-THE Second); connecting with
him on the right, and forming the left cen
tire. is Wright's 1.-THE SIXTH, then Smiths
1.-THE EIGHTEENTH, which holds the centre,
next comes Warren's 1.-THE Fifth, which
forms the right centre, and then Burnside's
the Ninth), which holds the extreme right.
Our line runs almost parallel with the
Chickahominy and from one and half to
tive aud q half miles North Of it. On the
left wing we approach nearest the river; on
the right we are some what refused. Han
cock, holding the left wing, rests across the
Dispatch Station road. Our right is across
the Totopamov. The rebel front is formed
in front of the Chickahominy, in three lines
1.-TWO lines of battle and skirmish line
on an irregular line to conform with the
woods, and ridges and swamps on the
ground. Between the two armies is low
swampy region. .,
The attack was ordered for 4:3O, but it
certainly was not later than 4:45 when the
whole line was in motion.
THE LEFT, HANCoCK's CORPS.
Hancock held the left of the whole line
! of battle and of his three divisions, that
1 of Barlow held the extreme left Of the ar
NV, that of Gibbon was drawn on the right
of Barlow's, while Birney's division was
held in reserve. Barlow had directed that
his attacking brigades should, previously to
the assault, be moved out, and formed lust
in rear OF the picket line. From this point
they advanced half mile through woods
and over open intervals, under severe fire
square up to the enemy's works. Thatpor
ton of his front where the right of Miless
brigade Joined with the left of Brooks
succeeded in similar splendid coup here !;
they got over and into the enemy's para.
pet, capturing his guns flour light II pouad-
ers) his colors and 500 or 600 prisoners, OF
whom about 300 were secured by promptly
passing them to the rear. The storming
column, in fact, were just turning the enc
mys guns on the retreating rebels, when
powerful reinforcements from the second
rebel line appeared advancing. The first
rebel line was held by Breckenridge troops
and was carried. Breckenridge's men were
placed in the front to receive the baptism
of fire, but behind these lay the veterans
of Hills corps, and it is these we now see
dsshing forward to retrieve the Eonors we
had snatched. Barlow's brigades could have
held their own under conditions the least
short of desperation, but the situation in
which they now found themselves over
leaped its limits. 1t was not merely the
overwhelming front that came pressing
down upon them; of that they had no fear,
but the position they had gained placed
them in advance of the whole line Of bat.
tie, and gave the rebel artillery the oppor
tunity for deadly enfilading fire. Beside
this, they had lost the directing heads Of two
of the chief commanders, Brooks and
Byrnes fell MORALLY wounded, and all the
organizations had suffered fearfully from an
unparalleled loss Of officers. In this state
of facts they fell back, bringing with them
the prisoners they had taken and captur>
ed color, but not the guns. They fell back
to position far in advance of that they
had held, and at different points not more
than fifty yards from the enemy. Here they
entrenched, and here leave them to pass
on to Gibbons division of the same corps
on the right, and which was engaged at the
same time. Gibbons advance was simulta
neous with Barlow's, but in moving forward
he came upon one Of the swamps of the
Chickahominy, which had to be turned or
overpassed in the process of which it be-
came very difficult to establish the connec,
ton between different parts OF his line -
This overcome, his troops pressed forward
with the same vigor that marked the conduct
of their companion division on the left
Parts of the brgades Of Tyler and Owen
gained the rebel works; but for reasons
identical with those that forced back Bar
lows troops, they also were compelled to
give up what they had won. Gibbon-' di
vision, too, lost very heavily. In giving
way, this division also was far from losing
all the ground it had gained. 1t took up
an advanced position, close to the enemy,
and just over the crest, the rearward slope
of which was held by the rebels. This po
sition it has retained during the day, and
| NIX aop,a hr;roda hoo boll all do- ros;