Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-05-19
THE GREAT VIRGINIA BATTLES,
Cont est of Friday.
FOURTEEN HOURS OF FIGHTING.
The Rebels Finally Repulsed.
Correspondence of the New York Tribune.
FIELD OF THE BATTLE OF TIE WILDERNESS,
Friday, NAV ell .. N.

Fourteen hours of severe fighting to-day,
and still nothing decisive. The position this
morning was that Of last night, substantially.
Gen. Sedgwick, with two of his divisions,
Ricketts, and Wright's, has fought upon the
right; Gen. Hancock, with the four divisions
of his corps, viz: Birney's, Carr's, Barlow's
and Gibbons, with Getty's Division of the
9th Corps (Burnsdes,) has fought in the cen
ter Burnside's corps has constituted the le-
serve, and has marched and counter-marched
necessarily, and gone in by brigades at the
center and on the left.
Sedgwick was to advance at a. M. but
Ewell, who commands opposite him, attacked
at 4:45. Sedgwick says Ewell's watch must
be 10 minutes ahead of his. This action on
our right was spirited and well fought. At
the expiration of an hour the rebels were
handsomely borne back, the firing ceased,
and each side held the ground they had BIZ
vouacked upon. Our loss was severe. and
the enemy's could not have been less.
Gen. Sedgwicks staff were brilliant and
ubiquitous throughout, while the old General
was the man Of Antietam and Fredericks-
burg repeating himself This action barely
over, and suddenly we heard from the ex-
IRENE left that peculiar monotonous swell
and volume of sound which tells of large
numbers engaged-so many that single shots
tinct, but are merged in the mighty noise of
great battle. Hancock was engaged
The details of this two hours steady strug.
gle do not know, but know that he did his
work Clearly and completely. Longstreet
had joined the rebel right, and this was sec
ond determined attempt to turn our left, and
a second utter discontinue.
Only 10 o'clock and Lee had tried each
wing and had met in each case more than he
could overcome, and we asked ourselves what
next. All his movements were silent and in
visible, and unknown until he developed
them in the event. We can deliver blows
over III the direction whence blows are dealt
us-nOt against an enemy advancing IN bold
sight, but against one who has mysteriously
gathered and poised himself for a deadly
spring.
But the suspense is not long. Both com
batants are too eager to compel the issue for
either to delay another and still another en-
counter Shots begin to ring all along the
six miles Of front.
At II O'clock the enemy press close upon
Warren and Sedgwick, and tain number of
guns exactly upon the latter's headquarters
A man and three horses are killed within
twenty feet of the General and in the very
center of his grouped staff Finding the
enemy disposed to renew the engagement of
the early morning, Scdgewick accepts the
challenge, and advances his whole line The
men 90 in with more dash and hold on more
sturdily than i'll the morning. Ewell is driy-
en- back to his second line where his guns are
i'll position, and there makes a stand.
At this iuncturc Warren, who connects
with Sedgwick's left, is extremely anxious to
20 in with all his might, but the enemy's po-
stion in his front seems too formidable.
| 500 n tr0on Of hprSnI1pn r.iIiDO r,,,i,lI,r
up to the perilous edge of battle, and rccog-
nizc Warren and his white horse, as Jehu was
recognized by the Prophet of DID, for they
came furious. With him are Gems Griffin
and Hunt, and officers of Gems. Grant and
Meades stalls
Hating at the first line they dismomt and
walk more than half mile in front of the
men, who are flat upon their breasts, and
firingrapidly. We hold the woods on one side
of an open space, perhaps onc-iourth Of
mile across, and the rebels lay along the trend
of the woods upon the other side. Their en-
trenchments are plainly visible, and the open
mouths of their artillery peer over
No! it will not do to charge across. 1t
were stark madness. The sharpshooters may
continue to reply to this, but no man shall
start across the plain and live. Warren had
perhaps hoped that his own Judgment would be
overrucd by the officers with him, but all de-
carcd that no advance could be made here
But more to the left where Wadsworth's and
Robinson's divisions of Warren's corps lap
up to Hancock, the prospect is better, and
there an assault is ordered.
1t is noon, and Sedgwick's second fight is
over, and he again rests on the line of his
last nights bivouac. Wadsworth advances
and finds the enemy-A. p. Hilrs corps
strong and prepared. The division on his
right and left become engaged with him, and
the work is warm. Here, as elsewhere the
contest is in a tangled jungle, and the soldiers
push aside the bushes and find mortal enc
mics bursting through the adjoining growth
of bushes, and face to face with them.
Half or three fourths of an hour of alter
mating success and repulse, and Gen. Wads-
worth orders charge to recover his com
mand from a slight wavering. He is cheered
loudly by his men who loved the gray haired
chieftain. One horse is shot under him. He
mounts a second and spurs to the front, hat
in hand and we should have won then, but
his men saw him fall. He was shot through
the head, killed instantly, and his body fell
into the hands of the enemy.
His command fell back to their original
position with comparative order Wads-
worths death is heavy loss-scarcely an Of
fcer in the army could have been better spar
regretted. Yesterday and to-day he had dis
played such marked ability and gallantry as
to compel his recognition on all hands as an
able soldier, who, now thai he is gone, can
hardly be replaced. He was true man, a
beloved, a high-toned gentlemen, to be re-
spected, an unshrinBing patriot to be emulat-
ed, an accomplished soldier dead on the field
of honor to be mourned.
But this battle does not pause for a hero
slain. From noon until o'clock, a number
of sharp assaults at various points were made
and invariably repulsed, whether made by us
or by the enemy. Each one of those affairs
were material for long letter, but l find it
simply impossible at this time to ascertain
and write out correctly the facts in detail
Prisoners came in at the rate of 100 an
hour The day was excessively hot, and the
men were much exhausted. We had neither
gained nor lost ground, but continued this
thing long enough, and we hoped finally to
wear them out. At 81 o'clock Hancock was
preparing for grand movement of our entire
lett. tie did not make it, for the enemy an
tlclpated him, and he had to repel perhaps
the most wicked assault thus far encountered
brief IN duration, but terrific in power and
superhuman momentum.
The first few minutes we woro stao,oorod
Straggers for the first time in all tb;S 6rb+
ING streamed to tie rear in LARGO nTnohors
choking the roads and causing manic hy tbair
stampede and incoherent tales of Ir;ob+f,1
disaster. 1t was even reported at oennroi
Headquarters that the enemy had burst on
tirely through, and supports were hurried mn
Grant and Meade seated their backs AGAINST
the same tree, quietly listened to the Officer
who brouoht the report, and consulted q mo