Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-06-04
From General Buffers Department.
THE REBEL ATTACK ON BUTLER.
Correspondence of the State Journal.

WALHALLA LANDING, May II, 1864.


| Correspondence of the State Journal. :.
HEADQUARTERs ARMY OF VIRGINIA.
WALHALLA LANDING, May II, 1864.
After three days skirmishing along the
Richmond and Petersburg pike, the rebels
continually falling back, we at last succeeded
in obtaining position under the very guns
| of the forts which occupy Drury's Bluff and
vicinity. The 18th Corps, under Gen. Smith,
| occupied the right of our position, and the
| 10th, under Gen. Gilmore, the left. The
outer line of defences, very formidable and
| stretching away for miles, had all been car
| ried, and we we're ready for the final assault
which should give US the possession of the
strongholds which barred the way to our fur
Their advance toward the rebel Capital. Yes
| terday morning the assault was to have been
made. But who can tell what day may
bring forth and how little are the events of
to-day or tomorrow under our control! All
that human skill and foresight could do had
been done, and we seemed on the very eve of
a most brilliant and important achievement.
Day broke with thick and impenetrable
fog enshrouding us. Hardly had the morning
dawned, ere terrific assault was made upon
our right wing, composed of the brigades of
Hickman and Burnham. The enemy, four
lines deep, advanced through the dense fog
unperceived, to within few hundred yards
of our line, and then with a terrific discharge
of musketry and artillery, and the most fright
full wells, threw their whole force with crush
ing weight and effect upon the doomed brig
AIDES. They could not abide the awful storm
which had burst so suddenly and crushingly
upon them. Torn, mangled and bleeding,
their brave columns, veterans all, were swept
from their position by the battle-blast-brave
Gen. Hickman made prisoner-the whole
right completely broken up, and the frag-
ments tossed upon the pillows of that terri
BILE onset And yet they had time, brief as
it was. to hurl destruction into the ranks of
the swiftly advancing foe. Their dead and
wounded were piled in CORY heaps upon the
field.
The right wing broken and crushed, and
all in danger of being lost, Col. Sanders, in
command of the centre was ordered to take
the 1sSth Pennsylvania of his brigade and
post it ON the pike as a support to Ashby's
battery, then in extreme peril. Very soon
after the regiment had taken its position,
fire from a thanking party of the rebels killed
every horse in the battery but one, and
despite the exertiOns of the 1SSth, which are
represented as truly heroic, the battery was
finally captured.
In the meantime the balance of Col. San
ders' Brigade was called upon to contend with
the fierce tide of battle which set in upon it.
Moving from its original position, it had
| formed anew beyond strip of woods half
| or three quarters of mile in the rear, its
| right resting on the pike and near the Half
way House. This it did with the thunder of
the conflict crashing and the iron and leaden
hail falling in deluge all arouRd them. 1t
went to its new position cody and with I'M
| broken ranks; formed its line under fire and
| then withstood the onset of the enemy. This
| brigade with Burnham's, which was partially
| rallied, stayed the progress of the rebel as
| sault on the right, and unquestionably saved
us from very great loss.
| The battle-storm did not fully cease I'M
til after o'clock P. NJ, but continued to rage
| fearfully at times along the entire line. Gill
mores Corps met and endured the shock a
| little later-the first and heaviest assault
| having been made made upon our right, along
which the rebels during the night had massed
| four times our number. of men. Prisoners
taken unite in saying that large reinforce
ments had been brought in for the purpose
of dslodging us from our position, and driv-
ing US from too close proximity to the rebel
capital.
we have been driven back but not defeat
ed. The heavy fog and heavy masses of re-
| bells were too much for u.s. In a single word,
the fog beat US Friend could not be dis
| tiuguished from foe thirty PAGES distant
This only made the strife more deadly when
the grapple came, and fearfully has the ene-
NV paid for all he has gained Our men are
in excellent spirits to-day, and ready to meet
| the foe again tomorrow.
The losses in yesterdays fight in killed,
wounded and missing will probably foot up
nearly one thousand. Some of the regiments
lost heavily, Specially those composing Heck
mans brigade. We lost many valuable Off
GERS. Gen. Butler had shoulder-strap shot
away. Col Sanders lost the tassel of his
hat-cord in the same manner. Narrow es-
capes were numerous as can testify from
INV own experience. The 10Th Wisconsin
/ lost SO men-4 killed and 80 ounded;* the
! lssth Pennsylvania, & killed and 81 wound
| ed. The entire loss of the brigade will not
vary from 200. Lit. Col. Strong was made
prisoner at the opening of the fight by four
| rebels, and afterward rescued by his own men
and the capturers made prisoners.
| I have not time to write more minutely.-
Nv notebook contains many interesting in
cidents, and as early as may be | will put
| them in shape for your readers. Let all be
of good cheer, the end is not far off. We
have the means for accomplishing all we de
sire. hADIx
SECRETARY WELLEs is "RnED. "-Secretary
Welles is got always the sleepy character
some newspapers would have the country be
lieye. The correspondence between hin
and the naval commanders before Charleston
shows that he is not always in the PLACID
mood. Com Wilkes and Admiral Dupon
both succeeded in string the depths of hi
nature to a considerable extent. The gist o
the difference is that the naval officers be
lieve very little in the monitors and the iron