The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-05-18
The War I'm Virginia.
The following is resume of sir days opera.
tions of tho army in Virginia under Gen.

The War i'm Virginia.
The following is resume Of six days. opera.
tions of tho army in Virginia under Gen:
Grant:
The battle of Thursday last, fought partially
in the Wilderness near Chancellorville, four
miles from the Rapidan and ten east of Orange
Court House by two corps of our army, was
what may be justly tern d drawn battle.
Neither side gained anything in ground or po.
sition that they did not lose so that, at dark
on Thursday, both armies were in the same
line of battle that opened on each other in the
! morning. Friday morning Lee opened the at.
! tack instead of Grant, but was handsomely
foiled during all Of the forenoon, but during the
afternoon the enemy gained some advantage,
but not of enough Importance, except On the
right for short time, to cause any fear. A
| temporary success over the extreme right Of
the 9th Corps was repalsed by desperate fight
ing OF Wrig ght's division.
| Friday night showed that we held considera-'
| bic OF the enemy line OF battle Of the morn
| ing, but it was not doubted, as Lee seemed to
remain in position as late as 9 o'clock Of that
night, but that Saturday would witness another
| battle. On the morning Grant did not attack
and the rebel line on our left seemed weaker,
but in the afternoon Hill appeared in heavy
force on our right as if intending to turn it,
| but seeing that if he did so il would be at u
great risk. he fought briefly and retired
1t then became evident that Lee had COM
menced to move eastward in a semi circle, the
right end of which would have brought him up
near the Ny River and give him not only tho
advantage of a railroad to Richmond, but one
of the very best positions for another battle
| that could be well selected
The battles in the Wilderness were fought
most of the time in the woods where officers
could not ride their horses, nor where any ar
| 1illcry could be used. 1t even excelled the
| fight in the woods at the first battle Of Pitts
burg Landing.
On Sunday our movement commenced, and
with the exception that Lee had gained some
time with Ewel's corps a little ahead, both
armies were moving almost parallel, our army
NOV ing in straight line towards Spottsylvania
while Lees marched toward our left. The
result was that, on Sunday afternoon, Warren
| on our left and Ewell on Lees right had very
severe skirmish, both corps ishting closely and
stubbornly 1t was too late, however, for it to
merge into general battle, though between
the two corps very hard fighting occurred.
Monday morning both armies faced each
other, but not near enough for general battle
unless one or the other advanced. Ewell took
possession of a ridge at the northeast Of Spots.
svlvania and Hancock attacked him. This was
about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. In the FORE
noon sharpshooters were rapidly firing at Our
artillerymen who had been brought up for ac
ton for the first time since Grant emerged from
the Wilderness and it was during this that
Gen. John Sedgwick was shot by rebel sharp
shooter. He was killed instantly. In the
meantime Hancock and Ewell had terrible
musketry fight, lasting until after dark
| Birney's division on the right, Gibbons in the
centre, and Bartol's on the left, stood the most
furious of the rebels fire. The enemy main
tanned their ground on Monday uight, contend
| ing for every inch, but on Tuesday Ewell, with
out renewing the battle, fell back, which gave
us Spottsylvania village, and the command Of
the River Po on the left, and also prevented
Lee from reaching the Fredericksburg and
Richmond Railroad.
On Tuesday there was very heavy fighting
near the Po River where one column Of Lees
army had retroated across This was the first
direct NOV vement southwark that the enemy had
made after leaving the Wilderness. as he had
| continued to advance. until after the battle OF
| Monday afternoon, in an eastward direction !;
but " hen he abandoned Spottsylvania Lee re
treated on Pc River in direct line with the
rebel capital, but forty five miles distant. Ii is
believed that Yesterdays fighting was confined
principally to artillery, with which great execu.
ton was done.
Passengers from Fredericksburg state that
Lee was entirely across the Po River while
others construed the heavy cannonading of
Yesterday atternGCn into another great battle.
The western troops suffered in ull the battles.
The Ath Michigan, 18th and Goth Indiana, and
one Wisconsin regiment lost heavily.
There are some four thousand in Thursday
and Friday fight who are very slightly wound.
ed, Several hundred have arrived here, most
. of whom are able to walk to the hospitals, and
large numbers are about the streets smoking
and drinking The Provost Marshal has arrest
ed most of them, and they are being sent back
to their regiments.