, 1864-07-06
Qhifaao Gribnut.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 1864
SnERMAN'S ARMY,
Full Details of The Assault Of
the 9Th.
HEROIC DEVOTION or STOR1fINC
BKIGaDES--TKEIR EVENT.
FUL REPULSE.
Our Lines Advanced and Estab-
liShed,

Our Lines Advanced and Estab-
I liShed.
Correspondence Cincinnati Commercially
THE SITUATION BEFORE TEE F1GuT.
Onr army was very compact1y disposed
along the rebel lines aud In such plain VIEW
from the towering. Ktncsaw, that have q
! ennners since they rehsiued for so many
days from tearing tho tompions from the
muzzles of their guns, and, in spite of orders,
firing every round they could lay hands on.
For tso or three days, however, preceding
the assault, they opened from the crest Of tbs
mountain With eight guns, lurlIng grape and
shrapnel In the valley below filed with our
army and its material. j..
| Quiet, pastoral KfnesaW was transformed
into volcano, the smoke drifting no in
pearl-gray, pendu1ons volume, and breaking
into graceful gerlands us it asceaded like the
clouds from the lips OF dreamy eenorjta.
Their missiles Were not very damaging, the
| difficulty lying IN the fact that the guns
| could not be depressed sufficiently to
| play upon our troops at the bnse Of the
mountain, while the thousand fields whitened
By our wagons, though painfully distinct to
their feHuginous bull-dogs. sometin es their
guns would suddenly burst out: after seY-
sral hours quietness, with one startling vol
icy. the thunder Of the several reports com
b1ned in one. Sometimes the lan7ards vera
puiled consecutively, and the thfobbipg Vi
hfauons emote the ear ut uniform intervals.
and the smoke clouds from the guns doated
cioudy the fiery CLEAN Of the gnns was
caught by the purple ntmbus-thc drop-cur-
tain Of the sta1s-that hoyered behind the
crest, and was reflected back to our eyes ike
glare OF that stealthy, noIselcss lightning,
tlat often smears the horizon of 4 su1tfy
nieht.
The day preceding the assault there was
almost an absolute silence along the lines.
No armies ever needed rest more than those
that lay go near each other; each apparently
disdsining to throw away another shot.
ski1nishlng Vas no longer . yi4acious pas
driven by It from field to slope. The strife
could no longer. swell to the thnnderous
verge Of battle; fall to lively racket, or
dWindle to the measured pattering which
this army, after its experience during this
eEcntfu] and toilsome c4mpaign, would call
silence. The skirmish was ont of date;
every soldier felt it to be so, and for once his
rifle contained the same charge twenty-four
hours.
During the few days Of almost tacit truco
that preceded the eth, the strength Of the
ensmy's works, their general con6guration,
held, were carefully noted and weighed.
The points selected tor assault were practi-
cable, and were vitality important to John.
ston's safety north Of the Chattahoochie It
Was decided to assault the rebel right and
left center, and at the same time ieel his
tmahgs strongly, without however, resorting
to storming columns In the latter enterprise.
Logan Has called upon to furnish four bri-
gades to carry Little Kinesaw, which be Sc
!ected from Ills divisions, and placed under
the command Of General Morgan L. Smith.
NeWton's division Of the 9TH Corps was
center, and short distance further to tho
leif, salient In the enemy's line WAS chosen,
which Davis should carty, Accordingly
Sunday night, Davis division, accompanied
By Baird'e, which was intended to act as
9uppott, lett their position at the base Of
blg hlnesaw and moved to the right Of the
ath CorRs, closing up closely on Its rignt
Hank. There was, In fact, general exteu-
sion OF the line to the right every corps NOV
ing more or less troops In that direction.
LoGAN's ASSAULT.
The 18th corps furnished for the assault
the brigades Of General Giles Smith, General
llghtburn, Colonel Walcott, aud detach.
from the three hrigades of Osterhaus' diyi- |
sion Lightburn was selected to ca1ry the |
western slope Of the hill; Giles Smith to
charge it directly in front; Walcott to reach |
the top through the narrow. gorge that |
Giyides. Little from Big KenesaW, and Gen.
o'clock, the hour designated Tor the u.s. |
aault, the brigades pushed boldly out from
their trenches, formed in four lines, and in |
splendid order and at quick step pushed !
boldly toward the enemy's works. IN mo-
mcnt our skiruishers engaged those Of the
enemy, but without papsing, save to XIII
thoee who refused to surrender (and there
were some stubborn fellows who ronndly re-
fused 10 uve any 1onger), they swept on, be-
hind them the SERTED lines OF our lads.
colors n5 ing, and the alignments unwayer.
Ing The enemy opened fercely from Big
and Little Kinesaw, but the column advanced
IN superb order until it struck swampy
tract, covered with cllnging thickct Of
thorny bushes Through this, in mud knee
deep, the brigades forced their impetuous
umn was speedily retrieved, when It emerg-
ed from this fearful barto saccess. Through
. tempest Of iron the advance WAS resumed.
the troops breaking into cheer and run,
4nd: 3tl, dashing over the stony, sides OF
the difficulties Of the ground increas.
ed, the fearful clangor from the en-
emy's trenches was heightened and became
more end more prolong> d. Oser their vel
low 1ihc-plts the blue tufts of musketry
danced wildly. and The whirling spheres Of
FaEor from their masked artillery, cusled up
hideous1y from the foliage Of the knob.
From right and left, down the slopes OF Biz
hinesa = and along The ridges to the west Of
Tue point Of assault, the enemy poured his
front rs at the point Of danger. The bri-
gades charging the tanks OF the mountain,
subjected TO d most cruel and destructive
cEosE-are after repeated and heroic efforts,
failed to reach the crest, and retired in COM
pa1atigc disorder to the beat cover they could
1hfh{n the haaa af ha hi Tha a. l
Of Giics Smith, however, dashed ahead, no
longer column bat swarm of men. and
poured up. to the very crest Of the bill. pass
ins oyer the enemy's first trenches and abat-
tbs, where two color bearers foil but, alas,
to find just as they gained the summit, the
enemy in another and stronger line, post ed
on slight ridge not perceptible until the
plateau Of the mountain was reached, The |
freeh line opened with vo1ley, end the blast
Of death swelted into hurricane. The
brigade slowly fell back, while the enemy,
to pursue, was met By q heavy
artillery fire from cur trenches and hastily
driven back- About fifty men Of this brigade
took refuge behind ledge Of rocks, where |
during the rest Of the day theT darcd not ex-
pose SO much as g. nnger. Occasionally one
or TWO would attempt to dash down the hill
ana run the gauntlet, but Of all who attempt
Cd this not one escaped At the ,same time
the enemy was unable to come forth and
capture them, foS every man Wls covered by
a hundred Federal Duskets carefully poised
Oh our trenches for their protection.
Under the coTer Of our artillery position
several hundred yards in advance was forti-
fed and hold by the bsfgades just 1epulsed.
So little were the troops shaken by the fail
Grc that General Morgan L. Smith proposed
TO make IN other assault at 2 p. N. but the
commanding General refused TO permit it.
These were the veterans Of Vicksburg, and
UNIVERSAL. they proclaimed the ground
charged over infinitely more difficult than
hat ut VieIsbusg. The advance position
Eaken lett the sTampy thicket to the rear,
md indeed, include portions Of the rifle pits
on the enemV'6 skirmlsh lines. At noon
General Dodge closed upon the LETT Of the
brigades, aod firing during the afternoon was
desu1tory, the guns On Kincsaw opening oc-
and eliciting most vigorous re-
ply. In the evening our brass bands played
lively selection Of patriotic airs, which must
hive sounded the least little bit malicious to
the Johnniee, who were prone to imagine
that We were terribly cut up, IN spirits, as
well as men.
THE ASSAULT IN TIE CENTRE.
Early In the gray Of morning the prepara-
tions for the assault commenced, the first
symptom being an unusually early breakfast,
There Was no evidence in the movements or
bearing of the men that they vert soon to
essay s'the deadly, imminent breach, !" though
they must have been conscious that the task
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