Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1864-05-18
THE GREAT BATTLE.
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.

place between Gen. Grant army and the
rebels under Lee, up to Tuesday.
We here present to our readers some ad-
ditional facts of Tuesdays fight, and the
subsequent events which have transpired be-
tween the two armies The details will be
read with interest.
Dispatches from the army of the Poto-
mac dated the Wilderness battlefield, We'd
nesday, say that probably the most desperate
fighting OF the past seven terrible days took
place on Tuesday: Believing the enemy to
have sent the greater part of his troops
to Richmond, an advance along the entire
line was determined on at an early hour.
Our lines stretched six miles to the north
east of the Po, the rebels occupying the
Southwest bank and village of Spottsylva-
MIA. Our artillery, which got in good range,
poured shot and shell into them as they
charged forward upon our infantry. Gen
erals Grant and Meade were in the saddle
constantly The Second Corps, having the
right of the line, had crossed the 20 River
the evening previous and had met with but
slight opposition. In the morning the po-
sition of the enemy was found to be In the
shape of horse shoe, and on Haneock's
troops advancing to the attack, they were
compelled to fall back. An attempt to
break their center was then ordered, and
part Of Hancock S men were sent to sup
port Gen. Warren in the movement Our
right was also advanced and the move was
begun IN the afternoon. The enemy were
driven into their entertainments in gallant
style, and Upton brigade of Gen. Wright
division, 9th corps, got into the enemy ri
he pits, capturing Il guns and about one
thousand prisoners. Not being supported
by the other part of the line, who were I'M
able to gain the tier of works In their 'front.'
this brigade was forced to evacuate their ad-
vanced position, leaving the captured guns
after spiking them, but bringing off all the
prisoners. The enemy suffered heavy loss
es during the fight, our shells falling into
their works, and our infantry delivering
their fire with remarkable precision. Gen.
Rice was wounded in the thigh, early in the
engagement, and died after his leg had been
amputated. General Stevenson is also re-
ported killed. He commanded brigade i'll
Burnside,s corps: Our losses were heavy.
Gen. Gibbon division has lost altogether
over one thousand men, Robinson's divis-
ion, after losing both its general oficers'and
about 2, 800 men, had no general to COM
mand it, has been broken up and distributed
among the other divisions The Fifth
COrps.-No division of the army fought
better than this one. The 9th New York
militia suffered probably more than any 9TH
er after the action -Four officers and eigh-
teen men were all that was left of it, except
ing few on detail duty. Lieut.. Luper,
9th Penn'a, had his head blown off by a
piece of shell. Longstreet' corps (now com
manded by A. 2. Hill, in consequence of
Longstreet having been wounded) held the
! right of the rebel army General Grant
sent, by d sudden movement, Burnsidcs S
hi
order to renew their acquaintance formerly
opened at Knoxville, The onset 1oGS tre-
| n1endouS and The rebel right a1aS crushed.
Burnside captured a Uh0je 6rigade of the
enemy and three pieces Of artillery Until
o clock the fight ragged with fcrocty un-
paralleled and the night closed upon the
bloodiest field CT the war. During the car
mage many Of Longstreet' captured men
escaped, but no tess than 200 of the three
brigades were sent to the rear by Gen.
Burnside yesterday morning. Longstreet S
men acknowledge that in all their rebellious
| fighting they had never witnessed such a
| conflict. The battle ceased at about O.
| clock, Burnside being in possession of the
ground and defensive works previously oc-
| cupied by Longstreet's forces The best
news of all is, that after all the terrible
| slaughter of the late battles, our army is
sound to the core, and all the corps are an
imated by a determination that must render
it invincible. On the other hand Lee men
| give unmistakable signs Of despondency.
They no longer cheer as formerly, but charge
or retreat in dogged obedience to the Yord
of command. Lee has lost his spirit. The
defamation Of his forces begins to tell on him
| observably, as he now finches from direct
assault and is apparently outstanding his re-
sources. 1t is confirmed that, in an order
on Monday found on some prisoners, Lee no.
| titled his army that his communication with
Richmond was broken, and no rations could
| be drawn from thence, and he advised them
to capture supplies from our army Grant
had captured, up to Tuesday, about six
! thousand prisoners. The greatest part Of
| regiment was captured entire, and was COM
posed of men who had been exchanged but
| few weeks since The enemy's loss in
killed is much greater than ours, and his
wounded are supposed to be about the same.
| Rebel prisoners state that Lee ordered all
his wounded men able to hold musket to
take their places in the ranks again for Tues
day, s battle. Lee is reported to have ask
edtor cessation of hostilities for forty
eight hours to bury his dead. Grant re
plies that he has not time to bury has o,cn
| decd, and that he proposed TO a3caace I'M
! nset{iatcty
WEDNESDAY, May 1.-THE battle was
resumed this morning early, by Gen Han
cock, by sudden attack on the right of the
rebels. Gen. Hancock moved from his po-
sition on our left on the night previous, and
cut road through the Woods and made his
appearance on the enemy's right flank and
rear at dayight-taking them by surprise
and capturing Mai. Gen. Ed. johnson and
his whole division, including Brig Gen Stu
art and Brig Gen. johnson The capture
consists Of many thousands of prisoners and