Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-05-18
rte CRriT VIRGINIA. BlTTLEs.
Contest of Friday.
FOURTEEN HOURS OF FIGHTING.
The Rebels Finally Repulsed.

- Friday, MAJ b-ll 2. n
Fourteen hours Of severe fighting to-day
and stal nothing decisive. The position this
morning was that Of las. night, substantially
zen. sedgwiek, with two of his divisions.
Ricketts, and Wright's, has fought upon the
right: Gen. Hancock, with the four divisions
Of his corps, wig: Birney's, Cars BarIow's
and Gibbons, With Getty's Division Of the
9th Corps (Burnside's,) has fought in thee
ter Buruside's corps has constituted the re-
serve, aud has marched and counter marched
necessarily, and gone in by brigades at the
center and on the left.
Sedgwick WIS to advance at a M, but
Ewell, who commands opposite him, attacked
at as. Sedgwick says Ewelfs watch must
be Is 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 .,ad BIZ
vouacked upon. Our loss was severe and
the enemy's could not have been less
Gen. Sedgwiek's staff were brilliant and
ubiquitous throughout, while the old General
was the man Of Antietam and Frede.icks-
burg repeating himself. This actior 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
and even Folleys of long lines are not dis
tinct, but are merged in the mighty noise OF a
great battle Hancock was engaged.
The details of this two hours steady strug
gle / do not know, but | know that he did his
work eieanly and completely. Longstreet
had joined the rebel right, and this was sec
oud determined attempt to turn our left, and
4 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 sIlert and in
f-fi and rfrl- - IpEGaQDau
them il the event. We deliver blows
over in Ire aiSec don whence blows are dealt
us-not against a. enemy advancing IN bold
sight but against one who has mysteriOualy
gathered and poised himself for a deadly
spring.
But the suspense is not long, Both com
batants are 700 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
1t II o'clock the enemy press close upon
Warren and Sedgwick, and train 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 70 renew the engagement OF
the early morning. Sedgewick accepts the
chaIIe nge. and advances ms whole line The
men 70 in with more dash and hold on more
sturdiIy than in the morning. Eweil is driy-
"a back to his second line where his guns are
In position and there makes a stand.
1t this iuucture, Warren, who connects
with sedgwick's left, is extremely anxious TO
20 in with all his might, but the enemy's po-
-itl0u IL his front seems too formidable.
see troop Of horsemen riding rapidly
u. u tie perilous edge OF battle, and recog-
ulze " arren and his white horse, a ehu was
recognized by tie Prophet OF Old, for they
came furious. With him are Gems Griffin
Z -afS. Of 4
Meade's stats.
Hating az the first line thew dismount and
Ralk more than half mile II front of the
men who are fat upon their breasts, and
firing apidly. We hold the woods On one side
Of an opeu space, perhaps oue-I0urth of
mile across, and the rebels lay along the trend
of the woods upon the other side. Their en-
trenchmants are plainly visible, and the open
mouths Of their artillery peer ever
Mo- it viii not 90 10 charge across. Il
were stark madness. The sharpshooters NAV
continue 70 reply 10 this. but no man shall
start across the plain and live. Warren had
perhaps hoped that his own Judgment would be
0verrUled by the officers with him, but all de
clared that no advance could be made here
But more 70 the left, where Wadsworths and
Robinson's divisions Of WarreLs corps lap
up 10 Hancock, the prospect IS better, and
there al assault is ordered.
1t is noon, and Sedgwick's second fight is
ever and he again r-sts o. the line Of his
last nights blyouac. Wadsworth advances
and Eads she eGemy-A. P Hills CcEps-
strong and prepared. The division on his
right and left become engaged with him, and
the work is warm Here IS elsewhere, the
contest is IN tangled jungle, and the soldiers
push aside the bushes and find mortal enc
mics bursting through the adjoining growth
af bushes, and face 10 face with them
Half or three-fourths of an hour of alter
es,r41- and cd
worth orders a charge to recover his com
mand from . slight waveFing. He Is cheered
loudly 10y ais men who loved the gay 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 tpeiE original
position With comparative cider. " ads
worUh's death Is heavy loss-scarcely an Of
fcer IN the army could have been better spar
ed. and none would have been more deeT3 :
regretted Yesterday and to-day he had dis
played such marked ability and gallantry as
70 compel his recognition on al hands as an
able soldier, who, now that he l. gone, can
hardly be replaced. DE was a true man, a
beloved, heightened gentlemen, 70 be re-
spectcd, an unshyinkinc patriot TO be emulat-
ed, an accomplished soldier, deaa on the leld
Of honor l9 De llOarneu-
But this battle does not pause for q hero
Slain. From noon until O'clock, 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 tor a long letter, but / find Il
simply impossible at this time TO ascertain,
and wr..e out correctly the facts IL detail.
Prisoners came in AZ the rate of 100 an
hour The day was excessively hot, and the
men we're 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 a grand movement of our entire
lett He did not make it, for the enemy an
tcipated him. and he had 70 repel perhaps
tae most wicked assault thus far encountered
brief Id duration, but terrific IN power and
s4usrh4mau momentum
The FIRST few minutes we were staggered.
Strazsters for the first time in all tlis fight
lag s.reAmed % the rear in large numbers,
choosing the roads and causing panic by their
Stampetc and ILeoAGreut tales of frightful