The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-05-25


taken two days before. The heayens
were black, and the atmosphere damp
and heavy. At daybrea<,s Monday
morning, thick fog shut out every
thing from view. a horse was complete
" enyeloped from sight dozen yards
away In these bewildering circumstan-
ces, the massed enemy came upon the
right of our line, which was the thinnest
place IN our position. Gen Hickman 5
brigade Of Weitzels division, in the
Eighteenth Corps, whose bravery on
many haTd-fought field has won for
them the title of the invincibles.9 was
posted here. The surprise was, how
ever, so complete, that these gallant
fellows were for once and for a mo-
ment helpless The first they knew of
the enemy upon them, was. when his
fierce yell aWoke them as he dashed
across the earthworks and turned the
flank of their line Of battle. Gen
Hecllman's voice was speedily heard
calling upon his men to rally, and they
answering the rebel yells with Union
cheers, formed as best they could in
the horrible darkness and confusion,
when a hand-to-hand contest followed
The assailants and the assailed fell in
heaps together. The enemy at last,
outn1mbering the gallant Hickman
forces FIVE to one, enYeloped the
remnant Of the brigades, and ordered
them to the rear. Resistance on their
part is no longer possible. All this oc-
Cured in less time than the reader
can glance over what | have written.
Meanwhile the firing has dispelled
sleep from every eye. The most tired
man along the line is now thoroughly
awake, and ready to do his share in
battle. In the rear Of Heckman's bri-
gade, as a reserve, are two regiments of
the 10th corps, the Sth Maine and ll2th
New York, temporarily detached for
duty under Weitzel They are
led by Col Drake, who brings them up
from the woods in the rear to the relief
of Gen. Hickman They make a splen-
did charge upon the enemy, and drive
him outside the line of earthworks.
The immediate effect of this is to re-
lease from three to four hundred Of
Heckman's men, who are prisoners.
Hickman himself, however, is carried
of. Again the enemy charge with fresh
troops, but are repulsed an slaughter
ed by our men, only to rush up once
more over the dead and dying with the
fury Of demons, with still another line
of fresh troops, to be again dashed back
in confusion. So the battle ragged on
the extreme right-the Sth Maine and
lI2th New York having received aid
from the fragments Of Heckman's Grip
Piled force.
The attack was not confined to the
extreme right, although it was there
most determined. It was simultaneous
" undertaken along our entire line Of
two miles and half in length. On the
left, however, it was scarcely more than
a feint compared with the fury which
it on the other end Wis
tar's and Burnham's brigades, also of
Weitzers division, were set upon with
the same impetuosity exhibited toward
Hickman. The rebel plan of massing
brigade after brigade in line of battle,
and hurting them in rotation againstus,
was here tried with very bad result.
General Smith, with that forethought
which is characteristic of him, antici-
pating some such move on the part of
the enemy. had ordered a large quaint
ty of telegraph wire 70 be intertwisted
among the trees and undergrowth which
Law in front of our position. Wistar and
Burnham received the order and obeyed
it. Hickman failed, unfortunately, TO
get it. When, therefore. the rebels
dur 1fkREo 1aallE .iptrenchments in the
tripped down and unable to tell the
cause. As they lay upon the ground
our musketry fire kept many of them
from ever rising more As with the
first line so with the second They met
the same fate The third line Jared no
better, and this simple agency of tel
egraphic wire, interlaced among the
trees, played more havoc in the rebel
ranks than anything else. The dead
lay like autumn leaves before the front
of Wistar and Burnham.
Ats o'clock there was a cessation of
the lighting; at least there was COM
parative quietness. The centre Of our
line of battle, resting on the turnpike,
had been comparatively weakened by
moving forces toward the right, and
Gen. Gilmore on the left, was ordered
by Gen. Butler to close up the gap.
Here there seems to have been a mis-
of orders. Gen. Gilmore
that he was commanded to
retire, instead of moving to the weak
aned point This he accordingly did,
md the rebels on the extreme right,
having gained a temporary advantage
by again fanking our position, the
whole line moved slowly back, and re-
'Srmed about half or three-quarters of
, mile in the rear. After resting for a
While, although the skirmishing in
he front was still quite heavy, the
command to advance was again given,
md the movement forward was spiend-
Y made en- echeioa. There was not the
wagering, a nd the enemy re-
ired before US. The line of battle was
gain formed within hundred yards
# the position held by US at the com
nencemento of the fight, and when the
lead and wounded had been cared for, !
he order to retire was given. The |
Corps moved back first, and !
he Tenth brought up the rear. The !
cute back to our intrenchments was
" different roads, but everything was
onducted in an orderly manner, and |
here was no molestations on the palt |
I the enemy.
Among our losses in the tight were
our guns. Three of these pieces be- I
onged to Ashby's Battery. They were
6-pounder PARROTS. This battery sup
orted Hickman, and thirty Of the
orses were killed in the first impetu-
US attack of the rebels. Ashby was
slightly in the head, and |
m told that not one Of his officers es-
aped wound, though none were Sc
iously hurt Fifteen of the gunners
ere killed. By great effort the artil-
srists brought off the limbers and cas-
Ons
Belge's First Rhode Island Battery,
smous all along the coast, for the first
me, / believe, lost a gun--a i2-poun-
er brass field piece Capt Beige is
eported wounded il the leg, and
risoner. The loss of the battery was
eavy.
Hawley's and Barton's brigade. of
errys Division, Tenth Corps, did the
ardest fighting on the left of our line.
9th organizations suffered severely.
We took in all about three hundred
sbel prisoners. Among these are sew
raj high officers, a Colonel, Major,