Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-06-27

Progress Of Affairs at Petersburg.
of Wednesday's Attack.
FROM SHERMAN'S ARMY.
DARING RAIDS upon HIS REAR.
Highly Important from Atlanta.

The Attack upon the Second Corp.
-.Our Loss in Killed and Wounds
ed 1,SOO--The Enemy Driven
Back.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE PoToMAc
June %, afternoon.-The attack upon the
Second corps on Wednesday, near the We'll
don road, did not result so disastrously as
al first supposed The line was formed by
Barlow's division being on the left; Birney's
Mott in command) In the center; Gibbons
on the right. 1t was expected that the
Sixth corps would have connected on the
left with Barlow, but it seems quite gap
was left, into which A. p. Hills rebel corps
entered, and before this corps entered, and
before our men were aware of it, they re-
ceiyed a volley from the rear, which created
panic In our ranks. and caused n rapid re-
treat to the woods in the rear of the Third
division. This left the flank of the Third
| division unprotected, and the enemy, taking
advantage of it, charged through and fairly
into our pits, ordering the men to surren-
der. The troops, however, left the trenches
and fell back to escape but many of them
were captured and quite a number were
killed and wounded. The number of our
loss in prisoners is reported at one thou
| sand, while some make the figure higher.
| Our loss in killed and wounded is probably
| fifteen hundred.
Some of our officers engaged in this fight
had just joined their commands after be-
ing exchanged, and when surrounded and
ordered to surrender, replied "Never-
death rather than the Libby prison." and
fighting their way out as best they could,
many of them succeeded in getting back
safe to our lines.
D ID ol.o l. I. II
corps, and the line OF works from which
they had been forced in the afternoon was
recovered. We lost scarcely man in this
advance, as the rebels fired too high. A
number of prisoners were taken. Skir-
mishing was kept up all night along the
line, the pickets being at some points not
fifty yards apart.
At daylight this morning an advance of
the entire line was made, when it was
found that the rebels had taken new po-
sition some distance further back, where
they had thrown up strong intrenchments
during the night which they still held.
Colonel Blasdell, of the 11th Massachu-
setts was killed to-day by sharpshooter,
while visiting the skirmish line. Lieuten-
ant w. II. Childs, 45th Pennsylvania, who
was to have been reinstated yesterday as
First Lieutenant, was shot dead by a rebel
Halsey, of the 1lth New Jersey, is missing
and supposed to be captured.
The Sixth corps moved toward the rail-
road this morning, driving the enemy be-
fore them, and during the afternoon re-
ported that they were in possession of the
road, and arrangements were at once made
to destroy it. At 5 p. NJ. large force of
rebels was seen moving towards the front,
as if to resist the advance of the Sixth
corps, and an engagement in that direction
is expected tonight.
JUNE A-5 A. M.-Nothing but picket
firing took place during last nights and very
little is going on this morning.
WASHINGTON, June 25.-Another letter
from the Army of the Potomac, dated near
Petersburg, June %, P. NJ, says we
have had sharp skirmishing all day. The
sharpshOoters on both sides are continually
exchanging shots and frequently pick off
men who are perhaps a thousand yards dis
tant. One battery Of 80 Founders is trained
on the rebel battery near Petersburg, and
every morning we are treated to splendid
artillery duel. The weather has been un-
usually warm and oppressive, and cases of
sun-stroke are quite numerous.
SECOND DISPATCH.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
ing rapidly toward the Weldon railroad;
Gibbons followed. The troops moved in
echalon by divisions. Maj. Crowninshield,
of the West Massachusetts, cavalry, with
700 mounted men of provisional brigade,
composed of detachments from all its regi-
ments and companies, he fought the rebels
on the right of the plank road long after
his ammunition was exhausted, holding
with determined valor a whole brigade
in check In the mean time the rebels had
succeeded in getting between Gibbon and
Barlow. s5 ~
They were as much surprised as our men,
but being the first to make discovery of
the position Of affairs, were first to takead-
vantage of it. There was very little hard
fighting. They were fully prepared tor re-
sistance. The horses were cut fiom the
battery and the guns spiked. When the
line was reformed, the rebels came up again
and were twice repulsed with dreadful loss.
LATER.-The Sixth corps charged them,
driving them some distance and forming
on the left of the Second cOrns ID