Evening star., 1864-05-13
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
THE SIXTH DAYS GREAT BATTLE.
Capture Of 200 Prisoners-Lee's Rifle.
pits Stermed and Carrled-Five pieces Of
Artillery taken.

| Capture Of 5000 Prisoners-Lee's Rifle.
pits Stermed and Carrled-Five pieces Of
Artillery taken.
.lspscisl to the New Ysrk Tribune.1
| HRADoUARTBRs Army OF THE PoroMAc,
May 1.-THE most desperate Of all the battles
yet fought was fought yesterday, commencing
at l.3U and closing at O'Clock p. m.
In dog2 ed stubbornness Waterloo and Sol.
ferino pail before the battle Of the Po. Our
line stretched six miles northeast of the Po-
the rebels oecnpying the southwest bank and
the village of Spottsylvania.
Our artillery, which got in good range,
poured shot and shell into the enemy as they
charged forward upon our infantry The lines
OF the enemy used but little artillery, and the
prisoners taken say they were deficient In am
mnnition and could not get a supply.
Generals Grant ana Meade were In the sad
1t was arranged that the 9th corps should
charge the epemy's right flank, but Just before
dark it was discovered that Lee had advanced
in dense columns for the east and had made a
struggle to break our lines and dash upou our
snmr,y s ,ss'ss s ,hsn knnTn 10 Be psokoa on tho
This changed General Burnside's purpose
and he held his ground and threatened the en-.
emys right, while the sth corps charged his
nHst line Of rife. pits, capturing i've guns and
between two thousand and three thousand pris.
oners.
Our men were quietly faced about and al,
trains moved to the rear, and positions tas sel.
and the expected approach OF the enemy
patiently awaited, but no demonstrations were
made, however. It was thought that the
enemy had suffered so severely tnat he cont
not take advantage of the move he had
gained.
In so horrible strife 1t must not be supposed
losses in yesterdays fight were much greater
than in any OF the battles of the previous
week. a very large number, however, are but
slightly wounded. The roads, fields. and
cnFo
heroes. Many also were overcome with the
iatigues OF fighting and sun-stroke.
The rebel prisoners assert that Lee ordered
all his wounded men who were able to hold
musket to take their places in the ranks again.
for yesterdays battle.
Our entire loss thus far In killed, wounded
and missing must reach forty thousand. The
enemy's loss in killed is much greater than
ours He has two thousand Of our prisoners
and we have taken five thousand, and our
scouts report that the roads are alive with
stragglers.
As your reporter neared Fredericksburg.
aoont IL O'CLOCK a: m. to-day, eannonading had
been resumed and our army was uuuuestiona-
bly, engaging the enemy again.
We crossed the Po on Tuesday, but with.
drew We charged across it again last night
Thus far we have not lost gun since the
second day at the Wilderness battle, nor a sin.
gle wagon since the campaign opened.
Another Account.
[Associated Press War Correspondence,l
Probably the most desperate fighting of the
past seven terrible days took place on Tues.
day. Believing the enemy to have sent a
greater part OF his troops to Richmond, ar ad.
vance along the entire line was determined at
an early hour.
The cd corps, having the right Of the line,
had crossed the Pc river the evening previous
and had met with but slight opposition. In the
morning the position OF the enemy was found
to be in the shape OF horseshoe, and on Han.
cocks troops advancing to the attack, they
were compelled to fall back.
An attempt to break their center was then
ordered, and part of Gen. Hancock's men
was sent to support Gen. Warren in the move
ment Our right was also advanced, and the
move was begun in the afternoon.
The enemy We're driven into their entrench.
ments In gallant style, and Upton's brigade OF
Wright's division Of the 9th corps got into the
enemy's rifle pits, capturing twelve guns and
about one thousand prisoners. Not being sup
ported by other portions of the line, we were
unable to gain the tier OF works in their front,
this brigade was forced to evacuate its ad.
vanced position, leaving the captured guns
after spiking them, but bringing off all the
The enemy suffered heavy losses during the
fight, our shells falling INTO their works, and
our infantry delivering their fire with remark
able precit ion. Gen. Rice was wounded in
the thigh arly in the engagement, and died
after his leg had been amputated.
Gen. Stevenson was killed. He commanded
brigade in Gen. Burnside's corps. Our losses
were heavy. Gibbons division have lost al
together over one Thousand men. Rebinson's
division, after losing both its general officers
and about twenty five hundred men, had no
general command, and it has been taken up
and distributed among the other divisions of
the 5th corps No division Of the army fought
better than this one.
The 9th New York militia suffered probably
more than any other. Ate the action four offi-
GERS and fifteen men were all that Were left of
it, except q few men on detached duty
Lieutenant Super, of the 9th Pennsylvania,
had his head blown off by piece of she'll.
About o'clock in the evening q report was
brought into General Meade's Headquarters
that flank movement vas being made on our
right, and headquarters being in that direction
packed up and moved toward the centre
The report. however, turns out to be false,
and the officer that made 1t is said to have been
censured.