Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-05-12

4
Wadsworths division and brigade OF Robnsons under
the latter ordered To take the enemy when was IN
front of Hancock by the right flank but darkness also pro
vented the full execution of this movement =.
The losses on our left will probably reach one Thousand
including Gen Alexander Hays, of Pennsylvania killed
Colonies s Carroll and Tyler were amopg the wounded
Hancock s men behaved most admraDy.
The Fifth New York (lra Harris) cavalry n advance
Of the road Parkers was attacked by superior
force and driven b. ok with considerable loss =,
Gen. Sheridan sent a message TO Gen Meade on Tue
evening of Thursday after the tight to The eject tnae 90
had met part of Suars cavalry and was driving them In
every direction ava
Gen Lee made two attempts to cut our army in two
both the right and left by getting between the river
and Warrens and Sedgwcks corps, with ony PaiI "
Burnsdes the one sde and between %a
corps and the remainder of the army on the ohoI as
he fooled in both purposes and that the army mas oeeh
concentrated notwithstanding his TWO wesconcesou M
tscks constitute most substantial success lot
Not quite one half of the army was engaged toaay.
Tonight every corps is in proper position, barhsaes
being fully up and Gen Grant has at his loIce
amply sufficient and will make general attack upon the
enemy at daylight
There was heavy firing on Sedgwicks part of the line
after dark but it of short duration Is
that it brought about by an advance on our sdo "
clear our front.
BATTLE FRIDAY
The army correspondent of the Boston Daily Advertiser
gives the annexed outline OF the terrible conflicts OF FIJI
day the 9th instant On that day Gen. Lee made repeated
desperate assaults upon nes commencing as early az
halfpast four o'clock in the morning and continuing I'll
late in the evening when he finally repused ana during
the night withdrew from the field The letter from which
we quote is dated at Gen Grants headquarters, oid WIZ
deness Tavern at nine o'clock in the night oil Friday
| The writer says:
Niph has lust put an end another struggle between
the Army of the Potomac and the whole OF Lee MT ~
much more severe proracted and extended tnan that VI
Yesterday but hardly with any more decisive results
The battle was opened at 30 A. M. BY an attack OF
the enemy great force on our gaI ana sas
.Iatts 1.p,ai nd
corps and part Warens became engaged The Attack
was successfully repulsed, and the enemy were iorced
| back by an advance of our own lines -,
about six O'Clock A. M. Gen. Hancock advanced win
his own corps and the troops that had been sent TO mis-
assistance the centre and right the evening before
After an obstinate contest Of about hours duration ne
succeeded in driving the rebels from their breastworks
and forcing them back both sides OF the Orange ana
Charlottesville plank road to point within two miles and
half of Parkers store In this advance several hundreo
prisoners We're taken by our troops.
cat hafpast eight o'clock an advance was maze Dy
our right and centre They moved with the right thrown
forward for about quarter OF mile under severe rs
marsh intervening between them and the enemys en-
trenched position high ridge Finding 1t impossible
to push across IT, they fell back to their former position
'Another attempt drive the enemy from the ridge was
made from this part of our line about hapast ten OUT
also failed :.
General Burnside was expected to have HIS command in
position on the right of Hancock by daybreak and to join
In the advance of the latter but before he
was able to place his troops where they were wanted
The percelylBg the lhucoch Pooi
ton in consequence of this failure, and abandoning
the hope making impression on our right after Inc
repuse early in the morning, had been massng their
| forces all the forenoon in front OF Hancock.
About eleven O'Clock they made furious assault upon
all points of Hancock's line Their line outreached his
left and brought them around his left flank Col Franks
brigade Of Bsrlows division thrown back IN confusion
upon ne causing break and retreat towards his first
entreGched position along the Brook road The centre
and right of his line also unable to withstand the
vigorous attack of the much stronger enemy and likewise
hsrk n tha Rrpok WadsWOTth
ing in front Of bis division trying to keep his line steady
was struck by bullet 10 his head aud FELL it is supposed
moray wounded into the hands of the enemy The at
tack of enemy checked by the vigorous defence
entrenched ne and they fell back at about half
past twelve o'clock Our loss in this hot contest very
1 great.
.As soon as the efforts of the enemy to overwhem
left were discovered concentration of troops on
that part of the line ordered. About the time the
enemy abandoned the attack the left Gen. Burnside bad
succeeded placing all Of his troops position, thereby
securing continuous formation Of our battle front
AT about half past four O'Clock the enemy returned TO
the attack left supported on it's right by Burn
side Their attacking forces consisted OF the command OF
Longstreet which it sscertained from intercepted
dispatches arrived the ground from Orange Court
House early in the morning and HILLS corps They struck
the left which had again advanced scme distance in the
left centre with great vgor and forced again back to
the Brook road Motifs division fell back in considerable
confusion This attack of the enemy extended also TO the
part of the line held by Burnside's divisions and Craw
fods division Of Warrens corps that rested the for
mers left. Stevensons division, which next to Han
der Of the left centre to fall back some distance Craw-
fords division suffered very severely. One Of its regi
mens, the Seventh Pennsylvania Reserves, captured
| almost in body.
"The enemy succeeded in reaching breastworks,
and there imminent danger Of general break, but
Gen. Hancock ordered Col CarrOls brigade to form
right angles with his line and sweep along the whole front
Of it, to take the enemy by the flank, This
ment well executed, and resulted in the repulse Of
the enemy with great slaughter. After this repulse the
enemy did not disturb the LEFT any further.
Perfect quiet prevailed in front Of centre and right
through the whole afternoon Towards dark however,
left suddenly fell the extreme right Of line. 1t
consisted Of Milroy's old brigade whose command had
been assumed only the night before by Brig Gen. Sey
mour. Our engaged 10 throwing up entrench-
| ments ut the time The enemy managed TO rush upon
them before they had time 10 form aud almost the whole
brigade was swallowed up by the rebel line Part Of
Shaers brigade Seymours left shared the fate of the
latter. Both these Generals captured This sue
cesul hankng movement threatened great peril TO the
whole army but Gen Ssdgwick succeeded by personal
exposure and energetic efforts Of himself and staff
filming the rout 10 his extreme right.
There we're grave sppreheusouf at Gen. Grants head
quarters that this might ensbe the enemy strike
and orders issued TO prepare change
Of position during the night. The enemy, however did
follow their advantage, but during the night
doned the ground they bad gained Our right con-
tracted and strr pgly entrenched before morning
with the last attack Of the enemy upon Sedgwick's
right the battle ceased. Our army has day certainly
achieved decided Ii has bsfls all the often
sve efforts OF the enemy The almost mpenetrable woods
with which battle ground is covered saved them
from crushing defeat, they enabled them o
their movements almost perfectly to the very moment
-. Tk.tG flran iapr TO.