The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-05-19
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.

HlNN Vt UTE ~ SHfNN'
Fridays Battle-I4 Hours OF Fighting
= Desperate Attempt by Lee TO Break mp
SedRwick's DiNision.-Heroic Resistance
OF Our Men--Desth OF General wads-
worth--VArying successes, but Final
RepulHe OF the Rebels. s.....f -......
corrsspondence ofthe Esw 7 Ofk Tribune. o
WASHINGTON, Monday May9.
Field Of the Battle of the Wilderness,
~ 'I' Friday, May Gil P. NJ.
Fourteen hours ofseyere fghting to-
day, and still nothing decisive. The
position this morning was that Of last
night; substantially. General Sedg-
wick, with two Of his divisions, Rick
ett's and Wright's, has foughtupon the
right; General Hancock, with the four
divisions Of his corps, viz: Birney's,
Carr's, lBariow's and Gibbons, with
Getty's divisiono of the Sixth Corps, has
fought upon the left and General War
Iren, with his full corps and Stevenson's
tdivision Of the Ninth Corps. Burn.
lside's) has fought in the center. Burn.
Iside's corps has constituted the reserve,
and has marched and countermarcbed
necessarily, and gone in by -brigsdes
at the center and on the left. > " l3
!, Sedgwick was 10 advance at 5 A. M J,
but Ewell, who commands opposite
him, attacked at Ado. Sedgwick says
Ewells watch must be Is minutes ahead
Of his. This action on our right was
spirited and well fought. At the ex-
piration of an hour the rebels were
handsomely borne back, the firing ceas.
cd, and each side held the ground they
had bivouacked upon. Our loss wa:
severe, and the enemy'scould not have
been less
General Sedgwick's staff were bril-
liantan ubiquitous, while the old gen
eral was the man of Antietam anC
fredericksburg repeating himself
! Thisaction barely over, and suddenly
we heard from the extreme left thai
peculiarmonotonous swells and volume
Of sound which tells of large number,
engaged-so many that single shot!
and even volleys Of long lines are moi
distinct, but are merged in the mighty
noise of great battle. Hancock wa.
engaged. 90 s
The details of his two hours steady
struggle l do not know, but l knoy
THAT ne did his work clearly and com
4 pletely. Longstreet had joined tn,
rebel right, and this was a second de
tcrmined attempt toturn our left, ant
second utter discontinue. ,...r
Grey, who was on the ground, vii
undoubtedly embody in his letter t
the Tribune full and accurate particu
lars. ~. g..H... tt
Only 10 o'clock, and Lee had tri
cd each wing and had met each cas-
more than he could overcome, and W
asked ourselves what next. All hi
movements were silent and invisible
and unknown until he developed ther
in the event. We can deliver blow
only in the direction whence blows ar
dealt us-not against an enemy advant
ing in bold sight, but against one wh
has mysteriously gathered and poise
t him self for deadly spring.
i. But the suspense is not long. Bot
f combatants are too eager to compt
the issue for. either to delay anothe
encounter. Shots begin to ring alon
, the six miles Of front b.. .....r..-, ,
, At II o'clock the eremy press clos
! upon, Warren and Sedgwick, and trai
a number of guns exactly upon the la
ter's headquarters. A man and thrC
$ horses are killed within twenty fe,
$ of the general, and in the very centt
of his grouped staff, Finding the en-
my disposed to renew the engagemel
of the early morning, Sedgwick accep
the challenge, and advances his who
line. The men 90 in with mere das
and hold on more sturdily than in Il
morning. Ewell is driven back to b
second line, where his guns are in p
= sition, and there makes a stand.
Q At this juncture, Warren, who col
meets with Sodgwick's left, is extrem
/. y anxious to so in with all his migh
t but the enemy's position in his trol
seems too formidable. u-.r
t / see troop of horsemen ride rapi
s ly up to the perilous edge of the ba
q tie, and recognize Warren and b
q white horse, as Jehu was recognize
d by the Prophet of old, for they can
= furiously. With him are Generals Gri
i fin and Hunt, and officers of Genera
s Grants and Meade's staffs. = D.
: Hating at the frt line, they di
: mounted and walk more than a hs
= mile IN front of the men who are fl
Il on their breasts, and firing rapidly
If We hold the woods on one side of 1
e open space, perhaps one o-fourth Of
1t mile across, and tho rebels lay alpl
y the trend of the woods up
y the other ha side. Their intrenc
is ments are plainly visible, and the op
of mouths ofIheir artillery peer over,
le No; it will not do to charge aero
r It were stark Madness The shar
l. shooters may continue to reply to t.
y but no man shall start ccroSs the pla
8, and live. Warren had perhaps hop
ct that his own Judgment would be ovc
N ruled by the officers with him, but
IS declare that no advance can be ma
ID here. But more to the left, whe
q Wadsworth's and Bobinson's ditisio
m of Warren's corps lap up to aHancoc
as the prospect is better, and there an
- sault is ordered 4ni ht h-nHln4
I'd Ttis noon ,andsedg s second fig
ia =; IA ba oo,,o;,, ,.osto io,, th a II