Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-08-10

The awful instant of the explos;o, l.
scarcely passed when the dull morDia,, leu
was made stagnant by the thunder of on7 al
tlllery From ninety-ive pieces, nicbed i
every hillside commanding the erernv,. Il
sition, there belched out sheets of Aar,a ~,
milk-white smoke, while the shot and sbai
sped forward, sereeching bowling. rprntI;.-
ike the rushing of a Hundred railroad 80
But why attempt TO give an idea of srob :;
describable sound? The sudden trs1s;.; IA
from utter silence TO fercest eIaroor
rible. So the rude combat RACED witba--.
sign OF slackening for two long hours a,
nrst the enemy was slow in replying to our
nfe, out gradually thelr lines Were bFougbt
into action, and in less than half an -.
banks of angry smoke partially yeiJe5 ~
scene from both sides.
In accordance with the plan of haiti, H.
First Division of the Ninth Corps. U.edlia,1S
was made the assaulting column. Gen. Led
lie formed his troops in three lines of haiti
having each front of about six hundred -
The Second Brigade of this division. (Col
MarshaD, led the assault, followed bv the
First Brigade, (Gen. ". f Bartlett), and the
third line made up of the Third Brigade, (Col
,Goulds). The left of Ledles division was
supported by Brig. Gen. bankruptcies brig
ade of the Third Division, (Wilcox's), and its
right by Gen. Griftin's brigade of Potters d
vision. The Fourth Division of the Ninth
Corps (all negroes) was posted directly in the
rear of the assaulting column, 20 press for
ward whenever practicable. The Fourteenth
New York Heavy Artillery were the first TO
enter the breach made by the explosion
They bounded forward at the word, in the
midst of the shock of the artillery, through
the dense clouds of flying dust, and Chamber
ing over the debris, found themselves vio
lently pushed down into the yawninc
crater. The sight which there met them
must have been appalling. Bodies Of dead
rebels crushed and mangled out of all resem-
blance to humanity, writhing forms partly
buried, arms protruding here and legs strDE-
Cling there-a very hell of horror and tor
ture, confined 10 a space 80 feet in lenrrh
and half many wide. But the time was
not favorable to the play of humane prompt
ings. This chaos of mangled humanity mixed
with debris of implements and munitions nj
war must be UNDECIDED Enough for The
storming party to do was found in exhumino
two pieces of rebel cannon with their Gals
sons, and, IN obedience To the law of self
preservation, turning these guns upon the
enemy, who was throwing into the crater
shower Of shells and mimic balls from the bill
beyond, and from points on either side, which
they still held on this first line Getting
these pieces into position promptly, and IN
der cover Of their fire, the assaultng column
was reformed, and at the word of command
dashed forward once more to storm the crest
Of the hill. 1t was task too great. They
gallantly assayed it, and nearly gained the
summit, subjected all the time to a whitening
fire, which increased in ferceness at every
step, until they became the center of a con
verging storm of shot and shell. Attacked
on the right flank and the eft flank, in front
and rear, they were compelled TO fall back to
the partial protection of the crater, leaving
their course thickly strewn with the dying
and the dead
The colored troops, upon the heel of this
repulse, were ordered to charge and they
moved out CALAMITY hundred yards gained
and they wavered. Then the Thirty-ninth
Maryland Regiment, which led, became panic
stricken and broke through to the rear,
spreading decentralization swiftly. Their Off
GERS urged them, entreated them, threatened
them, but failed to rally them, and the mass.
broken and shattered, swept back Ike tor
rent into the crater that was literally chobed
with white troops. The confusion, incident
10 this wholesale crowding and crushing of
the negro soldiers into the ranks of the white
troops, very nearly caused the panic to
spread. Had such been the result it might
have been fortunate, and many brave feI
low who afterwards fell, might have escaped
bis fate. But at the moment the rebel FIRE
which had been murderously directed upon
the place, materially slackened, and the
HnesWere once more Strengthened, and list
in time TO check an impetuous charge, which
was afterwards repeated, and with similar
result of heavy loss TO the ASSISTANTS.
So the morning waned 1t became appa-
rent doubtless, that the position gained
could not be held without more sacrifice of
life than could well be afforded at this time.
At any rate, this seems a fair inference or
the other corps would have been ordered TO
4 Il, L
still held by the enemy, and far as l can
ascertain, no such order was given. On the
contrary, about noon the order was given to
retlre-a matter not easy of execution, as to
gain our works an open space must be tray
ersed, over which one man in every twenty
was sure to be brought down by the cross-fre
that swept the spot.
| omitted to say that when the negro di-
vision advanced to the charge, they were
supported on the right of the Prince George
Courthouse Road by Turner's division of the
Tenth Corps, which CALAMITY advanced long
way beyond the spot where the negroes
broke, and strove unavailingly to breast the
storm of their retreat. The list of casualties
In this division was heavy. | forward the
names Of those in hospital
The losses on both sides, considering the
numbers engaged, were very severe. The
wounded in the hospitals are more than one
tuOaSdHu L iopdDiy OOO" were TAKEN prs
oners, and the killed and wounded swell the
list materially.
Later reports reduce this number. The rebels
only claim to have taken 936.-EDs STATE JOURNAL.
4 GOOD ORDER.-The new Secretary of the
Treasury has issued an order concerning trade
with sections of the country from which the
rebel forces have been expelled, which all
men must agree is both wise and just. The
order positively prohibits the transportation
of goods, wares or merchandise of any des-
cription, either to or from any of the states
declared to be in Instruction, except only
the necessary supplies of loyal citizens with
in the lines of actual military occupation
This order will, if properly enforced, put
stop to cotton and other speculations, through
which the insurgents in the southwest have
hitherto been furnished with aid and susie
nance necessary to enable them to continue
in war.