Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-06-18

were placed IN the forefront to receive the
baptism of fire, but behind these lay the vet
Grams ofHilps corps, and tits these we now see
dashing forward to retrieve the honors we
had snatched. Barlow's brigades-stout hearts
not used to pale before the greatest odds
could have held their oyn under conditions
the least short of desperation, but the situa-
ton in which they now found themselves,
o'erleaped its limits. 1t was not merely the
overwhelming front that came pressing down
upon them, of that they had no fear, but the
position they had gained placed them in ad.
vance of the whole line of battle, and gave
the rebel artillery the opportunity for dead
Iy enflading fire. Beside this they had lost
the directing heads of two of the chief COM
manders, Brooks and Byrnes, "souls of cour-
age all compact" fell MORALLY wounded, and
all the organizations had suffered fearfully
from an unparalleled loss of officers. In this
state of facts they fell back, bringing with
them the prisoners they had taken and acap-
tured color, but not the guns. They fell back,
but not to their original position; to posi-
ton far in advance of that they had held,
and at different points not more than nifty
wards from the enemy. Here they intrenched,
and here leave them to pass on to Gibbons
division of the same corps on the right, and
which was engaged at the same time.
Gibbons advanced simultaneous with Bar
low, but in moving forward, he came upon
one of the swamps of the Chickahominy,
which had to be turned or overpassed, in the
process of which it BECAME very difficult to
establish the connection between different
parts of his line. This overcome, however,
his troops pressed forward with the same
vigor that marked the conduct of their COM
panion division on the left. Parts of the
I'll MI cd ho hal
works, but for reasons identical with those
that forced back Barlow's troops, they also
were compelled to give up what they had
won. Gibbons division, too, lost very heavi-
ly. In giving way, it also was far from los
ing all the ground it had gained. 1t took up
an advanced position, close to the enemy,
and Just over the crest, the rearward slope OF
which was held by the rebels. This position
it has retained during the day, and McKean's
brigade has held all day a position within
fifteen yards of the enemys works.
THE KEY POINT OF THE BATTLE, AND HOW IT WAS
LOST.
Not until the splendid attack of Hancock's
corps had been made, not till after its blood
bought victory had been wrested from our
hands, was he or any man in this army aware
of the supreme Importance of the position
this morning carried and lost. The key
point in the battle of Gaines Mills, two years
ago, it is strange and Notifying that no one
should have appreciated its value. This po-
sition is a bald hill, named WAITS Hill, +"
dominating the whole battle-ground, and COW
ering the angle of the 8. Dispatch Road
Along this ridge the rebel works formed a
salient, and in front of it was a sunken road.
OF this road Hancock got possession, and the
brigades of Miles and Brooks actually struck
and carried the work directly on the salient
Had we held this point, we should have had
a position whence the entire rebel line might
have been enfladed and think il is not too
much to say that that the day would have
been ours, and Lee pushed across the Chick
ahominy. Had we even known in advance
its commanding Importance, very different
dispositions for attack would have been
made; we would have massed on the left,
and made this victory a certainty. These
considerations certainly inspire bitter regrets;
but who do does not know that it is on pre-
cisely such contingencies that the fate of a
battle often hangs!
THE LEFT CENTER AND cENTER-wRIGHT AMI
SMITH.
simultaneously with the attack of the Sec
ond Corps, the Sixth, under Wright, con
Meeting on the left with Hancock, made a
general advance at a quarter before five
O'clock-each division assaulting on the en-
tire line. OF this corps, the Second Divis.
ion (McNeilD held the right, the Third Di
vision (Ricketts) the centre, and the First
Division (RusselD the left. !, Five batteries
under charge of the Chief of Artillery of the
Second Corps, Col. Tompkins--namely
Adams First Rhode Island Battery, Cowan'c
First New York, independently Hahn's Third
New York, Independently McMartin's First
Massachusetts,, and Rhodes First Rhode ISL
and, were planted in good positions and did
effective service in covering the advance
The assault of the Sixth Corps was made
with the utmost vigOr and succeeded in car
rying the first line of rebel rifle-pits along
its entire front, and got up within two hun
bred and fifty yards of the main works
Smiths Corps, connecting on the right with
the 9th, had advanced in conjunction with it
but the left division, that under Martindale
who led the attack in heavy deep columns
got disarranged and was repulsed. Gen
Smith made three different attacks to relieve
Martindale, but his last supports did not get
up in time to allow him to held on. The eff
feet of this repulse on the left of Smith had
a disastrous effect on the position of Wright
1t uncovered the right flank of the 9th, and
exposed Ricketts, division, which vas stoutly
holding the advance position, to a savage
fire on the prolongation of its line. In thi:
state of facts, to retain possession of posi-
ton somewhat in advance of his point Of
starting was the utmost Gen. Wright could
possibly do.
OPERATIONS on THE RIGHT AND RIGHT-CENTRE-
WARREN AND BURNSIDE.
Operations along the fronts of Warren anC
Burnside were of an Importance quite subor
dinate to that of operations on the left. Nc
results were achieved except the carrying Of
the line of rihe-pits occupied by the rebe
skirmishers. The Fifth and Ninth Corps no
where struck the enemy's main work. Burn
side kept up a furious cannonade for some
hours; but it was nothing-voz Ell pretereo
Mill From the tenor of one of Burnside's
morning dispatches, it was at one time hoped
that he would be able to turn the enemy's
left; but this hope also was doomed to disap
pointment.
South AMERICAN AFFAIRs-W War GetOeer
Peru and Spaui.-The Ocean Queen from As.
pinwall on the 26th ult, brings important in
teligence from the Pacific coast of South
America, in reference TO the effect of the re-
cent proceedings of the Spanish Admiral and
CnmmiSSinnar in commemorative, 80. -, D..