The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1864-08-04

other nOn-com batantS came pouring across
the bridges with sweet running off Of
them in rivulets. Guards with fixed
bayonets were placed at the bridges to
collect whatever armed stragglers might
appear, but none came. In spite of the
furious charge none of our troops were
stampeded The rebel column poured
down an open but rough series of fields
toward Newtou's left, evidently aiming
at his bridges.
At the time the enemy first appeared
we had but two pieces of artillery in po-
sition, guarding the vital point; but Cap
tain Goodspeed, Newton's Chief of Artil-
lery, with splendid qdickness, brought up
ten more guns, making in all twelve
They opened with canister, the gunners
working with frantic energy. Four guns
were into action on Newton's right Up
to the moment the guns opened, the rebel
columns had swiftly advanced, engaging
Newton's three reduced brigades at terri
BILE odds. 1t was wonderful how fast the
enemy lost his grip when sixteen guns
added their blast to the storm of bullets
from Newton's infantry. The dusky,
gray columns slackened their pace, and
began to waver and lose this careful ar
rangement. In few minutes they had
come to stand-still, in partial confusion,
and firing heavily, but wildly.
Color bearer after color bearer went
down under the crash of our canister
In vain the rebel field officers rode up
and down the lines waving swords and
exhortng the men not to falter. In
twenty minutes the assault had totally
failed, and the enemy gave way, retiring
in confusion to the woods from which
they had emerged. For the rest of the
afternoon they kept up desultory fire,
which was returned by our artillery, but
they did not venture to renew the attack.
The rebel General Stevens, commanding
brigade in Walkers division, was killed
Nearly two hundred rebel dead were
buried in Newton's front next morning.
His brigade did not yield an inch. Gen.
Wards division, on Newton's right, was
struck at the same moment as Newton.
General Ward had just halted his men
at the foot of hill, for brief rest, after
his skirmishers had made way to the
crest. Word came back to him that the
enemy was charging over the open field
in his front in immense force. Without
moments hesitation, Ward ordered his
division to meet the enemy with coun-
tercharge; his men moved up the mill in
splendid order, and when they gained the
crest, they were to close to the rebels
that several of the hostile regiments be-
came intermingled At such points the
rebels seemed added by Wards bold
coup, and were captured without difficult
| ty. On other portions of the line, fight
ing at close quarters continued for half
an hour, but each successive line of reb-
els was pressed back by the indubitable
vaor of Wards men. At the end of that
time, the rebels fell back into dense
forest in their rear, completely whipped
so far as General Wards division was
concerned.
Gen. Wards trophies are seven rebel
battle flags and three hundred prisoners,
including many of the enemy's wounded
left on the field. Among his prisoners
are representatives of sixteen different
regiments, and he no doubt fought dou-
be that number. Ward sent all his a.
vailable artillery to protect Newton s
flank, and his splendid triumph was a
chleved with muskets alone. The charge
swept along to the right, striking Geary's
division the next after Wards. Geary
had advanced half mile from the trench
es he occupied in the morning, and had
just marched his troops to the top of a
ridge, when the rebel columns were
thrown on him with terrible Violence
The 33d New Jersey, which was thrown
out to fortify a hill in advance of the
main line, lost over half its number in
the first few minutes of the charge. The
most of Geary's lines were through a
dense wood, and his right flank was ex-
posed by an interval of two or three hum
dred yards, which Williams division was
endeavoring to close.
When the enemy came On, Gen. Baird's
brigade, ON Geary's right, was speedily
enveloped on the right and rear, and fell
back, after stout fight, to the trenches
III UCCupleu III ILc mOl mug, hHOAO Az "oo
reformed Portions of Colonel lreland's S
brigade in the centre were entitled and
driven back. BY turning one OF his bat
teries from the front to the right, General
Geary succeeded in reforming his shat
: tered line where it stood, and not another
foot did it yield, rolling back charge af-
ter charge. From four O'Clock till long
after dark the rebels endeavored to force
their way through the gap they had o.
pened, but the pluck of our lads tri-
umphed. Geary keld the hill at the end
as at the beginning Of the assault. That
portion of his line that fell back was re-
formed, and in about an hour went back
into action on General William s right
!, The tremendous rebel assault spent its
|, fury on Gen. Williams division, next on
Geary's right. This division had ad-
yanced also about half mile, when the
, rebels swep on it. The shock was met
without finchipo. The division refused