Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-06-09

menL -brllllant Assault on the
Rebel Works The Enemy's Lines
Carried in Front of Hancock and
Wright.-IncidentS of the After
Moons Work,-Rebel Night At
tack.
Special to the New York Timss
HEADQUARTERS, Army OF THB PoToNAC,
Coal HARRoR, near the CAICKAHoMIHx,
Friday, June 80 P. ii.
THE SITUATION AT A. N, FRIDAY.
In the saddle at O'Clock in the morn.
ing, the gray light of dawn Is struggling
through a thick envelope of clouds, and q
light pattering rain is falling. Our men
still lie behind their breAstworks, worn out
with the work OF the night; the rebels, too,
lie behind their entrenchments, aud only
the sleepless pickets peer with wary eyes
forward through the dusk of the woods.
All is still as the grave, yet in thirty min
utes the storm Of battle will burst forth
along a stretch Of six miles. There ia but
time to take 3 glance at the lines. Here
on the left wing of the army is the corps
Of Hancock, (Ihe secOnL,) come neoting with
bin on the right, and forming the left cen.
ire, is Wrigbr's, (the SixIh,) then Smiths
(the Eighteenth,) which holds the centre;
next comes Warren's Wthe Fifth which
forms the right centre. and then Burnside's
| Ihe Ninth, which holds the extreme right
Our line runs almost parallel with the
Chickabomiuy and from one and halt to
two and half miles north of it. On the
left wing we approach nearest the river,
on the right we are somewhat refused.
Hancock, holding the left wing, rests across
the Dispatch Station road (IhAt is the road
leading from Cole Harbor 10 Dispatch Sta
tion,) our right is across the Totopamoy.
The rebel front is formed Immediately in
front of the Chickahominy, in three lines
two lines of battle and a skirmIsh line, ! on
an irregular line TO conform with the woods
and ridges aud swamps of the ground.
Between the two armies is low, sWampy
region, whose dark bellows will soon be
lii up with ;he ires OF death. Suddenly
from behind the rude parapet there is an
upstsrting, a noisless springing to arms,
the muftied commands of officers forming
the line. The attack was ordered for 4:3O
and it may have been FIVE minutes after
that, or it may have been ten minutes, but
/ it certainly was not later than 4:46 when
the whole line was in motion. Skirmishers
are thrown out, and presently meet the
euemy's pickets as we learn by smart fusi-
lade you hear; our artillery opens, the rebels
respond, and in q moment the deadly con.
t1ict Is Joined.
TIN MINUTES OF HISTORY.
The metaphysiciaus say that time is
uaught, is but category of thought; and
think it must be SO, for into ten mortal
minutes this morning was crowded an age
Of action. Ten minutes of the 6gment men
call time, and yet that scantspsce decided q
battle There are Thousand details, ten
thousand episodes, but the essential mat.
ter is this, that that first rush OF advance
carried our whole front butt up against a
line of works, which we were unable TO
break through, or, breaking through. were
unable to hold Conceive of this in the
large-the fierce onslaught amid deafeuing
volleys Of musketry and the thunder of ar.
tillery, and the wild, mad yell of battle,
and see the ranks mown down, aud the
lines break here and there, and the sullen,
obstinate retreat, every inch contested, and
We shall then be able to descend to some
of the points Of action as they individualize
themselves among the line.
THB LETr-HANoocK's CORPS.
Hanc ock held the left OF the whole line
of battle; and of his three divisions, that
of Barlow held the extreme left of the
army, that of Gibbon was drawn on the
right of BarlOw's, while Birney's division
/
BarIow's division, Brooks had the left aud
Miles the right-each brigade in double
line Of battle. Smith, commanding the
Irish Brigade. was placed in support. The
left was protected by refusing 1.-THE Third
Brigade being disposed SO as to cover that
flank.
The formation of Gibbons division on
the right of Barlow was similar, Tyler's
brigade (heavy artillery holding the right,
Smiths the center and OVENS the lett
I-McKeau in rear OF Tyler's center, In
two lines. On Haucock's line there were
but few places where artillery could be
used with effect.
Barlow had directed that his attacking
brigades should, previously to the assault,
be moved out, and formed just in rear of
the picket line. From this point they ad-
vAnced for half q mile though woods aud
over open intervals, under q severe fire,
square up to the enemy's works. That
portion Of his front where the right of
Miles brigade Joined with the left of
Brooks'-the same brigades that SO bril-
liantly carried the famous salient in the
lines of Spottsylvania-succee 10 a sim.
liar splendid coup here; the got over aud
into the enemy's parapet, capturing his
guns, (tour light IL pounders,) his coIors
and Eve or six hundred prisoners, about
300 Of whom were secured by promptly
passing them to the rear. The storming
column, in fact, were just turning the
enemy's guns on the retreating rebels,
when powerful reinforcements from the
second rebel line appeared advancing
The first rebel line was held by Breckin-
ridge aud was carried, but Lee is too good
a General to leave q point so important
thus weakly defended. Breckiuridge's
men were placed in the fore. front to re
ceiVs tie baptism of FIRE, but behind these
lay the veterans of Hills oorps, and it is
these we now see dashing forward to re-
trieve the houors we had snatched. Bar
lows brigades-stout hearts not used TO
pale before the greatest odds-could have
held their own under conditions the least