Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-06-09
Tsvecial Correspondence Philadelphia Inquirer.l ]



To-day has been marked by much hard
| fighting. There has been no general battle,
but an engagement of sufficient severity to
add largely to our number of killed and
wounded. Four thousand men will not
much more than cover our casualties. Ev-
erything won to-day has been earned by
hard work, and has cost us its full Value
An average advance of our line, somewhat
less than half mile, and the capture of
about four hundred prisoners, form the re-
suit of the days operations.
The formation of our line of battle in its
new position. across Gaines Mill road. hav-
| ing been completed yesterday. and full con-
nection established between the several
corps. an early hour this morning was hxed
upon for an assault on the enemy's works
along the entire line; the principal effort,
however, to he made on the left and against
the rebel right. Our line, which extended
from Bethesda Church on the right to q
point nearly two miles below Cold Harbor
on the left, was constituted as follow:
Warren and Burnside on the right, mex t
General Smith eighteenth Corps), then
General Wright (Sixth Corps, and on the
extreme left General Hancock. The latter
corps was the first to open the attack, the
First and Second Divisions, under General
Barlowand Gibbons, being assigned to make
held as a reserve. At precisely AZ A. M. a
gun was fired as signal, and both divisions
simultaneously moved forward. OF Bar
lows Division, the First Brigade, Colonel
Miles, and the Fourth Brigade, Col. Brooke,
each formed in two lines, led the assault,
the former on the extreme left. Gibbons
Division, on starting. had the brigades OF
Colonel Smyth, General Tyler and Colonel
McKeen in the front line arranged from left
to right, in the order in which they are
mentioned, but while advancing General
Owens Brigade moved obliquely and came
up OH the left of Colonel Smyth's, so that
the four brigades went in together.
There was nearly mile of ground to ira
verse before reaching the intrenchments
that were to be charged, and over this our
men advanced as silently as possible
Through part of the distance they were
screened from the observation of the enemy
by woods or slight hills, but in the imme-
diate front of the breastwOrks there was a
space of considerable breadth affording no
shelter whatever from the rebel fire. AL
though the enemy was on the alert por-
tion of Barlow's Division succeeded in
charging over this space and getting tenn
porary possession of the rebel works. But
the number that succeeded in effecting an
entrance was not large enough to retain
pOSS6SSlOll, anu Illcy WClO OuiioSu w AoA
back to the main line.
They brought of, however, two hundred
and fifteen prisoners, including Major
and fourteen line officers, and the flag OF
the Twenty-sixth Virginia regiment, as
reward of their prowess. Corporal Ter
renee Bigler, Company d, Seventh New
York Heavy Artillery, in Col. Brooke's
Brigade, was the captor of this flag. The
Colonel of the regiment to which it belong
ed was bayonetted as our men entered the
intrenchments. A battery of six guns,
which was behind the breastworks, was
captured, but could not be brought off. 1t
was, however, rendered useless to the enc
my by the complete range of it which our
men obtained with their muskets. They
have held it thus under fire all day, the enc
my neither daring to attempt to use it or
remove it, Although we found it imprac-
ticable to hold the rebel intrenchments at
this point, our own line was constructed
within twenty five yards distant.
Taking advantage of shelter afforded
by a crest of land, our men lay down just
behind it, and from their cOncealment kept
up such constant and well-aimed fire that
scarcely single rebel head could be in
duced to lift itself above the shelter of
the rife-pits. Under cover of this fire, the
One Hundred and Forty-eighth Pennsylva-
lI-
most to the enemy's line, and under their
very ewes if they had dared to use those
organs to look out) constructed substan-
tial line of rifle-pits which we have since
been occupying all day.
Our men have shot down several rebel
flags visible within their works. and after
wards tauntingly invited the "Johnnies" to
put up some more. Badinage was eX-
changed to-day between the opposing lines
almost as freely as bullets, but the speakers
ON either side have been obliged to lie low
themselves, however high they might pitch
their voices.
companies belonging to Owens brigade,
forgetting the maxim that discretion is the
better part of valor, rushed forward in ad-
vance of their comrades, and succeeded in
entering the enemy's intrenchments only
to find themselves In the position of the
man who bought the elephant. They found
it impossible to get out again, and were
unfortunately made prisoners. rl
Colonel McKeen, commanding the first
brigade, with about three hundred men Of
lis command. was placed in somewhat
awkward ard uni leas mt situa, ion, which
the force of circumstances compelled
them to retain all day. Unwilling
TO relinuuish the assault, and thinking only
of success, he and the number of men stated
above held their ground after the remainder
of the brigade had fallen back to better
position; and found themselves isolated
without sufficient force to advance. and un-
able to retreat without running q gauntlet
uf rebel fires which would have let few
escape. They have therefore been obliged
to remain all day in reeumbent position,
protected from sortie of the enemy by the
inuskets of their friends in the rear, who
i'm the meantime have been engaged in
running out a breastwork. under the shelter
of which they can withdraw. They will
ret out during the night. The distance
gained by Gibbons division is about half a
mile and they captured about one hundred
and fifty prisoners.
Tho Gi,s.h corps, with Russell's division
on the right, Ricketts, on JlIe center, and
Neill's on the left, advanced shortly after
the advance of the Second corps and gain
ed nearly the same amount of ground,
which they have held all day. under an ex-
tremely heavy fire, and fortified themselves
in their new position. Ricketts, division Is
said to have been most severely engaged,
but the fighting was most extremely sharp
and the casualties heavy in the entire
corps.
Smith was engaged, with about the same
results, and, perhaps, heavier losses. The
Eighty-first New York regiment, of Mars
toms brigade, Brooks division, had the
front of that brigade in making the charge,
and suffered terribly. Nearly every officer
in the regiment is either killed or wounded.