, 1864-05-19
EATTLE or sPGTsYlVAHIA.
CAKLETON'S ACCOUNT OF
THE FIGHT,
A Graphic Battle Picture.

zen. Lee had chosen Spotsylvanfn E8 plac
for trinl Of strength. Preparations wcr
drawback TO Gen. Grant rns his wouaded
He decided to send them back to FrederIcke
burg. All Who could walk were. started q,
foot Those who could not walk, but wh,
Old not need ambulances, wero placed IL
empty empty wagons: The long, sad procession
fo1 q ths oe1 to hpa to max
Their places in the hospitals. It was q sac
sight It made mo sick and weary of war
and yet truer S1ew il that which looks a
the Sin and fniquity which causes all this sur
fering, pain and sorrow. Trains of supp1ief
not Immediately needed we're sent to ths rear;
tnd ammunition trains were ordered up.
At day break the cannonade commenced,
our own batteries coming first Into play.
| Tbs batteries attached to The Cd corps, nea1
Hart farm and On the Piney Church road
we're very active. The rebel batteries at first
treated tho demonstration with silent indtt:
ference, but as continual teazing rouses =
w1ld beast from slnmber, SO at length they
| replied. The air was calm and the reycrber.
! alton rolled fur away over the forests. There
was no movement Of troops to the front,
but there VAS change Of poaitIon all along
the line. .Brigades which had been in the
front the day before we're placed In the Sec
ond line, and those who had = little respite
from fighting were thrown to the front. Gen.
Grant rode along the lines, nade au inspcc-
tton OF the sftuxtion, and Issued orders for
general attack ut S o'clock In the afternoon,
At noon our batteries slackened fire, but the
rebels now took the initiative.
sroTsYLyAN1A
-. The place is old, eeedy, ruined long ago,
Ike every other Southern town: It was oaee
centre-a place fol trade, political meetings
and the like. The Catharpen road runs along
Catha1pen creek toward Orange Court House;
the road to Fredericksburg is the most tray.
eled Of a1l-tbe others are mere country roads
with little travel In the bestof times, Al has
already been said, the country IL undulating,
half nilderness and half cleared land. Tie
tbs valley OF the Po river.
There Is nothing ut Spotsy ylyan1a worthy OF
contenuou-no monntaiu pass or deep run
ming riEer-but General Grant Is on bis way
to Richmond. Lee has determined to oppose
him 1t every step. Like Apollyon in Bun
JAMS Pilgrim, the adversary has come ont to
meet him on this spot
Lee las the advantage Of position, and Ia
able to concentrate Ills forces.
TIE BATrLB.
It was about l o'clock when Loncstreet
began to prees Hancock. Birncy, on the AZ
treme right, VAS first engaged. 1t was = hot
IRE, lasting half hoar, but no held his
ground. The aEtilley, which hid been
silent little while, recommended their up
1uo'y aHo u , y cIOcA IL HAS q CONTIGUOUS
discharge Of fleld pieces. The Goth Massa-
chusetts were thrown out II skirmishers on
flinchIng.
Having made no impression on Birney's
division, the attack wns abandoned there,
and tne rebels tried to pry open the joint be-
tWeea the I'd and 9Th corps, but Hancock
detected \ portion of Gibbons command
towara the left, while Warren brought up =
brigade toward his right, and thus the Joint
Was made exceedingly strong. It,had been
weakened by advancing BarIow's division
across the creek. The rebel columns came
In mass. Alter little skirmishing Hancock
withdrew Barlow and made bis corps more
compact. The withdrawal Of Barlow was a
sign to faint hearted ones that the day was
going against us.
During the. .lull In the strife + rode back to
the Cd Corps hospitals to see the wounded.
"Hon goes It boys.' was the question.
"AM rirht,n said one.
"PrettJ rough" said another.
"Tney win niverget through tho :dCorps,"
The lull had become storm. How fear
fully rolled tho nusketry.- It is utterly use
less to attempt description or comparison. It
was TolIey after volle5, surge after surge, roll
Maurice Collins, of the 1oth Massachusetts,,
was brought in With m ugly wound through
his shoulder. He was = Catholic. and the
priest Has showing nun lQe cfuclnX-
"Wiu 1t be mortal ~ he asked
"PerhapB not II you Lie still aud keep
quiet; but you may have to lose your arm.''
Well, I nm willing to give an arm to nv
country" was the reply OF one who, though
born IN the ever green isle, while loving the
Harp and Shamrock, adores the Stars and
Stripes Of his adopted country.
Leaving the hospital, and gallopfng to-
wards the front, l met hundreds OF men work
ing their way to the rear-an unmistakabIe
sign that there il hot work In front, aAd that
there ia souo doubt as to what will be the
result.
The contest went on with but little cessa-
ton on the right, and gradually extended to.
ward the left; but the main attack Of the
rebels was on the Second Corps, which stood
like wall Of 2tamant.
Tho attack Of Longstreet upon the Cd Corps
than this, bnt that was IN action Of fifteen
minutes, while this was one Of hours-hours
Of hard, persistent fighting of sauruinary
character. The attack Of Longstreet here, as
ut Gettysburg. utterly failed. Great fame
and credit ia due to the I'd Corps. It never
himself to be one Of the ablest Genera1s of
the war.
1t would be unfair, however, to giYe all
credit to the I'd Corps; the 5th and por-
tion OF the 9th were engaged in this struggle,
This Is tame description and Incomplete.
ltWould require many pages II I were to givs
q narrative OF the action Of Eeglments-so
tenpts At description. EYen now, Iseem to
hear, although miles from. the scene ofstrife,
the constant rattle and roar Of musketry:
the cannonade; the desp reyerberations; the
cheers; the shouts; the trampIng Of horses;
the rumb1ing Of artillery; the sharp ringing
Of The mnsket shot; tho explosion of shells,
and the loud Hhfzzing Of the fragments. It
goes on hour after hour. The gad train Of
men with strctchers bearing away the
wounded increases Its numbera. The ranks
arc thinning ont, but yet the true and faith |
ful ones tsce without 1inchlnE the deadly
storm. They stand AZ firm az rock for
heir country. O, you who read these lines
var! 4ou cannot comprehend till you have |
stood in the RANKS, or at least TILL you have |
been near observer, how much you owe to |
the brave men who for six consecutive daya |
have stood upon the battle aeld lighting for |
Yourdberty. You cannot thank them enough;
ainching heroism Of the I'd Corps on Tues
day Last will be forever memorable in his
tori.
While this fierce contest was going on,
body Of rebels marched out on the Catharpen
road, and came down upon the rear OF the
uooFe, but to cut ont the trains which wore
parked In tho rear. Gen. Grants and Gen.
Meade's headquarters were On the Piaey
Grove road. A signal officer Who had been
stationed on the right flank came In upon
the gallop, evidently much excited. "You
must pack up quIck!' he shouted. Prepa-
rations had already been made for removal |
Of headquarters nearer to the centre, and In
2 few moments the trains were In motion
Orders were sent to the rear to be ready for !
any emergency. Two or three batteriea went |
ont and took position, but that was al that
came OF the movement The rebels gained
nothing for their trouble.
;. TILE ADVANCE OF. TIE LIFT. :
Orders had been issued for the advance Of
The ninth corps promptly at 'fiye o'clock, bnt
the right, the necessity Of sending divisions
Of the sixth to sustain the second, delayed |
Tue advance. It was halfpast six before the
ninth began Its movement on the enemy.
The 9Th and 5th moved at the same time.
What grand movement It was. 4 line four
miles long; not continuous line, but bri-
.ade 1fter brigade Of men-dark masses, now
IN open field, now lost to sight In the forest;
now emerging into view and opening fire mp |
On the foe. The movement ,was like the |
swinging of huge folding door, the pivot t
hinge being near the P1neY Grove road, and |
The folding; hinge between that and the |
Fredericksburg road.
Hills corps, In front Of Burnside, evidently |
was not prepared for the advance The col |
1mn OF the: 9th pushed him back steadily,
batting at umes to get new, foothold. but
still pushing till the rebel lines were driven
back to the 1fllage- The lighting was not so |
severe on the left as on the right, bqt the re:
lines, which bad been in the form Of 4 cres-
cent. were hammered frfn a tn+sn shna TT