The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-04-13

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and there is no danger but it will
prove correct. ] pass tie hour from
one to two o'clock, because events
were not tFahspiriDg, but at two, all
was activity again both right and
left. On the left the 9th corps assault
ed the large fort l have mentioned,
and another next to it, on the left, and
Turner and Foster, Of the oath Corps,
stormed one each, further to the rebel
right. The scene was again in full
view, and had all the elements Of
grandeur of its predecessor of the
morning. The bugle sounded, and
the mass of blue sprang forward, as
before, and, as before, the rebels made
q feeble and Intellectual resistance
Our movements were like lightning.
From the moment the charge sounded
until the instant we swarmed over the
works was the shortest appreciable
period Of time, and before the dumb
founded enemy well knew we had
started our flags were flying over the
ramparts, our shout Of triumph ring
ing along their lines, some of them fly
ing, with their own guns turned upon
them, and the remainder going to the
rcar, as prisoners.
Carrying this line, gettiEs into posi-
ton before the fourth and last, occupi.
ed the hour from two to three on the
left. Here, / may remark, |. left this
part of the field, and no more Of its
glorious events passed under my per.
Sonal observation. But ! left it when
our triumph was assured-when the
way to Petersburg, by the Boydtown
road. was all but open-an hour more
and Meade, if he so willed, could have
marched into the Cockade City. OuI
losses on this field were slight. have
nothing to Judge from but what | saw
and SO judging, they must have been
very slight.
l heard of some few officers wound.
ed: Lieut. Col. Skinner, Cd Connec
ticut Heavy Artillery, and Major Prem.
tiss, 9th Maryland, and Capt. Stevens
10th Ohio, killed. AT the various
hospitals on the field saw but very
few cases of wounded, hot two hun.
dred in all, and | saw none of those
long trains of ambulances bearing of
their loads of bleeding, groaning hu.
manity, which is the saddest sight o.
the battlefield.
On the right this same hour OF two
o'clock was an hour of triumph. Il
had been determined to retake the reb
ell fort they had wresteG from US, anC
the fresh brigade of General Coli,
from City Point, was assigned the duty
composed of the 68th and 114th Penn
sylvania, the Goth New York, 6lst
Massachusetts and the New York En-
gineers, veteran regiments all.
Coils himself headed the charge
having left his post at City Point tc
share in the glories ofthe day. A ter
rible fire greeted the brigade, but il
swept through itand over into the dis
puted fort, settling at once and forever
the question of its ownership.
We took the fort, and we held it
notwithstanding the efforts of Gordon:
to regain it, and we held all the 9th
ers against similar attacks-Willox's s
Porters and Hartrauft's divisions still
displaying the vaIor that won bach
Steadman, and in the morning had
won the rebel limo. Thus, at $3.50 p
NJ, the day was decided; irretrievabe
ruin was upon tho rebellion. 1t had
no last ditch or last legs; it had been
elected from the former; the latter
had been struck from under it,
Now is the proper time to remark that
this disaster came upon Lee suddenly
and unexpectedly, 1t will not do for
the migrating Richmond journals
when they get in some obscure corner
to say he was evacuating or had evac.
uated. The current Of evidence sets
strong the other way. Iti5 true, he
was preparing for contingencies, by
removing the public stores and works
but he intended to hold these lines tc
the last gasp. The whole rebel army
was here, Since Sheridan began the
battle of Five Forks, prisoners have
been taken from nearly every brigade
| have been in fifteen captured forts
to-day, and in every one the guns
were mounted, the magazines supplied
with ammunition. and all the pers0neI
of the soldier was there. In every
foot of the milce Of their camps trav-
ersed there were indications that the
inhabitants had left unexpectedly, and
from pressing necessity. In many
huts on the left the unfinished break
fast was left on the ground floor, mus
kets were strewed about, and blankets
and knapsacks were scarce only be
cause the rebels have none These
are facts, and l have mentioned them
only to show that We have won a vic
tory, not caught an evacuating enemy
IN Jne ACT.
NINTH CoRPs LINES, 6 P. NJ.
Our triumph is completc-our pris-
oners almost like the sands on the sea-
shore. We are burdened with them
We have been obliged to call the ma
rines and sailors from Portcr's fleet to
help us guard them. The transporta.
ton of the railroad is overtaxed to
take them to City Point. The days
work is over. On the lett and here
also, only dropping fire is heard.
The British Registrar General says
that for every one-hundredth of ar
inch ton of rain falls on an acre o.
ground. When we have an inch