The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-07-27

enemy's advance after Browns bri-
gade, still farther to the right. had
been withdrawn. The successive steps
in this retreat are thus described by
General Hancock, who superintended
the movement in person:
"When 1 directed General Barlow
to commence retiring his command,
he recalled Brooks and Browns brig
AIDES, and formed them on the right of
Miles and Smyth's .brigades, on
wooded crest, in the rear of the Block
House road, about one hundred PAGES
in the rear of the line of breastworks.
AS soon as Brooks and Browns brig
ades had occupied this position, Miles
and Smyth were ordered to retire to
the crest in front of our brigades on
the south side of the Po. Here they
formed in line of battle, throwing up
hastily a light line of breastworks OF
rails and such other materials rs they
| could collect OH the ground. In few
minutes they were prepared to resist
the enemy, should he overpower
Brooke and Brown, and attempt to
carry the bridge 1 di, ected that all
the batteries ON the south side of the
river, save Arnold's A, First Rhode
Island battery, should cross to the
north bank and take position COM
nanding the bridges. These disposi-
tions had scarcely been completed,
| when the enemy, having driven in the
skirmishers of Brooke's and Browns
brigade pushed forward and occu-
pied the breastworks In front of them;
then, advancing in line of battle sup
ported by columns, they attacked
with great vigor and determination,
but were met by heavy and destruc-
tive fire, which compelled them to fall
| back at once in confusion, with sovorc
losses in killed and wounded En-.
couragcd doubtless by the withdrawal
of Miles and Smyth's brigades from
| our front line, which it is supposed
they mlstook for a forced retreat, they
! reformed their troops and again as
saulted BrOoke'sand Browns brigades.
| The combat now became close and
| bloody. The enemy i'm vastly superior
numbers, flushed with the anticipation
of an easy victory, appeared to be de-
| termined to crush the small force op-
posing them, and pressing forward
with loud yells, forced their way close
up to our lines, delivering a terrib lie
! musket fire as they advanced. Our
| brave troops again resisted their onset
with undaunted resolution; their fire
| along the whole line was so continu-
GUS and deadly that the enemy found
it impossible to Withstand it, but
broke again and retreated in the wild.
est disorder, leaving the ground in
our front strewed with dead and
wounded. During the heat of this
contest the woods on the right and
rear of our troops fired; the flames had
now approached close to our lines,
rendering it almost impossible to re-
tain our position longer.
"The. last bloody repulse of the enemy
had quieted them for a time, and
during this lull in the fight, General
Barlow directed Brooke and Brown to
abandon their positions, and retire to
the north bank of the Po-their right
and rear being enveloped in the burn
ing wood, their front assailed by over
| whelming numbers of the enemy.
This withdrawal of the troops was at
tended with great difficulty and peril /;
but the movement was commenced at
once, the men displaying such GOODNESS
and steadiness as is rarely exhibited in
the presence of dangers so appalling.
1t seemed, indeed, that these gallant
soldiers were devoted to destruction.
The enemy seeing that our line was
retiring, again advanced, but was
again promptly checked by our troops,
who fell back through the burning
forest with admirable order and de-
| liberation, though in doing so many of
them were killed and wounded
numbers of the latter pershing in the
flames. One section Of Arnold's bat
terry had been pushed forward by
Captain Arnold during the fight, to
within a short distance of Brooke 8
line, where it had done effective SER
vice. When ordered to retire, the
horses attached to one of the pieces,
becoming terrified by the fire and un-
manageable, dragged the gun between
two trees, where it became so firmly
wedged that it could not be moved.
Every eXertion was made by Captain
Arnold and some of the infantry to
extricate the gun, but without success.
They were compelled to abandon it.
This was the first gun ever lost by the
Second corps.
'Brooke's brigade, after emerging
from the wood, had the open plain tC
traverse between the Block House
road and the PO. This plain was swept
and their artillery on the height above
the Block House bridge. on the north
side of the river.
Browns brigade in retiring was
compelled to pass through the entire
woods in its rear, which was burning
furiously, and although under heavy
fire, it extracted itself from the forest
losing, very heavily in killed ant
wounded
Such was the general scope of these
dangerous movements, hazardous tc
the troops who safely crossed in theil
order. To save the regiment, ColOne
Beaver was called to lead it through
deeper peril. His command had beei
first in the advance all the forenoon
it was now last on the right in til,
retreat of his brigade. Through th'
day it had taken twelve different posi-
tions, fortifying each, and when i
reached the last in the second line O
defence it found itself in post which
must be held at all hazards, but whicl
was commanded by the abandoned
riflepits of the first Federal line int,
which the enemy swarmed whel
Miles and Smyth's brigades wer
Withdrawn. All the afternoon tn
regiment lay at its post, its commando
aware that hour by hour its comrade
were crossing in safety. AS the Union
line shortened and Browns brigad