Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-20
y L . S AT Ct AINES' MILL
LREPRoDUCED by PERMISSION OF THE CENTURY coMPANYl

able for artillery, strong and brilliant arm in
his corps. The action was opened by A. l.. Hill
about 2:30 I'm along Gen. Morelis front.
jackson and ID. III. Hill came in on A. 7. Hills
len late IN the afternoon. LonGstreet. in front
OF the federal left had been waiting for Jack
sons arrival. but was obliged to attack before
the latter could deploy TO relieve the federal
pressure upon A. p Hill, and about o'clock
In the afternoon the battle became general
All the confederate divisions were pushed
forward in one simultaneous sweep between 5
and O'Clock. under the immediate direction
OF Longstreet. jackson and the two Hills. with
a score of bold and jealous subordinates riding
with and cheering on the advancing lines.
Porter sent urgent calls for help. and Slocum's
division OF 5000 men was sent over from the
west side to his relief, arriving on the ground
at 4:3O pm. and later Meagher's and French's
brigaces arrived and aided to stop the confed-
crate rush. Porter received no other reinforce
ments from the 1900 men in sight of this
desperate battle. The federal line was broken
about $50 P. m. near the center. held by Morell,
and where Porter deemed it strongest, and the
whole line was soon forced back toward the
river Up to this hour the Union front thin
In many places as II necessarily was. had been
solidly maintained. During the night the
troops were withdrawn to the south side OF the
Chickahominy and McClellan's offe nsive az ainst
Richmond had come to an inglorious end
DAY OF DESPERATE FIGHrrya.
sure, but it was desperately near o defeat.
Gen. Lee supposed the principal part of the
federal army was on the north side" engaged
in this battle. Gen. A. p. Hill reported that
the ''incessant roar of mussetry and deep
thunder Of artillery" indicated that the whole
federal force was in his front The report
shows that he was repulsed everywhere.
Longstreet says that up to the time the federal
line was broken the confederate loss must have
been the greater. Jecksop's report shows the
hardest kind Of fighting. he was repulsed al
all points, Ewell having to be withdrawn from
the front, though Just at dark the 'enemy
yielded the field and fed in disorder"-proba-
bly, after Morells line was broken by Whiting.
No doubt 10000 fresh troops would have saved
the day to Porter. Gen. Porter says that the
ammunition Of some of the regiments became
exhausted and they replenished and returned
TO the fight IN some instances three times. He
attributes the final breaking of his line to the
confusion caused by stampede of cavalry
among the infantry when Gen. Cookies rash
and ill-considered charge upon the rebel in
fantry was repulsed.
Porfer's report corroborates those Of the
confederates in respect TO the desperate char
acter of the fighting. His loss in this four
hours battle was 4.00l men killed and wounded,
aud :, $50 captured or missing. Gen. Reynolds
was among the latter. Many colonies and
other officers we're killed and wounded.
Besides these he lost twenty-five pieces of
artillery. His heaviest regimental losses OF
killed and wounded, according to Fox's book.
were: Ninth Massachusetts, 206; sixteenth New
York, l94; third New Jersey, III; twenty second
Massachusetts. l66; sixteenth Michigan, l6l;
twelfth United States, 1856 The returns show
losses In ffty-one regiments and fourteen COM
panies OF Union infantry and eighteen
batteries.
The confederate aggregate Of losses is no.
where officially set out, but ii was more than
double that Of Porter In killed and wounded,
excluding prisoners few only of the sub
ordinate reports show the losses at Gaines mill
separately; most Of them omnibus their total
loss In all the Seven Days battles. From those
that show the loss here distinctively a total Of
4,655 killed and wounded Is run mp. These do
not include those Of A. p. Hill, whose division
vas the worst hurt In the battle. NOR many
other commands. But by carefully Analysing
the other reports. and adding the result 70 the
above. Mr.. Fox states the total loss Of the con-
federates in this short battle ct $751;, nearly
half their entire los In the Seven Days bsesies.
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