The National tribune., 1910-02-10

Ewell, were making strenuous efforts
to restore the Confederate ascendancy
and carry out Lees plan to crush the
heads of our columns. ROdesS Divi-
sion was pushed thru the woods to
come upon Ayres's flank and succeeded,
since the Sixth Corps had not yet been
able to get into position. Ayres was
forced back, leaving his dead and
wounded in the woods. While Ayres
was fighting his battle on the right Of
the pike, Bartlett was pushing forward
on the left, where he soon came in
touch with the enemy and made an i'm
petuous assault, which drove the Con-
federates into the shelter of the woods,
with 40 prisoners left in Bartletts
hands. Bartlett pushed his advance
until a heavy fire on his right showed
that the enemy had taken advantage
of the pike to get on his flank. Sweit-
zer's Brigade had formed in line of
battle and constructed a breastwork of
logs on the left of Bartlett. 1t was
now ordered to leave this to go to Bart
let's assistance, and the 22d and 32d
Mass. were thrown across the road
under the command of Col. Tilton.
They took a position concealed by the
bushes on one side of a clearing, and
when the enemy came to this in its hot
pursuit of the 140th n. Y. they opened
upon him a whitening fire, which drove
II
beyond the field.
Wadsworth, with his division, moved
forward and soon met the enemy, but
pushed him back thru the dense woods
for nearly a mile, when he encountered
n terrific fire from the solid Confeder-
ate line Robinson had sent forward
from his division to support Wads-
worth Dennison's Maryland Brigade,
the 1st, 4th, 7th and 8th Md. This
made its way thru the thick woods and
lost its direction. When the break
occurred In Wadsworth's line the ene>
my poured thru 1t, struck the Maryland
Brigade in flank, and, after a sharp re-
sistance, forced 1t to retire.
For a few intense minutes there was
q deadly interchange of volleys at short
range, before which Stones Brigade in
the center broke, but Rice's, on the
right. maintained its position until the
Confederates were well around both
fianks, when it retired in some pardon
able confusion. About half a mile to
the rear the officers rallied about $50
men on a slight crest. Rice had lost
nearly all of his skirmish line, mainly
three companies of the 18th n. Y,
which were taken prisoners. Gen. Cut
Ter, with the brigade which had won
such renOwn at Gettysburg, added to
this fame now by driving the enemy
nearly mile, capturing 289 prisoners
and three battle flags. The brigade
consisted of the 1st N. Y. Sharpshoot-
ers, 7th and 10Th Ind, 24th Mich and
2d, 10th and 5th Wis. Cutler was in the
full tide of his gallant advance when
he suddenly discovered the enemy on
both of his fianks and closing in upon
his rear. Perceiving the situation with
soldierly quickness, he about-faced his
men. and charged thru the enemy to
regain his own lines, but lost heavily in
killed and wounded.
Crawford had moved his division up
to onn.ct with Wadsworth, but found
the woods too thick to penetrate, and
so left a gap between his right and
Rice's Brigade on the left. Crawford
was soon assailed by heavy force and
the weight of the blow fell particularly
on McCandlesss Brigade, composed of
the seven stanch regiments of the
famous Pennsylvania Reserves, the 1st,
I'd, 9th, 9TH, 11th and 18th Pa. EweIrs
Right Wing was the attacking force,
and McCandless's Brigade was envel-
oped so that after a hot, stubborn re-
sistance it fell back with a heavy loss in
killed, wounded and prisoners About
2 o'clock Crawford's Division was with
drawn, and posted about a mile south
west from the Lacy House, facing