The National tribune., 1910-03-31
The Second Corps Fight.

The Second Corps had had consider
able sharp fighting in getting into its
position on the right of the army. Gen.
| Miles fought a quite spirited and sue
| ceSSful battle in returning from a re-
lconnoissance to Corbin's Bridge. On
! the morning of May 8 Hancock had
three of his divisions in an excellent
position, commanding the valley in
front of them and the course of the Pc
River. Motifs Division, with the heavy
artillery was left to hold the position
at Todd's Tavern and guard the trains.
From the high ground which he occu-
pied Hancock could observe Long
streets left flank, and he began to med
| itate about turning that wing of the
enemy. This intention was accentuat-
ed by seeing a Confederate wagon train
approach. Hancock had the river ex-
amined, found that a crossing was prac-
ticable, and ordered Birney, Barlow and
| Gibbon to force passage. This was
done, with Brooke's Brigade leading
Brooke encountered but little resist
ance, but Birney found the enemy
strongly posted behind a millrace,
which he finally succeeded in forcing
| While Hancock was maturing his
preparations for his flank movement he
received an order from Gen. Meade to
go with his two divisions to the left to
attack Laurel Hill, in conjunction with
I
mand of the assault. Hancock imme
diately sent Gibbons Division back
across the river to form on Warrens
right, with Birney's Division following
| TO go into reserve. Hancock went with
| these, and began his preparations for
the assault. Barlow's Division was left
to hold the ground on the south side of
| the Po, but soon the enemy massed in
| front of this so strongly that Hancock
was instructed to withdraw il also. This
| order was given about 2 p. m, just as
| the enemy, eager to crush the Isolated
division, had begun to drive in the sllir-
! mishers. The operation, therefore, be-
came one of exceeding delicacy, and
the way it was managed showed in the
highest degree the discipline and spirit
of the Second Corps. Miles's and
| Smyth's Brigades were first withdrawn
and formed along the road, with the
left resting on a sharp crest within
few hundred yards of the bridge, over
which recrossing had TO be made.
Behind them was broad, open plain.
Gen. Barlow had providentially caused
the erection of breastworks in anticipa-
ton of such movement. Brooke's and
| Browns Brigades were then retired a
short distance, and in a few minutes
covered themselves with a line of
breastworks of logs and rails. AS soon
as Brooke's and Browns Brigades had
done this, Miles and Smyth fell back to
the crest in front of the bridges on the
south bank of the Po. In the mean
while all the corps batteries were
massed on the north bank in a position
to command the bridges and assist the
infantry.
Seeing the withdrawal of Miles and
Smyth, the enemy hurled themselves en-
masse on Brooke and Brown, who
poured into their faces an obstinate
hre, before which they faltered and fell
back. The Confederates were imme-
Idiately rallied, fresh troops brought up
and the attack renewed, only to meet
with the same merciless slaughter. This
time the enemy maintained their
ground obstinately for some minutes
before breaking, and when they did so
went back in confusion, leaving their
dead and wounded visible in all direc-
tfons. The surrounding woods in which
the fighting had taken place were of
the same dry, inffammable character as
the others, and soon Brooke and Brown
found the flames leaping up in their
rear, and were ordered TO withdraw
; This the men did with magnificent
steadiness. The Confederates discov-
cred the withdrawal, and again at
tackled, but Brooke's and Browns men
faced about and again drove their enc
> mics back thru the burning woods
; Arnold's Battery A, Rhode Island Ar
tillery, had gone across the river to as
lsiSt WIN It's uFdSS 4NdpoieOHS IN the close
f1ghting. The horses of one piece be-
came panic-strlcken by the blazing
woods, and jerked a piece between two
trees with such force that the utmost
efforts of the battery men, assisted by
the infantry, were unable TO release il
and ii had to be abandoned-the first
gun lost by the Second Corps. After
clearing the woods Brooke's men had
to cross the open plain, where they
were swept by the enemy's musketry
and artillery. Necessarily the dead and
wounded had to be left behind. Browns
Brigade had to rush thru great
stretch of woods which were burning
ferceiy, and in doing so lost heavily in
killed and wounded. Brown crossed the
river above the pontooD bridge, and
reformed his troops on the right Of