Year: 1864




ragged without sign % slackening for two
long hour st the enemy was slow
] iibTarV 10 our fire, but gradually
,-slleIr pieces were brought into action, and
in less than half an hour banks Of angry
smoke partially veiled the scene from
both sides.


In accordance with the plan Of battle,
the First Division of the Ninth Corps
tLedlie's) was made the assaulting col
umn. General Ledie formed his troops
in three lines of battle, having each d
front Of about six hundred. The Second
Brigade of this division {Col. Marshall
led the assault. followed by the First
Brigade (Gen. W. F. Bartlett and
the line of the Third Brigade (Col.
Gould's.) The left of Ledlies division
was supported by Brig. Gen. Hartraupets s
brigade of the Third Division (Wilcox's 81
and its right by General Gri1ins brigade
of Porter's division. The Fourth Division
of the Ninth Corps (all negroes) was
posted directly in the rear of theassaulting
column, to press forward whenever practi-
cable The Fourteenth New York Heavy
Artillery were the first to enter the breach
made by the explosion. They bounded
forward at the word, in the midst of the
shock of the artillery, through the dense
clouds of flying dust, and clambering
over the debris, found themselves violent
" pushed down into the yGwning cata.
ract The sight which there met them
must have been appalling. Bodies Of
lead rebels crushed and mangled out Of
all resemblance to humanity, writhing
forms partly buried, arms pretending
here and legs struggling there--a very he'll
Of horror and torture, confined in a space
so feet in length and half as many wide
But the time was not favorable
to the play of humane promptings.
This chaos Of mangled humanity mixed
with debris Of implements and munitions
of war must be unheeded. Enough for
the storming party to do was found in
exhuming two pieces of rebel cannon
with their caissons, and, III obedience to
the law Of self preservation, turning the
guns upon the enemv, who were throw
lug into the crater a4shower Of shells and
mimic balls from the hill beyond,t and
from points on either side which they
still held on this line. Getting these pieces
into position promptly, and under cover
Of their fire, the assaulting ealumn was re-
formed, and at the word of command
dashed forward once NOR TO storm the
crest Of the hill 1t was task too great.
They gallantly e; sayJd it, aud nearly gain.
ed the summit, subjected all the tune to
u whitening fire which increased in fierce
ness at every step, until they became the
centre of a converging storm Of shot and
she'll Attacked on tue right flank and
left flank, in FROM and rear they were
compelled to fall back TO the partial pro
lection of tho crater, leaving their course
thickly strewn with the dying and the
dead.


The colored troops, upon the heels Of this
repulse, were ordered to charge, and they
moved out calamity. A hundred yards
gained and they wavered. Then the 39th
Maryland regiment, which led, became
panic-stricken and broke through 10 the
rear, spreading demoraIization swiftly
Their officers urged them entreated them,
threatened them, but failed to rally them,
and the mass, broken and scattered, sweep
back like a torrent into the crater which
was already choked with white troops
The confusion, incident to this wholesale
crowding and crushing Of the negro sol
diors into the ranks of the Whit troops
very nearly caused the panic to spread.
Had such been the result, it might have
been Fortunate, and many brave fellow
who afterwards fell, might have escaped
his fate. But at the moment the rebel
fire, which had been murderously directed
npon the place. materially slackened, aud
the white soldiers recovered their stamina.
Our lines were once more streighted, and
Just in time to check an impetuous charge,
which was afterwards repeated, and with
a similar result Of heavy loss to the assail-
ants.


So the morning waned. It became ap-
parent, doubtless, that the position gained
could not be held with more sacrifice OF
life than could well be afforded at this
time. At any rate, this seems fair in
ference, or the other corps would have
been ordered to advance upon those por-
tions Of the first line still held by tine
enemy, and US far as can ascertain, no
such order was given. On the contrary,
about noon the order was given to retire
"a matter not easy Of execution, as to
gain our works an open space must be
traversed, over which one man in every
twenty was sure to be brought down by
the cross-fire which swept the spot.