During Sedgwick's attack, General Sumner ordered General Williams to support him. General Gordon, with a portion of his brigade, moved forward, but when he reached the woods, the left of General Sedgwick's division had given way; and finding himself opposed to a superior force, he withdrew to the rear of the batteries, at the second line of woods. As Gordon's troops un. masked our batteries on the left, they opened with canister, and the enemy unable to withstand their deadly fire in front, and the musketry fire from the right, they were driven back with great slaughter, behind the woods and rocks beyond the turnpike.

During this assault, Generals Sedgwick and Dana were seriously wounded and taken from the field. General Howard assumed command of Sedgwick's division.

About the time of General Sedgwick's advance, General Hooker, while gallantly urging on his men, was severely wounded in the foot, and General Meade was placed in command of our corps.

Upon the repulse of Sedgwick, on our right, the battle in our front became more desperate, the woods resounding with one continuous roar of musketry, and the line of flame and smoke swaying to and fro. Already had Captain Mealey been taken from the field, severely wounded, and the gallant Lieutenant Wimpfheimer fallen. The regiment on our right had given way, the enemy were pressing us hard, forcing back our right flank and curving us into a semi-circle, but steadily our boys stood their ground, pouring into the enemy a constant fire, before which their advance withered away. General Seymour was there cheering us on, and General Hartsuff, of our corps, was wounded in our ranks, but notwithstanding the gallant efforts of the officers and heroically brave conduct of the men, we were overpowered by superior numbers and forced back. But no rout--no precipitate retreat-but steadily and in good order, the brave men delivered their fire upon the advancing foe; and though we were retiring, our flag

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flaunted proudly over our heads. At this time, unexpectedly, a column of the enemy suddenly opened upon us, from the right, a deafening crash of musketry, before which our little band was swept away, and breaking, we were driven over the field in confusion, but reaching a favorable position, Captain Byrnes, who had acted throughout with conspicuous bravery, rallied the men once more around the standard and reformed the regiment. Though weakened and exhausted with over six hours hard fighting, the wearied limbs and brave hearts of the men sought not repose. The Reserves had not yet been defeated, nor did they intend to be, for as long as there are brave men to stand by the colors, there is hope of victory.

The batteries of the Reserves were pushed forward in front of the first line of woods to our right, and opened a murderous fire of case-shot and canister that swept the advancing foe back. and again the Reserves charged with loud cheers over the ploughed field into the cornfield and the woods beyond, where the hardest and deadliest struggles of the day took place. Some times pressed hard, we were forced back, and at others the foe yielded to our charge. But as the battle wore on, out of the woods came sudden heavy and terrible volleys from fresh troops, that with their weight of fire bent and bore down to the ground the front, forcing back our shattered lines, that slowly and sullenly retired to the woods where our lines were formed to meet the foe, whom we again hurled back.

While the conflict was so obstinately raging in our front and on the right, General French was engaged with the enemy further to the left. His division was formed in three columns, General Max Weber's brigade in front, Colonel Dwight Morris' of raw troops next, and General Kimball's brigade last. The division advanced under a heavy artillery fire, and driving in the enemy's skirmishers, encountered their infantry at the group of houses on Roulette's farm, and drove them from their position. While General Weber was hotly engaged with his brigade, General French ordered the brigade of Kimball to the front, and passing to the left of Weber, they drove the enemy back to near the crest of a hill, where he was encountered in greater strength in a sunken road, forming a natural rifle-pit. In a cornfield in rear of this road were also strong bodies of the enemy. As Kimball's line reached the crest of the hill, a galling fire was opened on it from the sunken road and cornfield. Here a terrible fire of musketry burst from both lines, and the battle raged with great slaughter.

The enemy attempted to turn the left of the line, but were gallantly repulsed by the One hundred and thirtysecond Pennsylvania and Seventh Virginia Volunteers. Foiled in this, they assaulted the front, but were charged and driven back with severe loss and three hundred prisoners, and several stands of colors captured. They having been repulsed with severe loss on the extreme right, they now attempted to assist the attack on French's division by assailing him on his right to turn his flank, but they were met and checked by the Fourteenth Indiana and Eighth Ohio Volunteers, and by canister from Captain Tompkin's battery First Rhode Island artillery. Having been under an almost continuous fire for nearly four hours, and the ammunition nearly expended, the division now took position immediately below the crest of the heights on which they had so gallantly fought, the enemy making no attempt to regain their lost ground.

On the left of General French, General Richardson's division was hotly engaged. They advanced in line with General Meagher's brigade on the right, General Caldwell's on the left, and Colonel Brooks' in support. They moved steadily, and soon became engaged with the enemy posted to the left and in front of Roulette's house. Pressing on under a heavy fire to the crest of the hill, they found the enemy posted in a continuation of the sunken road and cornfield before referred to. Here the brave Irish brigade opened upon the enemy a terrible

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musketry fire. After suffering terribly in officers and men, and strewing the ground with the enemy as they drove them back, their ammunition nearly expended, and their commander, General Meagher, disabled by the fall of his horse shot under him, the brigade was ordered to give place to General Caldwell's, which advanced to a short distance in its rear. The lines were passed by Meagher's brigade breaking by company to the rear, and General Caldwell's by company to the front as steadily as on drill.

The ground over which Generals Richardson's and French's division were fighting, was very irregular, intersected by numerous ravines, hills covered with growing corn, inclosed by stone walls, behind which the enemy could advance unobserved upon any exposed point of our lines. Taking advantage of this, the enemy attempted to gain the right of Richardson's position in a cornfield near Roulette's house, where the division had become separated from that of General French's. A change of front by the Fifty Second New York and Second Delaware Volunteers of Richardson's division, and the attack made by the Fifty-third Pennsylvania volunteers sent further to the right to close this gap in the line, and the movement of the One hundred and thirtysecond Pennsylvania and Seventh Virginia Volunteers of French's division, before referred to, drove the enemy from the cornfield and restored the line.

The brigade of Caldwell, with determined gallantry, pushed the enemy back opposite the left and centre of Richardson's division, but sheltered in the sunken road, they still held our forces on the right of Caldwell in check. Colonel Barlow, commanding the Sixty-first and Sixty-fourth New York regiments, seeing a favorable opportunity, advanced the regiments on the left, taking the enemy in the sunken road in flank, and compelling them to surrender, capturing over three hundred prisoners and three stands of colors. The whole brigade, with the Fifty-seventh and Sixty-sixth New York regiments,

of Colonel Brooks' brigade, who had joined Caldwell's, now advanced with gallantry, driving the enemy before them in confusion into the corn-field beyond the sunken road. The left of Richardson's division was now well advanced, when the enemy, concealed by an intervening ridge, endeavored to turn its left and rear.

Colonel Cross, Fifth New Hampshire, by a change of front to the left and rear, brought his regiment facing the advancing line.. Here a spirited charge arose to gain a commanding height, the opposing forces moving parallel to each other, giving and receiving fire. The Fifth gained the advantage, faced to the right and delivered its volley. The enemy staggered, but rallied and advanced desperately at a charge. Being reinforced by the Eighty-first Pennsylvania, these regiments met the advance by a counter-charge. The enemy fled, leaving many killed, wounded, and prisoners, and the colors of the Fourth North Carolina, in our hands.

Another column of the enemy, advancing under shelter of a stone wall and corn-field, pressed down on the right of the division; but Colonel Barlow again advanced the Sixty-first and Sixty-fourth New York against them, and with the attack of Kimball's brigade, of French's division, on the right, drove them from this position.

Our troops on the left of this part of the line having driven the enemy far back, they, with reinforced numbers, made a determined attack in front. To meet this, Colonel Barlow brought his two regiments to their position in line, and drove the enemy through the corn-field into the orchard beyond, under a heavy fire of musketry, and a fire of canister from two pieces of artillery in the orchard, and a battery further to the right, throwing shell and case shot. This advance gave us possession of Piper's house, the strong point contended for by the enemy at this part of the line, it being a defensible building several hundred yards in advance of the sunken road. The infantry fighting at this point of the line now ceased. Holding Piper's house, General Richardson