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few Georgians and Louisiana volunteers, including a Louisiana major, of
Blanchard's brigade.
The strength of the enemy opposed to us has not been satisfactorily ascertained.
The prisoners assert that
Longstreet's division and part of
Huger's were in the field.
It is probable, as we know that
Longstreet's and
Huger's divisions, supported by
Hill's corps, hold that line.
We lost no prominent field-officers, but many line-officers were wounded — several killed.
Two of
Hooker's aids had horses killed under them, and
Lieut. Whiting, aid to
Gen. Robinson, lost an arm.
Colonel Morrison, a volunteer aid, was also wounded.
The most painful misfortune of the day was the mortal wounding of
Lieut. Bullock, of the Seventh Massachusetts, who was struck in the back by a fragment of one of our own shells, while he was leading his company to support the battery.
Massachusetts again suffered heavily.
The First regiment lost ten killed and one hundred and nineteen wounded; the Seventh, two killed, fourteen wounded; the Eleventh and Sixteenth suffered somewhat, and the Nineteenth lost some forty-five men.
Sickles's and
Robinson's brigades also suffered severely.
But the casualty lists will appear in the papers before this can reach you.
The conduct of officers and men throughout was admirable.
There was little opportunity for conspicuous exhibition of gallantry.
But the field was far more trying than an ordinary battle.
Men could not be subjected to a severer test of courage, endurance, and discipline.
But our gallant volunteers gave evidence of qualities which inspires the
Commander-in-Chief with perfect confidence in them.
Surely they have been tried in fire and have not been found wanting.
Yorktown,
Williamsburgh,
Fair Oaks and Fair Oaks Farm attest their unflinching firmness and courage.
Among the few incidents of the battle which deserve conspicuous attention, it is pleasant to rescue from oblivion one involving a humble private.
Charles Blake, company E, Seventh Massachusetts, was severely wounded in the shoulder, but not disabled.
He was sent to the field-hospital, and when his wound was dressed, he resumed his musket and pushed into the fight again, against the remonstrances of the surgeon.
Not long afterwards he was brought back on a stretcher with a disabling wound in the leg.
During the afternoon
Gen. McClellan took a seat on the parapet of a redoubt in front of
Hooker's intrenchments.
Several Brigadiers, staff-officers, and others, were clustering near him when a peculiar whistle, something of a prolonged chirp of a very big cricket, was heard.
Every body began to “duck,” I'm
sure I did, and a moment after a three-inch shell whisked directly over our heads.
Another, at the same instant, passed a few feet to the right of us. Neither exploded.
The first lodged in the clay a few feet beyond us, and was exhumed by a soldier.
I am quite positive that
Gen. McClellan dodged.
Even old iron-sided
Heintzelman squirmed behind the magazine.
No more explosions annoyed us. One of our lieutenants had his clothing cut by seven balls.
Two struck him fairly in the chest.
He wore a steel-plated vest, which undoubtedly saved his life.
He frankly confesses that when he discovered the first ball did not hurt him, he “was ten times as brave” as he had been.
It is probable that the rebels shoot at the legs of our men, under a belief that their breasts are protected by steel-plated vests.
Another account.
The correspondent of the New-York
Herald gives the following graphic account of the engagement:
It should be clearly understood what this particular fight was for. It was not an interruption of our march to
Richmond, in which, as might be supposed, the rebels threw themselves in our way and stopped us at a mile from our original line.
It was a fight for a position — a determined struggle for a piece of ground which it was deemed necessary that we should “have and hold.”
This piece of ground is barely a mile beyond our former line, and we have it, and hold it.
It will be remembered that the field on which the
battle of Fair Oaks, or
Seven Pines, was fought, is bounded on the side toward
Richmond by a line of woods.
This wood extends on either side of the
Williamsburgh road for a mile, and beyond it is a piece of open country.
Our outer pickets have been hitherto posted in that edge of the wood which is furthest from the sacred city, and the line of rebel pickets was drawn only a little further in the woods, and so near to our line that the men could talk to one another.
It appeared to be well understood that any further advance on our part would bring on a general engagement; and in that view our line was kept stationary.
But finally it was deemed necessary that our pickets should be posted at the other edge of the wood.
Accordingly
Gen. Heintzelman was ordered to advance the pickets on his front to the point named, and to advance the pickets on his left in a line with those in front.
At seven A. M., therefore, the greater part of his two divisions was in line and ready for action; but the advance was not made by so large a force.
Two brigades of
Hooker's division —
Grover's and
Sickles's — did nearly all the work, though some other brigades were slightly engaged before the day was over.
Sickles's brigade is composed of the five “Excelsior regiments” --the Seventieth, Seventy-first, Seventy-second, Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth New-York.
This gallant body of men has lost so heavily in previous battles, and by illness, that it mustered for Wednesday's fight only fourteen hundred men.
Grover's brigade is composed of the First Massachusetts,
Col. Cowdin; the Second New-Hampshire,
Col. Gilman Marston; the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania, temporarily commanded by
Lieut.--Colonel Wells, of the First Massachusetts ; the Massachusetts Eleventh,
Col. William Blaisdell; and the Massachusetts Sixteenth,
Col. Wyman.
This
