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[536] eighteen-pound rifles near the centre of the field, on the left of the Teche. They were placed in the rear of the light artillery, and opened on the guns to the right, near the river. Only a few rounds were fired, as it was found impossible to see the position of the enemy. Captain Cox was then ordered up to within four hundred yards of the batteries, from which position he fired one hundred rounds, driving the enemy repeatedly from their guns, upsetting a caisson, and killing several horses. Three of his men were severely wounded.

About one o'clock in the afternoon, Captain Mack having filled his caisson, received orders to advance his guns to the point, and open fire on the thirty-two pounder, the battery to the right, on the other side of the Teche, and Semmes's battery of light twelve-pounders on the left, on this side.

The guns were soon in position in the rear of Captain Bradbury's, and kept up a constant fire upon the enemy's position for three hours and a half. The distance from the battery to the large gun was about six hundred yards, and from the batteries on each side of the river about fifteen hundred. Captain Mack was under a severe cross-fire during the whole of the time. Shell struck and burst all around his pieces. A case of grape from the thirty-two pounder struck directly under Captain Mack's horse and exploded; but the powder was of such a poor quality that it failed to throw the grape with any force, only one or two of the balls from the rings which inclosed them being forced out.

At three o'clock, Captain Hammick, of Co. E, Twenty-first Indiana, with a section of twenty-pounder rifled Parrotts, took position near the sugar-house, on the right of the road, and opened on the large gun on this side and on the enemy on the other side of the Teche, where a sharp engagement was going on between Colonel Gooding's brigade, Healy's battery and the rebels.

The enemy from the other side of the bayou promptly answered Hammick's section, and fired with such rapidity as to compel him to change his position frequently during the action.

The enemy's batteries were behind high breastworks, so that it was impossible to know the effect of his fire; but Captain Hammick had the satisfaction of observing that they were driven from their guns again and again, as the firing would cease at times for several minutes.

On both sides of the Teche the infantry had been engaged nearly the whole of the day.

On the left, as we have seen, the artillery fight commenced about noon.

After ascertaining the number and force of the enemy's guns, General Banks gave orders that the advance should learn, if possible, their force of infantry; and our artillery, infantry, and skirmishers were advanced four hundred yards at one o'clock for that purpose, but without accomplishing the object.

The brigades of Generals Weitzel and Paine formed the two first lines of battle, the latter the two right and the former the two left lines. the advance or front line being the Fourth Wisconsin and Eighth New-Hampshire, of General Paine's brigade, right, and the One Hundred and Thirty-third and one Hundred and Seventy-third New-York of General Weitzel's brigade, left. Colonel Ingraham's brigade, of General Emory's division, was held in reserve.

The order was now given to advance on the enemy's works. A large body of skirmishers were thrown out along the whole line in face of and not more than fifty yards from the enemy's sharp-shooters, which covered the entire front; and a terrible fire from these parties alone was at once opened and kept up for some time, the enemy bravely resisting the advance of the skirmishers, but finally compelled to fall back.

The distance of the first line of battle from the earthworks was about five hundred and twenty yards. (Time, forty-five minutes after two P. M.)

At the first the fire of the sharp-shooters was very accurate, and several of our gallant fellows were shot down before they had proceeded twenty yards. One of the rebels was hidden behind a knoll. He would project his bayonet, with his cap at the end, slightly from one side, and, watching his opportunity, would fire on the other side of the knoll. He continued this ruse for some time, and must have killed or wounded no less than six or seven of our men.

General Weitzel now posted the Seventy-fifth, supported by the One Hundred and Fourteenth New-York, on the left, in the woods. A constant tire from the enemy was kept up on them.

About this time the enemy's batteries appeared to be silenced, when the whole army advanced toward them at quick time, skirmishers still in the advance.

Suddenly a terrific cross-fire from every part of the enemy's works on both sides of the Teche opened upon them. The men were at once ordered to lie down, so that the shell might pass over them.

In a few moments the order to advance was again given, when the whole moved on in the face of a heavy fire. This was about three o'clock P. M., and the distance from the works was not more than three hundred and fifty yards.

The artillery was firing over our heads from every quarter, in answer to the line of fire from the guns of the enemy posted on their breastworks.

With the exception of the two regiments to the left in the woods, our whole force lay down in the plantation ditches and along between the ridges in the field, and the whistling shells from the enemy's batteries rushed harmlessly over their heads.

And now occurred one of those acts of bravery which is called rashness.

When our skirmishers were falling back from an overpowering force of the enemy's sharp-shooters, but only to rally and drive the enemy in their turn, several heads would be raised along our line for the purpose of witnessing the engagement, thereby drawing the fire from both the batteries and sharp-shooters upon them. Some


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G. Weitzel (3)
R. B. Mack (3)
Hammick (3)
Paine (2)
Semmes (1)
Duncan N. Ingraham (1)
William Healy (1)
O. P. Gooding (1)
Emory (1)
George C. Cox (1)
Bradbury (1)
N. P. Banks (1)
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