William Swinton, Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac

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[163] their guns, and faithful hands grasp the rifle, it is easy to predict the result. Every assault met a bloody repulse. The promised artillery aid was not rendered: the few batteries used were beaten in detail.¹ Afterwards, Magruder and Huger attacked, but it was without order or ensemble, a brigade, or even a regiment, being thrown forward at a time. Each, in succession, met a like reception from the steady lines of infantry and the concentrated fire from the artillery reserve, under its able commander, Colonel Hunt. The attacks fell mainly on Porter on the left, and on Couch; and the success of the day was in a large degree due to the skill and coolness of the latter, who, as holding the hottest part of the Union line, was gradually re-enforced by the brigades of Caldwell, Sickles, Meagher, and several of Porter's, till he came to command the whole left centre, displaying in his conduct of the battle a high order of generalship.

Night closed on the combatants still fighting, the opposing forces being distinguishable only by the lurid lines of fire. Thus till near nine o'clock, when the fire, slackening gradually, died out altogether, and only an occasional shot from the batteries broke the silence that pervaded the bloody field. The repulse of the Confederates was most complete, and entailed a loss of five thousand men, while the Union loss was not above one-third that number. Lee never before nor since that action delivered a battle so ill-judged in conception, or so faulty in its details of execution. It was as bad as the worst blunders ever committed on the Union side; but he profited by the experiment, and never repeated it.