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resistance to the enemy. With compressed lips, and muskets nervously clinched, the patriots waited for the exultant, yelling foe. A rebel correspondent thus describes the scene which ensued:

"Our forces were still advancing upon the retreating columns of the enemy. It was about half-past nine o'clock, and very dark; suddenly, as if it had burst from the heavens, a sheet of fire enveloped the front of our advance. The enemy had made another stand to receive us, and, from the black masses of his forces, it was evident that it had been heavily reënforced. The situation being hopeless for any further pursuit, General Hill retired slowly. At this moment, seeing their adversary retire, the most vociferous cheers arose along the whole Yankee line. They were taken up in the distance by the masses, which for miles and miles were supporting McClellan's front. It was a moment when the heart of the stoutest commander might have been appalled. General Hill's situation was now as desperate as it well could be; and it required a courage and a presence of mind to retrieve it which the circumstances surrounding him were well calculated to inspire.

"Wilcox's brigade, which had been almost annihilated, was re-forming in the rear. Riding rapidly to the position of this brigade, General Hill brought them, by great exertions, to the front, to check the progress of the now confident and cheering enemy. Catching the spirit of their commander, the brave but jaded men moved up to the front, replying to the enemy's cheers with shouts and yells. At this demonstration, which the enemy no doubt thought signified heavy reënforcements, he stopped his advance."

For some reason unexplained, the bands, for months, had not been allowed to inspire the troops, in time of action, with their patriotic music. General Butterfield, in one of the most desperate of these struggles, by a happy thought gathered all the regimental bands, and placed them at the head of the brigade. In one great burst of sound, which rose above the clamor of the battle, they started "The Star-Spangled Banner." The first note seemed to inspire our patriotic troops with new energy. "Cheer after cheer," writes a correspondent of the New York World, "arose from regiment after regiment, and was borne away upon the bosom of the placid river. The band continued to play, and other regiments and other brigades caught the spirit, and the air resounded with tumultuous applause, until all the columns on the vast plains were vying with each other to do homage to the inspiring strains of the band."

During the night our sleepless, unfed heroes retreated down the Quaker Road, towards Malvern Hill. General Franklin, who, by his judicious arrangements and calm courage, had contributed much to the success of the day, led in this movement. He left at ten o'clock, and reached James River a little after daylight the next morning. Here he selected an admirable position, not far from the river, where an assailing foe could be reached by shot and shell from the gunboats.

There was a heavy swell of pasture-land, well cleared of timber, a mile and a half by three-fourths of a mile in area, called Malvern Hill. Several converging roads ran over it. It was skirted by dense forests, through

which the foe must come as they entered upon this clearing. The ground slopes gradually towards the north and east, while towards the northwest it terminates abruptly in a ravine running to James River. Here the troops were massed to repel the final blow of the rebels. As the morning of Tuesday, the 1st of July, dawned, the Union army, massed upon this hill, was busily employed selecting positions and posting its batteries.

As it was evident, from the position of the enemy, that the brunt of the attack would fall upon our left, that portion of the line was made unusually strong. It was held by Porter's corps, Sykes on the left and Morell on the right. A concentrated fire of sixty guns could be brought upon any point in front of this line. Colonel Tyler had succeeded, with great difficulty, in placing ten of his siege-guns on the top of the hill. Couch's division came next to Porter, on the right, followed in order by Kearney, Hooker, Sedgwick, Richardson, Smith, and Slocum. The remainder of Keyes's corps, by a backward curve, nearly touched the river. The Pennsylvania reserve was placed in the rear of the positions of Porter and Couch. The line was a strong one, protected by felled timber and barricaded roads. The flotilla of gunboats guarded our flank, and commanded the approaches from Richmond.

It was nearly ten o'clock of this the first day of July, before the enemy, recovering from the stunning blow he had received the day before, cautiously made his appearance, emerging from the woods on our left, with a few pieces of artillery, accompanied by a swarm of skirmishers. At two o'clock, our eager and anxious gaze discovered a column, in the edge of the woods, beyond the reach of our fire, moving towards the right, in front of Heintzelman's corps. It was a large column occupying two hours in passing the point of observation. Again it disappeared in the forest. About three o'clock the battle seemed to be opened in earnest, by a fierce attack of infantry and artillery on Couch's division. Our artillery was prompt to reply. A column of rebel infantry was formed in front of Couch's division for a charge upon the guns. As they came, sweeping up the slope in the face of a terrible artillery fire, which they utterly disregarded, though it strewed the field with the dying and the dead, the patriot infantry remained flat upon the ground, until the charging column were within such range that every bullet could fulfil its mission. Then, springing to their feet, they poured in a fire so destructive, so appalling, that the whole column for a moment reeled and staggered, and then, panic-stricken. in wild disorder, having lost a large part of their number, rushed wildly back over the plain into the woods.

Couch's division followed the fugitives nearly half a mile, where they took a still better position than they had held before, with their left resting on a thick clump of trees. There was then a short lull in the battle. The whole line was carefully surveyed, and the patriots were in eager readiness to meet the next attack. The rebels gathered their utmost strength to strike their heaviest blow. Their batteries were carefully arranged in position, and at six o'clock a terrific fire was opened from all their guns. At the same time, column following column of infantry emerged from the woods, in desperate charges, to carry the hill.

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Brigade after brigade," says General McClellan," formed under cover of the woods, started at a run to cross the open space, and charge our batteries; but the heavy fire of our guns, with the cool and steady volleys of our infantry, in every case sent them reeling back to shelter, and covered the ground with their dead and wounded. In several instances our infantry withheld their fire until the attacking column, which rushed through the storm of canister and shell from our artillery, had reached within a few yards of our lines. Then they poured in a single volley, and dashed forward with the bayonet, capturing prisoners and colors, and driving the routed columns in confusion from the field."

As was expected, the heaviest assault was made upon the left. As the storm raged there with apparently ever-increasing fury, about seven o'clock the brigades of Meagher and Sickles were withdrawn from the troops of Sumner and Heintzelman, to relieve those troops of Couch's division whose strength was exhausted, and whose ammunition was expended. Batteries from the reserve were also pushed forward to relieve those whose boxes were empty. Thus the conflict raged until nine o'clock. Gradually the cloud of battle, which hung low over the field, grew so dense and dark that the assailing host could no longer be seen. But our gunners had perfectly the range. With well-trained skill, they could fire several discharges in a minute, and the advancing ranks were cut down with enormous slaughter.

The shells, thrown from the gunboats, were fearful missiles of destruction. They were twenty inches in length by eight inches in diameter. From these terrible guns on the river, and the concentrated fire of the batteries in front of the foe, and the pitiless storm of lead from the infantry, whole lines of the rebels were laid low in the dust. Their bold, desperate leaders were reckless of life. They drove forward their servile masses into the very jaws of death. Often these lines, bewildered, smothered, panic-stricken by the storm, were huddled together like frightened sheep in a flock, while balls and shells tore through the tumultuous mass, hurling their mangled bodies writhing to the ground. The enemy, notwithstanding his pertinacious efforts and vastly superior numbers, was in the end completely routed, and with fearful loss driven back to the woods. So thorough was his disorganization, that many of our most determined Generals were anxious to follow up their victory, avowing that then and there Lee's army could be destroyed, and that we could march triumphantly into Richmond. The loss on both sides was very severe, though ours, as we fought behind intrenchments, was much less than that of the foe. General McClellan estimates the Union loss, in killed, wounded, and missing, during this series of battles, from the 26th of June to the 2d of July, at fifteen thousand two hundred and forty-nine. At the battle of Malvern alone, the rebels lost ten thousand men.

A rebel officer gives an account, in the Charleston "Courier," of the battle as seen from his point of view, from which we glean the following particulars :-About five o'clock, the rebel artillery, supported by a brigade of Georgians and Alabamians, opened upon the Union lines. The concentrated return fire of our batteries was so terrible, that almost in an

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