PHILADELPHIA
June 3. The Herald's special account of Saturday's battle on
the Chickahominey says:
"The attack on General
Casey's division, which, it appears numbered only about six thousand men, was
made suddenly, by a force of about thirty-five thousand rebels.
"General Casey's camp was located in a cornfield, surrounded by
woods, and the enemy, after driving in his pickets, which were a mile in
advance, made a sudden dash on the camp with the above named immensely superior
force.
"The troops of Gen. Casey fought splendidly, the General himself and
his field officers braving danger without flinching: but in the face of
overwhelming numbers they were forced to fall back, until reinforcements
arrived, as mentioned in Gen. McClellan's official report, when the fortunes
of the field were speedily turned by the action of Heintzelman's,
Richardson's, Sedgwick's, Kearney's and Keyes' corps, and a complete
victory by the Union army was the result.
"All dispatches received
since, show the importance of that victory, though our loss was undoubtedly
heavy. The bayonet charges made by
Richardson's and Sedgwick's divisions, on the flower of the rebel army,
commanded by Generals Huger, Longstreet and Rains, were magnificently executed,
and although the enemy stood the fire of our troops bravely, they broke before
the vehement charge of the bayonet at every point.
"The loss on
both sides during this portion of the action was very serious, the rebels
suffering terribly.
"
Source:
The Indiana Democrat: Indiana, Pennsylvania, June 5, 1862
