ARMY OPERATIONS. 



back. The fight was fiercest at the junction 

 of these two corps and Gen. Crawford's 3d di- 

 vision of the 5th corps. Gen. Carr's 4th divi- 

 sion of the 2d corps, and Gen. Stevenson's 

 division of the 9th corps, suffered the most 

 heavily. The latter division being on Gen. 

 Hancock's right gave way, and the enemy 

 rushed through the gap. Their advance was 

 checked by an attack on the flank by Gen. Car- 

 rol's brigade of Gen. Hancock's corps, and they 

 retired with much loss. The centre and left 

 then recovered their former position. 



Toward night the battle was renewed on the 

 right. The assault of the enemy was sudden 

 and furious, and the 2d brigade of the 3d 

 division, under Gen. Seymour, on the extreme 

 right, was panic-stricken, and, with Gen. Sha- 

 ler's brigade, were overwhelmed and their com- 

 manders captured. Gen. Seymour had taken 

 command of this brigade only on the previous 

 night, and did every thing that skill and bravery 

 could effect. The whole right wing, if not the 

 whole army, was now in peril. Gen. Sedgwick, 

 however, rallied and held his troops, thus sav- 

 ing the army from the threatened destruction. 

 The enemy, not perceiving the havoc which 

 they had made, or not knowing the condition 

 of the right wing, and exhausted with the se- 

 vere efforts of the day, retired in the darkness 

 which now prevailed. No further effort was 

 made to cut off the army from Germania Ford, 

 even when it was nearly successful. The loss 

 on the right wing was about 6.000, of which 

 4,000 occurred during this assault of the enemy. 

 The total of the two days' battles was estimated 

 at 1 5,000. Among the killed were Gens. Hayes, 

 Wadsworth, and Webb of Gen. Grant's army. 

 Of the enemy's, Gens. Jones, Jenkins, and 

 Pickett were killed, and Gens. Longstreet, 

 Pegram, and Hunter severely wounded. Gen. 

 Longstreet was struck in the neck below the 

 Adam's apple. The ball passed along the clav- 

 icle, fracturing it, and came out on the shoul- 

 der, cutting some important nerves of the arm. 

 He was unable to take the field until near the 

 close of the year. ' 



At the close of the day both armies held 

 substantially the same line as on the previous 

 evening, and the intervening space was occupied 

 by the dead and wounded. Gen. Grant had 

 strengthened his left, and during the night prep- 

 arations were made to strengthen the right, 

 and to repair the disaster on that flank. 



During these two days Gen. Grant's cavalry 

 had occupied a position covering the rear and 

 left, and prevented flanking movements by the 

 cavalry of the enemy. On Friday, as Gen. 

 Hancock's corps advanced to battle, the enemy 

 charged and captured several hundred of the 

 18th Pennsylvania cavalry. 



On Saturday, the 7th, brisk skirmishing en- 

 sued along the lines. Gen. Gordon's brigade 

 of the enemy cut off the communication of 

 Gen. Sedgwick with Germania Ford, and 

 " the latter was withdrawn toward "Wilderness 

 Tavern. Gen. Burnside's corps was moved out 



on the road to Spottsylvania Court House, 

 It was evident in the afternoon that Gen. 

 Lee was withdrawing his main force to- 

 ward Spottsylvania Court House, and or- 

 ders were issued to the surgeons in charge of 

 the hospitals to remove their sick and wounded 

 to Ely's Ford, and the supply trains were or- 

 dered to move iu the night to the vicinity of 

 Todd's tavern. Subsequently Fredericksburg 

 was occupied by some of Gen. Grant's forces, 

 and made a depot for the wounded and a basis 

 for supplies. 



The following despatches were sent by Gen. 

 Lee to Richmond : 



HEADQUARTERS AEMY NORTHERN VIRGINIA. I 

 May 7, 1864 S P. M. f 

 Honorable Secretary of War : 



Gen. Gordon turned the enemy's extreme right 

 yesterday evening and drove him'from his rifle-pits. 

 Among the prisoners captured are Gens. Seymour 

 and Shaler. A number of arms were also taken. 

 The enemy has abandoned the Germania Ford road 

 and moved his pontoon bridge toward Ely's. There 

 has been no attack to-day only slight skirmishing 

 along the line. (Signed) ' K. E. LEE. 



HEADQUARTERS ARMT NORTHERN VIRGINIA, May 8. 

 Honorable Secretary of War : 



The enemy have abandoned their position and are 

 marching toward Fredericksburg. I am moving on 

 the right flank. (Signed) K. E. LEE. 



During the afternoon a battle took place be- 

 tween the cavalry. The loss was about two 

 hundred and fifty on each side. At dark the 

 2d corps began to move by way of Brock's 

 road, followed by the 5th corps on the same 

 route. Gens. Burnside and Sedgwick .moved 

 on the old Chancellorsville road, and arrived on 

 the field near Spottsylvania at noon on Sunday. 

 Gen. Warren reached a point about three miles 

 from Spottsylvania Court House, after march- 

 ing all of Saturday night. About the same 

 time Gen. Swell's corps, with a portion of Gen. 

 Longstreet's, had arrived. A sharply-con- 

 tested action ensued in a field to the left of the 

 Brock road, which stretched away to the east, 

 toward the Spottsylvania and Fredericksburg 

 road. The country ws rolling, and dotted 

 here and there with thick groves of pine and 

 cedar for the distance of a mile from the point 

 where the Wilderness terminates in the open 

 country. A contest between cavalry had taken 

 place in front of Gen. Warren, and some artil- 

 lery was seen, but it was inaccurately reported 

 that there was no infantry. As the advance 

 of Gen. Warren passed down the road, shells 

 were thrown at it with great activity, and the 

 enemy fell back, making only a slight resistance. 

 On reaching a triangular clearing known as 

 Alsop's farm, of a hundred acres, the artillery 

 of the enemy was found to be stationed there. 

 Beyond the clearing was Ny Run, a small stream 

 affording no obstacle to the advance of troops. 

 The wooded ground rises beyond in ridges. 

 The Union batteries were stationed to the right, 

 commanding those of the enemy. The infantry 

 advanced through the clearing and came upon 

 three lines of the enemy, the last of which was 

 behind earthworks. Here the struggle took 



