Thoughtfully curated historical journalism
The American‘s account of the battle of Monday says it was a warmly contested engagement. Owing to the roughness of the country and bad condition of the roads, but small portion of our troops could be brought into action. Sickles’ brigade, of Gen. Hooker’s division, bore the great brunt of the battle, and fought most valiantly, though greatly overpowered by numbers and the superior position and earthworks of the enemy.
Thomas W. Giles, one of the Cadiz company, that was wounded at Pittsburg Landing, arrived at home on last Saturday evening. He has been for the past month at the St. Louis Hospital. He was shot through the left hip with a musket ball. His wound is doing very well; and he thinks that by using cane he will in a short time be able again to shoulder his musket in defence of the Constitution and the Union.
PARTICULARS OF THE WILLIAMSBURG BATTLE.
Bravery of our Boys.
Williamsburg, May 7, 1862.
Dear Father :—As we have again been in one of these bloody encounters with the rebels, you are of course in the midst of excitement at home, each one anxiously waiting to hear from their own friends and relations in the army. It has been a terrible fight, and many of our friends lay dead on the battle field.— The 2nd N. H. regiment took a prominent part in the fight making the attack, and company B. was the first to drive them from their right position, and kept them at bay fer two and a half long hours, waiting for reinforcements — all our ammunition gone excepting two or three cartridges, which we kept for any emergency, not wishing to fire unless we were sure of our man.
The Mass. 1st came nobly up to our aid, and stood their ground manfully, meeting with a good deal of loss in both killed and wounded. In fact, all of our boys fought well, and bravely, but in the afternoon, we were whipped twice and driven back to the ground where we first attacked them.
The first four day of last week—Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday—were distinguished for the splendid operation and achievements of the Grand Army under General McClellan on the York peninsula.
On Sunday, by a triumph of consummate strategy and engineering skill, McClellan took possession of Yorktown, which the rebel Generals had been compIled to evacuate and retreat ten mile up the peninsula to their works at Williamsburg, where they doubtless calculated upon making good their position.
A Yankee correspondent says:
Mrs. Farrenhold has deserted her house, and the soldiers have taken complete possession.—Her secession proclivities have made her what she is—a ruined woman. Her slaves say they will not be hired out. She has no land to cultivate, Her husband is in the rebel ranks and she a wanderer. Many say she is a spy, left here purposely by the enemy to gather information.—She is somewhat of the “strong-minded” sort.
New York, May 7 (AP)—An ordinary photographic negative today was placed in a photoradiographic machine in Honolulu, a beam of light played through it and the complicated apparatus began clicking. One four of a second later, another machine In New York, 5,136 miles away, began dotting and dashing out a copy of the negative. Twenty minutes later the machine in New York had linked in the last dot of a complete positive—making a success of the transmission of a photograph by radio across the Pacific Ocean.
Seven times this process was repeated and seven pictures of persons and events connected with the Hawaiian maneuvers of the American army and navy of last week appeared in early afternoon editions of New York newspapers.
New Market, Va., May 7.—Yesterday afternoon a detachment of the 9th New York cavalry made a reconnoissance to Harrisburg. When five miles this side they encountered upwards of 200 of Ashby’s cavalry. They charged upon them and pursued them within two miles of the town. Ten rebels were killed and six token prisoners. Our loss was one killed and a battalion adjutant taken prisoner. The work on our side was done with the sabre, and was a very gallant affair.