Mattapony. The advance of the Fifth Corps was
checked, three miles west of the Court-House, by Longstreet's and
Ewell's corps, which had left Wilderness on the night of the 6th. The
Sixth came up at five o'clock and joined in the conflict, driving the
enemy from the position he had taken on the north bank of the Ny.

On Monday morning, the 9th, it was apparent that Lee, having failed on
Grant's flank, had now placed himself squarely in front, with his entire
army.

One of the great battles of the campaign was fought on Tuesday, the
corps occupying positions as in the diagram:--

[Illustration:

A. Catharpen Road.
B. Brock Road.
C. Pine-Grove Road.
D. Fredericksburg Road.
E. Bowling-Green Road.
F. Richmond Road.
_L_. Longstreet.
_E_. Ewell.
_H_. Hill.
2, 5, 6, 9. Corps positions, 9th May.
............ Position of Grant, 17th May.]

The line of battle was formed with the Second Corps on the right, the
Fifth on the right-centre, the Sixth on the left-centre, with the Ninth
nine miles distant, approaching by the Fredericksburg road. There was a
severe engagement in the afternoon, brought on by the advance of the
Second Corps, which pushed across an affluent of the Po, west of the
Court-House. On the left, the Rebels made an attack upon Wilcox's
division of the Ninth, but were repulsed.

The battle was fought in the forest,--in the marshes along the Ny,--in
ravines,--in pine-thickets, densely shaded with the dark evergreens that
shut out the rays of the noonday sun,--in open fields, where Rebel
batteries had full sweep and play with shell and grape and canister from
intrenched positions on the hills.

It began in the morning. There was an hour of calm at noon, but at one
o'clock artillery and infantry became engaged all along the line. Grant
was the attacking party. There was no cessation or diminution of effort
during the afternoon. The Rebel outer line of works in the centre was
carried by Upton's brigade of the first division, and Russell's brigade
of the third division of the Sixth Corps. The men of these brigades,
(and among them were the stalwart sons of Vermont,) without firing a
shot, moved steadily to the charge with fixed bayonets; they were cut
through by solid shot, their ranks torn by shells, thinned by constant
volleys of musketry, but, with matchless ardor and unconquerable will,
they went up to the line of earthworks, leaped over them, and gathered a