ulse. The conflict now ceased for the
night. Hooker drew in his lines, making them more compact, changed the
disposition of some of the corps: throwing the Eleventh corps from the
right to the left of the line, and bringing Meade, with the Fifth corps,
to the right. Sickles and Slocum, with the Third and Twelfth corps, were
near the Chancellor house. Artillery was massed to command the
approaches to the turnpike, and earthworks went up in the night as if by
magic. At daylight, Sunday morning, Jackson, with all his forces,
advanced on the turnpike, against the Chancellor place, not with the
thin line of battle, but in solid mass. His men poured from the woods
like a torrent, their shouts and yells making a pandemonium of the
wilderness. Suddenly, from the mouths of forty cannon was hurled against
them a cruel storm of grape and canister, which ploughed through the
advancing column, carrying death and destruction in its course, while
the infantry from the Third corps poured into the faces of the desperate
foe a terrible hail storm of bullets which almost decimated the heavy
column. With the desperation of madness, the rebels rushed against this
terrible fire, almost reaching the muzzles of the guns, only to be
hurled back again by the fearful tornado in front. The Third corps
seemed hardly able to hold its position, but now General Hooker sent two
divisions of the Second corps to attack the enemy in the flank. These,
with the Fifth corps, came with great force upon the left of the column.
It reeled, the huge mass wavered to and fro, and then fell back in
flight. The troops at the house, however, had been forced back, and
General Hooker again shortened his lines, making his forces still more
compact.

Again, in the afternoon, the rebels came on exultingly, but not with the
desperation that marked the attack of the morning. Hour after hour they
strove to drive back or break in two the Union line, but it was
immovable. Artillery poured into the ranks of the assailants the most
deadly fire, until they fell back, long before nightfall, disheartened
and defeated. Hooker had at length succeeded in accomplishing a part of
his object. He had allowed his enemy to fight him until his army was
exhausted and dispirited, while he himself had half his army fresh and
ready to charge upon the weakened foe. Now came the time for action. If
he now succeeded in putting the enemy to flight, the rebel cause was
destroyed; if, on the contrary,