ictors; for with the angle, either party
could possess themselves of the whole line of works. Hence the desperate
efforts to drive us from this position. The First division being unable
to maintain the position alone, the Second division was sent to its aid.
And now, as the boys of the Second division took their places in the
front, the battle became a hand to hand combat. A breastwork of logs
separated the combatants. Our men would reach over this partition and
discharge their muskets in the face of the enemy, and in return would
receive the fire of the rebels at the same close range. Finally, the men
began to use their muskets as clubs and then rails were used. The men
were willing thus to fight from behind the breastworks, but to rise up
and attempt a charge in the face of an enemy so near at hand and so
strong in numbers required unusual bravery. Yet they did charge and they
drove the rebels back and held the angle themselves. It was in one of
these charges that the gallant Major Ellis of the Forty-ninth New York,
was shot with a ramrod through the arm and in the side, from the effects
of which he afterwards died. The trees in front of the position held by
the Sixth corps during this remarkable struggle, were literally cut to
pieces by bullets. Even trees more than a foot in diameter, were cut off
by the constant action of bullets. A section of one of these was, and
doubtless still is, in Washington, with a card attached stating that the
tree was cut down in front of the position of the Second corps. Our
gallant brothers of that corps won undying honors on that glorious day,
but it was the long-continued, fearful musketry battle between the Sixth
corps and the enemy which cut down those trees. We have no desire to
detract from the well-deserved honors of the brave men of the Second
corps, but this is a simple matter of justice. The conflict became more
and more bloody, and soon the Fifth corps was also engaged, and at ten
o'clock the battle rolled along the whole line. The terrible fighting
continued till eleven o'clock, when there was a lull in the musketry,
but the artillery continued its work of destruction. Thus the second
line of works was taken, but not without fearful loss to both armies.
Our corps had fought at close range for eight hours. Behind the works
the rebel dead were lying literally piled one upon another, and wounded
men were groaning under the weight of bodies of their dead companions.
The loss to t