The Battle Of Sedgwiek's Corps

FiifmatUh, M:iy 5 Yesterilny two terrible battles were fought liy the Sixlh corps, öón. Sidgwiek, resuliiiig ia fearful earnaga on both'siiii'.s. ■ The vafions Ümsiohs of tlio oorps (Sixth, Gen. SadgAvick's) moved rapid]y toiward up tho Öordonsvtlla turnpik?, to tho oüstance ot four miles, gkinnishing al] the wnv, wbere they ! fonnd tiio ei.uiny ii: l'oi'ou, wlien ! er luiufo ensuea, in whioh Brooks', Nawton's. and tho living división, rere (Migag-'d tho f'l'st GUilelirl'r R ■.■ercl V. Tho rebels ere in ;v v:)od, ind, as we ! mlvüüood to i!, opened i gulijag fire - lUisst'!,.s lüig.Jo, compo?ed of tho Nlncty ililh and One Hundred and Ht'Ventccnlli lmisy!vaiiia, and Ono Hundred and Twonty-lïrst New York, mado a charge, and suffered ecverely, tha Niiif' y-:itt !i being almosi annihüatcd. W.hila the bal'.ie was progresfiitig, tho eneiiiy suddenly communcou iii'ing on oui' lutc to tho roar, and lirooks' división was abjiged to chango front, l'hebattlt; lysted tiü d;:rk witïi out any decisivo resulta boiog obtained on cither side. During the oight tho woods tc-ok fire, and it is foarod that many of tho wcutided on both sides }trished in the darnos. Momluy moriniigtho rebe!.-: suddonly pai!e thoir appQurauee on t'üo hilja to the lolt of i''redciick.sbu]o-, and coming down rapidly.' occupied the city, tiius gotting n the rcar ol' the corps, Your corresponde lt ha.pcned to be in a farm houso at the point whero they descended to the plain, and yon can judga of his as. tonishment on looking out of the win dow to fee t'nis brge forcu advancing in the field in IVont of the house - ' Most of thv suj-ply trains, ambulances, mules and ioldieri in the vicinity were taken. A fleet horse saved me from capture. A serious blunder was perpetratrd m mishing our f.. reeft .on so rapirlly without asceriaining whether or not there were p.ny rebels on the woody heightf to the left of the city.- One whole corps catnodown and loririing in iineof batile immediately march ed aiter the corps. Theonlv'way of retreat laj by Brooks' Ford, five miles above the city. Gen. öedgwick was signaled from this s-ide of the river of the corulitinn of affairs and irnmediately turning about foi'med a line of battle facing tliis way, holding the rebels in check, and working down toward the ford. The lines of battle remainod in this condition until aUout the middle of the day, when the rebels attacked us, and were gallantly repulsed - Howe's división eapturing 3(J0 prisonera. The rebel reinforcements had fought none, whüe our troops h;id been iighling more or less since the previoug Tuesday night. For a time it was feared that the corps oAuld not make comiminication at Baoke' Ford, atid that the wholo of it raust be captured. But hv noon, a eonnection wae made, and G-eneral Sedgwick sent for supplies. Meaotiaifl the vvounded in F'-edericksburg vvere being taken ncross the po.i'.oons to this side, all of thern being got away on tho sudden íippearance oí the enemy on the outskirts above. The doctors, supposing, of couive, that the enerny vrould come clown and take them, made all the arrangemeuts ior being taken prisoners; bnt i'or some reason, either through fear of onr iorces above or siege gun-; on this .de of the river, the enemy did not advance inlo the town. The pofition of the respective annies were then as follows. Our tnain force on the north, then the main force of the enemy, the Sixth Corps beloiv, corps of rebels ptill lower, and our heavy guns on this side- -a mo8t extraordinary sandwitching of eppieing forcee together. Skirinishing occurred alóngthe whole line until 5i o'clock in the evening, when the rebels attacked us from two ways. The Union forcea were at the time arrayed in an aro, both wings resting on the river, the right at Banks' Ford. We wero arranged in two lines of battle. The enemy attacking, the Seo ond división of the Second corps and Bowe's at first approaching them diagonally from Fredericksburg and the country direetly beyond. Gen. Mill's brigade, cemsisling of the Thirty-third N. Y. öeventy seventh New Tbr k, Forty-ninth New York, Twentieth New York, together with the Vermont brigade were on ihe left of General Milis. General Mills' brigade and other troops made a counter march ; but reinforcements coming up to the en&my, we were not able to drive them. The Sevehty-seventh acted nobly, but the Twe&tieth New York behaved very d.isgracefully, as it did at White Oak Swamp, and, falling back, brought a cross-üre on thu Twenty-thirtl. Their Colonel, ho wever, conuucted bimself most bravely. The othei' lines of bíe were now attacked by overwhelinisg. nuinbers, and obliged to fallback to-theriver. While the battle was ragítiíí terribly our stege guns nn thie sido of the mor opened a rapid firo on thb ene.-ny tror behind, but thoy advanced so ñir in driving our forcea that tb3 hall, aíter a short lime failed to reacb thcrn. Our forcea were pursued back steadily, musketry and arlillory tiring continuing al] night, Our guns madü terrible bavoc among. tho enciny, as they charged repeaiedly upon thetn in solid colutun. Tho arlilleiy reooived their firo until th&chariiing porties camo within a few rodsj.atu.l then pourod the shot and canuter into them at a fearful rate. - Having broken the ooln-mn they would full back to a new positioa, and prepare to roceive anotber cnlumn. A-n cflifor frotn Banks' Ford this morning informa mo that the Second Corps, together with tvventy pioces oï artillery, orossed ovor thc ponloons at Banks' F.ird early this morning, and covored tho rotreat of the Sixth Oorps as it carne back over thw side of the Rappahannock. Last evening the rebels oponed artillery on the bridge, and (hmaged one of them considerably, but it was ropaired byoar engineers. Otra bridge caniiót, I tbiríb. bo reachéd by their guns. Our nrtíllery on this sid'e kept up a rapíd fire on tho rebol gnus during the night. The ambulances have beon briftffag m the woutided all the night.