Show THE REPULSE IN FLORIDA A tuil ruil tui rui L ACCOUNT OF THE it ia is now now i a considerable time gince since we had anything 9 from the seat of wi war r the thi following ia Is ipg correspondence ot the new vew york times jacksonville FLA FIA fla ela monday nion Bion day aay feb 2 22 2 THE march th entire column numbering numb eringa a little less than thad men left Bar barberio barbery beris berlo at 7 saturday morning and proceeded on the main road toward lake city I 1 am confident the force did not exceed the number stated farj am assured by aa an aide d camp to gen seymour that rations were drawn that morning for not quite the forward move movement merk merA was made suddenly on 0 n friday it was not supposed by bv the commanding officers cerii ceris not including gen seymour that an advance ta would be made for some days thence with i thit that conviction the of officers and men had bad built themselves log huts buts and provided such conveniences available in that section as would insure a fair share oe of comfort some time duvin during the night gen seymour received information mation n at 0 the whereabouts and plans which led him to believe that by pushing rapidly forward his column he would be able to defeat the enemas designs design ss and secure im military advantages whatever that information may have been the events of saturday would indicate that it was by no means meats reliable or that gen seymour acted upon it with too much habte baste we all al know that gen sev sex semour mour ia a not a man to hesitate in his actions when an opportunity offers for a possible success Buc cess he is one of the class that believes he has a chance of winning and a chance of losing and that success would never be obtained bt if he be rested on the bend of the little south fork he means it shall never be said of the army that he commands that it I 1 ia all quiet on tile toe line of bome some iver liver t gense gen seymour e ir de deserves 1 e r ves credit for his ambition and da dash brol srol IE lf be b had a d alloa allowed ed himself to rest his bis command at barbers for a month or six week weeks a without making a si gle tillit to engage the th enemy and gain advantage be he woud would fi have hace ve been the butt for censure not only from arora the army here but the people at home we take the ground that gen belmeur did dia what nearly every one before the engagement said be should do ithe II 11 he had bad achieved a victory it would have been aa as everybody predicted predict eds and his name would have been mentioned with praise now he has buffered suffered red a repulse he be will of course be looked upon by borne as having too much rashness to prosecute a campaign and for that reason bear whole loads of censure although the result of the fight was not favorable to us usi it does not alter th the e fact that we have a man in the department of the south who has pluck enough to meet the enemy regardless of its strength more than half way give him battle and take the legitimate chances of success the place at which the fight occurred ia Is on the uhe line oe of the florida central railroad railroads forty five miles milea from jacksonville and within fifteen miles of lake city the nearest station to the ground is called olustee which ia Is about toree abree miles mi es further up toward lake city the nearest station in the opposite direction ia is Sand sanderson erson ereon six miles distant farm the battlefield on the march from Bar barberg barbers berys our troops passed through sanderson Sand erbon eiBon at about noon at this thia place they did not halt harbut but pushed forward toward olustee tile the point at which gen seymour believed he be should meet the enemy but instead of coming in contact rith sith mith the enemy at Olus olustee Ol see lee the meeting took place aice three miles this side 11 so a our troops were not so well weli prepared for bittle battle as they woud have been if it olustee bad been the battlefield battle field our column moved forward in regular order the cavalry in the advance and the artillery distributed along the line une of infantry it may be offered as an objection that the column was without flankers the only source through which any intimation of the presence could be received was the advance cavalry guard it would certainly be called a military failing falling to move a column of troops without the proper fla flankers akers through any portion of the country even it if pos poa tive had bad ben obtained that the enemy himself was a long iong distance off the road fr fri m barber barbera to lake city lies parallel 1 with the railroad crossing crossin fr it at intervals on an average of five miles it was at one of these crossing crosing points that the fight was commenced the head of the column reached this point at 2 pm the mm ngn had not rested from the time they left barters bailers bar Bai 51 verb at 7 am the th usual halt of 0 a few manotti in every very hour was of course observed but we canot banot say the troops fairly rested neither bad thy twy tasted of a mouthful of food thus thug after a ted tedora foils march match of sixteen mileo milt over a road of loebie sand band or boggy turf or covered knee deep avith muddy water the troops weary ext exhausted austers aust edi eds taint hungry and ill conditioned were buda suda suddenly enly eniy attacked bya by a large force of the enemy who bai had concealed himself behind a thick wood waiting with complacent satisfaction the entry ot of our men nen into info his ambush very much after the manner that the spider would have the fly walk into his bis parlor before reaching t he battle battie gr ground oun a col henry with avith his hia cavalry of the independent massachusetts battalion and the tb fortieth massachusetts M anted infantry came upon a party of five mounted rebels who were stationed behind an old deserted mill a I 1 little lit to the left of the wood A few shots were exchanged and then the rebels fled in the directs tion of their main force capt la lan Lao u dobs d dons ons jj Iii lii battery lattery of regular artillery was with henrys at abi the mill col henry baited halted until brigade of 0 infantry and hamiltons i regular battery bad come up I 1 will no now w attempt to give ave some idea of the order in which our troops came into line and the char acter and pr progress oreas of the j BATTLE with the view of meeting the en picket tp three miles in advance of the milli I 1 two companies of the ath connecticut regi ment were deployed on the left of the rail rall 1 road while three companies compa were left at the mill forthe for the tha purpose of supporting the artillery A small force of cavalry was sent to skirmish on the right of the railroad our skirmishers had bad not advanced a hundred yards when they j discovered those of the enemy directly in ther front the result was a brisk fire on hoth both sides which ended by the falling in back on a second line of skirmishers our j mn mer continued to drive the th rebels back sometimes on tile vae right and sometimes on tte the the left 0 of the railroad railroads but on the left while this was waa going on two companies of the massachusetts mas were ordered to the left with a view of outflanking n ki n g the enemy a skirmishers in endeavoring to carry out that order abe the aoth c ame came upon a heavy av y line of skirmishers and were cornile pel pei t to 0 withdraw A to their original position capt elder of the he first artillery in order to i ascetta ascertain k in the tha force and position brought one c cf of his pieces ino into ido battery on the light and fired one shot but it did not draw a reply ille the seventh new hampshire regiment in connection with the seventh connecticut was then sent forward to the right and it f possible to break through the enemas line this mover rent brou brought ht on hot firings firing and it u was wag as evident that an engagement was near at land hand at this time our force on the field consisted of the seventh new hampshire the be seventh connecticut the independent battalion of the cavalry the fortieth massachusetts mounted infantry the eighth united states colored elders battery of four and hamiltons of six pi pieces aces the remainder of the column halad on the road while cur men were at work on the right col henry in person went over to lo the left leel to reconnoitre eco and much to his astonishment to in t d Is covered that the right lapped on our left toia tola was potted reported re to gen seymours seymour wh who immediately gave orders for the advance troops alps and batteries to acme into position the enemy watched the movements wl with t b an e eager erger ger eye and the tha moment hamilton commenced un limbering his bis pieces bib bis battery was subjected to a gabing pain gain nr fire of musketry A number of men and several horbes horses wre wore w re shot before he could get ready to fire one round the fact that the enemy had a force far superior brior in point of numbers to our own gasnow wab was now E beyond all dispute the firing became heavier and more destructive aa as each moment advanced the railroad as it nears olustee takes a bend and ind behind this bend the rebels had bad taken their r position in the woods at the rear were their and arid reserves we V i llad bad not a moment to lore lose our men were within one hundred yards of the abe enemy and the only ihirg that could be done was t to fight to retreat at that time was impossible for the road was filled with troops coming up and the woods on either side would not admit of passage on the flank by din dint of effort effAr tp capt langdon succeeded in getting his bis four guns in battery on the extreme left but not until he be had bad lost about five or bix six BIX men and about the same number of horses it must be borne in mina mind our OUT batteries batt balt erUa erwa were within one hundred yards of the front this short dis disi 1 tance rendered rend gred Cred reil ita it a very easy task foi toi to pick offa orf off a man or a horse at every discharge of their rifled at the commencement of the fi night fight ht the eighth united states colored troops were hamiltons battery but when their assistance asal asai stance stanca was really indispensable by some rome strange order they filed fied to the right in rear of the battery for the tile purpose of joining their right on the left of the seventh connecticut at that particular time the movement was decidedly an error for by carrying it out left hamiltons battery unsupported in an attempt to enfilade the enemy on his bla right hamilton moved forward four pieces but before he be got into position the rebels on that portion of their line had bad concentrated all their fire upon him and the tha el eighth etith 17 S who had again azlin come up to ua bis support in twenty y minute minutes 3 time limp hamilton lost 44 men killed kille d and wounded and 40 borses the eighth als ais atso also 0 suffered severely at no one janc juncture ture of tb the tha e engagement wad waa the hire fire of the ibe enemy more severe than at the time hamilton attempted his e filide movement hamilton knew ery very well his pieces were in ed great reat danger of being i captured and he also had dad sense enough to know that by taking them to the rear it would instantly cause a panic among the infantry and so inevitably lose the day for us the behavior of capt Ha Hamilt hamilton milten cn at this critical period of the battle was worthy of special ante and I 1 sincerely believe that it was owing mainly to h his bis persistent efforts that the portion ot at our ahe he at his bis battery was not broken and scattered in confusion lie he had bad not only big bis pieces to command but his infantry supports to keep from leaving the field it was waa wabun in the midst of this destructive fire of the he enemy and while capt hammond was urging jurging the infantry to maintain their line and at the same time giving orders to his battery he wa was a struck in the arm by a musket ball and shortly y aft after ir was a again hit bit in the thigh j to adi ada to be the misfortune all at 0 his officers fo four our in were wounded col coi chas W wt fribley ala ot of the eighth united stata state was 1 alsa also I rn mortally ay wounded on this port portion iorii of the field he ile did not c cease ceabe eake ease for tor a moment to encourage and rail rall rally raily hia bla benj mei mel and by bis lis gallant beba beha behavior vior proved himself to ut b an cimer officer of ilg ordinary merit capt hamilton 11 amilton kept his his bis pieces a at t w work ork until it was evident it would nieces be e sure losa loaa oss ass to fire another round and then gave orders to withdraw them horses were attached to only four zt piece aces the horses to the other two had been shot consequently two guns puns fell into possession of the enemy on the right tight of Ha Ham hamlton hamiton ilon iton milon llon the savenh connecticut and the seventh new hampshire were doing fearful tearful execution the seventh connecticut especially were standing their ground with marked valor every volley from their I 1 guns told splendidly on the rebel line but between the two forces a wide difference existed the rebels outnumbered us five to one this crushing superiority gave the two regi 1 ments little chance for victory after losing one fourth of their number the they were comi belled to retire to the rear at t the sa bame same moment col Bar bartons tonys brigade the and new yerk york regiments ook took the field coming up in line en echelon on the right was elders battery and on the left langdon doni dohi i and one section of the ad rh rhode di island the eney enemy had bad tour four pieces of art artillery lvery iVery on oil a railroad ballma car he bad mounted a heavy gun guns su supposed Bup posed to be a 32 and with this he kept ept up r fare fate niena but buk not as bathe shells passed over the heads of our men there therb ter ber e can be no doubt concerning tb e fig qualities ai t ie of f bartons brigade ui 03 this occasion they fought like tigers but the same d difficulty which opposed harleys hawleys Haw leyb leys brigade 1 1 p presented itself to them viz the mass of the enemy the last regiments to enter the field were the first north carolina and fifty fourth massachusetts colored ot of go brigade they thel took a bold position at the front and maintained their ground with commendable pertinacity for three and a half successive hours did our brave regiments combat the tile enemy before them the inavan iastan I 1 cosof personal daring that occurred in the meantime are numerous never before did the troops in this department have such an opportunity for displaying their vat val baor lor and on 1 no p previous occasion have they exhibited such a high degree of bravery it if the enemy bad had pre presented I 1 anted an equal force with our own or even if I 1 it t had been only double no doubt could have been felt as to the final greult ot at the contest As it was the enemy resisted us with a force i 1 in 1101 point rit uit ot of warn bers three times that of our I 1 j own which taken tor tog gether together with me the r circum circum I 1 1 stances of the long and tedious march match and tb the e ill condition of the men it would be hardly ra reasonable e to suppose that success w aroud 0 uld be on our sise side the effect of our fire both musketry and artillery waa fearful tearful at e very every discharge down went a body of rebels the gallant elder on the right and the dashing langdon on the left made an impression on oil the rebel lines that will go far to off set the misfortune that ultimately over overtook overcool tool us the fight was by no means a trivial erl eti encounter counter it was a battle hotly contested fought at closs cloas i range ranges face to face and toot to foot the comman commanding Aing ding officers |