Show foor ioor cincinnati commercial THE BATTLE OF PEACH TREE CREEK zartic GRAPHIC zay ZAr hrc DETAILS or THE FIGHT or WED THE HOODS ARMY MASSING proy pron GENERAL LEFT TERRIFIC CHARGE or OF THE ENEMY IT is 18 CHECKED WITH ARTILLERY DESPERATE ENGAGE stent MENT ON AN OPEN FIELD THE thic REBELS DEFEATED AND OUR ARMY RESTS WITHIN TWO AND A A HALF MILES milks OT or ATLANTA battlefield BATTLE FIELD FOUR MILES FROM ATLANTA july 21 5 THE BATTLE OF PEACH TREE CREEK your correspondent has furnished you with full details of the movements of general sher mamps army up to the moment yesterday afternoon when the dashing new rebel commander general hood massed nearly his bis whole army against adjust the right composed of the nith and atil corps and arid newtons New tons division of the ath corps this thia portion of our army leas ress than one third of the whole met the labost reckless massive and heid headlong lorig charge 0 the tae war without yielding an inch save a little on one of the flanks of gearda division where a gap in the line occurred and where the tho enemy pressed through but was speedily checked the tha attack was made by nearly the whole of the rebel army and its complete repulse forms the most glorious chapter in shermana present campaign the following are re the details ol 01 the fi fight a ht position rosi TioN or GENERAL fliermans birer BlIER MANS mana ARMY As ayour your readers already know our whole arm army ermy Z had effected the crossing of peach tree cre crl creek a small but difficult stream coveri covering ng atlanta on the north and partially on the tho east cast after the cro crossing esing ehica was actually completed by the mornin morning of the our left under mcpherson rested on the tha augusta railroad south of decatur decatar and about five miles from atlanta the corps was on the extreme ri right ht near the mouth of the peach tree creek on the left ot of the corps was wag the 20 ah corps on the left of the latter newtons New tons division of the ath corps A cap gap then occurred in oun our linea for three mites which was covered on the south bank of the creek by a curtain of pickets from newtons New tons division on the left of the gap was concentrated the rest of our army array several divisions divit ions lons originally on the right having been moved there early on the morning of the with a view to strengthening that wing in it olit of which the enemy made numerous feints as if about to precipitate his whole army y against it THE preliminary MOVEMENTS the thus being during the morning of the 20 h massed on our left orders were issued to newton hooker and nd palmer on the right to adrance advance and close the gap of three miles newton on the left wa wai ordered to move first firs protecting his left flank by the successively hookers and fai Fal palmer mera mers bablis cor car cores corps were to close upon newton and ea es ih a new line ag as tar ar aa as possible in ih advance of the trenches which they had bad constructed ted a half mile auth south bouth of peachtree peach tree creeck immediately after crossing accordingly about I 1 pm newton deployed five fire regiments as skirmishers and pushed forward handsomely driving clouds of the before them and scattering their skirmish reserves by 3 pm be bad had advanced three fourths of a mile and carried a prominent ridge in his bis front on which after sending fresh skirmish lines forward be he proceeded e eded to establish hla bia division his troops knapsacks packs stacked arms and fell to erechin erect erecting in a rail barricade with a will ADVANCE OF GENERAL HOOKER hooker now advanced from his bia trenches Butter fields division now new commanded by general ward on the left geary in center and general williams on the right palmer prepared to close up on hooker whenever the latter should establish his bis new line the country over which this advance was pro ro g greising i ia s partly rolling and open mert intersected ee d with wi t h difficult creeks and partially covered with dense undergrowth STRATAGEM BY THE ENEMY in the advance prisoners were captured at different points along the line who unanimously stated that no considerable body of their troops was waa nearer than amile amfie a mile mlle anda and a hait half they were beyond doubt sent seat out to be captured for tor this thia purpose not less than three fourths el at the entire rebel army were concealed within musket shot ot at our skit skir fishers mi THE TRUE crue STATE OF AFFAIRS DISCLOSED at the same time at pm and with the celerity of lightning the rebel hoat boat poured forth from their concealment mab maa massed ed in enormous columns against newton C oming coming on without skirmishers and with yells whose volume exceeded those of any battle battie shout I 1 ever heard beard newtons New tons division had bad but half halt completed their barricade and they barely had bad time to fall into line and seize beize their guns gun 11 before the entire rebel column composed ased of walkers and bates division of hardeen Har deet dees corps was within range the pickets guarding the interval between the right and left of our army arms barely escaped capture by plunging into peach tree creek and swimming across the enemy had struck us at the vital spot just fust where a victory for him might be decisive newton had bad more ground to guard than thail ht he could coyer cover by even a single line A CRITICAL for the first few minutes every evely thing hung hang trembling in the scale ecale newtons New tons tono left cianic was exposed and ana lust just wk covered his hla bridges across peach tree creek had it given away th the e b bridges rl adges would have been lost and our whole right might have been rolled and forced back to the chattahoochee river the rebel plan wab was as to destroy our forces on the right after which their army would be strong enough to confront if not defeat the malla maia body of our army OB oa the left long lines of dar darkies kles kleg with pack saddles and other non combatants came pouring across the bridges with sweat running annn off 0 of them in rivulets guards with fi fixed e d bg bayonets yo n et 9 were placed at the bridges to collect whatever hate ver armed stragglers giera glera might appear but none came THE TROOPS STAND firu FIRM in spite of the furious charge none of our out troops were stampeded the rebel column poured down an open but rough series bennes of gie fie fields ads toward newtons New tons lert leit evidently almin aimin aiming I 1 at his bridges at the moment the enemy first ap feared we had bad but two pieces of artillery in position guarding the vital point but captain goodspeed Gooda peed newtons New tons chief thief of artiller artillery y with splendid quickness brought up tan ten mere guns making in all twelve they opened with canister the gunners working with frantic energy four guns went into action on new tobb right up to the moment these guns opened the rebel columns halll hai advanced engaging newtons New tons three reduced bri brigades ades at terrible odds EFFECT OF THE ARTILLERY FIRE it was wonderful how bow fast the enemy lost his bis grip when sixteen guns added their blast to the storm of bullets from newtons Newton sew New tons le infantry the dusky gray columns blackened slackened their pace and began to waver and lose their care rut cut arrangement in a few minutes they had bad come to a standstill stand still in partial confusion and firing heavily but wildly in lit vain the rebel field officers rode up and down the lines bavin waving swords and exhorting the men not to falter THE ASSAULT SIGNALLY FAILS FAILL in twenty minutes the assault had lotary failed and the enemy gave way retiring 11 in confusion to the woods from which they th ey had bad emerged nearly two hundred rebel dead were buried in newtons New tons front next morning his brigade did not yield an inch GENERAL WARDS wilas DIVISION IN ACTION general wards division on newtons New tons right was struck at the same moment as newton general ward had just halted baited hib bis men at the foot of a bill for a brief rest after his skirmishers had made way to the crest word came back to him that the enemy was charging over the open field in his hia front in immense force without a moments hesitation ward ordered his division to meet the enemy with a countercharge counter charge his bis men moved up hill in I 1 splendid order and when they gained the crest they were so close to the rebels beveral several of the hostile regiments became intermingled at such points the rebels seemed addled by warga warda bold co ca tx and aud were cap hired wit without helit biffi difficulty alfy I 1 on otier oth er portions of the line fighting at close quarters continued for halt half an bourrut hour but each successive line of rebe rebels lawas was pressed by tha the indubitable valor of wards men THE tilt REBELS WHIPPED at the end i f that time the rebels fell back into a dense forest in their rear aearl completely whipped so far as general wards division was concerned gearls DIVISION ATTACKED the charge swept along to the right striking gearas division the next after woods dearv geary had advanced balt half a mile from the trenches be he occupied in the morning and had bad just I 1 Ns t marched his hi troops to the top of a ridge when en the rebel columns were thrown on him with terrible violence vio lence Sence the new J jersey rs e which wab was thrown out to fortify a hill bill in le advance of the tte main line lost over half its number in the first few minutes of the charge the most of getris lines were through a dense wood portions Port tons tona of colonel Ir elands brigade in the center were also lon ion laded and driven back by turning one of his batteries from the front to the right general geary succeeded in reforming his bis battered shattered line where it stood and not another foot did it yield rolling back charge after charge that portion of his line that fell back was re formea and in about an hour went back bac kinto into action on general right I 1 GENERAL GE DIVISION HEXT NEXT ai the tremendous rebel a assault 11 sault spent its fury on an general Willia insa iasa division next on gen i 1 eral gearas light the division refused to I 1 give an inch and though the enemy made maie three several charges on it before nightfall it repulsed them all without wavering though in doing eo so it sustained heavier loba losa than any 0 other ther division on the right THE ENEMY ABANDONS THE FIGHT about 9 pm the enemy abandoned the fight in front 0 of geary and williams illiams carrying off many of their dead and wound wounded eds and falling back to their heavy works mile distant in front of ward and newton he wab waa compelled to leave all the dead and severely wounded THE judging from great piles heaped up there the thi enemy lost in killed and wounded alone over we captured about 1000 prisoners THE tub right ON AN IN OPEN yield FIELD I the statement that I 1 our troops were in fortifications ficat ions is untrue the they y were advancing to take a new position when attacked attack eds and save wih with newton who had bad some half finished rail barricades the fight was an open one even the aggressive a hooi la is not tool enough to attack us in trenched prisoners were captured from eory evry corps in the rebel army all ol 01 whom said the pro gramme was to drive dainto us into the river and that nearly their entire army was engaged THE ARMY rest RESTS TWO MILES AND A HALF FROM TSOU ATLANTA darlng daring the tte progress of the fight various corps on the left advanced over a mile mcpherson at nightfall night fall being within two and a half mile of atlanta and no portion of our lines more than four miles distant I 1 lett left the front july 21 at 2 pm at that time our right was wag established on tho the battlefield about four miles from atlanta the left was ia in shelling destat distance ce the ile enemy stuck closely to his bis heavy works girdling the town closel a mile mlle mi e or two outside the suburbs eu burba |