he river in broad daylight without sacrificing a great
part of his corps, and he determined to hold on until night. Benham
took the precaution to throw over a second bridge, and this prudent
measure, in Sedgwick's opinion, saved his command. Lee, after
personally reconnoitring the position, gave orders to break in the
centre of the Sixth Corps so as to defeat the two wings, throw them
off in eccentric directions, and scatter the whole force. When
this was attempted, Sedgwick detached Wharton's brigade from Newton's
right, and sent it to reinforce that part of the line. At 6 P.M.
three guns were fired as a signal from Alexander's battery and the
Confederate forces pressed forward to the attack. Newton's front
was not assailed, and the right of Brooks' division easily repulsed
the enemy who advanced in that direction, with the fire of the
artillery and the skirmish line alone.

The main effort of the evening was made by Early's division, which
advanced in columns of battalions, to turn Howe's left, and cut
that flank off from the river. Howe's artillery, under charge of
Major J. Watts de Peyster, a mere youth, was admirably posted and
did great execution on these heavy columns. De Peyster himself
rode out and established a battery, a considerable distance in
advance of the main line, and the enemy pressed forward eagerly to
capture it; after doing so they were suddenly confronted by several
regiments in ambush, which rose up and delivered a fire which threw
Hays' and Hoke's brigades into great confusion, and caused them to
make a precipitate retreat. An attack against Howe's right was
also repulsed. In the ardor of pursuit, Howe swung that flank
around and captured the 8th Louisiana Regiment, but in doing so,
he exposed his rear to Gordon, who came down a ravine behind him,
so that he was compelled to fall back and take up a new line. Howe
had carefully selected a reserve position and made dispositions to
hold it. Fresh assaults on his left finally forced General Neill
to retreat to it with his brigade. The enemy followed him up
promptly, but were driven back in disorder by Grant's Vermont
brigade, two regiments of Newton's division and Butler's regular
battery of the 2d United States Artillery. Newton thinks this last
attack on Howe was local and accidental, for as the other divisions
were not assailed, a concentrated attack on Howe would have destroyed
him.

Darkness at last put an end to the strife. Ne