TWO DAYS OF BATTLE AT SHEEN PINES.

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their arms and join their regiments; these, with the teamsters and armyfollowers, suddenly finding themselves under the fire of a large Confederateforce rapidly emerging from the dark woods, fled in wild disorder.

But Garland, who encountered Spratt’s battery and its supports at the firstabatis, says:

“We had now reached the edge of the wood where the abatis impeded our farther advance,and the troops were under heavy tire. . . . The regimental commanders, who had received

my orders to move by the left flank, were unable to effect the movement in good order underthe galling fire. The alternative was adopted — to push the regiments forward through theabatis.”

General Garland soon found that his brigade unaided could not accomplishthe work in hand. His losses were very heavy. But he adds: “ G. B. Ander-son’s brigade arrived upon the field just at the proper time.”

The latter officer, having put in three regiments to aid Garland, moved tothe left with the 27th Georgia and endeavored to turn the right of theFederals. He encountered one of Naglee’s detached regiments and droveit back; but the other detached regiment of Naglee’s brigade came on theground, and one regiment sent by General Keyes came up. G. B. Andersonthen withdrew from the advanced position he had gained, but continued thefighting on the ground where it had been commenced on this part of the field.

In the meantime the contest around the battery at the abatis was closeand desperate. Rodes’s brigade was hotly engaged on the south side of theroad, and General Hill had ordered Carter’s battery to the front. The Fed-erals stubbornly held their ground, and Hill now detached General Rains tomake a wide flank movement through the woods to the right in order to turnthe left of Casey’s earth-works. From the edge of the wood, south of theWilliamsburg road, Rains’s brigade commenced firing on the flank and rearof the troops posted in Casey’s rifle-pits. General Hill says:

“ I now noticed commotion in the camps and redoubt and indications of evacuating theposition. Bodes took skillful advantage of this commotion, and moved up his brigade inbeautiful order and took possession of the redoubt and rifle-pits.”

Pending this contest for Casey’s earth-works, General Keyes had sent tworegiments from the second line direct to Casey’s assistance, and a short timebefore those works were carried he sent General Couch , with two regiments,to attack the Confederate left, and thus relieve the pressure on Casey’s front.Before Couch could get into position Casey’s line was carried, and GeneralKeyes made immediate preparations for the defense of the line at SevenPines, held by Couch ’s division. Peck’s brigade was on the left, Devens inthe center, and the regiments of Abercrombie’s brigade, that had not beendetached, were on the right. Casey’s troops, in falling back from their earth-works, endeavored to make a stand at the abatis in front of Couch ’s line,and General Keyes sent forward one regiment of Devens’s brigade to assistin checking the advance of the Confederates. Casey’s men were driventhrough the abatis, and the regiment of Devens’s brigade was hurled back indisorder, and could not be rallied until they had retreated beyond the earth-works from which they had advanced. A large proportion of the men of