TWO DAYS OF BATTLE AT SEFEN PINES.

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me, written in 1868 by Colonel B. W. Frobel, of the Confederate StatesEngineer Corps , gives an account of what occurred on that occasion. ColonelFrobel was then a major on General Whiting’s staff. He says :

“ Generals Johnston and Whiting were following immediately after Whiting’s brigade. AsWhiting’s brigade reached the road near the railroad crossing, I was sent to halt it. On return-ing after doing this, I joined Generals Whiting and Johnston, who were riding toward thecrossing. General Whiting was expostulating with General Johnston about taking the divisionacross the railroad — insisting that the enemy were in force on our left flank and rear. GeneralJohnston replied : ‘ Oh! General Whiting, you are too cautious.’ At this time we reached thecrossing, and nearly at the same moment the enemy opened an artillery fire from the directionpointed out by General Whiting. We moved back up the road near the small white house.Whiting’s brigade [a portion of it] was gone; it had been ordered forward to charge the batteries[two separated sections of one battery] which were firing on us. The brigade was repulsed, and ina few minutes came streaming back through the little skirt of woods to the left of the Nine-mile road near the crossing. There was only a part of the brigade in this charge. Pender [com-manding regiment] soon rallied and re-formed those on the edge of the woods. General Whitingsent an order to him to reconnoiter the batteries, and if he thought they could be taken, to try itagain. Before he could do so some one galloped up, shouting, ‘ Charge that battery! ’ The menmoved forward at a double-quick, but were repulsed as before, and driven back to the woods.”

Of the Federal resistance to this attack, General E. Y. Sumner, in hisofficial report, says:

“ On arriving on the field, I found General Couch with four regiments and two companies ofinfantry and Brady’s battery. These troops were drawn up in line near Adams’s house, andthere was a pause in the battle.”

General Sedgwick, commander of Sumner’s leading division, says: “ Upondebouching into the open field near Adams’s house, we found Abercrombie’sbrigade of Couch ’s division sustaining a severe attack and hard pushed bythe enemy.”

Kirby’s six Napoleon guns were promptly placed in position facing south.The infantry of Sedgwick’s division was put on the right and left, in Couch ’sdefensive line. The Federal accounts show that repeated attempts weremade by the Confederates to carry the position, but without success; thatthe contest continued until dark, at which time Kirby’s battery faced west,without having otherwise changed position, and the infantry on the left ofthe battery was also facing west, with its left very near the railroad, a littleeast of Fair Oaks Station. On the immediate right of Kirby’s battery theline of infantry still faced nearly south. There was no change in this part ofthe Federal lines ; but on the extreme right the line was facing almost west,and had not been closely engaged.

In the meantime, before the action north of Fair Oaks commenced, whenthe head of Pettigrew’s brigade reached the point in the large wood aboutthree-fourths of a mile from the railroad crossing, I halted for the purpose ofgiving instructions to General Wade Hampton, whose brigade had reached therear of Pettigrew’s. Generals Johnston and Whiting had gone on with the twoleading brigades, and I did not again see either of them until after dark. Idirected General Hampton to lead his brigade to the left, on the wood road, alittle more than a brigade length, and then resume his march in a direction