TWO DAYS OF BATTLE AT SEVEN PINES.

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It has already been shown that on May 31st the Confederates struck Keyes’scorps, isolated at Seven Pines, with four brigades, and increased the attack-ing force to five brigades after Keyes had been reenforced by Heintzelman.June 1st, the Confederate attack was made against the left wing of French ’sbrigade, which, with one regiment of Howard’s brigade on its left, formedthe front line of Richardson’s division. On the left of that division wasBirney’s brigade of Kearny’s division. I 11 his official report, Richardson says:

“ Near our left two roads crossed the railroad, and up these the enemy moved his columns ofattack. At G: 30 A. 11 . . . . the enemy opened a heavy rolling fire of musketry within

fifty yards. ... It soon became the heaviest musketry-firing that I had ever experiencedduring an hour and a half. ... I now ordered in General Howard to reenforce the firstline with his brigade. . . . Soon after this the whole line of the enemy fell back for the

first time, unable to stand our fire, and for half an hour the firing ceased on both sides.”

In this attack the regiment of Howard’s brigade on the extreme left ofRichardson’s front line was broken, fell back behind the second line, and wasnot again in action. The regiment next to it on the right was forced back ashort distance. The left of Richardson’s front line was so rudely shaken thatall available means were used to strengthen it; a battery aiid Meagher’sbrigade were put in to cover the gap, and Burns’s brigade, previouslydetached to cover the communications with the bridges, was recalled andhurriedly sent by G-eneral Sumner to Richardson’s assistance.

It will be seen later that this staggering blow against the left of Richard-son’s line was from three regiments of Armistead’s brigade and three regi-ments of Mahone’s brigade, both of Huger’s division. It will be seen, too,that these six regiments were the only Confederate forces that attacked theFederals during the second day.

It was about 8 a. m. when G-eneral Howard, with two regiments of hisbrigade, relieved the left wing of French ’s brigade and took up the fighting.Just at that time the three regiments of Birney’s brigade south of the railroad,whose strong advanced guards had been slowly driven hack, were rapidlythrown forward. The regiment next the railroad struck the flank of the Con-federates just at the time Howard was advancing against their front; andunder these two attacks the Confederates gave way in great disorder. Thecenter regiment, of Birney’s three, met with but little resistance until it strucka Confederate force in strong position on a wood road parallel to and threehundred to four hundred yards south of the railroad, in front of the left wingof French ’s brigade. The two regiments of Howard’s brigade, in their for-ward movement, soon struck the same Confederates in the densely tangledwood. These three Federal regiments, after repeated efforts to dislodge theConfederates,— Pickett’s brigade,— were repulsed with severe losses, andresumed position in the lines from which they had advanced.

General Howard was wounded just as his two regiments were coming toclose quarters with Pickett’s brigade. The command of Howard’s brigadethen devolved upon Colonel Cross, of the 5th New Hampshire , who says:

“ Finding that the three other regiments of the brigade had been some time in action andseverely handled, I directed that they should move out of the woods and re-form in the rear of