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A HOT DAY ON MARYE’S HEIGHTS.

JAMES A. SEDDON , SECRETARY OP WAR TO Till! SOUTHERNCONFEDERACY, FROM NOVEMBER 20, 1862, TO JAN-UARY 28, 1865. FROM A 1'IIOTOGRAFH.

"Well! if they wait for me to fall hack, they willwait a long time.” Hardly had he spoken, whena brisk skirmish fire was heard in front, towardthe town, and looking over the stone-wall we sawour skirmishers falling back, firing as they came ;at the same time the head of a Federal columnwas seen emerging from one of the streets of thetown. They came on at the double-quick, withloud cries of “Hi! Hi! Hi!” which wo could dis-tinctly hear. Their arms were carried at “rightshoulder shift,” and their colors were aslant theshoulders of the color-sergeants. They crossed thecanal at the bridge, and getting behind the bank tothe low ground to deploy, were almost concealedfrom our sight. It was 12:30 P. M., and it wasevident that we were now going to have it hot andheavy.

The enemy, having deployed, now showed him-self above the crest of the ridge and advanced incolumns of brigades, and at once our guns begantheir deadly work with .shell and solid shot. IIowbeautifully they came on ! Their bright bayonetsglistening in the sunlight made the line look likea huge serpent of blue and steel. The very forceof their onset leveled the broad fences boundingthe small fields and gardens that interspersed thoplain. We could see our shells bursting in theirranks, making great gaps; but on they came, asthough they would go straight through and overus. Now we gave them canister, and that staggered

them. A few more paces onward and theGeorgians in the road below us rose up,and, glancing an instant along their riflebarrels, let loose a storm of lead into thefaces of the advance brigade. This wastoo much; the column hesitated, and then,turning, took refuge behind the bank.But another line appeared from behindthe crest and advanced gallantly, andagain we opened our guns upon them,and through the smoke we could discernthe red breeches of the “Zouaves,” andhammered away at them especially. Butthis advance, like the preceding one, al-though passing the point readied by thefirst column, and doing and daring allthat brave men could do, recoiled underour canister and the bullets of the infan-try in the road, and fell back in great con-fusion. Spotting the fields in our front,we could detect little patches of blue —the dead and wounded of the Federalinfantry who had fallen facing the verymuzzles of our guns. Cooke’s brigadeof Ransom's division was now placed inthe sunken road with Cobb’s men. At2 p. M. other columns of the enemy leftthe crest and advanced to the attack; itappeared to us that there was no end ofthem. On they came in beautiful arrayand seemingly more 'determined to holdthe plain than before; but our fire rvasmurderous, and no troops on earth couldstand the feu d’enfer we were givingthorn. In tho foremost lino we distin-guished the green flag with the goldenharp of old Ireland , and we knew it to be Meag'lier’s Irish brigade. The gunners of the two rifle'pieces, Corporals Payne and Ilardie, were directedto turn their guns against this column ; butthe gallant enemy pushed on beyond all formercharges, and fought and left their dead within fiv 0and twenty paces of the sunken road. Our positionon. the hill was no w a hot one, and three regimentsof Ransom's brigade were ordered up to reenforcethe infantry in tho road. Wo watched them aSthey came marehi ng in line of battle from the rear,where they had been lying in reserve. Theypassed through our works and rushed down the hidwith loud yells, and then stood shoulder to shoulderwith the Georgians. Tho 25th North Carolina regiment, crossing Miller’s gnus, halted upon thecrest of tho hill, dressed its line, and fired a deadlyvolley at the enemy ateloso range, and then at thecommand “Forward! ” dashed down the hill. ^left dead men on Miller’s redoubt, and he had todrag them away from the muzzles of his guns. A*this time General Cobb fell mortally wounded, aimGeneral Cooke was borne from the field, als 0wounded. Among other missiles a 3-iuclirifle-bahcame crashing through the works and fell at 0111feet. Kurshoodt picked it up and said, “Boy*let’s send this back to them again”; and into th 0gun it went, and was sped back into the dens 0ranks of tho enemy.

General Kershaw now advanced from the rea r