A single life, even that of a distinguished general, in time of war is of slight consequence to the general result, and so in this case the battle continued in our absence, till late at night, when the Fifth corps took position on the front line.
The following day [3rd] about noon, the enemy opened fire from over one hundred guns, maintaining a terrific cannonading for over an hour, when again they attacked with extraordinary fury, making one of the most formidable charges of the war; thousands were slain, but our line was unbroken, and the Stars and Stripes defiantly floated over the line of brave men, who stood a steady, and valiant shield against all the fury and the power of the savage Confederacy. The following morning Lee withdrew, disheartened, and dismayed by his immense losses. The flower of the Southern Confederacy was left upon the bloody field, and its doom forever sealed; although they got away, they were maimed for life and beyond hope of recovery.
