May 6th. At five o’clock this morning, the battle opened vigorously on the right, and soon heavy musketry firing rolled sonorously along the entire line. Hill’s corps attacked Sedgwick, and a fierce and bloody encounter took place. Getty, Mott, and Birney, of our corps, were soon involved, and heavy fighting raged on all sides except our own front. We were on the lookout for Longstreet, who was reported by prisoners taken as moving down the Cartharpin road and forming on the unfinished railroad in our front. At six o’clock Hancock ordered the line to advance to the Orange plank road and a desperate fight commenced. Wadsworth, with a division, was to the right of the road, and our three divisions to the left, and so they moved forward at right angles to it. For over an hour the fighting was about even; then Hill’s troops gave way and we advanced, capturing several hundred prisoners. From this time until nearly three o’clock, there was a lull in the fighting, our division closely watching for the advance of Longstreet’s men. All of a sudden, while Barlow followed by his staff was riding slowly along the Brock road towards the plank road, a tremendous fire opened all along our front and shortly afterwards some of our troops gave way and came rushing through the woods over the slight breastworks into the road. Mott’s troops behaved rather badly, and there was great confusion, but Brooke’s men stood firm in the woods and repelled all efforts to drive them back. I was with Brooke at the opening fire, which was something fearful. The horses plunged and reared; the balls whistled around our ears, and the noise was simply too terrible to describe, but the gallant Fourth brigade, standing firm, opened fire and never a rebel passed their line. On Birney’s front the enemy drove all before them, and for a few moments it looked as though we were in serious difficulty. The enemy came rushing up to our breastworks, some climbing over them. I saw a rebel officer mount the rampart with a flag in his hand, waving it over the heads of his men. The woods had taken fire in front and now spread to the log breastworks, which added renewed terrors and excitement to the situation. As the rebel flag was flaunting over the burning ramparts, Carrol’s brigade came sweeping up at the double quick, and with a wild hurrah drove the rebels back into the mass of flames and smoke and recovered everything that had been temporarily lost. This ended the day’s serious fighting, no further attempts being made by either side. Again the losses were heavy. General Wadsworth was killed on our side and General Longstreet badly wounded on the rebel side; besides many other officers killed, so we learned from the many prisoners we took. As soon as the enemy was driven back we devoted ourselves to saving the wounded from roasting to death in the woods in front.
This is one of the horrors of fighting in dense woods, where the bursting shells invariably in dry weather set fire to the dead leaves and branches.
