War Diary and Letters of Stephen Minot Weld.

April 29. — At 6 the first bridge was begun, and at 7 it was completed. About 8.30 we all started for the lower crossing, where we had been repulsed in our attempt at crossing. At 9 o’clock our men, protected by rifle-pits, opened a sharp fire on the enemy posted in their pits, and soon made them start from them, they leaving one by one. Our artillery then opened on them, and I saw one man knocked plump over by one of our solid shots. Whenever a rebel attempted to run from one pit to another, or showed himself in any way, our men would open on him, and if he was hit, a shout would be raised by every one. It was pleasant for us who were not under fire to see the devils knocked over. Soon a few boat-loads of men were thrown over the river. As soon as our men appeared on the opposite bank, there was a stampede of the rebels from all the rifle-pits and houses along the bank, and then there was a race, our men running and firing at the enemy as they went along. As we came to the different pits, our men would pull out the rebels, and send them over the river. From one pit a white rag was shown, and one of our men pulled three rebs out of it. Over a hundred prisoners were caught here. The bridges were laid here by 11 o’clock, the enemy shelling us towards 10 o’clock, but without any damage. At 12 o’clock, I reached camp, and immediately went to sleep, not having had any for twenty-four hours. In the morning, I was sent three different times to General Sedgwick: once with the message that General Russell had refused to obey General Benham’s orders; the second time, that General Russell had refused to obey General B.’s orders, and that he had put him under arrest; and the third time, to ascertain how many bridges General S. wished.