VOL. 48.
AMERICAN VOLUNTEER
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY MORNING BY
JOHN B. BRAXTON.
T EE M S
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THE SENTRY.
Young gentry, pacing too and fro,
A novice hi the tusk I know, ■
Tima back and forth and buck again,
In sun and moonlight and in rain,
Hour after hour—mclhinks to then
They must pass slow and wearily.
" What aching limbs anil drooping eyes
Aro hidden 'neath that soldier guise;
Yet must those byes refuse to close,
Those weary limbs to seek repose,
.Poor boy! ho knows his life is lost,
Were'ho found nodding at his post.
Yet late it was his wont to sleep
Through hours ho now a watch must keep.
Could ho indeed .have dreamed away
The time from close to break of day,
To'lum, thus pacing to and fro,
An hour mustscCm a night, I know. ■
Perchance the sun with strengthening heat,
May parch his brow arid burn his feet;
It matters not! bo mustnot show.
Fatigue, thus pacing to and fro,
With musket on his shoulder borne,
And form erect, however worn.
Yet who the Sentry’s thoughts can road?
A soldier’slifo is bard,indeed;
Perchance at heart a wayward, boy,
And roared life only to enjoy ;,
Now* first to value homo ho learns,
As for its kindly scones ho yoarna.
If so, although perchance severe
The duties that ho now must share,
The lesson may not bo in vain,
Should he to home return again;
And in the quiet hours there spent.
Ho maybe happy and content-.
Perchance, beneath that midnight sky,
Ho oft may breathe a. weary sigh,
Arid eagerly shall strain’bis oar
The striking of the clock to hoar,
When e’en, the echo of his tread
Seems but the stop of one to dread
Whoa all tho world scorns hushed In sleep.
And b« alone this watch must keep, .
©till oftou then the sentry may t - “ ,
The boa.uty.bf tho night survey, .
With different feelings far from those
With which it Was his wont to close
His curtains fur a,night’s repose; •
And ho amid the stars may see *
Calm angel eyes smile lovingly,—
Ejes that were lung since closed to him,
And e’en may be to memory dim.
Thus then that midnighfwatoh mny lead
To sweet communion with tho dead.
Or he may think of that bright star
Which led tlie wise men from afar,
When shepherds watched their flocks, and when,
The angels sang “ good will to men,”
*• Peace on tho earth”—sweet peace now-lost,
War calls thoScutry to his post.
Alas ! that youthful heart can ne’er
Ask for the strife that hovers near,
liut rather wish the angel strain
Might as of old bo.heard again;
The wise m.on might rise up once more*
And peace to all th 6 land restore. -
Ood grant the Sentry may not know
A lesson far more stern than now;
That his young eyes may never see
l)ark scenes of death and butchery; .
That bis bright bayonet Wear-no stain,
.But in its'sliedth may rest again,'
Young Sentry, pacing to and fro/
A novice in tho task, I know ;
*£huB back ed forth, and hack again,
xn auh, in moonlight, and in rain,
Hour after hourr—mothiuka to theo
Thoymust pass alow and wearily.
Mimlinmoiis.
ADVENTURE OF A SPY.
I have lately returned from the South)'but
my exact whereabouts in that region, for ob
vious reasons, it would not bo politic to state.
Suspected of being a Northerner, it was often
to my advantage to court obscurity. Known
ns a spy,,a “short shrift” and a ready rope
would have prevented the blotting of this pa
per. Hanging, disguised, on the outskirts of
. a camp, mixing with its idlers, laughing at
their jokes, examining their arms, counting
their numbers, endeavoring to discover the
plans, of their leaders, listening to this party
and pursuing that, joining in the chorus of a
robelsong,betting on rebel success, cursing
abolitionism, reviling Lincoln, traducing Scott)
extolmgßenuregard.dcspisit.gNorthfightera
laughing at their tactics, and sneering at their
weapons,praising thebeauty ofSouthorn belles
and decrying that of Northern, calling Now
York a don of .cut throats, and Now Orleans
a paradise of immaculate chivalry, is but a
small portion of the practice of my profession
as a spy. This may not seem honorable or
desirable. As to the honor, let the country
that benefits by the investigations and warn
ings of the spy bo judge; and the danger,
often incurred, is more serious and personal
than that of the battle field, which may, per
haps, detract from its desirability.
It was a dark, night. Not a star on the
glimmer. I had collected my quota of intel
ligence, and was on the move for the north
ern line. I was approaching the banks of a
stream whose waters I had to cross, and had
then some miles to traverse before I could
roach the pickets of our gallant troops A
tooling of uneasiness began to creep over me
-1 was on tho outskirt of, a wood fringing the
dark waters at my feet, whose presence could
scarcely be detected but for their sullen mur
murs as they rushed through the gloom. The
Wind sighed in gentle accordance. I walked
Sl 0r fifty Y ards along the bank. I then
CTopt on all fours along the ground and groped
my hahds; I'pausod—l groped again
y breath thickened perspiration oozed from
h«rrolr e n V P. or °.’ nnd 1 was .prostrated with
“issod my landmark and know
t i h u e 1 B <fi¥".or above, beneath
hiddeo 0 Cf .?/, t i' 0 i, b c ank I 7 tho skiff I hV
oner„M b «f°ro. wIW I commenced
porations among the followers of Jiff Davis'
unmilli°M 6tUip V ng £ or breftth ' with all the
the b ° pr ° ofs of ™y filing about mo,
would l?rn ry ° f a bird or P lun gmg "fa fish
d act like magnetism on my frame, not
Wont to shudder at a shadow* No matter
how pressing the danger may be, if a man
sees an opening for escape, he breathes with
freedom. But let him be surrolinddd by dark
ness, impenetrable at two yards distance,
within rifle’s length of concealed foes, for what
knowledge ho has to the contrary; knowing,
too,’with painful accuracy, the detection of
his presence would reward him with a sud
den and violent death; and if he breathes no
faster, and feels his limbs as free and his
spirits as light as when taking tt favorite
Fromenade, hois, more fitted for a hero than,
am.
In the agony of that moment—in the sud
den and utter helplessness I felt to discover
my true bearings—l was.about to let myself
gently into the stream and breast its current,
for life or death. There was no alternative.
The Northern pickets must beTcaohed in
safety before the morning broke, or I should,
soon swim, between heaven and earth from;
some limb of the black fosost in which I stood.'
. At that moment the low sullen bay of a
bloodhound struck my ear. The sound was
reviving—the fearful stillness broken. The
uncertain dread fled before the certain dan
ger. I was standing to ray middle in the
shallow bed of the river, just beneath the jut
ting banks.; After the'pause of'a few sec
onds I began to creep, mechanically and
stealthily, down the stream, followed, .as I
knew from the rustling of the grass and fre
quent breaking of twigsj by the insatiable
brutep although, by certain uneasy growls,
I; felt assured he was at fault. Something
struck against my breast. I could not pre
vent a slight cry from escaping me as stretch
ing out my hands I grasped the gunwall of a
boat moored beneath the bank. Between
surprise and joy I felt half choked. In an
instant I had scrambled on board and began'
searching for the painter in the bow, in order
to dast her from her fastenings..,
Suddenly a bright ray of moonlight—the
first gleam of hope in that black night!—fell
directly on the spot, revealing the silvery
stream; my own skiff (hidden there ten days
before,) lighting the deep shadows of the
verging wood, and on the log half buried in
the.bank, and; from which I had that instant
cast the lino that hal bound mo to it, the
supple, form of a crouching bloodhound, his
red eyes gleaming in the moonlight, jaws dis
tended and poising for a spring. With one
I dart the light skiff was yards out in the.stream,
and the savage after it. With an. par I aimed
a blow at his head, which, however, he elu-
I. ded with ease. In the effort thus , made, the
boat, careened towards my antagonist, who
made a desperate effort to got his fore paws
over the side, at the same, time seizing hold
of the gunwale with his teeth.
Now or. never, was my time to got rid of
the accursed brute. I drew my revolver and
placed the muzzle between his eyes, but hes
itated to fire, for that one report might bring
a volley from the shore. Meantime the strength
of the dog careened the frail, craft so much'
that the water rushed oyer the side, threat
ening tp swamp her. I changed niy tactics,,
threw ray revolver into the bottom of the
skiff, and grasped .my “bowie,” keen, as a
Malay creese, and glittering, as I released it
from the sheath, like a moonbeam on the
stream. In. an instant 1 had severed the
sinewy throat of the hound, cutting through
brawn and muscle to the nape of the neck.
The tenacious Wretch gave a wild, convulsive
leap half out of the water, then sank and was
gone.
Five minutes’ pulling landed. me on the
other side of the river, and in an hour after,
without further accident, I was among friends
encompassed by the Northern lines. That
night I related at headquarters the intelli
gence I had gathered, and in a few days shall
again be gleaming knowledge in a Southern
camp
low Washington Behaved when lie was in tl
Wrong.
•An incident in “ the Virginians,” repre
senting Washington a? ready to accent a chal
lenge, h as led Leslie’s Illustrated Paper to
reprint the following pertinent anecdote from
Weeui’s Gossipping Life of Washington :
In 1754, Washington was stationed at Al
exandria with his_ regiment, the only one of
the colony, of which he Was colonel. There
happened to bo at this time an election in the
town for the members of the Assembly, and
the contest ran high between Col. George
Fairfax and Mr. Elsoy. . Washington was a
- warm friend of Col. Faipfax.'aud Mr. Payne
headed the friends of Mr. Elscy. A dispute
taking place in the court house yard, Wash
ington, at this time not twenty-two years of
. age, contrary to his usual manner, became
.excited, and, what was still more uncommon,
said something that offended Mr. Payne,
; whereupon the little gentleman, though but
■ a cub in size, raised his sturdy hickory, and by
a single blow brought him to the ground.'
Several of Washington’s officers being pres
ent, they whipped out their irons,in an in
stant, and it was supposed there would bo
a murder offhand, To njakebad wors.c,'the
members of the regiment, hearing how their
commander had been treated, bolted put of
the barracks, _every man with, his weapon,
threatening vengeance on those who had dared
to knock down their beloved commander.;—
Happily for Mr. Payne and his parly,!
Washington recovered time enough to go out
and, meet his enraged soldiers, and after
thanking them for their expressions of at
tachment, assured them that ho was not hurt
in the least, and begged them, as they loved
him and their duty, to return to their bar
racks. As to Washington himself, he wont
to his room, and finding, on mature reflection,
that he bad boon the aggressor, he determined
to make Mr. Payne an honorable reparation
by asking his pardon on the morrow. No
sooner had he made this noble resolution than
he recovered bis natural calmness of manner,
dressed himself, and went to a ball, behaving
as il nothing had happened.
The next day ho went to the tavern and
wrote a polite note to Mr. Payne, requesting
to see him. Mr. Payne presumed the import
of it was a challenge for a duel, and repaired
to the place appointed for the meeting, ex
pecting to see a pair of pistols introduced.—
But conceive his surprise when upon entering
the chamber, whore Washington was, ho dis
covered a decanter of wine, and glasses upon
the table. Upon his entering, Washington
arose, and in a very friendly manner mot him
and presented him his hand, saying:
“ Mr. Payne, to err sometimes is nature, to
rectify ’error is always, glory. I find I was
wrong in the affair of yesterday ; you have
had, I think, some satisfaction, and if you
think that is sufficient, hero is my hand, lot
us bo friends.” It is only necessary for us
to .say, that from that timo.Mr. Payne became ■
one of Washington’s most enthusiastic admir
ers and mends. If this conduct had not been
deemed in Washington to arise from magifan
imity and not from fear, then ho could not
have become the immortal hero ho is regarded i
in history.
K7* TtfE charity which longs to publish it
self, ceases to be charity.
Newspaper One Hundred Years Ago.
Any one who will look over a do of Lon
don newspapers, of the reign of Qdorge 111.,
will be astounded at the frequency with which
crimes of violence were committed. Traitors
were hung, drawn and quartered; burglary
forgery, horse-stealing, sheep-stealing, and
almost every kind of robbery, wore punished
with death. Shop-lifters, when not hanged,
were branded or whipped. It was a common
thing for twenty prisoners to receive sentence
of death at one session of a, crimnal court,
'*] and for half of them to be actually executed.
At the same tints, crimes of violence were the
great staple of news, and the' papers teemed
with horrors. Highway robbery was so com
mon, was pursued with so much epurage,
skill and success, as a kind of liberal profes
sion. We read of gangs of robbers, of the
robbery of noblemen within sight of the dome
•of St. Paul’s, of the murder of .women for a
few shillings, of the most atrocious midnight
butcheries. In the column of a newspaper
which records several such deeds, we find it
stated that at the “Lent Assizes,” in the
year 1774, one hundred and forty-six persons
were sentenced to death, of whom very few
were convicted of any of the few crimesfor
which a man is now put to death. .
Unexpected Meeting—A Father Finds
a Long Lost Son. —Tlio Cleveland papers
bring us details of a rather romantic meet
ing, which toot place between, a long sepa
rated father and sdn in that city the other
day.' It appears that while the United States
Cavalry corps, which recently passed through
here, were loitering at tho depot in Cleve
land, ofie of them observed a grey haired man
.near the station, whose features struck him
as being rather familiar. The trooper in
quired the name,of the venerable stranger,
and was told thatit was Wren; “Wren!"
exclaimed the soldier, with an expletive more
forcible-than elegant^—“ he’s my father!"
The soldier rushed iiji to the old man, grasped
his hand, and asked him if he did not know
his son. Then followed explanation, a re
cognition, and such hand shakings and words
of affection ns the soldier at least had not
known, ho said, “for nine years.” The ex
planation of the casq is as follows-Nine,
years ago the soldier ran away from his fath
er’s house in Columbiana county. He went
to Cincinnati, enlisted in tho army, and was
sent to the. Western frontier. The last letter
received by his parents from him, stated that,
having shot his captain, lib was himself to he
shot. He had bben allowed only fifteen min
utes to live, and was employing his time wri
ting to his. parents. The letter enclosed a
look of the soldier’s hair, and was received
by his parents as conclusive of his death.
Tho trooper was rescued from his doom, how
ever, by two Indians, and had followed the
tribes to which they belonged until recently,
when he escaped and joined the United States
mounted service. His father was delighted
with the mooting, and his brother, who was
also at the depot, joined in the general joy.
The trooper cjitmo bn'With his company, and
is now with Gen. Patterson’s command, while
his father seems to have had a new lease of
life given him in the consciousness that his
boy yet lives.
Remarkable Winds on the Prairies.-—A
oori'eapoi'dont of the Newark Advertiser, wri
ting from Henry, 111., gives the following in
teresting account of the prairie winds;
“The fierce and blasting winds that fre
quently sweep across the prairies, unobstruc
ted for many miles by timber, form a feature
in our Western experience with which your
Eastern people are happily unacquainted.—
Very frequently one will see a house braced
on its eastern side .yvitli strong poles, and the
dwellers therein are often in great fear. We
have recently had two or three days of these
severe winds, which remind us of the burn
ing simoon.. I have seen clouds of sand sweep
across the' prairies fifty feet -in height, re
sembling show blasts and covering the corn
five or six inches high, so as entirely to oblit
erate it. Where the surface of the soil is not
so movable, clouds of dusk darken the air, and
penetrate to every crevice and crack of door
or window. The winds to which I have re
ferred as prevailing here, have a blighting ef
fect oh all vegetation, parching the leaves of
the trees, and whipping the leaves and stalks
of oats, wheat and corn, so that they look
as if they have been subject to a severe frost.”
An Ingenious Rebuke.— A general officer,
who was in early life addicted to profane oaths!
dated his reformation from a remarkable
check he received from a Scotch clergyman.
AVhen he was lieutenant and settled in
Newcastle,-he got involved in a brawl with
some of the lowest class in the public streets;
the altercation was carried bn by both par
ties with an abundance of impious language.
“Oh, John .! . John { what is this I hear?
only collier-boy, and swearing like any
laird ! .Oh, John ! have you.no fear of what
will becorrie of you ?. It may do very well for
the gallant gentleman (pointing to the lieu
tenant) to bang and, swear as pleases, but for
you, you John', it is not for.you to take in vain
the name of Him in whom you live and have
your being..’ ,
Then turning'to the young lieutenant, he
said: ■ • .
“You’ll excuse the poor young man, sir, for
he’s an ignorant boy, and kens na better.”
The, young officer shrunk hivay in confu
sion, unable to make any reply. I’henextday
he waited on the minister and thanked him
very sinccrly for his well-timed reproof, and
was ever after an example of purity and lan
guage.
Rise in Bunting—The Flag Trade.—A
reporter for one of . the New York papers has
taken the pains, to inquire as to. the number
of United States flags made and sold in that
city, since the bombardment of Fort Sumpter.
Ho ascertained the aggregate to bo 16,995. —
In one establishment alone, the books show,
that from the 15th of April to the Ist of July,
the firm sold 2874 flags, independent of those
ordered by large stores, hotels, newspaper of
fices, &c. In the period named, eighty-five
women were employed'in making flags, and
two thousand yards of bunting were cut up in
twenty-four hours. The total amount of ma
terial used Was 36,720 yards of bunting, 20
pounds of tin cad, and 40 dozen spools of cot
ton. Who can say the people of the North
are not patriotic.
Ages of the Generals. Lieutenant-Gen
eral Scott is seventy-five years old; General
Wool is seventy-throe; Harney, sixty-five;
Mansfield, sixty; Totter (head of the Engi
neer corps;) eighty ; Craig (head of the Ord
nance.) seventy ; Sumner, sixty-five; Lamed
(Pay-mnstor-Gonoral,) seventy | Gibson, Ouni
inissary Gonoral; Churclpll, Inspector-Gen.;
and Thomas, Adjutant-Gen. are all old men,
having entered (ho army in the beginning of
the present century-—Gibson in 1,807, and
Churchill in 1812. ■ General McClellands not
yet 35 ; General Fremont is under forty-eight;
General Lyon is about, forty-four.: General
Banks is forty-four, and General MoDon'ell is
about forty.-
“OUR COUNTRY—MAY XT,ALWAYS BE RIGHT—BOWRIGIIT OR WRONG, OUR COUNTRY.”
CARL
From tile point I mention, where the.road
slopes down to a protected, ravine, wo caught
the first glimpse of the enemy. -A line of in
fantry were drawn up across a,meadow in the
extreme distance, resting, .clos'd upon woods
behind them. We could see th,e reflection of
their bayonets, and their,j-ejgolar disposition
showed them expectant or an attack. After
a moment’s inspection, General Tyler ordered
Carlisle to advance with . his tothe
front,and here one could 'think of nothing
but Milton’s line—
■. “Vanguard! to right and left in front unfold.”
The ancient order for thedisposition of ad
vance ranks is still in military usage. For
the second and third Tyler-brigades under
Sehenck, were at once formed, in line of bat
tle, in the woods on cither side—the First
Ohio, Seeond'Wisconsin, Severity-ninth, Thir
teenth arid Sixty-ninth New York Regiments,
succeeding each other qn .thfV right, and the
Second Ohio, and Second Slew York being
similarly placed on the left, while the artil
lery came down the road between.
A great 32 pound rifled, Rarrot gun—the
only one of its calibre,,in btfr .field service—
was- brought forward, made; to bear on the
point where we had just seejrithb enemy, (for
the bayonets suddenly disappeared in the
woods behind,) and a shell-vVas fired at 6 15
A. M., which burst in the air; but the report
of the piece awoke the- country, for leagues
around, to a sense of what was to be the order
of the day. The reverberation was tremen
dous, shaking through the hills like the vol
ley of a dozen plebian .cannon, and the roar
of the revolving sheUindescribahle. Through
out the battle that gun, whenever it was fired,
seemed to hush and overpower every thing
else. Wo waited a momont fdr an answering
salute, but receiving none, sent the second
shell at a hill-top two miles oflf, where we sus
pected that a battery had been.planted by the
rebels. The bomb burst dike an echo close
at the intended- point,-but . still no answer
came, and Gen. Tyler ordered Carlisle to cease
firing, arid bring the rest of bis battery to the
front of the woods and ,’bur column ready for
instarit action. It was, now about 7 o’clock.
For half an hour but-little more was done;
then skirmishers deployed imp the forest on
each side, in order to discover the whereabouts'
of our nearest,foes. Bbfore us lay a rolling
and comparatively open country, .but - with
several hills and grovps cutting off any ex
tended view. In the western distnriee on the
loft, wo could see the dutsltirts of Manassas
/Junction. , . , ". ' ;
The woods, <t{; our lino of bat*
tie formed, nround-tha open
tl)d'arms of ,tbia our ffimhishera
advanced. Soon wo began to hdar random
shots exchanged in the thicket on the left,
which proved the existence of an enemy in
tliat direction. (What can bo.done against
men who, to all the science and discipline of
European warfare, add more than the mean
ness and cowardly treachery of the Indian ?
Wo had, all through the day, to hunt for the
foe, though ho numbered his myriads of men.)
At the same time, a scout on the ri&hl cap
tured a negro native, who was led to the Gen
eral, shaking with fear, and anxious to impart
such information as ho had. Through him
we learned that the rebels were quartered
among the woods on the right and left, and
in the groves in the open country; that they,
had erected a battery on the distant hill, and
had kept him at work for three days assisting
to fell trees, so that a clear range of the road
wo occupied could be obtained.
By this time our scouts reported the enemy
in some force on the left. Two or three Ohio
skirmishers had been killed. Carlisle’s bat
tery was sent to the front of the woods on the
right, where it could bo brought to play where
needed. A few shell wore thrown Into the
opposite thicket, and then the Second Ohio
and Second New York marched down to rout
out the enemy. In ten minntos their musk
etry was heard, and then a heavy cannonade
answer. They had, without doubt, fallen
upon a battery in the bushes. Por a quarter
of an hour tho : r firing continued, when'they
came out in good order, confirming our sur
mises. After advancing a furlong, they saw
the enemy, who exchanged their fire, and re
tired through the forest. Suddenly, from a
different direction, a voice was heard exclaim-
ing, “Now, you Yankee devils, we’ve gut you
where wo want you!” and several heavy guns
wore opened upon them with such effect that
Sehonek finally ordered them to retire, which
■they did in perfect order. The hoys came out,
indignant at the practices of the rebels, and
swoarihg'they would rather fight three times
their force in the open field, than encounter
the deadly mystery of those thickets. No sol
diers are willing to have their fighting entire
ly confined to storming infernal earth-works
at the pointof the bayonet.- Every regiment,
yesterday, whs at times a “forlorn hope/'
A few dead and wounded began to be
brought in and the battle of Mantissas had com
menced; Carlisle’s howitzers and the great ri
fled gun were opened in the direction of the
battery, which answered promptly, and a
brief but terrific cannonnading ensued. In
less than half on hour the enemy's guns were
silenced, two of Carlisle’s howitzers advano-
ing through the woods to gain a closer p'osi-,
tion. But a fatal error was here made as I
thought, by Gen. Tyler, in not Ordering in a
divison to drive out the four rebel regiments
stationed behind the battery,'and to seize its
oightguns. Through some inoxplicable.fatui
ty, ho seemed to assume that, when a battery,
was silenced it was convinced, and there it re
mained, with its defenders, unheard from arid
unthought of, uqtil the latter portion,of the
day, whoa it formed one cause of our final de
feat. It is actually a fact, that .while .our
whole forces wore pushed along the right to
a co-operation with Hunter’s flanking column,
and a distance of miles in advance, this po
sition on the left, close to tho sconeof the com-
mencemonfc Of the fight, and just in front of
all our.trains and ammunition wagons—a po
sition chosen by all spectators as the most se
cure—was, through the day, within five min
utes’ reach of a concealed force of infantry,
and a battery which had only been “silenced."
No force Was stationed to guard the rear of
our left flank. It was near this very point, i
and .with the assistance of this very infantry,
that the enemy’s final charge was made,
which created such irretrievable confusion
and disumv. And after the first few hours,
mi officer could bo found in this vicinity to
pay'any attention to its, security. All na
gone forward to follow the lino of the cop tost.
Meantime, Bichardson, on. ho extreme left,
could hot content himself with maintaining
his position," for we heard occasional dis
charges from' two of his- guns. However, he,
took no other part in the' aotion than by slid-
SLE, PA., THURSDAY, AUGUST, !, 1861.
XIII 3 BATTLE AT Bi ll Ul A.
AN INTERESTING
BY AN EYE WITNESS;
The New York tPbrld gives the following
interesting account of the recent battle at Bull
linn; ' '
THE BAtTlii
| ling the forces of the enemy, Which were
stent rapidly from his vicinity to the immediate
point of contest. From the bill behind we
could see long columns advancing, nnd nt
first thought that'they were Ilichnrdson.’s men
, moving on .Bull Run; hut soon disooVer
’ ed then - true character. Indeed, from every
southward point the enemy’s reinforcements
began to pour In by thousands.' Great clouds
of dust arose from the distant roads. A per
son Who ascended a lofty tree could see the
continual arrival of cars at the nearest point
on the Manassas Railroad, with hosts of sob
diers, whoformedin solid squares, and moved
swiftly forward to join in the contest. The#
whistle of the locomotive was plainly audi- I
ble to those in our advance.' It is r believed j
that at least fifty thousand were added dur
ing the day to the-thirty thousand rebels op
posed to us at the outset. It was hard .for
our noble fellows to withstand these incessant
reinforcements, but some of our regiments
whipped several corps opposed to them in
quick succession, and whenever our forces,
fresh or tired , met the enemy in open field, they
made short work of his opposition .
At 10J A. in. Hunter was heard from on
the extreme right. Ho had previously sent a
courier to General McDowell, reporting that
he had'safely crossed the Bun. The General
was lying on the ground, having been ill dur
ing the night, but nt once mounted his horse
and rode bn to join the column On which so
much depended. From the’ neighborhood of
Siidley Church he saw the enemy’s in battle
array, and at once advanced upon them with
the Fourteenth New York and a battalion
of regular infantry—Colonel Hunter order
ing up the stalwart Rhode island regiments,
one led by tbat model of the American volun
teer—Burnside—the Second New Hampshire,
and our own' finely disciplined Seventy-first.
Gov. Sprague himself directed the movements
of the Rhode Island brigade, and was con
spicuous through the day for gallantry. The
enemy were found in heavy numbers opposite
this unexcelled division of our army, and greet
ed it with shell and long volleys of battalion
firing as it advanced, But on it wont, and a
tierce conflict ensued in the northern battle
ground. As soon as Hunter was thus discov
ered to be making liis way on the flank, Gen..
Tyler sent forward the right wing of his
column to co-operate,’nnd a grand force was
thus brought to bear most'pffootunlly on the
enemy’s left and centre. ■
The famous Irish, regiment, 1600 strong,
who have had so much of the hard digging to
perform, claimed the honor of a share in the
hard fighting, and led. the van'of Tyler’s at
tach followed by the Seventy-ninth (High
landers) and Thirteenth Now York, and the
Second Wisconsin.,
It was a bravo sight—that rush of the
Sixty-ninth- into the death struggle 1 With
such cheers as those which won the.battles in
the Peninsula, with a quick step at first, and
then a double-quick, and at last'a run, they
dashed forward and along the edge of the ex
tended forest. Coats and knapsacks were
thrown to cither side,, that nothing might im
"pciid'thelr worln but we knew that na guns
would slip from the hands of those dertermin
ed fellows, even if dying agonies Were heed
ed to close them with a firmer grasp. As the
line swept along, Meagher galloped torward
the head, crying “Como on boys, you’ve got
your chance at last!” I have not since seen
■him, but hear that he fought magnificently
and is wounded.
Tyler’s forces thus moved forward for half
a mile,, describing quite one fourth of a cir
cle on the-right, until they met n division of
the enemy,' and of course a battery of the
enemy’s most approved pattern.
THE HEAT Of THE CONTEST
It was noon, and now the battle commenced
in the fierceness of. its most extended fury.—
The batteries on the distant hill began to play
upon our own, and upon our advancing troops,
with hot and thunderous.effect. Carlisle an
sweted for us, and Sherman for Hunter’s di
vision, while the great 32 poupder addressed
itself resistlossly. to the alternate defences of
the foe. The noise'of the cannonading was
deafening and continuous. Conversely to the
circumstance of the former engagement, it
completely drowned, at this period the volleys
of the musketry and riflemen. It blanched
the cheeks of the villagers at Centreville, to
the main street of which place some of the
enemy’s rifled .shell were thrown. It was
heard at Fairfax, at Alexandria, at Washing;
ton itself. Five or six heavy batteries were
in operation at once, and to their clamor was
added the lesser roll of twenty thousand small
arms. What could we civilians see of the
fight at this time? Little; yet perhaps more
than any who were engaged in it. How anx
iously we strained our eyes to catch the vari
ous movements, thoughtless of everything but
the spectacle and the successes or reverses of
the Federal army. Our infantry were en
gaged in woods and meadows beyond Our view.
We knew not the nature or position of the
force they wore fighting. But now and then
there would be a fierce rush into the open
prospect, a gallant charge.on one side and a
retreat on the other, and wo saw plainly that
our colums were gaining ground, and stead
ily pursuing their advantage by their gradu
al movement, which continued toward the dis
sanoe and the enemy’s centre, , ,
Wb'indeed heard continuous tidings of he
roism and victory; and those in the trees
above us told.us of more than we could dis
cover with our field glasses fpoin,below; We
heard that Hunter had fairly rounded the en
emy’s, flank;, and then wo listened.for our
solvjs to, the sound of his charges in the north
ern woods, and saw for ourselves the air gath
ering up smoke from their branches, and the
wavering column of the Mississippiansas.they
fled from their first battery and wore- forced
into the open field. 'Then wo saw, our Sixty
ninth and Seventy-ninth corps, animated by
a chivalrous national rivalry, press on to the
support of the more distant column. Wo
could catch glimpses of the continual advan
ces and retreats; could hear occasionally the
guns of a battery before undiscovered ;:.oould
guess how terribly all this accumulation of
death upon, death must toll upon those un
daunted men, but could also see—and our
cheers continually followed the knowledge
that our forces wore gradually driving the
right of the enemy around tliof second quarter
of a circle, until by 10 o’clock the mam bat
tle was raging at a point almost directly op
posite our standing place—the road at the
edge of the woods—whore it had commenced
six hours before. _
There was a hill at the distance of a. mile
and o half to which I have hitherto alluded.
From its height, overlooking the whole plain,
a few shells had reached us early m the day,
and as it was nearer the Manassas road than,
almost any other portion.of the field,'more of
! the enemy’s rpinforepments gathered about its
ridge than tor the aid of the beaten rebels in
the woods and valleys., Hero there was an
open battery, and long lines of infantry in
support; toady, for n wonder, to lot our wea
ried follows see the fresh forces they had to
conquer.’
An tho Sixty-ninth and Seventy-ninth wound
round tho meadows to tho north of this hill,'
and began to. cross the rood apparently Mth
the intention of scaling it, wo saw a coldmn
coming down from the furthest perspective,
and for a moment believed it to bo a portion
of Hunter’s Division, and that it had succeeds
cd in completely turning the enemy’s rear.—■
A wild shout rose from us all. But soon the
look-outs saw that its ensign bore secession
banners, and we knew that Johnson, or some
other rebel General, was. lending- a horde of
fresh troops against our united right and cen
tre. It was tune for more.,regiments to bo
sent forward, and Keyes was ordered to ad
vance with the First Tyler Brigade. ' The
three Connecticut regiments and the Fourth
Maine, came on with. a. will; the First Con
necticut was posted in reserve, and the other
three corns Swept up the field, by the ford on
the right, to aid the struggling advance.
All eyes were now direetedito the distant
hilltop, now the centre of the fight. All
could see the enemy’s infantry ranging darkly
against the sky beyond, and the fifst lines Of
our men moving with fine determination up
the steep slope. The cannonading upon our
advance, the struggle upon the hill-top, the
interchange of position between the contes
tants, were watched by us, and as now forces
rhshed in upon the enemy’s, side the scene
was repeated over and ovttr tlgain, .It-must
have been here, I think, that the Sixty-ninth
took and lost a battery eight times in succes
sion, and finally were compelled, totally ex
hausted, to resign the completion of their
work to the Connecticut regiments which had
just come up, The third Connecticut final
ly carried that summit, unfurled the stars and
stripes above it, and paused from,the fight to
cheer for the Union cause, . :
Then the battle began to Work down the re
turning half of the circle, which the enemy de
scribed during the day, driven before the des
perate charges ofour troops, until they reached
the very point where Tyler’s advance com
menced the action. Down the hill and into
the. valley, thickets oh the left, the Zou
aves, the Connecticut and Now York regi
ments, with the unconquerable llhode Island
ers, drove the continually enlarging but al
ways vanquished' columns of the enemy. It
was only meet more batteries,. earthwork
succeeding earthwork, ambuscade after am
buscade. Oitf fellows were hot and weary ;
most had drank no waterduring hours of dust
and smoke, and insufferable heat. No one
knows what choking the bottle atmosphere
produces in a few moments,, until he has per
sonally experienced it. And so the conflict
lulled for a little while. It was the middle of
a blazing afternoon. ’ Our regiments held the
positions they had one, but the enemy kept
receiving additions, and continued, a flank
movement toward our left—a dangerous move
ment for us, a movement which those in the
1 rear perceived, and vainly endeavored to in
duce some general officer to guard against. :
Here ions the.grand blunder, or misfortune
of the battle. A misfortune that wo. had. no
troops in reserve after the Ohio regiment were
again sent forward, this time to,. assist- in
building a. bridge across the run bn the War
• rentbn road,, by the side, of the. stone bridge
known to be minedv A blunder,.in.
last reserve was sent forward at all. It
should have been retained to guard the rear
of the left, and every other,.regimout pn the
field should bare boon promptly recalled over
the route by Which it had advanced, ordered I
only to maintain such positions as rested on a
supported, continuous lino: Gen. Scott says,
to-day," that our troops had already accomplish
ed three days’ work, and, should have rested
long before. But McDowell tried to vanquish
the South in a single struggle, and the sad
result is before us,
As it was, Capt. Alexander, with his sap
pers and miners, was ordered to cut through
the abattis by the side of the mined bridge, in
the valley directly before us, and lay pontoons
across the stream. Carlisle’s Artillery was.
detailed to protect the Work, and the Ohio and
Wisconsin reserve.to support the artillery.
Meanwhile, in the lull which I have men
tioned, the thousand heroic details, of, federal
valqr and,the shamelessness of;rebel treach
ery began to reach our.ears. We loarned.tho
loss of the bravo Cameron, the wounding of
Heintzolman and. Hunter, the fall of Hagger
ty and Slocum and Wilcox. We heard of the
dash of the Irishmen and their decimation,
and of the havoc made and, sustained by the
Rhode .Islanders, the Highlanders, the Zou
aves, and the Connecticut Third; then of the
intrepidity of Burnside and Sprague—how the
devoted and. daring young Governor led the
regiments he had so munificently equipped
again and again to victorious charges, and at
last spiked with his own hands the" guns ho
could not carry, away. The victory, seemed
ours. It was an hour sublime in unselfisl
ness, nnd apparently glorious in its.results!
At this time, near 4 o’clock, I rode forward
through the open plain..to the-creek .where
the abattis was being assailed by onr engi
neers. The Ohio, Connecticut and Minne
sota regiments wore variously posted there
about: others.were in distant portions of the
field ;' ail word completely exhausted and part
ly dissevered; no General of division, except
Tyler, could be found. Where wore our offi-
cers? Where was the foe? Who knew whether
we had won or lost? ....
The question was quickly to bo decided for
us. A sudden swoop, and a body of cavalry
rushed, down upon our columns near the
bridge'. They came from the woods qn the
left, and infantry poured out behind them.
Tyler and his staff, with the reserve, wore
apparently eat off by the quick manoeuvre.
I succeeded in gaining the position I had just
loft, there witnessed the capture of . Carlisle’s
battery in the plain, and saw another force
ofcavalry and infantry pouring into the road
at the ycry spot where the battle commenced,
and near which the South- Carolinian, jvho
manned the battery silenced in, the morning,
had .doubtless all day been lying concealed.
The ambulances and wagons had gradually
advanced to this spot, Und of course an in
stantaneous confusion and dismdy resulted.
Our own infantry broke ranks in the field,
I plunged into the woods to avoid the' road, and
got up tlio hill ns best they could, without
loaders, every man saving himself in his own
way,
]?y tho time I reached the top of tho hill,
tho retreat, tho panic, the hideous headlong
confusion, wore now beyond a hope. I was
near tho roar of tho movement, with tho brave
Capt.- Alexander, who endeavored by tho most
gallant but unavailable exertions to cheektho
onward tumult. It wqs difficult to believe in
tho reality of our sudden reverse
does it all moan?” I naked Alexander
moans defeat,” was his reply. “Woare beat
ten ; it is a shameful, a cowardly retreat 1
Hold up, men!” ho shouted, “don’t be such
infernal cowards!” and he rode backwards
and forwards, .placing his horse across tho
road and vainly trying to rally the' running
troops.,, Tho. teams and wagons confused and
dismembered every corps. Wo now cut
oS’ from tho advance body by tho enemy’s in
fantry, who had rushed on tho slope just left
by us, surrounded tho guns and sutlers’ wa-
gons, and wo apparently pressing up against
us. “ It’s no use, Alexander,” I said, “ you
must leave with the rest.” “ I’ll bo d d if
1 will," was his sullen reply, and the splen
did fellow rode back to make his way as best
ho bouhh --Meantime I saw officers with leaves
hrid eagles on their Shoulder-straps, majors
and colonels; .who hod deserted their com
mands, pass me galloping as if for dear life.
No enemy pursued just then; but I suppose
all were afraid .that htsgttns would.be trained
down the long, mirrorVavonuo, nhd,'mow the re
trcatiug.jthdusahds, and’hatlofto pieces army, l
wagons and everything else whioh.orowded it.
Only one field officer,.so far as,my observation ,
extended, seemed to.have: remembered..hid
duty. Lieutenant-Colonel Speidel, a foreign-.
er attached to a Connecticut regiment, strove”
against the current foVa'league.; v ‘ ’’ '" -
But what a scone'? ttnd how terrific thd on- i,
set of that tumultuous ..retreat.For. three. 1
miles, hosts of Federal troops—all detached .
from their rogiments. al] jni nglcd. j n one ilis- •
orderly rout wore fleeing along, the road, but
mostly throughithelots oneifher' side.' Army
wagons, sutlers, teams and private carriages, :
choked the passage, tumbling .against, each,
other, amid clouds of dust,.and tokening sight-;
and sounds. Hacks containing unlucky spec- -
tatbrs of the late affray, were smashed like
glass, and tho.ocoupantsrivero lost sight of in
the debris.. Horses, flying widly from thobat- ,
tie field, many-of them;in death,agony, gtillo- .
ped at random forward, joining in the stam r
pedo. Those on foot who could catch them rode ’
them bavebiick, as much to save themselves 1
from being run over, ns to make quick time. ;
Wounded men, lying along the banks—the .
few either left ,ou the field not taken to tho i.
captured hospitals,,appealed vfith.raised hands.'
to those who rode horses, bogging to be. lifted
behind; .but a few regarded such petitions.
Then the artillery, such as Was saved; caind >
thundering along,ismashing,and overpower--r
ing everything. The regular cavalry, I roc- .
ord it to their shame, joined in the melee, ad J .
ding to its terrors, for they rode, down foot l , .',
mdn without .mercy;, One of the grtiat guns
was overturned,; and lay amid the ruins of a ;
caisson, as I passed it. I saw an artillery-.,
man running between the ponderous fore and '
after-wheel of his .gun carriage, hanging
with both hands, and Vainly striving tojump ■
upon the ordinance. The drivers were spur-,
ring tha-horseshe could hot cling muoh lon
ger, and;s more- agonized, expression nevejh
fixed the features of a ,drq wning man. - The .
carriage bounded from the.,roughness of. a '
steep hill leading to a creek, he lost his hold, '
fell and. in an instant the great Wheels had cm-: ‘
shed the life out of him; ; -Who CvCr sawsuoh-;'
a flight ? Could the retreat at Borodino ,havd; ;
exceeded it in confusion and tumult ? I think '
not. It did not slack in the least until Con- ;
trevillo was reached. There the sight of tho, <
reserve—Miles’ Brigade—formed in order on.,
tile. hill, seemed somewhat to reassure the van.,
But still the teams and foot soldiers pushed / .
on, passing their own camps and heading '
swiftly for .the, distant Potomac, until for ton
miles the road over, which the grand.arrny had
-solately passed southward, gay with unstained,
banners, and flushed with surety of strentli,.
was covered with tho fragments of. its retreat-,
ing forces, shattered _and. panic stricken in a
single- day. From the branch route, the
trains; attached to Hunter’s Division had,
caught the contagion of the fright,' and poured •
[into its already swolen.oui'fent another tur
bid freshet of ..confusion and dismay; ~Whq-:
ovor saw a more shameful abandonment of
munitionas gathered at such vast expeso ? The'
teamsters, many of whom, cut the traces of
their horses, and galloped ,;fronl the wagons;- .
Others* threw,.out their. loads to accelerate; .
their flight, and grain, picks and shovels, -
provisions of cvel'y . kind, lay trampled in the „
dust forioagucs. Thousands of muskets stro- •
wed the route, when some of us succeeded in.
rallying a body of fugitive?, and forming them; ;
into a lino across the road, hardly one but had .
thrown away his arms. If tho enemy had[
’brought up his artillery and served it Upon
the retreating train, or had intercepted our;
progress with five hundred of his cavalry, ha;
might have captured, enough supplies for a ;
week’s feUst-of thanksgiving. As it was on- -,
ough was left behind to tell the story of the '
panic.
DC7*Tho difference between rising, creryi
morning rtt six and eight, in the course of for--
ty years amounts to. 29,200 hours, or. three
years, pne hundred and twenty one days, and,
sixteen hours, which are equal to eight hours
h diiy for. exactly ten yearsj so that rising at'
six will he the same aS if ten years of life
were added, whore iye conintand eight hours;
every day for the cultivation of our minds and'
the dispatch of business.
CilidKES Story— AVo last night hoard of n
remarkable hon owned by a, man in Florida.'
She. lays ho eggs in thd best bedroom of the
house,' wipes her feet attho door before enter
ing the house, lays an ogg every day. in.
the week except Saturday, when she' layd'
two eggs,.or oud with a double yolk, and none
on Sunday. ■ .
JJ@~ A llot.llouEo —'‘Father, what do you.
mean by rasing things in a hot-house ?” “AVhy
my dear boy, you aro being raised in a house 1
too hot to hold, me sometimes,’’ The mother,
seized a broomstick, but the manomado tracks.
■ OlT’Durlng an examination a 'medical stu
dent was asked thoquestiori, “AVho does mutw.
tification ensue?” replied, “AYhen you pop'
the question and are answered ”No." . - 1
{®“Jlrs Alice Yell, a:, few days ago, cow
hided Mr Lay, of Camden, (or promising to-,
marry her and notporforming. As ha woud-'
n’t make her Lay, she made him Yell. •
ffy-Tho nerve which never relaxes—the,
eye that never blanches —the thought.which,
nevor wanders —those are the masters of vie- -
tory.
B@“Do Quincy being asked why there
wore more women than men, repliedlt iep
in eonfority with the arrangements of Nature,
wo always see more of ■ Heaven than Earth,*'
O“An independent man is said to lie one
who can live Ttdthout whiskey and tob acca
and shave himself with brown soap and cola
water without a mirror.
Bggrlt is true , ts Franklin says, that “thel
slopping fox catches no poultry,” but it is
ecfutilly true that poultry nislcop upon their,
roost are generally in very little danger'Of
foxes. -
“ What
“ It
OCT" An editor down South apologises for
delay in the issuoof his paper, ns hehad imox-* 1
tra “male” to attend to during the week.-
The editor of the Charleston Mercury 1 001+
plains that his water pipe has been cut. Jgityi
it hadn’t been his wind pipe; st*Sf
Bgy A man never has the least difficulty id
finding a devoted- except when b? need#
one. ' ’ v "
NO. 8.