Ll'v

9

Bikttmt yJ J J, 'o"Sfo jcre ft turn who to tone the forttfe, nnft jm l$ wWaw ana otytouw ."

ESTABLISHED 1877 --NEW SERIES. Washington, d. c, Thursday, November 29, iss3. vol. m--m. 16.-W- E0LE m. 120.

GEN'L 0. 0. HOWARD'Sc

Personal BraiiiKSGi683 of the War of

& RsMiion.

BATTLE OP BTJIMj BU2s.

The Tardy Mamsh to Sudley'sFord, amd. 3ts Results.

(VICTORY &3D J3EEAT.to

The Banic and Site Lessons --Mc-CJellan's

Timely ,Arrrval.

Et) 3fc,tr-C,uerv- i O. (O. jSwaertT, U.S.A.iorit;oETED. AELiaonxs jmsEEVED.J

TIL

I have rtiw, I believe, dweltsuSiaieuUy upon a

the ii.an --h from the Potomac, which, drivingIn th1 eo z'i atwarts, was preliminary to thebait:., of TjU Bh.

Ttre it re, o oar sSde, straggling, hours ofunitf-fis- ur; delay in creasing streams, nightma- - - ii!Uf w .thout proper cause, extraordinaryexvj:-uie';- . c&niesfineas in headline arms,bur:, ng at - pillaging on tie first symptom oftmrr and clouds of iwofenitv. These thingsexhibit the feet of want of discipline, and gen-eral- 'y

characterise the weakness and unrelia-bility of acw levies.

Tiir orders of the ISth from Fairfax Court-Hou- .-

were brief: " Heistzeliaan's divisionwill go to Little Bocky Ban, on the road henceto Miles' division will go to Cen-

tre .lie ; Tyler's division will go beyond Cen-

treviile, on the road te Gainesville; Hunter'sdivision wSl go as near CeatreviHo as he canget water-- The troops should be atthe places indicated to-nig- and they musthave two days' cooked rations in their haver-sacks."

There was a little later instruction, 6:15 a.m.,to General Tyler, that I find interesting, viz. :" Observe well the roads to Bull Eun and" toWarrenton. Do not "bring on an engagement,hut keep up the Impression that we are mov-ing on Manassas."

JUCDOWEIX'S P1A27S.

After dispatching this message McDowellKent south of the railway to reconnoiter theenemy's right, with a view of attacking. Whydid he not strike the enemy's communicationsin that direction, so plainly exposed, and forcehim out from Lis chosen positions, already wellprepared for defense ? He answers : ' I foundon examining the country that the roads weretoo narrow and crooked for so large a body tomove over, and the distance around too great toadmit of it with any safety." Therefore, thegeneral abandoned the plan, and pushed forthe enemy's extreme left, hurried on by thesound of Tyler's guri3 already echoing throaglithe ravines. The rumors that came down ourmarching column were to the effect that Gen-

eral Tyler had been a little iast that he hadexceeded his instructions; had run info theenemy at Blackburn's Ford and been badlyhandled. In a letter, dated near Centreviile, Iwrote of this affair as " Tyler's defeat --a dis-

aster," &a; for bo all near me then regarded thehattic of tie lfeth of July. One prominentwriter says of this early combat: "But theimp&tieace and unreflecting confidence of afew c inert, which were as much the natural re-- 1

suit of inespericfeee us Use slowness and dis-or- df

of the march on ike part of the soldiers,were ia compromise the success of the cam-

paign from tiie ootsst,"

After reading tfee reports of GeneralsTyler, Ejc&awls&n, and others, we maynow kiadJy rec insider oar severe jadg-mr-nt- e,

and tmitfully aay tfcat, thoughGeneral McDowell til not intend It ae, Tylerplainly understood his movement, not as amereblind, bat as a Teco&naiasaace in force. It wasdiiUcult to sirke it otherwise with the fiery,impclslve, and euergeilc Bfchardsoc on thelead. He brought into actios, near Black-burn's Ford, tfeo 1st MaaeachusettE, Ayres'hatUry of 5th artillery, the 18th Kew York, the2d and 3d Michigan, witai a few of the 2d Begu-la- r

cavalry. Of coarse be stirred op a hornets'nest, for, as we have seen, Loagstreet was thereWith his five reguseats, and other supportingtroops near at hand. When the 12th Now Yorkall but two companies had bees forced back inconfusion, the indomitable Bichardeon boggedto charge with titc throe reinatnisg regimentsEnd carry Longstrect's petition. General Tyler,of course, refused. He had reooancitored andfound hi enemy, care enough, and he himselfhad suffered a loss of sir lives and twenty --sixwounded, with a gain of morale, not to himselfand us. hoi to lie enemy. It was not a favorablebeginning, though a year later such a skirmishwould hardly have excited a remark. The fol-

low! ng Saturday night, tbe20thof July, the fivedivisions were g'ocped aboet Centreviile, --.vitliall proper pfcVel and puards, front aad rear,well out. J't where oor several camps wereis not ow:Siy ascertaised. Geeoral J. E.Johnaton litd amdy eaeaped from Pattersonin the Sljenuiicoah Valley, and Hie mate of hisfora was at hai.d behiiid Beaarezard's line.which xa tin.i' stia with his right at UnionMillK, and i ' it t, with slender support, at tbe

r Sto;eBrldr . B-- t'fc brigade was put to the rearof Cocke, Ij-w- s' Ford ; Jacssun'a, ta therear and ti . way iKrtweoo Ball s and Mitchell'sForda, to h V u bant ; Early's, between Black-bum- 's

anfc il Lean' Fords, watching Lowg-ctrc- ct

audi) B Junes, while Holmes, just upfrom Aaia Crttk. was EweU onthe right. Beauregard's piaa no' was to takethe offensive ea. y in the moraing, and posh,forward his riit for the main sttaek, hoping, ofeourHt, to seize our cosuuttaications. ilcDow-ell'spla- a

he call thegeaeral oScers to his tentand explains snattew this Saturday evening- -is

to have Tyler Swill the fords and StoneBridge, make proper demonstrations, with Milesin reserve, close at hand, at CeMtreriHc, whilohe switogs Heater and Heintaelman aroundby Sudley's Ford, hoping to use another cross-ing below Sudhjyte, sou aiming to &jize Gains-TiJI- c-

before Johnston's Junction is effected. Hedoes not yet kaow tliat aiH Jolmatoa's force isalready before h.imU except E. KirhySmith'sbrigade.

According to Chief Engineer Baaiard's ac-ou-ut,

Tylor was to start at 3. a. m. ; tac di vis- -

toes for the right ax 2:0 a. m. Oor d; rkbns

Sct'un in nr 0(46ber lnh.

near Ccntrcvillo wore badly interlaced, and allwere to set out along the turnpike. " The twoleading brigades of Tyler did not clear thispoint (the turn-of- f just beyond Cub Run) until5:30;" so that, instead of the head of the columngetting to Sudley Church by 6 a. m., it was

barely there at 9:30. My poor brigade was inrear of this moving column. It stood, fullyequipped, from 2:30 till the sun was an hourhigh, with its head at the turnpike. Who canestimate the fatigue from the excitement be-

fore battle and this long waiting?Captain Munson, who was a member of the

5th Maine, says: "The nest morning at 2

o'clock wo moved out on the road to Bull Bun(three Maine regiments and one (2d) Vermontregiment.) At Centreviile wo halted, and be-

fore daylight the army began topass us. Thereseemed enough men, to our inexperienced eyes,

whip the world, as they went swinging by,

singing 'John Brown's Body.'"TIIE 5IAECII TOWAUDS SUDLEY'S FOKD.

At last the Toad in front was clear, and wetook up the march. The men were thicklyclad for summer, and with their rations, am-

munition and extra clothing all progress orresting in the hot sun was very fatiguing. Thewant of sleep affected them seriously, and thenew circumstances had at first nerved them to

tension that could not last, so, many duringthe second mile became faint and sick and satdown by the roadside. About this time too

early, as it proved the roaring of cannon washeard from the direction of the Stone Bridgeand below. We had turned the corner towardsSudley and had proceeded a short distance,following Wilcos'B brigade, when a squadron ofcavalry, apparently from the Stone Bridge,cams in sight It proved to be our generalcommanding with his escort. He immediatelydetailed my brigade as a special reserve for hisright wing, ordering us to wait there near ablacksmith's shop. It was, I think, then be-

tween 8 and 9. At this point, with a thickforest in front, within sound of the battlefield,these jlaine and Vermont men waited, as or-

dered, till afternoon. Occasional word came tous as officers and messengers passed and re-

passed. SrcDowcll, after he left us at theblacksmith's shop, had worked his way to thehead of his column.

Burnside's Bhode Island brigade that is,Hunter's advance covered by skirmishers,was already resting, after iis seven liours'march, near Sudley Church.

JL GI.OSIOT7S SIGHT TOE KCDOWEIi.

This fine brigade was immediately deployedunder the eye of McDowell, and swept on, in asoutherly direction, down the slopes beside theSudley and Manassas road. But, somehow,Evans, having suspected that Bichardson,Tyler's advance, was not in earnest in his assault, having cannonaded and rattled awaywith, small arms so long without moving on,had changed front to his left and moved overto the same road that Burnside was using as aguide. That was a fine field, and must havebeen a glorious sight for McDowell and hisstaff viewed from the high ground to the westof the Sudley Ford! Here there wa3 an ex-

tensive epening of rolling country, sweepingoff toward Manassas. Evans was well postedunder good cover, but he had very few men,not to exceed 1,000. Here the skirmish linesand soon thesiain lines joined battle. It ap-

pears at this time that Evans' supports, byBeauregard's instructions, had been sent off tohelp cxecnte his favorite plan; but hearing thefiring on Evans' front they came back at once,"bringing a field battery with them, just intime to add to Evans' struggling and retreatingthousand about 3,000 more. On our side, someof Porter's Begulars a battalion had extendedBurnside's, line to the right, and Griffin's bat-tery was added to his left. Soon Hunter'sentire division was engaged, but Hunter him-self was at the outset badly wounded; manyother onlocrs in both divisions, as well as men,fell in this pretty evenly-dispute- d field. AsTyler had but a few men in his front, could heiave been as quick as Lannes at Marengo, oreven have had "Shanks Evans'" diviningpower, he had at tisis juncture just the oppo-rtunity of his life to pnsh forward with mightand secure the loft flank of Hunter andfatally roll up the enemy's force. A little laterGeneral Sherman's hrigado of Tyler's divisioncamo over the Bull Eun at a ford a little higherup the stream and did some execution.

But I must not be betrayed further into thedetails of this battle, so ofteu told. Heintzel-ma- n,

short my brigade, came into action withall his vigor. By the time Heintzelman, Sher-man, and Ekkctts with his battery were wellforward and engaged, the enemy giving back,Stosowall Jackson, far off as ho was, nearBlackburn's Ford, heard the guns, and characteristically, without orders, hurried to the pla-teau, which is in the rear of the Henry house,and there promptly deployed his lines. Hochecked our advance, already becoming bouy-an- t,

and "gave a nucleus to Evans, Bee, andBartow, on which they Tallied and reformed.

Hointzohnan says in a sub-repo- rt: "The30th Xew York, Colonel Ward, was in the rearand to the right of tho Bobinson house, anddid not get up as far as that house." Afterthe zouaves, he led into action tho 1st Minne-sota and the 1st Michigan. Thoy were soonrepulsed, then rallied, and passed into thewoods to the right "Tho 1st Michigan heldtho laost advanced position wo occupied onthat disastrous day."

AliOKO THE CONTEDEEJLTE LUTE.

About the time of this check to our progressBeauregard and Johnston were together on thehigh groand, near the Henry house, directingoperations; thoy remained there till after 12o'clock. The opposing leaders wero continuallypushing in new regiment and batteries. Beau-regard's instructions to Ewell and others tomove on Ccntrevillo had miscarried. Bee,Bartow, and Jackson had turned back to en-

gage in the battle. Cocke, Bonhaia, andHolmes had come up to the firing. Tho Con-

federate troops, including tho artillery and thetwo regiments of cavalry under Eadford andStewart, on the one side, perhaps 12,000 men,and about 18,000 infantry and artillery of ours,on the other, had crossed and recrossed thatYoung's Branch aud struggled for the heightsand grounds about tho Bobinson and tho Henryhouses till there appeared to be a temporaryexhaustion a lull on all sides. Johnston hadgone to hasten It was aboutthis time that McDowell sent Captain Whipple,of tho engineers, back to tho blacksmith's shopfor mc.

At noon tho messengers from tho torriblostruggle passing the blacksmith's shop beganto multiply. One, riding in haste, called out:"Wo are driving them." This report, by anew impulse, had tho .effect to cheer and resttho men. The cry of "victory is always exoner-ating and refreshing. When Captain Whipplearrived, things did not appear so finol "Youarc wanted ; inovo your brigade to our right as

quickly as possible." Wo moved at once, tak-

ing the road which oor division had followedtoward Sudley Springs. Hardly Avero westretched out when at an opening in thewood wo met my brigade quartermaster,Lieutenant Burke. He had been to thefront, and was returning without his hat andhaving a blood-staine- d bandage around hishead. He cried out: "General Heintzelmanwants you to move at a double-quic- k ! " It wasat once attempted. Captain Munson writes thatit got out among the men in this shape: " Gen-

eral Howard, if you love your country, come

up as soon as you can." He presents anotherpicture: "We started off in double time, butthe heat of the day, the fatigue, the want offood, soon began to tell on the men. They firstthrow away their blankets, then their haver-

sacks and canteens, and the most who kept onhad nothing but their arras and ammunition.Numbers dropped out; the pace was decreased,but this did not stop the difficulty. Men foilout by tens and by twenties, aud by tho timewe got to Bull Eun about one-ha- lf were absent.At this point a staff ofiic stood beside thoroad, who hurried up the troops, saying: ' Therebels are running, and you had better hurryand get in if you want to have any of thofun.'"

HOWAED AT THE FEONT.

After passing the ford we came up tho slopeinto the opening which is near Sudley Church.What a sight met our eyes! General McDowell,with a few horsemen near him, a few hundredyards to the west; some of Burnside's men,with muskets bright in the sunshine, now rest-

ing on their arms; troops scattered; no visibleline; ambulances groaning with the woundedGeneral Hunter in one of them; men withbroken arms, faces bound up, legs bruised orbodies pierced, wero walking or limping inirregular groups to the rear; shells screechingand hissing through the air, now seemingmany times hotter than usual. On the frontthe interrupted pattering of the musketry stillcontinued. Captain J. B.Fry, adjutant-gener- al

to McDowell, came from him to guide me awayoff to the right of all the troops engaged. "Goand support Eickctts' battery!" Fry took usto a hill, which I now think was near theDogan house. A ravine was in rear of it, anda creek, probably Young's Branch, or possiblya tributary. I formed my brigade, now verysmall, in two parallel lines tho first composedof the 2d Vermont and the 4th Maine, the 2dVermont on theright; the second line, of the5thand 3d Maine, the 5th. on the right Tho firstline I marched up the hill. When we clearedthe thickets (on the hither slope) we found onecaisson, and Lieutenant Kirhy, with his facecovered with blood, on a horse that had beenshot through the nose, endeavoring to movethe caisson to the rear. My line passed himquickly, and just as soon as the 2d Vermontgained the crest of the hill, seeing scattered,skirmishers of the enemy close ahead, theorder to fire was given. The 4th Maine, whichwas delayed a little by the thicket, then camoup into line and commenced firing. An ene-

my's battery on the left and another on theright, that soon came into position, with theshowers of musket balls from a wood two hun-dred yards in our front, made it rather warmwork here for our new men; but they stoodwell for a time, or rallied to fire betweentwenty and thirty rounds per man. My reportpresents here a few items of interest: "Afterthe first line had been formed, and was wellat work, I returned and brought up thesecond line. A remnant of tho 5th Maineand the 3d Maine composed this line. A partof the 5th Maine had retreated. As near asI can learn, they had been discomfited byour own cavalry and by a cannon ball strikingtheir fiank. Major Staples, with the 3d Maine,replaced the 2d Vermont; the 4th Maine con-

tinued on the field, and the 5th Maine (whatwas left I should judge about the strength offour companies) took the extreme right Soontills line began to break and fall back, an orderfor a wing to retire being understood for thewhole. Major Nkkerson I noticed then. Heasked me if I had given the order to retire, andI shook my head. He aided mo especially, ashe has always done, in rallying the command.Colonel Dunnell said he was entirely exhaust-ed and could hold out no longer. Many offi-

cers strove to reform ranks, but we could notunder fire, so I gave the order to retire undercover and form. The order to retreat came tomy ears before I left the field.

THE EETEEAT.

"There was very little organization before wereached Centreviile, where wo halted for anhour. At Centreviile I learned that you (Heint-zelman) were to retreat I marched at thehead of my brigade, in good order, to FairfaxCourt-Hous- e. Hero we lay on our arms tillmorning, and not being ablo to ascertain whatorders were intended for us, from conflictingstatements, I continued my march towardsAlexandria, halted at Clermont, and we werotaken to Alexandria by cars sent out for thepurpose."

Captain Munson declares that our fire was atfirst very heavy, and silenced that of the en-

emy; but soon the bullets came thickly. Theyhad a fiank fire on us then. "In the littleplace whore we halted, near a few trees, Icounted seventeen dead zouaves, being almosttogether, and off to oar right spots of red (uni-

forms) among the thickets showed where thebattle lino of that bravo but unappreciatedregiment had been."

This fiank fire was, doubtless, from the lastbrigade, EJrby Smith's, which General J. E.Johnston had taken from the cars and hastenedto the closing Eceno of the battle proper. Formy friend further writes: "The rebels had gotpretty closo up. Wo first saw their bayonetsabove tho bushes and then tho men. In frontof them, in the center of their line, rodo anofficer on a white horse. Ho was alone. Hoturned and gave a command. Thoy camo upon the run. The man on tho horse waskiBed."

Most probably this was E. Kirhy Smith, whofell wounded but not killed.

I spoke in my report of a cannon hallstriking our flank; it broke through, tho ranksof tho 5th Maine. Alonzo Stinson, a nephewof Mr. Blaine, wa3 hit and mortally wounded.He had his arm broken and his side crushed.His brother Harry, then a private, who becameLieutenant-Colone- l Stinson before the warclosed, staid on the field witk his brother andwas taken prisoner by the advancing Confed-erates.

THE PANIC.

Before the action, when wo wero formingthe two lines, I had my brigade march, in flankpast me. All tho men appeared pale but reso-lute. Many a man looked up into my face andsmiled. When under the orders to retire be-

hind tho crest and form, those who wore loftbegan, quietly to retreat They would nothalt Thoy saw no army on our side, only

irregular masses of men without order. Onecaptain (Heath, of Watcrville, Me.) walked forsome time by ray liorso and shed tears becausehe no longer had any cormnaud. " They willnot stay together ; they will not obey me," hoEaid. So tho ,ianic began everywhere. Someofficers plead and threatened: surgeons pointedto the wounded and begged, "For God's sakestop; don't leave us!" But 'nothing couldiufluencG our hosts now exceptuch cries as"Theeuemy Isupon us! Wcshanllbe taken ! "My command there at Centreviile was broughtinto fair order. It had, curiously enough, fol-

lowed the routo of tho morning around tholoop of seven miles. An old and experiencedofficer says that defeat was the best thing thatcould have happened to us; for it humbled usand made us make better preparations, whichled in time to a final victory, i

After tho complete break-u- p near tho cross-

ing of Bull Eun, Heintzelman, with hiswouuded arm in a sling, rode up and down,trying to restore order. Ho spoke to me sharply,and told mc to reform my lines. Herdid thesame to other brigade and regimental com-

manders. My brother, C. H. Howard, when-ever I was disposed to relax my effort, said :

"Do try again." Onco we noticed the ISthBrooklyn marching in regular column as weall moved back on the Sudley road, some threeor four companies reorganized and trampinghandsomely. My brother said: " See there ; letus try to form like that" So we did, but allin vain. One foolish cry, following a team ofhorses thundering along through our ranks" Tho Black Horse Cavalry are npon us ! "sent tho Brooklyn men and all others in dis-

order and into the neighboring woods. Then,giving up to the effect of the name, we calledout this message, and kept repeating it to everyMaine and Vermont man that wo saw Tothe old camp at Centreviile ! "

THE OPPOSING FGEGKS.

In 1872 it was my fortune to ride all day inthe same carriage with anofficer of rank. Ho was of a pheasant, conver-sational turn, so that we found it of interest tocall up our respective war experiences, andparticularly in given battles whjerc we were bothpresent, to solve the mystery as to what troopswere engaged and fired upon us so relentlesslyfrom behind trees, Tifie-pit- s, ditches and otherdark and troublesome obstacles. I have beennot a little curious in the same' direction withregard to that first battle, JJull Hun : " Whattroops and batteries were thosein'the edge of thewood opposite and upon my "exposed fiank?"It appears now, by comparing-reports- , that justat the closo of the battle, after General E.Kirby Smith had been wounded, the brigadefell to Col. Elzey. It consisted, at this time, ofKemper's Alexandria battery, Gibbon's 10thVirginia infantry, Lieutenant-Colone- l Stew-art's 1st Maryland infantry, Vanghan's 3dTennessee infantry, Cash's 8th South Carolinainfantry, Kershaw's 2d South Carolina in-

fantry, Withers' 18th Virginia infantry andPreston's 28th Virginia infantry.

This brigado must have left the Warrentonturnpike at a point nearly opposite my rightflank and moved toward me up" to the edge ofthe wood I have mentioned, and commencedfiring at us at nearly the same time when our2d Vermont began its work. Its battery firedfrom a position near its own right It wasthere in the open field, straight "before us,that General E. Kirby Smith fell, and thatour General Eickctts was still lying with pain-

ful wounds, waiting the end of the conflictHis (Eicketts') battery had doubtless at oneperiod of tho battle been forward as far as theDogan house. It was the mere remnant of abattery which, after the death of LieutenantEamsay, its second commander, partly capturedand the rest driven back, we found with Lieu-

tenant Edmund Kirby on our advance.Still farther to our right came from the di-

rection of the Shinn house the brigade of Col-

onel Jub'al Early. These were the last troopsof the enemy brought into action. From themwo received the fearful battery-firin- g upon ourright flank. And these were the rebels seenby Captain Munson to charge across the fieldbeyond our extreme right at a run.

Early had Berkham's battery, Kemper's 7thVirginia infantry, Hays' 7th Louisiana, andBarksdale's 13th Mississippi (attached duringthe battle). The 24th Virginia regiment wasnot with the brigade in the action. Early saysthat his brigade then numbered less than 1,500- -

These two brigades, with their batteries, justcoming into position about 3 p. in., the ouo dis-

embarking from the cars and the other hasten-ing from near Union Mills, wore met by mybrigade alone; possibly, a few other troops skir-mished with them just before our arrival, t. c,a squadrpn of cavalry, which broke backthrough our ranks before we reached tho hill,and some scattering men from the retiringtroops stopping at convenient places to take afew last shots. But our 3d brigado of Heintzel-man'- s

division was, indeed, the last organizedforce which fought at McDowell's extremeright Crippled as it was by the march, it hadto deal with eight regiments and two batterieswithin closo and deadly range.

THE losses,This accounts for my heayy los3 in tho brief

timo we were able to hold our ground fiftykilled, 115 wounded, 180 musing, includingtwo officers killed and seven wounded ; totalloss, 345.

E. Kirby Smith's (or Elzey's) loss, accordingto tho Confederate reports recently made pub-lic, wa3 twenty-eig- ht killed and 103 wounded ;

Early's less, twenty-fou-r killed and 122 wound-ed; total, killed and wounded in both, bri-gades, 279.

General McDowell's entire los3 was 481 offi-

cers and men killed, 1,011 wounded, and 1,216missing. Beauregard's and Johnston's entirelo3S, a3 gathered from the Confederate tables,was 387 killed, 1,532 wounded, and thirteenmissing.

When tho retreat began there was no greatexcitement, but exceeding willfulness and ob-

stinacy. All subordination to authority seemedto have given way. By tho time our irregularthrong, composed of men of all regimentsmixed together, horses, a few wagons, limbersand caissons, camo within sight of tho bridgeover Cub Eun an intenso excitement had setin, causing men to flee into tho woods andfields, and tho horses to bo pressed to their ut-most speed, no matter whom thoy trampledunder foot The well formed lines of tho re-sor- vo

division, which wo m.6t just beyondCub Eun, seemed to allay tho insauo fever, andenabled us to gather our men into the camp ofthe morning.

A SEASON OF DEMORALIZATION.It was at least two wocks aitor our Bull Eun

panio before much, reliance could bo placed inour troops. In Aloxaudria the second nightwe liad put tho men under shelter in thoempty houses. A dreadful rain storm had setin after tho battle. The rain poured down intorrents and flooded tho roads and tho streets

of the city. Feeling that our army was unsafewith no advance-guar- d, I moved three regi-

ments (the 3d and 4th Maine and 2d Vermont)out along the Alexandria and Centreviile pike,four miles, to Bush Hill, near Mrs. Scott'sf.u-m- . Tho 5th, having lost all its blankets,was allowed to remain in town for some time.

And uov came the most trying period of thewar to all patriotic hearts. Tho terrible discon-

tent was aggravated and continued among thomen. They distrusted their officers, high andlow; many of them pleaded to go homo; somomutinied, some deserted; somo worthless offi-

cers only encouraged the malcontents, whileothers feared them. Letters complaining ofill-usa- ge filled tho mails; the supplies for atimo wero short; spoiled clothing could not beimmediately replaced; blankets aud equip-ments were not forthcoming to fill the want;food was scarco and often poor ; bread becamemouldy and meat insufficient Counter com-

plaints, attonded with bitter charges, came tous from the homes far away. The military au-

thority was insufficient speedily to rectify allthese evils. Officers and men rushed intoWashington and thronged the hotels, boardinghouses and public offices with a saucy, idle,vagabondish crowd. In many regiments eventhe arms were abused or allowed to become un-

serviceable from rust But, littlo by little, thoQuartermaster-Genera- l tho worthy, diligentaud able General Meigs arranged to so supplyevery want in the clothing lino as soon to re-

lievo every cause of grumbling; and in likemanner tho loyal-hearte- d Commissary-Gener- al

General George Gibson and hi3 indus-Jriou- 5

assistants, before long gave us plentyof now bread and fresh meat, so that the menbecame more contented and hopeful.

IICCLELXAN APPEAES.Congress voted 500,000 men more to help us,

and McCIellan, Tepleto with tho rcpntation ofsuccessful generalship in West Virginia, wasspeedily called to the command of the depart-ments of Washington aud of Northeastern Vir-

ginia.Our brigade, four miles out, guarded tho ap-

proach to Alexandria through those sore, darkdays of discouragement, privation audsicknestill McCIellan, finally beginning to rebrigadeaud reorganize his command, ordered us backnearer to the Potomac.

When we set out, on ths 15th of July, for thefield of battle, jubilant in spirit and expression,the disloyal citizens of Alexandria for thenthere were many of them were very downcastand hopeless in appearance. When we re-

turned discomfited, the change in them was mostmarked. I noticed one stand where a woman,through a shop window which had in it a sortof counter for tho sale of cakes and candies, waspassing out refreshments to the weary, broken-spirite- d,

hungry and thirsty fugitives. As Icame near, instead of hearing "Never mindthis discomfiture; try again; we at times mustexpect defeat keep; up heart," or other words,such as our own heroines spoke and wrote,she said, in a shrill tone, something like this:" Yes, you are set! Wo give food anddrinkto tho ungrateful, contemptible Yankees,"who come down here to rob its !"

buli. Rtrrr xxd stakejtgo.Our first battle was jn many respects similar

to that of the First Napoleon at Marengo. Asthe Austrians there came nigh to accomplishinga victory, striking the center and left of theFrench, driving back a corps and gaining muchground till late in the day, so did we. GeneralJohnston's last brigade corresponds to Dessaix'scorps, which came just in time to push backthe Austrian right and strike an unexpectedblow, and enable Napoleon to regain the fieldand score a victory where he was almost readyto own a defeat But, fortunately for us, theenemy's troops were as new as ours and therewas no Napoleon on tho ground to reap thefruits of our disaster.

I heard General Sherman once say, when hehad listened to a severe criticism of Patterson,McDowell and other early leaders, that wemust not be too critical and hard, for wo wereall green in those days, and we have to learnby experience. Yes, we wero then taughtmany les3ons for example, the indispensableneed of organization, proper commanders, drilland discipline; how little things, like longwaitings, or overhaste in marching, or over-

loading the men, so certainly forestall defeat;how essential it is somehow to keep tho menwho fight in confidence and in heart; how andwhen to bring up tho supports and reservesand use them to the best advantage.

THE SABBATH QUESTION.One thing which, affected us much was the

saying so often heard that day, "It is the Sab-

bath ! Tho attacking party on the Sabbath issure of defeat I" Whether this be the super-stition or the Teliglon of a people, wise menwill respect it, certainly as much as they dothe old idea of the sailor that he must not sailfrom port on Friday. To violate this, demor-alizes the sailor ; to violate the Sabbath, weak-ens tho soldiers who come from our churchesand Sunday schools. With what a beautifulspirit General McCIellan met this religiousfeoling in his superb Sabbath order soon afterissued. "The Major-Gener- al commanding, de-

sires and requests that in future there may bea more perfect respect for tho Sabbath on thopart of his command. We are fighting in aholy cause and should endeavor to deserve thobenign favor of tho Creator. Oneday's rest in soven is necessary to men and animals. More than this, tho observance of thoholy day of tho God of mercy and of battles isour sacred duty,"

Comrades, as tho silver threads increase andyouthful vigor diminishes, let us not forgotthese true words of one of our Christian lead-

ers!

SU11 Fightlnj; for tho Pastry.To the Editor National Teibune:

In reply to Harvey Eced's inquiry, whetherany other company in the late war had sufferedgreater loss in any one engagement than com-pany A, 2'ith Iowa infantry, I have to say thatin the battle of Shiloh, company A, 4Gth Illi-nois infantry, went into action with fifty-on- e

men and came out with fourteon, having ninekilled and twenty-eigh- t wounded, of whomeleven died. This can be verified by tho rec-ords of tho regiment. If Mr. Eeed will get thorecords of company K, 11th Hlinois infantry,lie will probably find that tho loss of that com-pany at tho battle of Fort Donelson was greaterthan that of company A, 21th Iowa, or companyA, 46th Illinois infantry, in any one engag-ement Jas. G. Jeffries,

FaEDONiA, Kan. Co. A, 46th 111. Cav.

A Magnificent Number.From the Toledo Journal.'

A magnilicentnurnber of The Natioiui. Tjiib-un- k

reueliea us with a supplement containing: morematter than tho best average newspaper, makingIn all twelve pages, largely devotccl to soldier in-terests and bearing the personal Indorsement ofGenerals Sherman, Howard and Eosecrans. Innoting the raid against "soldier papers" at Wash-ington, comrades will do well to bear these pointsin mind. The'Steedman fund in The NationalTiubdne Is accumulating. Tho present edition la300,000, and comrades will be well informed of whatis being done for all soldier interests,

V'?

EENESJLW MOUNTAIN.

The Twe-foar- lk Kaitueky Gqriare

a Battery.

stritgii by a menhd bailGeneral Reilleys Offer for the

Adjutant's Wound".

STOPcMING THE GESS'EBK.

Three Thousand IVXen Lost InThree Hours' Fighting.

By John A. Joyce, Adjutant, 2-it- Ev. Inf.

The following sketch of the parfe taken bythe 21th Kentucky infantry in the battle ofKenesawjs from advance fiheots of ColonelJoyce's forthcoming book, "A CheckeredLife."

From the 10th of June to the 27th, thefighting about Kenosawwasalmost continuous.The rain came down in torrents, superinduced,no doubt, by the concussion of roaring artilleryand the rattle of musketry. Eoads, fields, andwoods were resolved Into quagrairea, and thesmall creeks leading from the frowning battle-ments of Keneaaw were swollen to the magni-tude of rivers, and spread over the bottomlands in all directions.

On tho 14th, while General Johnston wassurveying the advancing columns of Shermanfrom the heights of Pine Mountain, in com-

pany with Hardee and Folk, a solid shot fromour artillery hit the latter in the breast, caus-

ing instant death, and throwing a cloud ofsorrow over the ranks of the Confederates.

Leonidas Folk gave up the peaceful canons ofthe Episcopal Church for the cannon of blecdywar, and, like his namesake at Thormopyhe,died with his harness on. Ko nobler monu-ment than Pine Mountain could mark the spotwhere the fighting preacher fell, and, as thecoming ages roll away, tho tall pines on thebold mountain peak will sing a requiem to hismemory, and tho waters of Chattahoochie willmingle with his fame forever.

On the 22d of June, Schofield had swungaround to the right of Hooker, commandingthe 20th Army Corps. We wero oa the roadleading from Powder Springs to Marietta, therear base of Johnston.

THE ATTACK ON EOOKEE.

In tho afternoon, when no particular fightseemed at hand, tho enemy made a fierce anddetermined attack on Hooker, which wa3 re-

turned by the divisions of Geary and Wardwith double vigor, and, inst as tho right ofthe 20th Corps was being turned, Schofield,whotwatckedfthe attack, threw in the divisionof General Hascall, supported by General Coxand his command, routing the audacious sol-

diers of Johnston and Hood. The killed andwouuded of the enemy were left on the field ofbattle, and afterwards buried by our men. The14th Kentucky, of HascalTs command, actedvery gallantly as advanced fightcre, and whilethe loss in killed and wounded was severe, thesurvivors were glorified in the action, andmaintained the renown of old Kentucky.

Rain continued to pour down as if emptiedfrom a sky-tan- k with the plug out, while Scho-

field wiggled along to the right and front, hismen drenched to the skin, with only an occa-

sional smudgy fire improvised to cook theircoffee and bacon. The men of the 2ith Ken-

tucky often wished that thoy could be leddirectly against the enemy and die on the fieldof battle, rather than shake out their lives inthe dripping woods and underbrush that wavedin the chilling winds.

Our-divisio- n was headed down the Sandtownroad, across Olleys Creek, swollen to the extentof a river, and tho country bridges over tribu-tary streams had been swept away by the flood,or torn up by the enemy. On the 25th and26th we endeavored to cro3S a bridge over a bigcreek on the Sandtown road. Generals Sher-man and Schofield were anxious to make ouralignment with Hooker and Thomas, andthus close in on the fortified base of Kenesaw.The bridge jusc mentioned was guarded bycavalry and mountain howitzers on the ex-

treme left of Johnston, protecting the zoadsleading to Marietta. The 103d Ohio had endeav-ored to dislodge the enemy from tho high roadon the opposite banks of the stream, but when-ever they emerged from tho timbers leadingdown to the bridge a fearful rattle of howitzermissiles assailed them.

The general commanding rode up in thewoods, near a church, with hi3 staff officersflying about like blackbirds in a corn-fiel- d.

Orders wero given to cross the stream at allhazards. General Cox came to Colonel Hurtand asked him to move the 24th to the front,reconnoiter, and, if possible, charge across thebridge, and make a lodgment on the south side,so that the troops of Schofield and Stonemancould pass over and complete the advancingline. The general assured Colonel Hurt thatonr desperate charge would be supported by abattery that had justunlimberedln the marginof the woods, and we should receive the assist-

ance of the whole division if necessary, whileGeneral Eeilly would be in immediate supportwith, his brigado.

PSEPA2UNG TO C01033.

The 24th vas drawn up along the Sandtownroad in double file, heading towards the bridgoa hundred yards in front, looking down a stoopdecline. Colonel Hurt and myself consulted,and examined with a glass the status of thebridge. We found that tho flooring had beentorn up, and nothing but a few sleepers, hand-

rails and long stringers were left to cross upon.Tho flood had almost reached the stringers,and was running rapidly through, the woods.

It was concluded to dash, down to tho bridgeand let tho men scramble over as best theycould, aud those who succeeded in getting overfirst were to charge up tho hill right in tha faceof " Jackass battery." I went to tho captainsof the ten companies in person and orderedthem to instruct their men regarding the per-

ilous charge before us, and as I returned totho head of the line gave the men encourage-ment, assuring them that, while other regi-

ments had tried to cross the creek, the " Old24th "was equal to tho task, and would cer-

tainly meet with success.Hurt and myself took the head of the reg-

imentho tho right file and I the loft. Whenall was in readiness the artillery opened, andwo dashed off at a rapid run for the bridge,scrambling across like squirrels. One murder-ous fire was all tho battery could pour into U3,

for before thoy could reload wc cut down tho

j-- aJrJ5Sa'i -- i.-- 5

gunuors, kilfod a number of horses, caftaredtwo places, and ses tshair wveslry auBporfcirirapid flight dwij th rood to Manfetea. Ourlm was only asrea aiw.

In hslf an hour the corps f Sefcofitfa hadcraawtl over the hridge, te tHrisiaus hadmfidft alignment with Heftkar, and fcWeavalryof General Stoneteaa was pruaoiig the aemyto the very purapcta of Kewaeiw. The 24eb.received the thanks of Schefiald am! Coxy andthe privilege of rectlng for coffee and hanl-tac-k

on the nigh of the 23th, advauBiug sweet morn-ing in Una condition fer the eottlag buttle oftle27Uiof June.ia&l.

The morning sua rose bright and warm onthe frowning height efKunesaw. The enanvylay behind strong fortifeatfcions, with 50,000men ready and willing to receive ear ehargingcoinmns. Sherman. MePhezson, Tfctteaasv andSchofield determined to make a direct assaulton the mountain barriers. A hundred thou-sand victorious soldiers were tboaghfc strongenough to capture any pjaee; and as Jehnstonhad made hfe boldwc atsn& sfe Keaeaaw, Sher-man concluded to give him dixeee battle andrisk tha consequences.

A STCBBOXX COMTEK.About 9 o'eloak en the morning ef tire 27th,

the charging eehsmns of MaSaasaon andThomas were moving J fun Sams, agafast thoparapets at ta base ef jt moc.-ftain-s, whileSchofield continued te tighten his grip on thoConfederate left, threatening the raifooad atMarietta. Artillery and musketry kept up aconstant Sre. My reguoenr. moved tc the righsof Hooker's oeausiaad, and as v.e made ourway through the aV: brush, uari woods, andfallen trees cat t-- intercept our progress, Icould see, far to the left, long !rk lines asthey swayed backward and forwir.' in che ris-ing smoke of battle. Loud and Ion.' carae thethundering noise of shot and shtu from themountain top on oor ad vanein 5 tr. rje. Heav-en- s

artillery seemed working ,a I.: w;ie gran-deur to destroy oar waveriu hu . JlcPher-so-n

and his men, at one period o. Ori battle,scaled Little Kenenw, and tae r-- lit fiank ofJohnston seemed ia imminent danger; butwhen the smoke had cleared awiy. taey weroseen to be baekiag down the roouatam undera galrmg fire. Old "Pap' Thomas ent Msarmy against the tangled abatis and earth-works with the velocity of a eeater wedge,driving his man into the very jaws of death;but the stubborn heroes of Johnston would notgive way, sending a constant stream of lead andiron into the vitals of the Union army. Scho-field endeavored to swing into the rear of theConfederates, pressing right up to their fortifi-cations, and crouching down ia front of thefallen trees and rifle-nit- s he could not sur-mount

Human blood and bravery have seldom donemore in three hours than Sherman's men. did-a- t

Kenesaw ; and while this 13 true, I mustcandidly acknowledge that the defiant heroesof Johnston did more, for they repelled to thalast one repealed assaults, and prevented ourarmy from taking their fortified mountain.

A TX5 OF XEBEL T.KAD.

About llto'cldgjfe irt the morning: I was Suruckby a corneal bait lit tha upper part of the xfghfithigh, the missile passing between the femoralartery and thigh hone. The wound was pain-ful and dangerous. I had dismounted frommy horso, and W3S on the left of the regimentmoving to the f;ont, ahead of tho men. The24th hesitated in the skirt of a woods beforeentering an open field that lay in our imme-diate front, and directly in view of the enemy'sworks at the base of the mountain. In. orderto encourage the men to the charge, I dashedinto the open field, sword in hand, raised acheer, threw up my bands, and fell to the earth,pierced through &ad through, with a Confed-erate bullet The shot almost paralysed mywhole frame, and it seemed as if sotee strongwoodsman had struck me with a, maul.

General Setliy and his surgeon wese amongthe first to salute me after I fell, my regimenthaving passed to the front in 3 charge upon theri iie-pi- ts of the enemy. My loog cavalry bootssoon filled with blood, and it seemed as if I had.been shot through the foot ; hut when the doc-tor pulled ofl my boot and ripped up my cloth-ing the wound was seon dfeeovered. A silkhandkerchief was tightly twisted above thebnllet-hol- e, stopping ia some measure the flowof blood.

The battle was stilt raging, dry leaves eaughfrfire, and spattering ballets kept plugging thaunderbrush aad trees that surrounded myprostrate form. General Seilley remarked,no doubt for my encouragement, that he wouldgive five thousand dollars for my wound, in.order to get an honorable leave of absence andretire from the ragged edge of battle to thelanguishing, love-h-t eyes of his Buekeye belie.The old general was a wag, and between him-self, Jack Casement, Daniel Cameron. SknithHurt, John Gill, Wash. Melatyre aad myselfthere existed a eoraial friendship, oetsrde ofofficial rank, which never refused the friedchicken of the farmer, or the more exhilaratingenthusiasm that gurgled from the nsocsh of thaold canteen.

Let us drink to oar JrieadSwho Jen,Be their memory freefe. and green ;

For they served tfieir country well,lake the glorious oid canteen!

Captain Goodpaster, of company Ir waswounded in the face during the battle, andseveral men of the regiment were hit Nightset in with the Union lines defeated in theirdesigns against the enemy, but there was a gen-eral confidence that oar desperate onsfcughtwas the stepping-ston-e to early victory, a3 wasshown in the course of a few days, by John-ston relinquishing his grasp on the mountain,barrier, and retreating to his strong ficMwork?on the Chattahoochie Siver, and soon, after tothe fortified environments of Atlanta.

SH2KXA2f'S OX1.Y 305TAKR.The only mistake made by Sherman fronj

Chattanooga to Atlanta was his direct chargeand assault on Kenesaw. We lost about threethousand men in three hours, who might havebeen saved by one of those flank movements sosuccessful la previous advances; bat soldiersare paid to fight aad be kilkd. I think thaincessant skirmishing, bad roads, tearing uinderbrush, constant rains and daily retreats ofthe enemy, so worked upon the miad of thegeneral commanding, that when he saw a real,chance of engaging the Confederates in actualbattle, he bluntly determined to fight them, atany cost, and moved at once upon their ram-parts. It can readily be seen how natural iathe impulse to strike a retreating foe, particu-larly when he stands to fight every few miles,only to cover his crumbling lines to a fartherbase of operations. It is very aggravating toknow and feel that you can whip an enemy,but cannot catch him, and his show and blusterfor battle adds recklessness to ambition.

Dnring the months of ITay and June, 1S64,General Sherman lost about seventeen thou-sand men. When the nature of tho ground 13taken into consideration, and daily advancesagainst a stubborn enemy behind strong field-work- s,

contemplated in a military light, theaggregate loss is not large, and the wonder ilthat twice the number wero not lost

I laid in a field hospital tho night after thabattle, covered by tho spreading branches of an,oak, and by my side wero many other soldiers!who received their death wound that fatal day.The stars shono brighter than I ever saw thembefore, and while pain tortured ray body, mysoul wr.s wafted away into tho realms of fancyand patriotic contemplation that made me feel,in the event ofdeath, I would dier at least, theheroic death of a soldier, among comrades whobad fought and fell in battlo. I left my friendain front with regret, to suffer in hospital wardfor months, and hobble around on crutches, raceiviug the attention of doctors and the syapathy of "homo-guar- d ' karaaaity.

'

J