The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-30 00:00:00

&c., and dine. At 2 o'clock moved fo,

crowded with troops, artillery waggons, a,
commissary. Sharp, heavy, and fierce figh
upon our left all day, and increasing as evenin,
We, to gain our old position on the extreme rig::

up steeps hills crowned with trees in full foliage,
our canteens at a beautiful spring gushing out of the moun-
tain side, we crested the steep incline, and, concealing our-
selves behind logs and trees, the hills soon took up the echoes
of the spang of the rifles as we shot at one another—we and
the Secesh—across a deep valley, from one high summit to
another—we putting double charges of powder in our long-
range Enfields to throw and hit further and harder. Mind,
'tis regulation contract powder we use You'd scarcely
credit it, but so it was, while we kept up a running fire of
skirmishing with the rebels, so did we and they a running
fire of fun and with what is denominated chaff. Go home,
you Yank ; you're no account. You shoot a mile too high-'
' Curse you, Secesh, give me a fair show, and I'll bring
you,' Of course, I will, if you do the same ;eh I Yank,
honour mind I' On honour, I will, old fellow.' 'All right,
then, Yank, hero you are I' Secesh shows himself a little
_ _

. _
from behind a tree, when spang, spang, go half a dozen
rifles; but 'rob' is too fast—dodges back. ' Missed, you
fools, you! now give me a show ;' and so on ; but 'twas
next day all the fun was. We having orders to hold the
position did so, but did not push on ; which 'twould be
sheer madness to do so, as we would have no way of pro-
tPcting, ourselves, there being no trees on the steep incline.
There we remained cautiously watching one another, and
when the puff of smoke showed where a rifle was fired our
bullets flew in and round them thick and heavy. The sun
sets, dusk, and then darkness, and shouldering our rifles
we hunt our regiment up, and not being permitted to light
fires, we rolled in blankets supperless, and there being no
rain slept soundly till reveille. Morning bright and watery,
sun hot, close, and very sultry; marched a mile or so;
there was sharp musketry firing, heavy cannonading, which,
with the crash of bursting shells, resounded and rebounded
in deep hollow echoings from hill to hill, which added to the
grand and solemn sublimity of the beautiful scenery around,
and caused feelings to permeate through your bosom inde-
scribable—so awful, so awe-inspiring, God help us all I but
a battle scene is terrible, horribly beautiful in its excitings,
of charges made and repulsed, the wavering lines, the re-
charge,chcers—maddening, furious,the tearing and bursting
of grape:and shells through living masses, and the pursuit
and horrible carnage, where all is forgotten in the one sole
thought of revenge and slaughter. Our time has come ; we
pass several regiments camped who have had their two days'
bloody work performed. That little yellow flag over the tents
yonder show you where the wounded lie ; that detail of men
with picks and spades bespeak the solemn duty of the burial

of the dead ; the saddened faces of those groups of men tell
of friends and :comrades lost, but all is soon forgotten
in the stern duty that is now before you. Men, fill
your canteens (if wounded) thirst is agonising, and, mind,
any man found straggling from his company -without suffi-
cient reason shall be shot down,' Such were our orders, and
proper too. We filed again to the right, again up steep, high
hills, the men smothering under knapsacks, dog-tents,
blankets, and our three daye' rations; but soon these were
thrown away (not rations), save what little mementos of
home and dear friends which each one took from his knap-
sack. At length we reached the top, and, marching down
by rail or worm fence (of which more anon). We halted on
the hill-side, and two companies at a time were thrown out
as skirmishers (two hours at a time) ; we hid ourselves as
well as we could by an open rail fence from the rebel bullets,
which flow over and into our company and cowponies, C, J,
F, and A, our flanking ones that is, when the rebels shot
too high at our skirmi,hers, who were treed below us, while
the rebels were thickly concealed in a wood, which topped
a very high and steep hill right in front, and partly on our
right flank, over us. Thus were wo exposed to what is
termed a plunging fire, while 50 or 80 yards further back
we'd have been comparatively safe. Firing soon began
pretty sharp, when one of our fellows ' Hallett ?
lecla ?" Yes ; we knew ye.' Tbey were the men we fought
in every battle we've keen in, and, strange to say, here
were we now opposed to one another again. Glad to see
you, 22d ; how the -- did ye hang together so long ?'
Go to -; there's enough of us left to whip ye again,
you - Secesh.' Don't lose your temper, Yank ; how's
Mike Gooding (our Colonel, taken prisoner by these same
fellows at Perryville fight last October); is he with you yet ?'
' Yes, he's here." Tell 'aim to come up and see us; there
are some old friends of "ojs who'd like to have him again.' At
this taunt crack, ere ck, go a lot of rifles, which are quickly
answered. The- , silence for some time, save the echoing
report of the
rifle and the distant cannonading, heard now
and ther.:ear away to our right, which creates many surmises
as
' furi)w burst of
.=
was pushin3 through Hovey s Gap ;
I.4whose corps or division is fightin )
g off
or the there (then ‘Rosey'