The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-02 00:00:00

THE CAVALRY FIGHT AT ALDIE.

The special correspondent of the New York Times
gives the following detailed account of the cavalry
fight at Aidie on the 17th ult., which is described
as one of :.he sharpest eavatry battles of the war:—

" Aldie, Wednesday, June 17.
" The advance of General Gregg's cavalry command
reached this place about 2 o'clock this afternoon, where two
brigades of the enemy, commanded by General Stuart in
person, were found in possession. After three hours' hard
fighting they were forced to retire. The fight while it lasted
was one of the sharpest that has occurred during the war,
and as a cons, quence the loss of officers and men on both
sides is very heavy. The enemy's pickets were first en-
countered a little east of the village by companies H and M
of the 2d New York (Harris) Light Cavalry, under the
command of Lieutenant Daniel Whittaker, and were by
them driven through the town back to a ridge of hills half
a mile to the west, extending across from the Middle-
burgh and Snicker's Gap-road, where the rebel force was in
position ready for action. The advance brigade, under Gem
Kilpatrick, immediately moved through to the western
edge of the town. The Ist Maine (Colonel Douty) was sent
off to a point half a mi e to the left, and the 4th New York
(Colonel Cesnola) to the light, to support a section of An-
drews's battery, placed on a rise of ground north of the
Snicker's Gap-road. The enemy at this time occupied the
hill, as before stated, where they bad four guns in position;
a line of their skirmishers occupied a fence on the eastern
slope, and a long ditch, just in front of which were half-a-
clez,n stacks of hay, thus commanding both Midd►eburgh
and Snicker's Gap-road. A stronger position could not
well have been selected. When the exact position of the
enemy had been ascertained by drawing their fire, General
Kilpatrick rode up to the 2d New York (Harris Light),
and said then was tho time for them to wipe out the
reflection cast upon them for their alleged misconduct in
the fight of last week at Brandy Station, He ordered them
to charge into the valley and secure the haystacks ; the
ditch or ravine at the rear of this position had not then been
discovered. Companies H and M, accompanied by Lieuts
Whittaker. Raymond, Martinson, Homan, and Stuart,
moved off down the Middleburgh-road, the fence to the
right was quickly thrown down, and with a dash this for-
lorn hope rushed up to the haystacks, For the first time
their fire was opened from the ditch a little to the rear of
the haystacks. This was filled with rebel caval-y, many of
them armed with rifles. Capt. Grintar with Lieutenants
:tlattison and Shafer, and Company K. dashed up imme-
diately to the support of these companies, F, I, D, and G
went to the rivet up the Snicker a Gap road a piece,
turned to the lett, crossed the field, and reached the scene
of conflict in time to teke an active part. The contest for
20 minutes at this point was about as spirited a scene as is
often witnessed on a bettlefiekl. Toe 6th Ohio, Major
iteactmen, was sent up the road to the left to support the
Harris Light, when the whole command, with the Major at
its held, dashed into the fight just in time to decide the
unequal contest, The rebels were forced to abandon their
position, and all who were not killed or captured fled pre-
cipitately up the hill. They made a short s- awl behind the
.ence, when a dash from a battalion of the 4th New York,
called on from its position behind the battery, together with
he other regiments already named, drove them pell-mell
over the hill, The Ist Maine about this time was called in
from the left, and with the Ist Massachussets, stationed
on the Snicker's Gap road, sent to a position held by the
id battalion of the 4th New York. The rebels at this
time charged down the same road and drove before
them a squadron,. when General Kilpatrick ordered
the Ist Maine (Colonel Doti ry), Ist Massachusette
(Lieutenant-Colonel Curtis, and a battalion of the 4th New
York, under Colonel Cesnola, to charge up the road. There
was a little hesitancy at first, when General Kilpatrick, ac-
companied by Cole, el Delay, ot the Ist Maine, and Captain
Costar, of General Pleasanton's Staff, went to the front and
called upon the toops to follow. Thera was no hesitancy
'hen. Ibe Maine boys gave three cheers for General Kil-
patrick, and the whole column made a dash up the road in the
faceofa terrible fire from carbines,riflles, end cannon, sweep-
ing everything before them. This virtually ended the fight.
'The rebels, after a little more skirmishing, fell back, and
our forces to-night occupy their position. Col. Cesnola was
under arrest at the commencement of the action, but set
such a gallant example ro his men, by leading the first
eharge without his sword, that upon returning to the road
General Kilpatrick released him from arrest and placed
upon him his own sword. He immediately after partici-
pated in the charge with the Ist Maine, Ist Massachusetts,
and 4th New York, and has not been seen since. A ser-
geant ot the regiment asserts that he saw the Colonel fall,
end he is sure that he was killed, and some of the rebel
prisoners confirm this report. But the report of his death
's not generally believed. In this charge Gen. Kilpatrick
had a horse shit under him, and Colonel Douty, of the Ist
Maine, was killed. When returning from the charge the
body was found by Capt. Vaughn, who had itproperty cared
tor. Two shots struck him, probably at about the same time.
The Ist Massachusetts captured the battle flag of the 4th Vir-
ginia Cavalry. More than 100 prisoners were captured, mem-
bers principally of the ls•, 3d, 4th, and sth Virginia cavalry.
They say they were under the command of General Stuart.
Among the prisoners is one colonel, three majors, and a lot
of line officers. The major and 60 men, who were stationed
behind the haystacks, were nearly all captured. The major
considered his position impregnable, not believing that any
cavalry would dare make a ch..rge upon the place, swept as
the whole field was by three lines of guns. The meeting of
General Gregg's command was entirely unexpected by the
rebels. Stuart had arrived thus far on a forced march into
Maryland, having marched 25 miles this morning, and ex-
p. Ming t be on the road again in the evening. Two regi-
ments had entered the town, and had pressed into their ser-
vice all the blacksmith's toools to be found ; and when our
advance guard approached they were busily engaged shoeing
horses. To-day the command of Colonel Duffle passed
through Thoroughfare G .p, after a brief fight, and to-night
occupies Middleburgh, five miles from Alaie, and in the rear
of Stuart's army. Stuart will have to fight to-morrow at a
disadvantage or, what is more probable, sneak oft to-night
Captain Allen, of the 4th New York Cavalry, came through
the rebel lines with this news."

THE CHARITY CHILDREN IN ST. PAUL'S.—
When the children rise again, there rises bimul-
taneously in a tall red box, like aPunch's show with the top
eft; an energetic figure in a surplice, armed with a long
a ick ; the organ begins to play, and, led by the man in the
surplice, the children commence the Hundredth Psalm,
which is sung in alternate verses, the children on the right
taking the first verse, and the second being taken up by
those on the left, I had heard much of this performance,
and, like, all those things of which we hear much, I was a
litcle disappointed. I had heard of people being vety much
affected ; of their bursting into tears, and showing other
signs of being overcome. I saw nothing of this. The
voices of the children were fresh, pure, and ring-
ing ; but where 1 stood at least, very close to
the chcir, there was a shrillness in the tone,
which at times was discordant and almost painful. There was also a marked peculiarity in the strong
sibillation given to the letter " S" in any words in
which it occurred. Several times during the ensuing ser-
vice the children sang much in the same manner, and I
began to think that all I had heard was overrated, when
alter a farm n during which many of them had refreshed
themselves with more than forty winks, and considerably
more than forty thousand nods, they burst into the glorious
Hallelujah chorus. The result was astonishing. I cannot
describe it, At each repetition of the word "Hallelujah,"
by the 4,000 fresh voices, you felt your eyes sparkle and
your cheeks glow. There was a sense of mental and phy-
sical exhilaration which I not only felt myself, but marked
in all around me. Now for the first time I unc'erstood how
the effect of which I had been told had been produced; now
I comprehended how the "intelligent foreigner" (who is
always brought foward as a reference) had said that such a
performance could not be matched in the world.—Dicksns's
" All the Year _Round."
MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS FOR THE YEAR 1862-
1863.—The total amount ti these receipts is
£2,753,560 for the year. The fees received at the public
offices in England placed to this account were £128,865.
The same in Scotland amounted to £43,909, and in Ireland
to £15,935. These are divided into separate items, among
which the fines for specialties received at the police-courts
in England figure at £11,724. Among other items are
£4,614 balance of fees received in the Jewel House at the
Tower of London, £1,038, the proceeds of condemned
slaves captured off the Gold Coast, &c., and of certain
piratical vessels and gouda condemned in the Vice-Admi •
ratty Court at Hong Kong ; £19,1;,9 gross revenue of the
Lo,idon Gazette, £3,571 for the Edinburgh Gazette, and
1,301 for tne Dublin Gazette.
line official Annuario of Public Instruction, just
published at Turin for the current year, states the number
of universities in Italy at 19. The total number of lyceums
throughout the kingdom of Italy is 87, with 3,896 pupils ;
the number of grammar schools or gymnasia is 230, with
14,281 pupils, The number of pupils in the elementary
schools is 801,202, viz., 459,272 boys and 311,929 girls.
A convict, named Lenj iret, who escaped some
days ago from two gendarmes by lecping from a
railway carriage between Saumur and Orleans, but
was soon after re-captured and lodged in prison at
Chinon (Indre-et-Loire), has again succeeded in making
his escape. 1 hough locked up in the strongest cell
of the new prison, he managed to remove one of the
bars across the window, and to get through the opening
thus made. He L ext forced the door of the inner wall with
the window bar, and then broke a hole through the outer
wall and got clear off. All this was done in less than an
hour, far he was safe in his cell at two in the morning and
was not to be found at three. As an additional security
against escape, the convict's clothes and shoes had been
taken from him over night, so that he had nothing to cover
him in his flight but a shirt and the prison blanket. No
trace of him has yet been found,