The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-26 00:00:00

and redounds to our immortal honour. These facts
are true of Wilcox's, Pryor's, and Featherstone's
brigades, who formed our right; and we are posi-
tive, that from the composition of Whiting's, Hood's,
and Pender's brigades, who flanked the enemy and
formed our left, they never could be made to fal-
ter ; for Whiting had the 11th, 16th, and 2d Mis-
sissippi, and two other regiments unknown to us ;
Hood had four Texan and one Georgia regiment,
and the material of Pender's command was equally
as good as any, and greatly distinguished itself.
These were the troops mostly engaged and that suf-
fered most. It is gross injustice in any to talk of
our troops making three charges,'' repulses,' &c.
Our troops received the command but once, and if
Satan and all his host had confronted them, instead
of mortal Yankees, the result would have been the
same. There were no repulses—all arrangements
worked like a charm ; and .we ought not only to do
our soldiers justice, but heartily thank Providence
for His guiding hand and assistance in the immortal
events of Thursday and Friday.
" Money was found quite abundantly among
the slain. Some men, in interring the dead,
often searched the pockets, &c. ; one man finding
not less than 150 dollars in gold ; another fished
out of some old clothes not less than 500 dollars ;
another 1,000 dols. in Federal notes. Watches,
both gold and silver, were found among the spoils,
one lucky individual having not less than six chro-
nometers ticking in his pocket at one time. As a
general thing more money was found upon the dead
on the field than on any other of which we have
heard.

" Clothing in abundance was scattered about, and
immense piles of new uniforms were found un-
touched. Our men seemed to take great delight in
assuming Federal officers' uniforms, and strutted
about serio comically, much to the amusement of
dusty, powder-begrimed youths, who sat lolling and
smoking in the shade. Every conceivable article of
clothing was found in these divisional camps, and
came quite apropos to our needy soldiery, scores of
whom took a cool bath, and changed old for new
under clothing, many articles being of costly mate-
rial and quite unique.
" The amount of ammunition found was conside-
rable, and proved of very superior quality and manu-
facture. The exact amount captured we have not
yet ascertained, but from the immense piles of boxes
scattered through the camps we conjecture that the
enemy had laid in quite an unusual supply, expect-
ing to use it, doubtless, upon our devoted men ; and
so they would did our troops stand, as they do, at
long taw,' and not come to close quarters.'
" The cannon and arms captured in this battle
were numerous and of very superior workmanship.
The 26 pieces were the most beautiful we have ever
seen, while immense piles of guns could be seen on
every hand, many scarcely having the manufac-
turer's finish even tarnished. The enemy seemed
quite willing to throw them away on the slightest
pretext, dozens being found with loads still undis-
charged. The number of small arms captured, we
understand, was not less that 15,000, of every
calibre and every make.
" The Federal wounded were collected together,
and formed a very large field hospital. The court-
yard of a farm house was selected, and scores could
be seen reclining on the grass and expert surgeons
operating with much skill and zeal. By mutual
agreement surgeons are not considered prisoners of
war, hence at the close of the late battle many Fe-
deral surgeons remained behind, and their services
seemed very much appreciated by the men. As many
as could be were conveyed to town and attended to,
good conveyance being furnished, and much care
manifested for their welfare."

THE EXTRAORDINARY MURDER A2'

CHATHAM.

CHATHAM, FRIDAY.

The police have succeeded in apprehending the
supposed murderer of the lad Thomas 'Frederict
Houghton, whose body was discovered barbarously
murdered on Chatham-lines, on the afternoon of
Wednesday last. The supposed perpetrator of the
crime surrendered himself to police-constable Hib-
bert, 169, who was on duty in High-street, Chat-
ham, between 11 and 12 o'clock last night, the
accused stating that he wished to give himself into
custody for the murder of the boy on Chatham-
lines. The constable asked if he was serious in
what he had stated, when the prisoner said he had
committed the murder, and wished to give himself
up. The officer immediately took the man into
custody, and conveyed him to the office of super-
intendent Everist, where he gave his name as
Robert Alexander Burton, and his age 18 years.
After the superintendent had cautioned the prisoner
as to any confession he might make, the prisoner
said he had committed the murder in order that he
might be hung, as he was tired of his life. He
then voluntarily proceeded to say that he went out
on Wednesday afternoon with the intention of kil-
ling some person, and was not particular as to who
it was. He happened to see the deceased in the
town with his mother, and at once made up his
mind that he would kill him; After following
them for some distance the mother of the deceased
went into her house in Alma-terrace, High-street,
having previously given her son leave to go on the
Lines to play. The prisoner continued to state that
he then followed the poor child, and when near the
mound of chalk where the body was discovered he
thought it would be a favourable spot for committing
the deed. He accordingly seized the deceased and
threw him down, after which he cut his throat on
the right side with a knife which he had with
him. The deceased, he stated, struggled very much
and seized hold of his (prisoner's) hands, on which,
he said, he knelt on the body and pressed his throat
with both hands until the blood flowed from the
nose and eyes of deceased, and he was quite dead.
In answer to a question by Superintendent Everist
as to the cause of the bruises about deceased's face,
the prisoner said he only struck him once, and in-
flicted but one cut with the knife. While he was
engaged in struggling with deceased, the prisoner
said he saw two men in the employ of Mr. Gilbert
close to the heap of chalk, but he believed they did
not see him. After leaving the body, the prisoner
went on to state, he met a gentleman coming to-
wards him, and he then pushed his hands, which
were covered with blood, into his poeket, to prevent
his seeing them. He then proceeded to the military
bathing place, where he washed his hands and also
the blood of the knife, subsequently hiding the lat-
ter in a water-closet at the back of the Dark Sun
publichouse, High-street. He slept that night in a
yard at Chatham, and after wandering about all the
following day, gave himself up to the police.
After the prisoner had made the above statement
Superintendent Everist examined his clothes, when
he found considerable quantities of blood on the
front of his trousers, and also on the sleeves of his
coat. There was also blood on both pockets, as if
the prisoner had hastily pushed his hands into them,
as he stated. The prisoner having also informed the
police that after the murder he bad wiped his hands
on the front of deceased's shirt, the latter was exa-
mined, when marks of blood corresponding with
that statement were discovered upon it. The place
described by the prisoner in which he had concealed
the knife was likewise searched by the police, when
the knife, a rather small sharp case knife, was
found at the spot indicated.

This morning the prisoner was placed before the
Rev. J. Formby, Mr. J. Hulkes, and Mr. F. Foord
at the county magistrates' justice-room, Rochester,
charged on his own confession with the wilful mur-
der of Thomas Frederick Houghton. The prisoner
was not dressed in the same clothes that he had on
when apprehended. He is of very mild expression
of countenance, about 5 feet 6 inches in height, and
apparently about 18 years of age. It was stated
that he had been convicted at the same court a few
months since for appropriating some money which
was given to him by his master to pay a bill. lie
is by trade a carpenter.

After the charge had been read over to the pri-
soner by Mr. Furrell, one of the clerks, Mr. Formby
asked him if he had any reason to offer why he
should not be remanded until Monday ?
Prisoner—l'd rather be tried to-day, if I could.
Mr. Formby—Then you are remanded till Mon-
day next.
Ou being removed from the court to the cells the
prisoner was assailed by a volley of abuse from a
number of women and others, on which he coolly