The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY

Centreville. This movement and the masked posi-
tion of my division made an impression upon the
inhabitants, some of whom were in secret communi-
cation with the enemy, that our army had left, and
that nothing remained be t a few regiments to gar-
rison this place. Jackson was signalled to this
effect, I saw their signals and divined their mean-
ing. About 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the 22d,
Ashby, believing that the town was almost eva-
cuated, attacked our pickets and drove them in.
This success increased his delusion. It became ne-
cessary, however, to repulse them for the time being,
I therefore ordered forward a brigade, and placed it
in front, between Winchester and the enemy. I
only let them see, however, two regiments of in-
fantry, two batteries of artillery, and a small force
of cavalry, which he mistook as the whole force left
to garrison and protect the place. In a little skir-
mish that evening, while placing the artillery in po-
sition, I was struck by a fragment of a shell, which
broke my arm above the elbow, injured my shoulder
and damaged me otherwise to such an extent that I
have lain prostrate ever since, I commenced mak-
ing preparations for any emergency that might occur
that night or the next morning. Under cover of
the night I ordered an entire brigade (Kimball's) to
take up a strong position in advance. I pushed for-
ward four batteries, having them placed in a strong
position to support the infantry. I placed Sullivan's
Brigade on both flanks to prevent surprise and to
keep my flank from being turned, and I held Tyler's
Brigade in reserve to operate against any point that
might be assailed in front. In this position I
waited and expected the enemy's attack next morn-
in. My advance brigade was two miles from the town,
its pickets extending perhaps a mile further along
the turnpike road leading to Strasburg. About S
o'clock in the morning I eent forward two officers
to reconnoitre the front end report indications of
the enemy. They returned in an hour, reporting
no enemy in sight except Ashby's force of cavalry,
infantry, and artillery, which by this time had
become familiar and contemptible to us. General
Banks, who was yet here in person, upon hearing
the report, concluded that Jackson could not possi-
bly be in front, or be decoyed so far away from the
main body of the rebel army. In this opinion I be-
gan to concur, concluding that Jackson was too sa-
gacious to be caught in such a trap. General Banks
therefore left for Washington. his staff officers
were directed to follow the same day, by way of
Centreville. Knowing the crafty enemy, however,
I had to deal with, I omitted no precaution. My
whole force was concentrated, and prepared to sup-
port Kimball's Brigade, which was in advance.
About half-past 10 o'clock it became evident we
had a considerable force before us ; but the enemy
still concealed himself so adroitly in the woods that
it was impossible to estimate it. I ordered a por-
tion of the artillery forward to open fire and un-
mask them. By degrees they began to show them-
selves. They planted battery after battery in
strong position, on the centre and on both flanks.
Our artillery responded, and this continued until
about half-past 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when I
directed a column of infantry to carry a battery on
their left flank and to assail that flank, which was
done promptly and splendidly by Tyler's Brigade,
aided by some regiments from the other brigades.
The fire of our infantry was so close and destruc-
tive that it made havoc in their ranks. The result
was the capture of their guns on the left and the
forcing back of their wing on the centre, thus plac-
ing them in a position to be routed by a general
attack, which was made about five o'clock by all the
infantry, and succeeded in driving them in flight
from the field. Night fell upon us at this stage,
leaving us in possession of the field of battle, two
guns and four caissons, 300 prisoners, and about
1,000 stand of small arms. Our killed in this en-
gagement cannot exceed 100 men ; wounded, 233.
The enemy's killed and wounded exceed 1,000. The
inhabitants of the adjacent villages carried them to
their houses as they were removed from the field of
battle. Houses between the battlefield and Stras-
burg, and even far beyond, have since been found
filled with the dead and dying of the enemy. Graves
have been discovered far removed from the road,
where the inhabitants of the country buried them

as they died, Gen. Banks, in his pursuit of the
enemy beyond Strasburg, afterwards found houses
on tho road 22 miles from the battlefield in this
manner, and presenting the most ghastly spectacle.
The havoc made in the ranks of the rebels has struck
this whole region of country with terror. Such a

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blow has never fallen on them before, and it is more

crushing because quite unexpected. Jackson and his
stonewall brigade, and all the other brigades accom-
panying him, will never meet this division again in
battle. During the night they managed to carry
off their artillery in the darkness. We opened
upon them by early light next morning, and they
commenced to retreat. General Banks returned
from Harper's Ferry between 9 and 10 o'clock a.m.,
and placed himself, at my request, at the head of
the command, ten miles from the battle-field, pur-
suing the enemy. Reinforcements, which we had
ordered back from Williams' Division, and which I
had ordered forward during the night, now came
pouring in, and with all these we continued the pur-
suit, pressing them with vigour and with repeated
and destructive attacks, as far as Woodstock, where
we halted from mere exhaustion. The enemy's
sufferings have' been terrible, and such as they have
nowhere else endured since the commencement of

this war; and yet such were their gallantry and
high state of discipline that at no time during the
battle or pursuit did they give way to panic. They
fled to Mount Jackson, and are by this time, no
doubt, in communication with the main body of
the rebel army. I hope to be able in a few days to
ride in a buggy, and place myself at the head of
my command ; but I have neither sufficient force
nor sufficient rank to do that service to the country
that I hope and feel I am capable of. No man
could be better treated than I am by Gen. Banks,
and yet if he and his command had been here on
the 22d you would have heard nothing of a fight,

leeause our wily enemy would not have been en

trapped. I want an efficient cavalry regiment--the
3d United States Cavalry, for instance—and addi-
tional infantry. I wish you would see the Secretary
of War, for instance, in rel.tion to the matter. I
can do the country service if they give me a chance.
" JAMES SHIELDS."

The Federal troops had occupied Shipping Point,
on the Lower Potomac, where the Confederates
recently had one of their most formidable batteries.
All the Confederates lately in that vicinity have
left, with the exception of a few cavalry, which
occasionally make their appearance at some distance
from the Federal lines.

The army under General Curtis, in Arkansas, at
last accounts had fallen back es far as Cross Timber
Hollows, on account of a scarcity of forage where
they were previously located. The Confederates,
numbering some 35,000 men, under Price and Van
Dorn, had retreated entirely across the Boston
Mountains, and were at Van Buren and Fort Smith,
receiving supplies from Memphis and Little Rock,
by way of the Arkansas river. The Texan troops
are represented to be much disheartened by the loss
of M'Culloch, and the death of M'lntosh was
severely felt among the Arkansas troops, Pike's
Indians had mostly returned home, the artillery
having, it is said, created a great panic among them.

Fayetteville is now unoccupied by the Federal
forces, though the Federal pickets extend beyond

there, while those of the Confederates come north to
the summit of the Boston Mountains. There will

probably be another encounter of the two armies

soon, though where it is not stated at present.

General Burnside has taken possession of Beau-
fort without opposition, the Confederates having re-
tired to Fort Macon, which they still held. A de-
spatch from Baltimore, dated the 30th, gives the
following account:—

"The rebels burnt the bridge on the railroad be-
tween Newber❑ and Beau f,,rl-, but it was being re-
paired, and the road would soon be in operation
between the two places. So far as our informants
Ilnow, all of whom came from Newbern and had

not been at Beaufort, there was no destruction of

property at the latter place, and a large majority of
the citizens remained quietly in their houses on the
approach of the Federal forces. All the rebel sol-
diers in the vicinity shut themselves up in Fort
Macon. Their n umbers were variously represented

by citizens of Beaufort at from 30Cto 600 men.

The fort was said to be but slightly provisioned,