Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-07-14
BATTLE OF BALTIMORE.
From Ga Subaltern in .Americd.
CONTINUED from Yesterday

with ali precipitation before them The wood
was accordingly empiied In tree; ou! on
reaching its skirts, we found what we mad, 10
saw the truth, expected TO find, that the rihemen
now dislodged were nothing more than the out
posts; or rather advanced corps, OF regular
army. At the opposite extremity OF lew open
fields, about six or seven thousand men "ere
drawn up in line Their lett resting upon
lake. and their right extending TO the mouth oil
creek. their centre was protected by high
nailinrs. and row Of lofty trees, whilst all be-
fore them was exposed and bare, TO the distance
Of nearly half a mile Of artillery, they appear
ed 10 have some six or eight pieces in the held.
These were arranged, two upon the main ROAD,
which fell in towards the right OF the position,
three somewhat farther 10 the left, and the re-
Inainder singly, and at different intervals DE-
tween the corps of infantry. About nan mus
k.t-sbo, in front Of them, was farm house,
surrounded by numerous barns, stables, and
stack ward. Whether or not they had hiiea II
with troops, we had no means OIL ascer.aih'ns'
but il occurred to Charlton that u mish. oe
worth vile TO seize il, in case they shouiu nave
neglected a measure to them oil so muen III.
portance With this view, we lost no time IN
rushing on. We sprung over the Pailing, and
bavine received two discharges of grape from
abe guns upon the road, reached the house IN
question, with the loss OF only three men, The
enemy had no, occupied it; we took possession
withou, DELAY, and rejoicing sincerely IN the err
ror Of which they had been guilty, determined
that no efforts should on our parts be wanting
TO hinder them from retakipg II.
Established in this snug post, abundant lei
sure was granted for observing as well the ais
positions made by the enemy TO receive the at
tack, as the advance OF our own troops to make
aud most ahuas1ng spss;. she Rai1o iRfe
mericans, mounted officers could be seen rid
ing backwards and forwards, apparently en-
couraging their men to do their duty. Some
companies moving from its rear, wheeled up
into the line; others quitting the line, fell back
towards the reserve But The corps which at
,racted the chief share of our attention, consist
ed of the identical riHemen, whom we had so
lately driven before US out OF the wood. they
continued for some time TO drop in, by sections
Of eight. si1 and ten, and taking post in rear OF
the line, resumed, as they best could something
like order Nor were other manifestations ola
resolution TO keep their ground wanting. Sew
eraI tumbriIs and ammunition wagons arriving,
were speedily emp,ied Of their contents; and
casks of cartridges, ranged at intervals behind
the men, bore testimony TO the zeal with which
the store keepers department had been attend
ed 10. Such was The condition Of affairs on the
right. Away towards the left again, good
deal of marching and counter marching went
Oh; but whether il arose from Encouragement
in The original disposition Of force, cannottell.
II struck me, however, as being highly injudi-
cious, to render raw troops thus unsteady, at
the very moment when they were about 10 come
under FIRE, and confess that | did not augur
very favourably of the determination which on
that flank al least, the Americans would exhio
it. Lastly, the heads of two columns appear
4. 81 al, nnta Eat
pointed out how the reserve was stationed, and
almost told Of what numbers il consisted.
How different was the prospect to which
glance tow ards our rear introduced US! We
had taken possession OF the farmhouse perhaps
ten minutes or quarter of an hour before the
leading divisions of our own troops began to
emerge from the forest AS soon however, as
they showed themselves, a flank movement to
the right was made, and The s5th Regiment,
in beautiful regularity, spread itself at extended
order, over the whole Of the enemy's 'front.' The
seamen, who came next, marched straight tor
ward along the road, until they had arrived
within cannon shot Of the American line, where
thew halted. The 4th Regiment arriving after
them, wheeled off. as the sSth had done, to the
right: but instead of extending itself, filed a. |
long in column of half companies, by. the rear
of the light troops till it los, to farther OBJ
ssrvalion in grove A similar movement
was made by the 44th, and battalion of Ma
rines,- who, forming line in the open field,
stood to support the skrmishers, whilst the
9lst, taking mp its ground on the road, came in
on the year of the column of which the seamen
constituted the front. All these formations
were executed with as much GOODNESS and pre-
cision as if the whole had been nothing more
than re view; and in the eyes ofus who watch
ed il, the spectacle was in the highest degree
interesting.
In the meanwhile, neither the American ar
tillery nor our own remained idle. The head
of the column no sooner appeared, than the en-
emy's pieces, which commanded the rad, open
ed upon il, and though the range was some
what long, did considerable execution. 10
check this Captain Carmichael, by whom the
British artillery was commanded, instantly or