Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-07-14


low fingered many days; he was even removed
to the ship before he died. Might not the blow.
ing out Of mans brains, under such clseum,
stances, be moi only iuslhable, but praiseworthy;
Up to this moment, not single musket pau
been discharged on either side, and the most
perfect silence prevailed throughout the ranks
Of both armies The British soldiers moved
forward with their accustomed fearlessness,
and the Americans, with much apparent cool
ness. stood 10 receive them. Now, however,
when little more than an hundred PAGES DIVIDED
the one line from the other, both parties maze
ready 10 bring matters more decidedly 10 per-
sonal struggle. The Americans were the frst
to use their small arms. Having rent the air
with shout, they fired Solley, begun up
on the right, and carried away regularly 10 the
extreme left and then loading again kef' up an
unintermitted discharge, which soon IN great
degree concealed them from our observation.
Nor were we backward in returning the salute
A hearty British cheer gave notice OF our Will
lingness to meet them; and firing and running
we gradually closed upon them, win the oesiSh
of bringing the bayonet into play.
hardly know what language 10 employ LOT
the purpose Of conveying to the mind OF the
reader who possesses no practical acquaintance
with The subject, something like clear idea OF
battle, at that period in lis progress at which
we have now arrived. Volley upon volley haV-
ing been given, we were now advanced wlthih
less than twenty yards of the American line; yet
such was the denseness Of the smoke, that II
was only when passing breeze swept away The
cloud for moment, that either force became
visible 10 the other. 1t was not, therefore, at
mems persons that the fire Of our soldiers was
directed The flashes Of the enemy's muskets
alone served as an object to aim at, as, without
doubt, the flashes Of our muskets alone guided
the enemy. At last, however, the wind sudden
" sprung up. The obscurity in which both
parties had been enveloped was cleared away;
and there, sure enough, STOOD our opponents,
not as they had stood an hour ago, in close and
compact array, but confused by he murderous
fire to which they had been exposed. Napo-
leon BonaParte has affirmed, thathe never WIT
messed any thing more terrific than the fire OF IA
British line Of infantry. The Ex-emperor was
perfectly correct In the armies Of other ma
lions, particularly in those Of America, many
marksmen, more expert as individuals, may be
found; but we may search the world over before
we shall discover troops, who, as body, take
aim with the same GOODNESS, reserve their hire so
WELL or, as a necessary consequence, pour 1t IN
with such tremendous effect as our own SOL
diers. OF this, the American bad to-day re-
ceived the most appalling proofs; numbers lay
dead at the feet of their comrades; numbers
more had retired manned wounded; and
those who still kept the field we've broken and
confused. One thing alone was required 70
complete the route Our gallant fellows, utter.
ing hearty cheer, threw in their last voley,and
then rushed forward with the bayonet; but
shock, which the flower Of European armies
had never been ahlese withstand, the Amerl-
cans Vshtured not 10 rece'-e-aL -l~-i in a
moment all order; and He'd, as every man best
could, from the field
There was but one road along which horses
or carriages could move and il became crow
ded 10 excess in moment. Whilst the infan-
try, dashing into the forest, thought to- conceal
themselves among its mazes, the cavalry, Of
which few squadrons had been drawn up on
their right, scampered off by the main road,
and was Immediately followed by guns, tum-
Drills, ammunition wagons, and the whole male
riei of the army. To arrest the progress Of all,
or some part of that force, became now our
great object "Hurrah for the guns" was a
word of command FIRST uttered by Col. Brooke;
it was repeated, with loud laughter and tu
multuous outcries, from one rank to another
and desperate and underwriting were the ef
forts which we made to overtake and cut off
such as were hihdmos,. But unhappily the
absence ofeven the mounted troopers told sorels
against us to day. The truth oft is, the A.
merican ordinance, drawn by fleet horses, readi-
ly escaped. And out OF the whole party, only
two guns, and one tumbril alone, fell into our
hands. Of prisoners, however, we were fortu-
nate enough to secure few. The fourth regi
ment, which had made detour, for the pur
pose Of turning the enemy's left, though it ar
rived not initime to take much share in the &C
ton, succeeded in cutting off abont half of a
battalion from the high road; and this body,
driven back upon its pursuers, saved itself
from humiliation by laying down its arms.
Thus ended the affair OF the 10Th of Sep
TENDER, after about an hour and half of pretty
severe fighting. On our part, the loss sustain
ed could not exceed two hundred men in all:
on the part of the Americans, at least donble
that number had fallen. The dead, indeed, lay
in clusters far more frequent, and far more
numerous, than any where at least discovered
on the field of Bladensburg; and as the proper
ton between the killed and wounded in an ar
my is usually as five to one, it was easy to
collect that the whole amount Of persons rem
lz,o L l. Iarn hnpr,