Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-08-27
NUMBER !, Q.

Fl.y ~ ~ y. n a 1t ~
ia, -,-5.,i NUMBER 3.
Scott was approaching, AID from which diverged
at right angles the lane. From their rear were
marching TO JOIN them, up this same river road, re-
niorcements, while ours were to come along it
from above. We need hardly say. that ttiis was
Rial, and that instead of having taccording to the
positive information Brow n was acting on) sent oil
one thousand of his men across the river, he had
not sent one; but on the contrary, was in the act
ofuniting with a, large force whichhad arrived by
the Lake at Fort George from Kingston and Pres
colt, the night before, by a concerted movement,
under Lieutenant-G General Gordon Drlnmond.--:
Strange to tell information had been sent to Brown
OF a movement ofthe enemy, as occurring only a
few hous before, which had not happened at all;
while they had left him in complete Ignorance of
this most important event in the same quarter,
happening the night before! Such was the situa-
ton in which, at glance, Scott saw himself to be
placed; If he fought, itlnust be at much dsadyan
age; and it was too late to draw off, except BY a
retreat which could hardly help being presently
turned into fight. Now, fight wasa thing he
had neverseen, and was not born to see. So he de-
cided Instantly to engage, as if len. Brown whole
force was present, and to fght it out, Mt whatever
odds until the latter could come to his assistance;
to which end he sent him, by asecond aid de-campl
an account of the whole state of things. .it H. ti5
TWAS now nearly sunset. Scott had seen that
on the,enemy's left flank, lay space Of some two
hundred yards, covered with brushwood, under a
concealment ofwhcln that fnna might be turned.a
He instantly took advantage fit and sent 'uponb
the service Jcsups battalion. They performed
the duty finely; for they not only turned but broke
they way back through the enemy S left wing, and
after thus cutting it off, returned to their own
place, in line, bringing with them Major Gen.
Rail- and some other British officers MS prisoners.
! While we thus demolished their left wing,
they attempted to return us the compliment upon
ours, which their right considerably out-fanked.-.
But Scott, always as quick TO foil his adycrsary's
manGurres as to strike by his own, met this move
ment with McNeil's smaller But invincible battal-
lion. A deadly contest followed but the ;enemy
was at last driven back, though not without severe
loss on both sides. Meantime the main battle of
the two centres had joined, and was fought most
desperately Bradysa battalion, 9Leavenworths
batnllion and Towson's artillery there sustained
with ,lnshaken ntrepdity the whole weight of the ,
enemy superior numbers; and now to add to the
horrors of the fight, the light of day, which, gist
cng through tile spray of the great cataract be-
hind our columns hen they engaged, had spread
abovet their heads TO the enemy's view, a bright +,
rainbow, as if the promise of victory was gone;
and darkness, thickcned by the smoke of battle
only lighted up for an instant by the urtilefys
Iglow or the musketg's gleam, come to- add to all
that tug of the combat blind fury, the vereSt
of war that can be Dreatled into the breasts of men
when they set their teeth like vice and their SIM
ews like steele, and swear that nothing shall make
| them yield. twas thus our men fought through
1.-THE ferceness of that bloody night-encountcr.-5
Scott, letting loose all that personal daring which
liza gcneralmust control, was everywhere, annating
and directing or leading, watching every shock q
Ior shift Of the fight. His horse killed updcr
him; he mounted another: that by and by, fell
dead; he was quicklyin the saddle Of 4 third: lie
was himsefwOunded inthe body; but still fough,
ion, if he had been bulletiproof. The conflict (
went thus until about o clock, when Gen. Brown
larrived' on the ground. The enemy had received
several achievements from below; and another
not far off; but still we had the advantage; their
wings was beaten their centre only maintained the
contest, aided by their advantage OF position
ridge and their yet greater advantage in the spcr
oriforce and position of their artillery, which was
more than twice numerous as ours siNEhe that
WAS unaken twas evident that we could not de- $
feat their centre; and as we had almost too little.
force to stand up against their centre, it had been
impossible until Browli's s,tccors came up to
sail their fatal aEtil That, of course rs on
rs he had made Scott repeat 10 him how matters
stood at all points, became the first measure which
he Took The regiment OF Coll Miller, the heroic
modesty of whose reply on that occasion will lclig
preserve his name and his phrase as a awatchword! !!
TO Americans, was selected for this perilous ser
| vice. q lHewas summoned. sc Sill" said Brown 10
him, g can you takethat battery 3.Ia.s1w will try1
with his corps. But, ignorant of the ground, and
with nothing to lead him over it but the occasional
light those deadly explosions themselves that he
was going to muZze, he might have missed the way,
fallen upon some intervening forces, and failed,1
Scott, therefore, who knew " how the whole land
lay" became his pilotin person, and led him thro'
the darkness up tothe point from which the attack
was to be made. ID That done he returned to his
own division, in order to favor Miller,s noy ement
by pressing the onset upon The enemy front
Miller advanced stealthily to within striking dis
tance of tho batteries and then rushed upon them
with the bayonet. After a short but bloody CON
test he captured then-an event, we may say, de-
cisive of the battle for although tile enemy made
repeated attempts to recover their guns and teir po-
stion, they were as often driven back by the un-n
ainching steadiness Of our mfn ltwas past eleven
O. clock, however, before they finally with no very
good grace, gave UP the contest and Abandoned the
field to us. In driving back one ofth last ofthese
obstinate and bloody charges avery
severe muskct-slot wound, whichshattered all the
boees Of his left shoulder, and still greatly disables
thtst arm. Gen. Brown, also, was badly wounded
borne from the field, with hurts that left doubtful
| if either would ever be able to, serge again, We
have only to add, in regard to the fight OF CMppe-
wa, that if modern times can show us battles on a
greater scale or more decisive IN their
than this ,Lundys Lane or Bridgewater, they can
present none more skilfuly or bloodily contested
for again Gas at Chippewa3 the loss among all those
engaged may be fairly stated asprobably one in
every four, killed wounded, OF taken.!iidg SiE4o e
| -'i'lS Hrr. Iawrcnc cc's II eturn. ( -
4 In reference to the return of the Hon.. Amor
LAwRFxcE to the United States from his mission in
England, the London Mems makes the following
! observations: .;. -, Il I'D s,t.:s7
+ s"The American journals appear to have some
doubts whether their Minister at this Court has or
has not tendered lsresgnatio Thereis, howeyer;
for doubt o, on the subject, for it as been
| some time known on this side of the Atlantic
that Mr. Lawrence terminates his mission to Eng
lard in the course oftheautllm. His present ar
rangements, it is understood, will eary him home
| in the first week in October, when Mr. Davis will
4 assume charge of the United States ministry in
4 England. .ss'4Hti t1si =. - ..ss.' E 81. .as-
Il chr Lawrence,s resignation has not il is pIetty5
CERTAIN been produced by any differences OF opinion
with any OF loss Of confidence in him by his
own Governments but is owing solely tepiiSate and