The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1860-05-19

Dreaming of their Scottish hills and
homes, their English fields and friends. may
have been many brave Britous in their cold
and wet 6ipos1ac. O, .ardy science! o, Ger
sted + O, Morse o, Cyrus w. Field why
were you not ready with your oceanic tele-
graph then, 70 tell those men of both armies
when they woke that they were not enemies
but friends and brothers, and send them Joy
full into each others arms? The ship that
bore this blessed news was still in mid
ocean eontending with its wintry winds and
waves. How much would have gone diff
ferentiy In our history If those tidings- had
arrived few days sooner But it Was not
to be-. This fight, il was the decree of
Providence, was lobe fought ont.
-
Steadily and fast che column of Gen.
Gibbs marched toward batteries numbered
six, seven and eight. which played upon it,
at first with but occasional effect, often miss
ing, sometimes throwing ball right into
its midst and causing it to reel and pause
for moment. Promptly were the gaps
filed up; bravely the column came on
AS they neared the line, the well-aimed shot
made dreadful havoc, "cutting great lanes
in the column from front to rear" and toss
them far on one side. At length, still
steady and unbroken, they came within
range of small arms, the rifles of CarrolPs
Tennesseeans, the muskets of Adair's Ken
tuckians, four lines of sharp shooters. one
behind the other. Gen. Carroll, coolly
waiting for the right moment, held his fire
till the enemy were within two hundred
yards, and then gave the word-'Fire ]"
Al first with certain elaboration, after
ward with the hottest haste, always with
deadly effect, the riiemen piled their terri
BILE weapon. The summit of the embank-
ment was line of squirting fire, except
where the great guns showed their liquid,
belching flash. The noise was peculiar and
altogether indescribable rolling. bursting,
echoing noise, never to be forgotten by the
man that heard it. Along the whole line il
blazed and rolled; the British batteries
showering rockets over the scene; Patter
sons batteries on the other side of the river
joining in the hellish concert. Imagine it
ask no one to describe it. Our words were
mostly made before such a scene had be-
come possible.
The column of Gen. Gibbs, moved by
the fire of the ridemen, still advanced
Gibbs at its head AS they caught sight o.
the ditch, some of the officers cried out:
where are the Forty fourth? If we gel
to the ditch, we have no means of crossing
and scaling the lines
Here come the Forty fourth Here
come the Forty-fourth ~ shouted the Gen
eral, adding. in an under tone, for his own
private solace, "that if he lived till 20 NOR
row he would hang Mullens to the highest
tree in the cypress wood
Reassured, these heroic men pressed on,
in the face of that murderous, slaughtering
| fire. But this could not last. With hall
its number fallen, and all its commanding
officers disabled except the General, its path
way strewed with the dead and wounded,
and the men falling ever faster and faster.
the column wayered and reeled $50 the
American rifemen thought like red ship
on tempestuous sea. At about hundred
yards from the lines the front ranks halted,
and so threw the column into disorder,
Gibbs shouting in the madness of vexation
for them to reform and advance. There was
no reforming under such IA fire. Once
checked, the column could not but break
and retreat in confusion.