Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-27
rIS LATE fight At DRANESyILLE-A0couSr
=RY AN OFFICER wHo PARTICIPATED IN IT
c,rreseoL ',ncs OF lhe Lynchburg virglnian
HEADQUARTERS llrH Va. Vols.
CAMP NEAR CKSTREviLLE,
n...n,hn- u 1881

tho ble Of Dranesve fought yesterday by our forces
numbering some 1000 men, under Gen J. H. b. STUART
aad large numoer OF Fedsrsli (SVOo) commsnoeu, Hs
il supposed by Geo. Mccall, sLroOgy posted at tnat
MACE Our movement Wss to protect large Tram OF
wag,ns sent out 10 tOrage-tbs iotca consisting OF tne
Ii Kentucky, Col Taylor 9Th South Carolina Lieut.
Gil Sscrsst, ION Alabama, Col Forney and lin VIZ
s',, Col G1rlind with four pieces OF Cuts MOBILE
aud $50 cavalry, all under command oil General
S,rars
Hs,ems the enemy GOT wind Of our movements
through SPIES and advanced large force TO Dranesvle
to meet "a picking he best and most advantageous po
stoa 20 command " To commence with details: We
l-f, QUE camp at this psce at ocock, A. NJ, Friday
having orders report to Gen. stuart al six TO De gone
az We first anticipated three days our OH ct oelng 10
cover aud protect an extended 'front.' while the wagons
were gl,heuny forage, Intending to make Dranes'he
hssdqlIters for the time being, scarcely anticipating
fight but prepared meet any emergency IN case We
were attacked Our route lay ON the OA koad, crossing
the Loud)un and Hinp3i Ire IA road ana enteriue AZ
Dcaassy Q prorsr where the battle took pace We had
marched some Ia miles when an order came from Ten
Stlart Who had discovered the ftnkees about hat
mile from gile, 10 come rapidly up the llth VIZ
gaia being IN front and hfs on the ground, getlng mo
he hSnt without ever scarcely hating The two ride
companies vere Immediately deployed as skrnishers-
Company A (R hS Grsys) the right OF the road aud
company D. (sInclsiie Rih%) on the lefs but the
former, ouilg to a misrepresentation OF orders
20. 70 far to the right Ia the woods and were
lost 20 Us during the day. The main topographic feA-
lures OF the country consists chiefly Of heavy forests
interpreted in many places With the hckest OF pines
except eonus,ed opening both on the Middle turn
pike aud Ok road. A ravine extended along the pike
s!ooing up from which the hill commenced, the enemy
being posted On il with commanding position, while
we occupied asO rising grOund 90 the Ok road. The
hgbt commenced 10 minutes before l2 between ad'
varced skirmshers OF the enemy aud these Of company
d. the firing being quite heavy I'd ending in the RAPID
fiicg back Of the enemy, men chasing them some
400 yards With eondnasd yelling, which was joined in
by our regiment ard 'he South CaIolniaus, bon double
81. f,fVt,
within hailng distance of the enemy, and while the
firing was s,l going between the skrmlshers, the
Eleventh Virginia hlsd 70 the right OF the Ok road
aud formed mo line Of battle just along thcket
OF pines while the SIKH South tarolra did the s1me
on the lefs The enemy, who seemed TO be thrown
into Confusion al FIRST rallied and formed into line OF
battle Ga the opposite hnl jus. parallel TO Us ard
opeaed fire with their onc range Minnie muskets do
ing some execution. party Of their picked sharp
shOo,e aanoytd considerably fling from the windows
Of hrss housl the pike Ju't "a the South Caro-
fuilns 90. intO position company Of our regiment was
EIbdrlWn aud reformed Ous Lett, reporting that they
had ga Sed several dead Yankees killed by them-
selves aud Just here would say that tae company fought
10 ltiu Vie DOING thsmseVs great credit a3 skir,
mshers. As tie Two advanced regiments put rapid.
~ into p7sicn the battery ordered up and opan,d
d3strIe.vs ire the enemy with thee pieces Only,
the road vas TOO narrow 70 get all into position.
little aer and the enemy brought theirs into place. sta
tiocary supposed six pieces the bill opposite
sad ch1ruh further down the pike en6ading the
greeted Eith Preat cheering The ksntuekans came
I'D and form the e, and later the AlstamiaTs
came up double quick ard took position l,it,
o. TIE right of the rosd Tao Yankee regiments ad-
-anced the left within sky yards of the
lY Kentucky, and after very short
coavers oa botn parties opened tremendous fire of
Inuskety the KsnuekAns doing great execu,ion,s
tCld oy Colonel T.y Tor hs taking slmos. delbe
aim at the enemy aud firing simu aneousy at the
4Ord Of command. Tbs ll.h Va, was moved forward
come Il ty Yards further the Of little bill
cured somewhat by short underground where they lay
watching the advance Of the enemy. The firing
OF aud musketry terrific, and surpassed any
that have yet heard on the two occasions which
have been plrtll participant There iutermis-
siol aud shell g ape ana shot poured into
rapid rate, dong tremendous execution TO battery,
snd almost completely slencing il after short time -
Ia fact they could move neither 70 the right or the left
OF the thick woods thus subjectng them 10
rAking Ere down the real killing and horses at
every turn. The enemy used q pound shot and
SHE'LL with grape Gnd spherical case. so you can very
well Judge what must have been the effect Of this fire
Tho box OF Of the caissO2s exploded, adding
greater confusion the In less than fifteen min
ute3 several horses ard four men had been killed at
the bl'te-y mGngld in the mos horrible msnner-while
mlny Of the infantry lay scattered around. had been
ordered. before ito action commenced TO fad Co. A.
aai pOst them Aong the road, but returned after
uu'ugcessul searches nst our running the
Yankees before them Later in the action tried the
u'rd time bat still could hear nothing Of them and il
-he in the woods that got in the direc. lice of fire
rom their arti eiy the shells bursting and the balls
crashing every side Of me. In fact with the limbs
vi and balls falling and minnies lying,
never expected weather the Storm the e being per-
fecly sEul, still escaped withou. a scratch Ia some
places toe pines think that il 10 mpos
sO!e 70 get horse through, and opce nearly pull
ed o by grape vine which threw my cap in One drec
toa and sEOrd another. II there be grandeur in the
whistle OF cannon ball oth-r5 repor: there is say
that minnie ball has certainly mes. insinuAary noise
passing you with prolonged fqisek, being something
similar TO the noise made by piscs OF hot metal dropped
u water.
was at tAis time that numbers Of wounded men pass
cd going 70 she rear. many OF them seeking assist
ancs which cou not be gigen Rejoni1g my regiment
IL soou after fell back, BY order the posts watch
Abe movements Of the enemy, who were reported sd
vIlcng TO tura our right funk The right wing Of the
Tenth Alabama became considerably confused and scat
tered their OOlOne having his shattered and Lieu
tenant Colonel i1sRlty kiledbut rallied partlly
by Captain Jameson, OF our regiment although shot
through the g the batasn being pu in charge Of TIE
senior Captain, and formed on our left under the or
ders Of Coonsl Garland Colonel Taylor was report
ed wou-dsd, while Major woodward. SIKH South Caro-
lima. had his & broken by ball-shoWng tina; our
led Objects suffered severely. The battery, owing TO
,hs namts Of horses killed. drawn eff pretty much
by hand By Goa q and d, Of the 18th Virginia and
tkn safely TO the with the loss Of cAisson.
The sring, which had LISTED nearly hour aud
ball ceased pretty much, though the enemy ad-
csd the ieoi OF the hill but could be gotten no
further Toe charge sounded three successive tines
and the commands OF tie officers could De distinctly
heard urging the men to charge into the bushes, bat
aha. far and farther could they get them their oahs
bong rep ,Gtedly hea refrsng 10 advance. The llh
Va. and portion OF the AEt anians waited patiently
and cody for them 10 c)me, kletng 10 the pines with
evHy trigger ready 20 give them murderous fire, and
such would have en-, bit spared the pleasure
- Toe firing ceased actually both Sides and about thirty
ninu Afterwards received orders TO fall back TO
tho rail road, where intended 20 make a stand, a
scout reporting tlas some 500 cavalry, supported by
about ZOO infantry were trying to get around rs
We the last to leIye the fed retiriUg very slow
~ aud gathering up went blankets and that
had been thrown aside by the during the heat Of
the action. Ths llh Virginia the first get into
the 6gLt behaved in the most credi:Able. manner
uoeuyered IA beautiful STYLE aud left the field in hne
Ger protecting the wounded that could be carried the
Shoaders OF the to Herndon Sltica-a distance OF
tome two CT tAree miles.
Both officers and showed great GOODNESS and bra
very, aud evidenced in 5es feengs the great in