Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-08-14

remembers I'm the milst of the fight, IN have
seen the General rallying his men, while his chin
seemed to stick ont farther, and his Every wells
seemed to sound more euphoniously than ever,
and when the writer wished to pour little wbis-
KEY upon the shattered finger, he was told that it
was OF no consequence, and away went the Cen
eral with battery following him, TO take posi-
ton in some advantageous spot III any one was
ever entitled to a sObriquet the General certain
ly deserves that of cool.
IL is worthy of mention that in all the vcissi-
tudes of the battle, the enemy OF no time took one
of our pieces of artillery ard they Numbered
away all the time doing great execution, and
carrying dismay into the hearts of the Yankees.
The scene Of carnage was beyond description.
Here pile of dead and dying men; there strug-
Cling, and crippled horses, and over the surface
of the hitherto peaceful fields the surging, angry
waves of battle still adding its victims to the
long list Our light artillery batteries seemed to
have been more than match for the rihed can
non at the short distance, for our guns would be
fired three or four times to their once. But it
must be admitted that some of their batteries
fired with the precision, almost, of a rifle at
one hundred yards distance.
There was a constant struggle during the day
over the enemy's batteries Time and again
we're they captured by our men, and very often
retaken by the enemy. The most excited crea-
ture on the battle field was the Rev Mr. Repetto,
claimed the honor OF taking Ricketts, (Sherman's)
battery. Of his whole company, nearly 100
strong, he had only eighteen uninjured. Another
of our reverends, Col. Pendeton, graduate of
West Point, n resident of Lexington Virginia
and an Episcopalian minister, was quite busy dur
| iEg the day, and doubtless did more than any
one else to check the advancing enemy. The in
quiry among the prisoners very general,
"who commanded that battery on the left that
killed so many of our menr" Our reply was,
/ that IL was a Saint, named Pendleton.
! About five clock our anxious minds were re-
leved by the cessation OF cannonading from their
side, whilst upon ours the thunders still rolled out
1 long and loud: then we knew we had them. A
! long line of dust towards Centreville proclaimed
that the "stars and bars" waved triumphant over
the field A long line of fugitives defed across
the fields, and the cavalry were ordered to pur-
sue. The history of that pursuit upon part
could well be written in words of blood, for more
men were killed then and there than had fallen in
the battle. Our infantry hurried on as rapidly as
possible, whilst our batteries gave them parting
hre in the rear" The amount of plumber
strewn upon the road is almost Incredible The
quantity of arms taken il is hard to get at as
many of them are in the hands of them who first
took them. For instance, one company of Vir-
ginia troops, in returning from the pursuit, cap
tured enough Mimic muskets to arm the whole
command-S0 strong. 1t is estimated, however
that IL 900 small arms will be added to our stock
of ordnance. Enough powder was taken to sup
ply the army for another big battle, and 90 pieces
of artillery, with the caissons full of proiectiles
which will be returned shortly, with our compli-
ments, to their former masters. Many hundreds
of our brave boys sport spie:,did blue
coats, the owners of which didn't have time to
call for them.
There is no earthly doubt that our army was
overcome several tunes between twelve and three,
and that the bulletins sent by the enemy are, in
the main, correct; but alasl ''the best laid plans
of men and mice aft gang aglee"-and in this in
stance verify, was there grea. "slip between the
cup and the lip" With ali their preparations
made their ''grand army complete in every de-
partment, it il too bad that destruction should
come upon them when victory seemed perchng
upon their standard. And they can not Law the
blame this time upon "those Internal masked bat
teries" They chose their ground, and we
met them IN the open field with other entrench-
ments but bright steel bayonets above our brave
hearted soldiers. The whole plan of attack had
been mapped out, as shown by a splendid map
OF the entire country, which the writer received
from COL Wilcox. of Michigan, commanding the
Second Brigade. Vi pom that map, which had been
drawn up by order of the War Department from
the coast survey records, showing the topography
of the country from Washington to Manassas, it
was evident that the plan of action had been map
ped out by old Scott. At Sudley Springs, where
the crossings was made, three columns indicated
that the crossing tcds 10 be made there.
The number of men actually engag ed on our
side was lo,OOO, though some think it was less.
The number engaged upon the other side, taken
from the admission of captured officers, was about
81 900. What was the secret of our success
against such odds? The enemy fought bravey-
there can be but one opinion about that-and
forced our lines pack more than half mile. Our
success can alone be attributed beyond that
which Divine Providence acceded to u.s. to the
r dauntless. bulldog courage of our men. Then
could not quit fighting. Said one of Lincoln's of
hat sort OF men are yours? We broke
your regiments all to pieces and yet we did not
whip you. And so it was. Scattered as they
were, every man went to fighting on his own hook,
and you could have shook a thousand at any time
out of the pine thickets, who didn't know where
their companies were, but kept loading and blaz-
ing away. From these scattered fragments of
companies Gen. Johnston gathered several hun
dred, and requested Col. Thomas to take them to
a position which he indicated short distance off.
1t was in performing this service that this gallant
gentleman fell, pierced to the heart.
The artillery captured upon the field had splen-
did horses attached to them, caparisoned in the
best style. Sixty-two of them were brought to-
gether the next morning. In the rout, however,
the artillerists, to save themselves from Colonel
left the cannon in the road.
The mortality was immense upon both sides.
Upon ours, the returns will show about 600 killed
and $500 wounded. Upon theirs, about / 500
left dead and a 800 wounded. We could have had
as many prisoners as 10, 900, but what good would
it have done to take them and feed them?
Extracts from Burlke's Speech ON Con.
citation with America, Delivered
i'm the British Parliament March 22,
I775, from vol. 4 Dearborn Edition,
page 222.
PUBLISHED By pEQUEsT.
But when saw, that anger and violence pre-
vailed every day more and more; and that things
were Fastening towards an incurable alienation OF
our colonies; | confess my caution gave way.
felt his as one of those few moments in which
decorum yields to an higher duty. Public calam-
ity isa mighty leveller; and there occasions
when any, even the slightest, chance of doing
good, must be laid hold on, even by the most in
considerable person
To restore order and repose to empire so
great and so distracted ours, is, merely in the
attempt, an undertaking that would ennoble the
flights of the highest genius, and obtain pardon
for the efforts of the meanest understanding.
The proposition is peace. Not peace through
) the medium of war; not peace to be hunted
through the labyrinth of intricate and endless