The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-09-19
AMY on n,IIE POTOMA C.
tFRoM orR opS CORRESPONDENCE

'"N ~ satHSsos--f dftbef .f/1sGHpS
faxea~IA Baraias Of Mary Hna's House
f"ess aud Iseidens, &c.
McSsoS's Hill, Sept. II. p
In my last letter gave an account of the
hight I.*winsviiie, and said that hoped 10
get additional particular of the affair. Since
that time have visited the outpos,x, and
have been over the ground upon which the
battle was fought, but find that the facts M
previously stated We're substantial ally correct.
Az will be seen by the date of my ie tier. ann
| now very near the eneHsyAs lines, and in fu,l
view OF Washington, Arlington Heights. ana
the Potomac. AS sit here writing in the
camp of the Washing ton Artillery. sur.
rounded oy inc members OF the corps, who
are quietly smoking their cigarettes hem IN
the "e'"uloA september moon, cannot do
better than recall some of the incidents of
the battle IN which they We're 80 recently en-
gagged The Tight at Lewinsyilie, although
seemingly small and hardly to be ranked In
the same list with the great battles which
have been fought heretofore, was one of ,hs
most brilliant ami satisfactory engagements
mat mas yet taken place = -
during the light, six prisoners were taken
'o"I from the indiana and TWO from a Yer
mont regiment. From Lieut.. Hancock / learn
that the force OF the Federals WAS from
twenty-efeh { hundred to three thousand men
embraced III four regiments, accom- panied by
company OF cavalry aud eight pieces of ar.
hiiery. This force crossed The L hahn Bridpe
ehriyfH the morning, and projected to Lew
lnsNilie, with the intention Of erecting 1irid
fortiffcations on the hin near the cross roads
"A scouting party under i4eat Hancock ied
me advance, which was followed by a corps
OF ehsin They We're all Well armed and
had every instr ulnent and appliance that
heart could wish to make their mission sue
| cessful. On reaching LewinsviIle, they took
possession OF ali the roads anu posted their
lorces 10 command every approach to the
place the battery and large body of infantry
nelhs upon the main road over which they
Hrlhiy believed our forces would advance
upon them. Two or three com ,,anies of ri Ne
men were deployed as skrlnshers scouts
We're sent out sentlnets posted and thus I'm
posinons OF their ow. choosing, the federais
began their WORK so much / learn from
Lieut. Hancock, OF Indiana, and what fol-
lows lisa statement made by Capt Rosser. a
very brave and talented young officer, who
second company of the artillery, who acted
under Col. stuart, of the Virginia cavalry.
OF whom have much 10 say hereafter
Early La the day our pickets were driven in
ana word having been brought TO Col Stuart
by the couflers, he at once sent Can't Rosser
with his battery TO the point At the same
time battalion of the 18th Virginia Regi-
ment, consisting of three hundred and tive
men, with promptitude that did honor To
their bravery and va1or, sent rwurd to an
nounce themselves realty TO engage the en- emy
no matter what his force might be- All was
read in a few moments, and our little force
marched through the fields by by-ways, care
July avoiding the main roads, by which it
was expected, and which the enemy's pickets
We're so vigiiantly guarding. So cautiously
dld they proceed that the artillery Were within
seven hundred yards of the Federais bpf &c
! their presence was observed, and bafore ttl..
alarm was given our battery was wheeled
into line, the guns unlimbored and s,, i
| sent whizZing into their ranks. The int intry
NEH aE ali !, i
sion ofthe neig boring thickets and corn fields
! from which they kept up an incessant firing
ana running here and there, lodging in and
OUT the WOOD, constantly changing position,
| produced the desired effect of making the
Federals believe an immense force had been
brought against them. Meantime the bat
| terry was also changing position and firing
! with great rapidity IN order to produce til e
same effect. The rifle eannou were used in a
| splendid manner, and We're in va ria bly, aimed
| with skill and precision, and the hOwitzars
! also Were wulk.d with celebrity and did per
| maps as goou s.tFice as they have ever done
| before. Eve ~ shot fell close by the fright
| "ned Fede al? Gni made them scatter In
! every dire, ton
| Finding til .igI growing hotter every mo-
| ment, a,d LeIl"'in@ that large force was
/ about L. b upo4i ti.rm, the enemy gan a
retreat, linen Soonlnt eame a rapid flight
! Their III p!i"ry, opposed to have been Grif-
| fins battery, h4o been used constantly
through t..a engagement, but for some reason
or other All Their projectiIes went far over the
heads of our little band, or fell in the fields
! immt iiately i'll front OF them. no injury
WAS done, and when the retreat began, and
| the enemy was pursued beyond the positions
| that had been occupied by them, it was found
that not man had been injured nor had
| there been single acciGen or casualty to mar
! the pleasure of the little victory
Captain Rosser with his field piece pursued
| the flying Yankees as far as prudence would
| allow, and then returned TO the very spot
! they had so confidently taken possession of
| early in the day On passing over the field it
was found thickly strewed with hats, KNAPP
| sacks, canteenS, hayersacks and guns. Two
| dead bodies by the wayside, portions of a
skull and pools of blood Were seen showing
| that the loss was severe, and fragments of
! prolectiles scattered plentifnlly around indi-
Gated the accuracy with which the Washing
| ton Artillery used their pieces. Two men
| We're found mortally wounded, who We're
| carefully attended to by the surgeon of the
| Artillery.
| During the engagement, Colonel Stuart
| was everywhere riding along the advanced
line, constantly under fire and in very ex-
posed positions, cool collected, displaying to
the admiration of his men that daring brave
~, which, more than any thing else, encour-
ages soldiers TO deeds of heroic action
| Finding the woik of the day over he retired
/ with his force to Munson's Hill, after posting
strong picket guard in the position wrested
| from the enemy. Forum ately for the
Yankees they ran away from our daring
| little band. Instead of pursuing them into
| the thickets where they would have found
| every man into lnnatic. -e-sal+a se- sf
Two days after this, another brush occur
red near by Munsons Hill. the general re-
Townsville. The faets, assI learn them
from a volunteer, are as follows
THE BURSTING OF MARY Halls HOUSE.
While at dinner on Friday last, Captain
Rosser, of the Washin gton Artillery second
com pany, received orders from Colonel Stn-
art to take n section of his battery, consisting
# h<Nxf stulH and v~ff
soon as possible to report himself to Colonel
Winder, OF the Sixth South Carolina, who
was leading the advance at the time; and
whe had already led out Il portion of his
force.
| The object of the expedition can be stated
| in a few words. Upon hill known as
Halls Hi1l'' is large white house, which
has been used for some time as r1oint of look
| out, or observatory, for the Federal officers
| and civilians, who, with the aid of their
I powerful glasses, Were accustomed to spend a
| great portion of the time in endeavoring to
| get some knowledge of our strength anu posi-
| ton. 1t is an eminence commanding n view
| Of Upton's Hill; but Munson's is entirely
hidden by an Intervening heigh covered wi IL
heavy OAK timber The house, which APP.
| pears from our point of view to be a large and
rather fine one, is said to belong 10 Mary Hall ,
| 4 woman celebrated in Washingtoa life as q
dashing lorette, and who is reported to ha We
| the queenly qualities OF /, Semiramis tnitc6
with the frailties of phryne. TINS mouse
| had also been made 4 rerdezrous fc. The re-
lief pickets. Parties were constantly sally
| ing from 1t TO annoy our sentinels, and u
| force them back from the Hnes, II was
deemed necessary, therefore, to destroy the
house aud to drive away the YanK, rs. who
clustered around it as thickiy as hornets by n
disturbed nest. .ss -,4.ssss. -,
Ash have previously stated the artillery
corps were at dinner when Colonel Stuart
command was received. Having the hersss
cons family in harness the battery was on th :
road in less than four minutes from the re-
ception OF the order. Captain Rosser i.nnie-
al, rfad Inn self A Col NJ