, 1861-12-26
THE BATTLE OF DRAINSVILLE.
Interesting Narrative, with Full De-
tails Of the Fight,

Washington cor. n. T. World, Tuesday.]
Gen. Ord's battle at Draiasville-fori it WIS
prise to at parties concerned. and its r. result is
to us an agreeable diversion from the rebel
success which has often marked these recon-
noltcriDg engagements. No one had anr rea-
Eon to suppose TINT Fridays foragirg excur-
sion Of tie Third Pennsylvania Reserve Brig
ade would be slgnalized By any more fighting
than have preceding expeditions IN the same
direction, Indeed, al corps pushed ont from
the main line, for purposes Of subsistence or
espionage, receive Gen. AcC1el1an's precise
Instructions not to bring On an engagement,
II battles are allowed to occur at hap-hazard,
the best 1aidschemes Of generals will 'saft gang
aglee"
No reporter, therefore, was present st the
Drainsrii1e affair, and consequently, in the ab-
sencc Of any detailed offfcial dispatches, it is
difficult to geta correct idea OF the ground
and u.ancuVerlng from the statements Of the
local press, based on the confused narratives
Of minor participants in the action. These
statements, however, will all re.;ch you, SO
TINT will add nothing except few general
facts, which may serve in explaining TO you
hoH much the action amounted to.
Gen. McCalls division, composed Of tue
eelebrated fifteen Pennsylvania reserve regl-
ments, holds the extreme right Of our lines,
eneamping at and abopt Langley IS and Prospect
tie fork Of the Leesburg turnpike running
nearest the river. From the fact that the re.
bel lines close completely round our own,
from the upper to the lower Potomac, {thns
forming segment Of q circle to which the
river-if It were Straightforward be m arc,)
HclntZclman's on the extreme left below Mt.
Vernon, are perhaps in nearer contact with large
bodies Of the enemy than any six other divls-
ions street ched between them. This is espe-
cialiy the case with McCall's, since the rebels
keep at least 10000 men between Lcesburg
and Difficult Greek, and the ground Intervening
between our right and their left is general for
remembered that we lave lad once before a
sIir1nish near Drainsyilc, in which we cap
turcd a whole rebel company.
The west fork Of the Ieesburg turnpike
passes through Falls Church, uniting with the
road from Chain Bridge and Prospect Hill at q
miles this side Of Drainsyille. The latter yil-
lage, the nucleus Of Friday battle, is, there
fore, only seven miles northwest Of our earth
works. It is asggrayating to many resident
counoi5senrs thai so spirited and picturesque
an affair should have occurred within 4 Two
hours gal]op, and yet without their knowl-
edge and occular enjoyment.
The first report Of the battle stated onr loss
at ten killed nnd about fifteen wounded; the
enemy s at sixty one dead and eighteen wound
ed, left on the field, besides those carried
away. If sKty-onc were Killed, at least one
hundred must hare been wounded, to main
tain the usual proportions. It is safe, there
one hundred and fifty men. Yesterday, con.
Versing with one Of the officers ordered to
count those left Oh the field, 1 learned that the
original report was correct IN this regard But
from the account Of the battle, in which il
does not appear that Gen. Ord danked the en-,
s~3,{ ,&1r
strltc5ic position, it was difficult to believe
our own loss as small aB stated. In the first
place, the forces eng1ged were not unequal
embracing, perhaps, 900 Of the enemy, sup
porting II battery ct si1 guns, and four rcgi
mcnts Of our own, supporting Easton's bat
fery of four 24-pound and 32pound hoWitzcr5
Again, Gen. Ord advanced along the narrow
Leesburg turnpike, the noticeable Buckta!
Rifles, Col Thomas L. Kane, in the van, ani
on entering Dsainsyi1}e outskirts, was attacked
| By the rebels from their ambuscadc III the Fir
gin;a forest.
To-day VIC get the truc statement of ou
| losses, and while increasing them to al
aulount which proves that the Pennsylvania
did hard aud honest fighting, and did not VIII
less go much inferior to the list Of the enemy'i
killed and wounded as to render the battle 0
Draiusv11le the most encouraging and brillian
success of It's kind won BIZ us since our frs
occupation Of Arlington Heights. Account:
from three regiments foot mp as follows: Kan
| Rifles, killed, 81 wounded; Sixth Pcunsylya
nia reserve, Killed, 10 :Moanded; Nintl
Total, : killed, 81 wounded. The report o
| the Twelfth Regiments losses has not cont
in. ! believe II suffered less than the others
Our good fortune must have resulted large
! ly from the formidable nature and position Q
| Easton's Battery. These howitzers, Of til
| n41E& has N 1nr az n 1aF11
hai, and throw grape and canister, at shor
range with frighttul tumu1t and effect. The
| are undoubtedly superior to all other guns 70
close action The four pieces were hankcd O
| hill, from whence they threw near, plune
| ing fire into tho rebel battery Of six guns an
| ploEed. 4 deal OF muskctry practice also OF
Cured, and IN attempted ilanking charge {
| the rebels was braye]y rcpulscd by the bay
oncts Of the Kane Rifles. Many Of the la'
ter also maintained their reputation q
sl1arp,shoots;r1s from large brick hous
cant features Of the contest which have reacl
cd us. Toward tue close, when the fire Of th
enemy grew feeble, our Ninth and Twelfl
regiments advanced, under victorious bug
notes, to make the final charge and sweep tt
field. This was an inspiritfng 1nomen
Through the pine aud oak thickets their pr
grcss was pertorce somewhat slow. By Il
time they had reached the rebel position II
enemy lad fed the tield-lcaving only ghastl
heaps Of tl,eir dead and dying, in number
above ramed, their arms, ammunition, blan1
cts, IN exploded caisson, and the 9th,
Wontcd debris Of a swift and bloody defeat
The conflict commenced at 1 o'clock Ply
| and lasted till 8. As usual, VIC have rumo
Of the death Of distinguished rebel officer
It is said that Kentucky Col. Tom Taylor at
Virginia Cavalry General Stuart were amor
1he Eil1cd and carried Oft iu the retreat, b
we certainly have no means Of knowing Il
truth Of such stories.
, Thus you have the narrative Of this real
important affair doubly important, becau
it proves the courage nud discipline Of o.
army. The Federal regiments engaged 4
probably little better or worse than 4 lundrt
hother corps across the Potomac. From fo
. T judge all. As to the extent of the contest,
would have becn one Of the decisive liz
t'cs'' in the days Of '7G. It rcsemb1cd that
July is, ut Blackburn's Ford, VIC having Il
, ! same number Of men on both occasions, tt
time, though, the rebels did not outnumb
Us four to one, and though We had fo
T cannon less than at the Ford, the victory
t ! 1nained with us-a victory three times great
! tlan that which Bcaurcgard claincd or
Generals Tyler and Richardson. The disgrat
/ il there was any, of July Is, is now complete
wiped out By the 18th December In Il
= week6--shal] it not be so ?-wc will romc
I | ber Bull Rum as the noble Indianians Ia
remembered Bpcna VISTA But first,
: General Mcclellan fully appreciates the che
!. ing moral effect which General Ord's hit
e already had on the army, he will give us +
more pteliminatics, Of the DrainsFille pattel