The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-09-21
Inc ENLARGEMENT At Carnffax Ferry-Au
thcntic and Interesting Pnrtlcuyar.


hfApacARrEKs NEAR Doawoop Gar,
September IL, 1851.
on Monday last we received intelligence
"a the advance OF the enemy In heavy force
from me direction OF Sutton, along the Sum
nherVi'ie road. On Tuesday morning Col
iaeSausiin s regiment, which had been down
al Suminsrvilic as our advance was driven in
ana the enemy encamped fourteen miles dis
tiht from us. We expected him to drive in
our picktts on Tuesday night and att. ok us
on wednesday morning; but contrary
To expectations, he forced his march and
drove in our pickets at 2 o'clock Tues
day. Our line of battle WAS at once
formed behiud our brsastworks, and scarcely
mad all our forces been placed In position be-
lore the enemy was seen swarlniug in the
woods from one end of our lines 10 the other
lie approached with great deliberation and
IrTnness, and his central column emerged
nom the woods and above the hills, two
hundred yards in our front, lust Is minutes
after 3 o clock. He approached us from this
point Iii doubie-quick time, evidently intend
ing 10 iorc. our works at the point OF the
bfyontt, At the first crack OF our rifles the
gallant Colonel who led in front of his men,
on splendid black charger, fell dead to the
earth, while the head OF his column recoiled
IN utter confusion. The Colonel's horse as
III unconscious Of the 1til Of his rider dashed
up Ia our embellishments and around them
mo cur camp, ald from the inscription upon
the mounuhss Of his pistols, proved to be
Col. VIM. II. Ly tell T. OF Cincinnati 7 saw
the daring officer tall froIn his horse and he
was cti Ltlnly one OF the brat est of the brave,
Tor he sought the bauble reputation at the
very Cannon's mouth.
The enemy < columns now opened upon US
along the W hole OF our centre and right and
for an hour the rattle OF musketry and the
thunder OF our artillery Was incessant and
terrible.
The enemy was driven back and silenced
for IA moment, but came again to the fight,
supported with tive or six pieces of artillery
two OF winch were riiied cannon For an
other hour and a half The battle rage with
terrific fury, and again the enemy's guns
were silenceo and he driven from our view
The sun was now fast sinking beyond the
distant mountains, and we were strongly in
hopes that the enemy had met his iilai re
Pulse Tor the evening; but 4 few minutes dis
PEELED our illusion. For The third time the
enemy came back to the conflict with more
Violence and determination than before He
aSsaiied us TINS tine hom one end of our
lines 10 the other, and tried his best TO fl ank
us. For another hour and half, and un til
the dark curtains Of night closed III upon us
the Tight ragged with intense fury.
At irSt, the range both of their small arm $
and artillery was very bad, shooting entirely
over our heads. The range of the cannon
was especially bud, Tor while their balls cut
OFT the tops and split open the giant oaks in
our encampment, their shells, with few eX-
cePtlons, burst hIgn In the air and fun fifty
yarus III our Rear. But when they came TO
the last charge they had gotten the range far
better, and their balls began to piow up our
EN- Dali n menus, While tltlr shells broke dl
recty over us III every direction and with
terri bic Jury. The enemy seemed to be per
iectly enraged AT our obstinate resis ia nee,
and was determined to pour out the full walls
of his wrath upon us.
The battle ceased . III in II ties past O clock
having continued almost necessarily four
long hours. Our men stood to their posts
with astonishing coCiness and courage The
only fault they Comf litted during the battle
was that of firing upon the enemy at TOO long
a range, and while too securely posted behind
the dense forest trees which sklrted our entire
lines.
We did not lose single man kil He'd, ana no
more than ten wounded. The enemy's loss
could not be ascertained, but at one single
spot, where Col Lytell fell we count ted 81
dead bodies. The prisoners Inform us that
their loss was heavy, and from the fact tn al
We siienced their guns three times, We are
confident this report is entirely true. The
prisoners also informed us that another Colo
mel, whose name do not reInem Der, was bad
~ II not fatally wounded, and his horse killed
under him.
Our officers acted with great coo!ness and
bravery. The battle had ragged but twenty
minutes when our gallant General was very
painfully wounded III the right arm, the ba II
entering near the elbow and passing out near
! his wrist, without breaking any bone. We
retired with him short distance under the
hill and had the wound dressed BIZ Surgeon
GleayeS, and III ten minutes he was again
moving along our lines, encouraging his
men by his presence and his voice. AT Il later
st sc of the fight a Minnie ball tore tn rough
the lapel OF his coat, and another through
the ci.ntle of his saddle. Indeed, it Is the
wonder Of all OF us how he rscd ped death -
None but his staff and surgeon knew he was
wounded until the close of the fight. He is
now suffering much pain
We had dispat CheG Gen. Wise in the morn
ing for endorsements, and he had declined
10 send them Tor fear OF an attack upon i'm
by Gen. Cox. We had also sent couriers for
the North Carolina and Georgia regiments to
come up, but il was impossible for them to
reach us i'll time to support us.
AT 10 o clock last night, therefore, our forces
proceeded to retire from the position they
had so heroically defended during the day,
and by light this morning they were all
safely anu lii order across the river, with all
their baggage, &c, except some few things
which were lost from neglect and want OF
transportation.
We are now pitching our tents q this place,
on the main Charleston road bout ID miles
from Eduley Bridge, and ID mill west of
Lewisburg. -
Gen. Wise is encamped at Dog wood Gap, n
few miles above US, while Il portion of his
force holds the Hawks Nest below
l. l think the public and all military men will
az rec that both our Hight and our Iail back TO
this side of the river are among the most re-
niarkable incidents in the history of war
seventeen hundred men, with six inferior
pieces of artillery, fought back four times
their number, with much superior artillery,
Tor more than four long hours repulsed them
three times. and remained masters of the
ground. They then retired, their mum bers,
baggage, stores, and more than two hundred
sick and wounded, across tne river, from 10
T. n. to / A. NJ, along one of the steepest and
worst single track roads that ever horse S
hoof trod or man ever saw. -Four o'clock
found these men three miles from the enemy,
with our newly constructed bridge DIES we'd
and our boats sunk behind US. think these
facts show Il generalship seldom exhibited
anywhere.
DISPATCH AT THE PHILADELPHIA NAVY
YARD. THE rapidity with which the work OF
the Lincoln Government is being dispa tched
at is Navy Yards, was biefiy alluded to in