American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1861-11-23

numbers. had reached orr banks under cover
Of their artillery
whiEe here, party Of dragons belonging
to the enemy. On richly eapsrfsoned stecdss.
dashed up upon Us. They were probably out
on scouting expedition Seeing only few
or our men on the edge Of the woods. and
thinkisg them our piekets, they charged b
them. one or tie dragons firing his pistol at
our men. So sudden Was this movement.
that oriy few troops on the right wing Of
our regiment had the opportunity 70 FIRE upon.
them, the remainder of the battalion being
shat up ia the woods. One Of their number.
however, was killed, and Is trophies NE Sc
cured his carbIne, besmeared with blood. be-
sides i've caps. Afterwards his body VAS
discovered This was the Inauguration Of
the battling Of tic day
Throwing our battalion into ranks of fours,
Col. Burt marched ms up 70 the breastwos ks
At this time our artillery pieces were arrang-
cd Already we had one cannon st Fort
Evans, Just above TO destroy the left wing Of
the enems, should they approach in that di-
rection; while at the breastwcrks cannon
were firmly planted. to prevent the enemy
coming up the road, and one piece 90 placed
as to shatter the right wing, should an ap-
preach he made from the right.
Then COMMUNICATING. by fling to the
right, we left the eInlnence, having thrown
off our lsaapsacks. to relieve orr smarting
shoulders and enable Us TO handle our guns
with ease.
Going into field below the breastworkss
our column was thrown into battle array.
While near by the 18th Mississippi and the
sth Virginia Psgimeuts were stationed, the
18th Mississippi Regiment occupying the Pc
sition on the road which We had occupied
the day before Here we 2~sited the move
meats Of the enemy, expecting they would
advance in solid columns upon US.
Parts Of three companies of cavalry we
had appropriately stationed, under the COM
mand of Col. Jennifer but as the fighting of
the day, 10 great extent, was in the woods.
our cavalry was not brought into the action
at alt Owing to the distance the fight took
place from the breastworks and the import
anee of our cannon remaining where 6rst
planted, they were rot brought to bear upon
the enemy; in fact, it ~as purely an infantry
engagement upon our part.
1t about s o'clock, the silence which had
for some time prevailed wss broken By the
roar of the euemys artillery, which proved
10 be the signal for desperate engagement
all things considered, unsurpassed in the
annals OF war.
The enemy were discovered By one Missis-
sippi company OF skirnishers, between Ed
wards Ferry and Smars's Mills, where they
Lad been crossing all the preceding night.
This cons pany--Caps. Duff ), of the 18th Sis
sissiPpi Regiment-fought, according to their
estimate, six companies of the Yankees,
killing twelve and wounding twsnty, while
cur loss was only one wounded. Shortly
afterwards. the enemy, recovering from their
repnlse and being reinforced so that they
now were regiment and a halt strong, adj
vanced upon our men. Two companies from
the fStb-Capts. Welborne and Campbell
were then sent in the direction of the Skin
mish, as reinf0reements. and falling in with
the enemy on the one flank, while Capt. Duff,
of the 18th, attacked them on the other, com
pletely routed them and drove them back I'M
der cover of the woods When the prisoners
were informed that only two of our companies
had eneompassed this their defeat, great vas
their astonishment, for they had supposed
they were fighting whole regiment.
Companies under the command of Capts
Hamer and Singleton remained in the lane
to which the entire 18th Mississippi Regi-
ment had gone, with the exception of Capt
Hills company, which for some days had
been on picket. The remaining fre compa-
MES arranged themselves in order of battle
just beyond the lane. OF these, Capt Jayne's
company was sent out as body of skir-
nlisliers, remaining to the left of q house,
about 400 yards from where the remainder of
the regiment was stationed. The sth vir-
ginia Regiment came in the morning to the
assistance of the Mississippians, but the en-
envy were repulsed before its arrival
At half past IL O'Clock the 18th Mississip-
pi was ordered to advance from Fort Evans
upon Edwards Ferry and begin the fight.
The 18th formed in line in The wood, west Of
Daily's, which adjoins the Ferry. At this
time, the enemy had dispatched companies
of sharp shooters to the left of Daly's house,
who opened heavy fire upon the regiment,
killing one private. Col. BarksdaIe finding
the enemy too strong, at once retired from
the contest to await the arrival of reinforce
ments. Between two aud three O'Clock the
enemy recommended the battle in the vicini-
ty of the morning fight, where Col Hunton
with the sth Virginia Regiment was sta.
toned The enemy in the meanwhile were
being reinforced by large addition of troops
brought over In scows and fat boat, and
also by two mountain howitzers. During the
battle these boats were continually transport
lug their troops and returning with their.
wounded. Gems. Mcclellan and Stone, Fed
eral commanders, are reported to have stood
upon q hill, near the river. on the Maryland
side, contemplating, with marine glasses,
the battle. For quite awhile the unterriGea
9Th sirgiaia regiment bore the shock of Bat
tie, keeping BACK four times their own num-
Der Of the enemy, and doing it, TOO, in the
face Of q stem cannonade and terrific yolleys
of musketry. And here it is well 10 stale
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