The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1861-08-21

y emv'S batteries, while Hunters division mOvln
v after him, should after passing little strear
> :, called Cub Rum turn to the right and north
u and move around to the upper ford, and ther
}, turn south and get behind the enemy. Co
# Heintzelman's divisisn was to follow Hunter
Il as far as the turning off place to the lower for
where he was to cross after the enemy shoul
l. have been driven out by Hunters division; tn
y fifth divisiont MilesO ITO be in reserve atthc Cen
k tervlle ridge.
! had felt anxious about the road from Ma
nassaS by Blac kburn's lord to CentreviIle, alon
the ridge, fearing that whilst we should be il
force to the front, and endeavoring to turn tn
ensmy's position, we ourselves should be turn
> ed by him by this road; for ii he should ono,
, obtain possession Of this ridge, which overlook
all the country to the west to the foot OF tn,
Blue Ridge, we should have been irretrievabl,
: cut off and destroyed. l had therefore direc
ted this point to be held in force. and sent al
engineer to extemporize some field works L
strengthen the position.
The Fourth Division (Runyon's) had no
been brought to the front further than 10 guard
+ our communications by way Of Vienna and the
Orange and Alexandria Railroad. His advan.
ced regiment was about seven miles in the real
of Centreville.
! The division was ordered to march at half
post two o'clock a. m, so as to arrive on the
ground early in the day, and thus avoid the
heat which is to be expected 1t this season.
There was delay in the first division getting
out of.i,s camp on the road, and the other di.
visions were in consequence two or three hours
behind the time appointed-a great misfortune
as events turned out. The wood road leading
from the Warrenton turnpike to the upper ford
was much longer than we counted upon the gen
erul direction OF the stream being oblque to
the roa1 and we having the obtuse angles on
our side.
General Tyler commenced with his artillery
at half past six a m, but the enemy did not re.
ply, and after some time it become q question
whe her he was in any force in our front, and i
he did not intend himself to make an attack
and make it by Black ford's Ford. After firing
several times, and obtaining no response, held
one OF Heintzeman's brigades in reserve, in
case we should have to send any tIoops back to
reinforce NJ les' division The other brigades
moved forward as direct ed, in the general or
ders. On reaching the ford at Sudley's spring,
| ound part Of the leading brigade Of Hunters
division burnside 81 had crossed but the men
were slow in getting over, stopping to drink.
As at this time the clouds OF dust from the di-
rection Of Manassas indicated the immediate ap-
proach of large force, and fearing that it might
come down on the head of the column before
the division could all get over and sustain 1t,
orders were sent back to the heads OF regiments
| to break from the column and come forward
separately as fast as possible.
Orders were sent by an officer to the reserve
brigade Of Heintzelman's division to come by a
nearer road across the fields, and an aid de.
camp was sent to Brig General Tyler to direct
him to press forward his attack, as large bodies
Of the enemy were passing in front OF him to
attack the division which had crossed over
The ground between the stream and the road
leading from Sudey's Spring south, and over
which Burnside's brigade marched, was for a,
bout mile from the ford thickIy wooded
whilst on the right OF the road for the same
distance the country was divided between fields
and woods. About mile from the road the
country on both sides Of the road is Open and
| for nearly mile further large rolling fields ex-
tend down t, the Warrenton turnpike, which
crosses what became the field o battle through
the valley OF small water course, tributary
to Bull Run.
Shortly after the leading regiment Of the first
brigade reached the open space, and whilst 9TH
ers and the second brigade were crossing to the
front and right, the enemy opened his fire, be-
ginning with artillery and following up with
infantry. The leading brigade (Burnside's)
had to sustain this shock for short time with.
out support, and did it well.
The battalion irregular in 'antry was sent
to sustain it, end shortly afterwards the other
corps OF Porter's brigade, and Regiment de-
tached from Heintzelman's division to the left
'orced the enemy back far enough to allow
Sherman's and Keyes's brigades OF Tyer's di'
vision to cross from their position on the Wash
renton road. These drove the right OF the enc
my, understood to have been commanded by
Beauregard, from the front OF the field, and out
OF the detached woods, aad down to the road,
and across it up he slopes on the other side
Whilst this was going on Hentzelman's dvis.
ion was moving down the field to- the stream,
and up the road beyond. Beyond the War
renton road, and to the left of the road, down
which our troops had marched from Sulley's
Spring, is a hill with farm house on it, BE.
hind this hill the enemy had, early IN the day,
some OF his most annoying batteries planted -
Across the road from this hill was another hill,
or rather elevated ridge, or table of land. The
hottest part Of the contest was for the posses
SION of this h,ll with house on it. The force
engaged here was Hentzelman's division
Wilcox's and Howard's brigajes on the right
supported by part of Porter's brigade and the
cavalry under Palmer and Franklin's brigade
Of Hentzelman's division, Sherman's brigade
Of Tyer's division in the centre and up the
road, while Keyes's brigade of Tyer's division
was on the lef attacking the batteries near the
lstone bridge.
I The Rhode Island battery OF Burnside's br
gade also participated in this attack by its fire
ON the north Of the turnpike. The enemy
1 hnav Ial ~,,I
E. johnson. Ricketts, battery, which did such
effective service and played so brilliant par
in this contest, was, together with Grffln's bat.
terry, on the side Of the HILL and became the
object of the special attention OF the enemy
who succeeded-our officers mistaking one o
his regiments Tor one of our own and allowing
it to approach without firing upon tin disa
bling The battery, and then attempting to take
it. Three times was he repulsed by different
corpse in succession, and driven back, and thu
guns taken by hand, the horses being killed
and pulled away The third time it was sup
posed by us all that the repulse was final, fo
he was drivon entirely from the HILL and so Ia
beyond it as not to be in sight, and all were GER
tain the day was ours. He had before th
been driven nearly mile and half and wa
! beyond the Warrenton road, which was entire
ly in our possession from the stone bridge west
ward and our engineers were just completin,
the removal Of the abatis across the road, to al
, low our relnforcements (Schenck's brigade ant
Ayers battery 10 join US.
The enemy was evidently disheartened ant
broken. But we had been fighting since half
past ten O'Clock in he morning. and it was al
} ter three o'clock in the afternoon. The me,
who had been up since wo O'Clock In the morn
inn and had made what TO those ,,n,aad /,
such things seemed long march before comin
J into action, though the longest distance gon