New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-07-26

! The aCn0D ny aIthicIy muN' Dh'o "N
FIVE or six miles, from Richardson's positioh' ~
The extreme left, around to Hunter's' az '"'
] riyht The roar and rattle were ipcessant, a"o
the air above the vast field soon became 'Di'n
with smoke.
su5deDly a line Of troops was 'e01 ~ -
over the open hill.Slope precisely :" -, At
| us. and within a mle-the Ieas' MI
which the Rebel infantry had been Seen' ."
"a Br,cade updsr Col Sherman was ~"
drawn from its shelter among the "ov"s' '"'
Ied rep;dly around by the right, across "io t'u"'
and toward one of the enemys DeH s''iohs'
Relax volleys Of musketry were soon AFTER heard,
hut Tho smoke hung like a vail before US, and 1t
was impossible to discover by whom, or against
vbom. thew were direc ted. A puff Of wind al
terward cleared tho view, and we saw the brig
ado still in firm line, and Advancing with great
speed. A few Shots and a round or two OF ar
tiIlery next came from the right upon the ~
Brigade, which md not yet moved forward, and
which, az a whole, held its post sqOarely, al
though some squads broke and ran into the open
road Orders were given to the men to lie upon
their faces when not in motion, and meDaced by
sFtillery. However proper this precaution may
have been Mt this time, it afserward TUNED out
10 be one of the most fatal causes OF the de-
moralization OF the division. II was 20 FREE
Quently REPEATED that some regiments at Last
could not be made 70 stand at any poi.t what
ever the loast report Of cannon or muskeiry
sending them instantly upon their knees; and
saw un entire company of tho New.York "a
grOyel in the dust at the accidental swapping Oh
percussion cap OF one OF their own rifles.
At III o'clock the cannonsdiDg was lighter
from our side, and the attention Of the enemy
seemed TO be distracted from us. We were then
able to desery great volumes Of smoke ariting
in front, in the precise spot at which Hunters
column should have arrived. This gloomy signal
of the battle waved slowly to the lett, assuring
us that Hunter and Hentzelman were pushing
forward and driving the enemy before them.
At The same time, our right brigade disappeared
over the eminence for which they had been con
tending, and the distant cheers, which evidently
came from them, proved that the present triumph
WAS their Own. To sustain and reeniorce them,
the reserve brigade of Colonel Reyes was then
brought down. and marched forward, IN spite OF
a tremendous cannonade which opened upon them
from the Iefl, ia the eamo line as that which
Colouel sherman had followed. The leit brigade,
under GENERAL Schenck, old not advance, but
eth remained on the ground where IT had form
ed at the very outset. The result Of this in-
action was, that our left was at the clOse of the
battle a, sailed and successfully turned; and al
though tue enemy did not pursue THIS final tri-
umph, il was not tie fault of tho commander OF
| that brigade that great mischief was not done.
/ Colonel Keyes soon vanished with bis four rogi
nents. and the Second Brigade was left isolated
at the edge of the battle-ground. It's best pro-
lection then vas furnished by the 32-pOund
Parrot rled cannon which, some rode to tue
| right, among the brentwood, was raking the
road Ear ahead, and pluDgng shell among the
stroDqholds which the enemy s!iil maintained.
At halEpast IL O'Clock the battle appeared 10
have reached its climax. Hunters and Ilointrel.
mans divisions we're deep in the eDemy's posi-
ten, and our Own force, excepting always The
I'd Brigade, was vel at work. The discharges
Of artillery and musketry caused continuous
and unbroken roar, which sometimes swelled
|
I.On the nights before MS bodies OF infantry were
plainly seen driving with fury one against the
other, and slowly pressing toward the left
another proof that our advance was resisted in
vain. At one point, the rebels seemed deter
mined to ri.k all rather than retreat Many q
regiment was brought to meet our onset, and ell
were swept back wItkthe same impetuous charges.
Prisoners who were subsequently brought in ad.
| miaod that some Of our troop, especially the
| fist New-Yolk Regiment, literally moved down
and aanihilated double their number. Two Ala
| bama regiments, ia succession, were cut right
! and left by the 7lst. The banking COLUMN was
now fully discernible and the junction Of our
forces was evidently not far distant. The gradual
abandonment Of their positions by the rebels
could not be doubted. AT some points they fed
preciptstely, but in most cases moved regularly
10 the rear. 1t is probable that they only de-
serted one streng post for another even stronger,
and that however far We might have crushed
them back, We should still have found them in
trenched and fortified to the last--eVen To
Manassas itseif. But they had positively re-
hnoushed the entire line in which they
had fret anayed themselves against TyIer's
division, excepting one fortified elevation at the
left, which could and should have been carried
By tho I'd Brigade 81 hour before. How far the
enemy had retrcated before Hunter and Hentzel-
man. cannot say, but am given to under.
stand that they bad foraker oil excepting one
powerful earthwork with lofty entertainments,
upon the highest ground of their field. 1t was
tnis work which, later 10 tho day, was storned