The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-08-23

| white house, 1 came out on an open piscs Of
ground, beyond and circling which was forest
Two field pieces were uDlinbered and guard
ing the road, the painting and Jaded horses III
| the rear looked as though they had been hard
! worked, and the gunners and drivers looked
| worn and de- &C ted Dropping shots sounded
/ close In front through the woods, but the guns
on the LEFT no longer main tanned their IRE l
| was Just alb cut TO ask one of the men for q
lght, when q sputterirg fire on my right at
trdcted my attention, and out OF the forest or
| along the road rushed number OF men
| The gunners seiz,d the trail OF the nearest
| piece to wheel It round upon them Others
| made for the tumbrils and horses as II to fiy,
when a shout was raised, " Don't fire; thev' re
| our own men and in a few minutes on came
| pell-me q whole regiment in disorder L
| rode across one and stopped him. We're
/ pursued by cavalry" he gasped Ihey'ye
| cut rs all TO pieces
| AS he spoke. shell burst over the column
| another dropped On the road, and out stream
| ed Jther column Of men. keeping together
with their arms, and closing up the straggiers
| Of the First Regiment. | turned, and to my
| surprise saw the artillery usn had gone Off,
| leaving one gun standing by itself. They had
| ret-ea ted with their horses
| While we were on the hill ] had observed
| and poin Ted out 10 my companion a cloud OF
| dnst which rose through the trees on our
| right front. In my present position that
| place must have been on the right rear, ana /
| occurred TO me- that after ali there really
| might be body OF cavalry in that direction,
| bat Murat himself would not have charged
/ bncSS "dk,UuS ia L0dt uecp, we'll icIIoO idAc
II the dust came, as / believe il did, from The
| field artillery, that would be different mat
| ter. ANY way, 1t WAS now well established
| thatthe retreat had really commenced, though
| ! saw but few wounded men, and The regi-
| mems which were falling back had nc. sui
| tered much loss.
| EXAGGERATED STATEMENTS ADD 10 TAB rERaos
The xBD.
| No one seemed TO know anything for certain.
Even tue cavalry charge was a rumor. Sew
eral officers said they mad carried guns and
| lines but then they arifted IN TO the uonseuse
which one reads aid hears everywhere ABOUT
| 'mashed batteries" One or two TAXED rlCTe
| sensIbiy about The strong positions OF the
! enemy, the fatigue of their men, tha want OF
4 reserve, seveTte losses, and The bad coGQnCt
| OF CERTAIN regiments. Not one spoke as II he
| thought Of rstlring beyond Centreviue.
| The clouds OK Qast rising above Lac woods
marked the RETREAT OF The wnote army, ana
! The crowds OF fugiuyes continued 70 steal
away along the road. The sun was declining,
and some thirty miles yet remained 10 be &c.
| com pilshed ere / could hope 20 gum the sne,-
| ter VI Washington No one knew WGi.ner
any corps or regimeoG was marching, bat
| there We're rumors Of az Ahds-"lhe olxty.
| NINTH are cut 20 pieces 1.-The Fire Z,uaYes
! are destroyed - aud So on.
| Presently = treInor ran through the men by
| whom was riding, AS The sharp reports u
| some fteId pee rattled through the woods
| close AZ hand. A sort OF suDuued roar, Ike
the voice OF distant Breakers, ross IL iron Uf
| Us, and the soldiers, VINO We're, / thluK, Gen
| mans, broke into 3 double, iooklng now and
| then over their shoulders.
ESTUksIas 70 TEs ROAD FOR wAsHIEGTox
| There was no choice for me but 70 resign
! any further researches. the mail from W4sn-
! iIg!o Tor the Wednesday, steamer 81 Boston
| leaves 1T 2:3J on Monday, and so l Pat II
| morse lUtO trOt; step1g IL the HetdS qlOLg-
| eide the road As InuCn - l could, to avoid TIE
: tugitiyes, TIL cams once mere on the rear or
| the baggage ana store carts, and The pressure
| OF the crowd, VINO, conscious Of the ala which
| the vehicles would afford them against Il cav.
| airy Charge, aud fearful, nevertheless, OF their
proximity, ciamOred aud s1ou>ed ike mad
| men As they ran. the ro-c vas now literally
| covered with baggage It seemed 10 NE as II
| the IneD inside were throwing tie thugs oIt
| nUrpo5ely. Stop cried / TO The driver OF
one CT the CARTS, - every thing IS failing out %
| ''---- yOu,' snou Ted j fellow inside, " II you
] stop nnn Il blow you brains out" My al
| tempt - save Uncle Sans property we're
| tnen ana tnere Gi>Con .ipued.
/ On approaching CentrevIiie body Of Ger
| man infantry of The reserve came marching
| do wn and mmed The current III sJme d.
! gree; th6y were folio wed by brigade OK guns,
and &nO.hrr battallOG OF trSsa IrOuus. I
| turned up on tbs hill half 8 nile beyond.-
| The vehicles had 81 left hut tWC-iny DuE,y
| was gone. 4 battery " Il Id guns was IN no.
| sitiou where We had teeD sJanulng. The men
| looked Ws!l. IS Je. there was nothing 10 III E
!, oicate more thar Te1Te II and some III oeaa-
| vior among the WaSoners and tie ritfraH u
| Glterent regiments. CentreYile was not Il
| bad position property occupied, ana / saw no
! reason why II should IC. be held II IL Was
| meant 70 IenCW lie HIla5k, EOr any reason
| way tae attack sEould no. be renewed, II
| there had been any way IL should have been
| made. swept the lltld once more Ghe
, clouds or dust were deuser 2nd nearer 1uat
| was all. lnere WAS no tiring-uo muskeLry.
| l turned my horses mead, and rode away
| through the village, ana ii ter got Gu. upon
| the road The same confusion SEEMED to pre-
! vail. Suddenly The guns on the NH opened
I ant No ;hta I}S .Iar
| from tbs wood on the rlgEt rear. the STAN
! peGe then became general,
| staET or Az UTTszLY DExoSALIzBD ARxY-rEs
| SPECIAL Is DAaGBR FROA rKUCULEKr RUkA.
| WAY.
What occurred on the hill cannot say, but
| all the road from Centrayille for miles pre-
| in the track of the runa ways of an utterly de.
| moral zad army. Drivers f0gged, lashed,
| spurred and beat their horses, or leaped down
| and abandoned their teams and ran by The
| side c; the road mounted men. ser
wants and men IL uniform, vehicles O,
all sorts, commissariat wagon. throrged
the marrow ways Az every sho., q
| CONFUSION, as IL were, seized upop TIE
| morbid mass Of bones silew, wood az { iron
and thrilled through 1t, giving new energy
AID action 10 it's desperate efforts 10 get free
from itself Again the cry of " Cavalry
man who was running beside ne. "Im net
afraid Of YOU" replied tia rDht2n, dwelling
his piece 81 ne ;.Gd pulling the trigger. Ii
was not loadeI, or the cap was not On, for the
gan did not 10 CT. l was IN armed, aud did
not 60 Of as fast rs c0Gld; resolved TO keep
nv OWE counsel for the second time that day
| And so the tGh. went On. At enc tine 4
Whole mass CT iafantry, with fixed 5ayonets 5,
ran down the baL !: Ct thu road, and sorl4 fall
ing as they ran must have killed and wound
! ed those a;1e1% " hcm they fell. As ! lIne "
| the read would soon become impasss bic OF
| blocked mp, put my horse to II gallop ana
| passed on towards tae front. But mounted
men still rode faster, shouting out. "Cayalry
| are coming"
| Again | ventured to speak to some officers
| whom [ overlook, and said 'If these runa-
| ways aGe not stopped the whole OF the posts
and Pckets into Washington VIII fly also .
! One OF them, without saying WorG, spurrqC
| his horse and dashed in front | DO nov KNOW
| whether he ordered the movement or nor
but the van OF the fugiriyes vas now sudden
| iy checked, ana, pressing on through the wood
| at the road side, saw Il reg men: OF iEfaurrv
| blocking up the way, with heir front TOWARD,
| Centre "ul1.
II IL STOPPED By 4 rTISsL-cLAIAs EIs cIrI
Isa PRorzcrioH og gSGLIas kLLEsIArcE.
A musset vas !evellet al ny head us
pushed to the front ''StCp, or I'll hre." 4
| The Same time the officers were shouting OF :
theTc and said
"Sir, | am q British subject; am rot, as
| sure yoa, running away. had done "a ees
to stop this dlsgTaceIGl TOut, Jas / nad,) au(
| lave been telling them there are No cavalry
| within miles Of them ~ can't let You pass
| Sir betoouL me of General : otis pass
| Tho adlutant read it, and the word was given
| along the line, Let that man pass, and so
| roda through, uncertain Il / could now gaiI
the Long Brids IN time to pass over without
| the c0pEtersfEn.
| 1t was about this tiTue l met cart BY The
roadside surrounded BY Il arorp CT so diers
some or whom had "t:' on their CABS Tn.
owner Is ! took hin TO b. WAS in grea I dis
trees, asa cried ont as passed, "can you Jel