The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-12-30

| IlcoRREsrosDzxcE OF IHE KtcHAoED DIsrAfcn
- CAHp sEAn CHsrasyILLR, T. :
Fairfax county, Va t-yc 2iIh: .
| About 0 o'clock last Friday night an order
was received aiIisg oas cur FsEteaest ttho
18th Eirginisl TO r. pair hurrisCiy As posst-
bic TO Drainsville, the scene OF COIL fict Of the
previous day. We marched as f~et - Ho
could without going at the .double qsick. We
Fryin pan Church, about = O'Clock Of The
same night We had no blankets with ns az
all-sinPly our overeoais--to protect NJ ffom
she rigor OF the cold. We procured fence
rails, which we kiddIed with eAse after
which we lsid down on the naked earths<-
Some o. our regiment, however, remained mp
the remain der OF the night At early dawn
tae next morning the Srarn feat the sigEa
ior NE fJFnatiop cionr regiment We march.
ed oIisxty aloEG, IL being quite cold, and we
therefore fsitthe more incHned to exert our.
selves to give waiinth 20 oar bodies. We had
no ea ot going so far when we started, but
willing to follow Gen. stuart anywhere.
eyef TO the sanks of the Potomac. Onward,
sui onward we Went, Winding err way mp
AMI down cifcuitoiis and T. gag roads, " hfch.
though wetriseme, were in excellent c ondi-
uon, asing entirely free from the stifitng
inHget &C OF aaSt, Sti we went, and il Is q
sipgu uis.r fact tha the n arer Sou {. .sproacA n
nvea place tila iastaer of arc you from IT.; 3
SiIce the ui)1o1 IL reply ~ an interTogAtory
as 20 how far We %e q on from DratLstflfe
nad 1t more remote tan the answer Of the
nan lde yio@siy net Inile OF two back This
provoked US 10 such pitch Of desperation
tina. we co u,d scarcely .in from Insulting
the an;hor of the answer we had 80 inuth 500
licited. ,- .s...,-.,..- u
I We reached Drairsville about IL O'Clock
a M. and went just beyond is 70 a house on
the hill near which Was the fercest portion Of
she fight. our regiment WIS halted here and
trokeI, when an opportunity was Afforded
tho cprions of visiting the battle srouad. My
atten ton was direct. 70 the house immedf.
-sely on The Leesburg turnpike, at the front
# which stood several chatmiugiy- looking /
iadies, who very soon became tie paramount
4ttraci!ou eyed them ;.1hile with inter.
est, then 81 ded towards ihetn, when got 4
to quite an interesting conversation. Tney
naFrated naDy ineidta;s connected with the
oa ne. They were III the town of Drains-
yiit- whea II ocenrrea. They say that 1t was >,
a n o5t iieruely contested LSht, and that tho
enoiL GGd four or live ~ our one. They
we're hi nGiy 2tteudiI sue woitBlest, CT wnieh Z
there wele eight ln d,is cOpGssateu hopse.
tneY Soy III Yankees were very kind IL eur
S-nUudrd, il bfIEelT tfefn to tbe honse:
tAsY also lett vii taeU, q !, oca ml.py band
ages, 20 te nsed Ia dressing lheir wounds.
Z Gsv eii ta- Potomac was rot more than
three ~ Il = h&l ! oT iUur inilsS .aistant, and
washington lNenty-;wo | was speaking
ith ts,o ia,ies, Gre OF whose names Was
Miss Day. :Sae WIS very sprishtiy. said that
her te,iter bad heen tascn The aay. before
both her ti:her, Ur. Day, aud Mr. Day.
itey were charged, she said, " it'll figh,iBg
against them on a .srtaln occasion oa ths
fYtomAc Gea SiuaTt meanwhile proceeded
TO Lave his wvurded placed asc;tra til y an
assisted in bearing them out CT the Esuse
and putting them IN the convey ances.
These laGi4s with their mothers had come
up from their comfortable hoInes, bringing
WI ii them beds and bed clio thes. They also
prepared soups and such like delicacies suited
To the conditions o, the wounded. AS they
were bring placed on the ambu lances, one of
the ladies remarked that that was b. u lfient.
toIf her prcphecea E,r him speedy re-
coysry, having been nulsed under such Ia
v vorabie auspices
These things over, 7, in company with sew.
erni ofour company, took our rifles and went
tiu lie battle fronLd. SpectacIes of horror
met cur eyes theTr. The detail of men, who
hal been sent for the purpose, hal collected
our dead along ide ihe road. 1 Was hor. .or-
s;Taek By The ghastiy appearance OF the dead,
"s they :ay al besnl.arsd with their own
biooi, Which in the agcnies OF death they
htd gotten al ever taeir ttces, having rs
soon as shot ciapp.d their IRAN DIS TO the
part eStel hnd drawn across their faces J;
shots OF piore deadly character, 1 never
saw. The bullets and grape took effect In the
most isal Iar.s, in ieatiug with what unya--
ryihg precision and Accuracy the emmy shot.
Corps rAi j, who was one of the aUm-'
har who accompanied HE TO tho Held, put
himself To some troubie to aSees laiu me
numoef cf the dead, which he says WIS
tfITiy-iour Passing on farther down,
We saw u car sofr--~ s1ch had been set en-
hce BY homb troln tbe enemy,
causing irmeciate e&i lcsion, which an
told, causeG theI Us tah death ct two men Of
tie Sumter Artillery, OF Georgia. The head
body, that Of the other cut OF just above the
nose, never saw such sight before. 0ar
k.i'ed was thirty four and as many wounded.
The enemy are supposed 10 have sustained
but II SNAIL lcss--th rec killed aEd thirtyor
foTtg wounded The Federal Nictory IL ow-
lug OF coarse 10 the superiority OF their posi-
tioh we could rot get our battery In post.
iion for HetioD, at least batopeoT Two pieces,
SGme sixteen, OF our artillery horses were
killed. The enemy had seven lsi ae pieces,
which played upon our men and artillery
from three different points. all playing upon
one focns. Having put all our oe,d in wag-
ons, we set cut about four o CLOCK for Cebtte-
VILE, sistant, The Way we Went, Hot less lhan
twenty miles. Ia twenty four hcuis We
Travelled ever more than fcrty miles, with
not half enoagh 10 eat Toe satisring from
cold, too, wac intense. Our raeu were, in
high glee when they started, 1T the prospect
OF AN engagement with the ehemy--in lect
t.1e " hoie OF the time We were up there, we
We're in IL on.rnt.sry xpecia lion OF an attack,
but tue coWarLs wopl~l not<se oa tsietns elves.
II is prcper1o sta'e that there v ere hut
Two reg ME ats, our owg and IA Georgia rrgi-
mant, Where the day before, four regiments
and "a battery had received Il deieat Albeit,
We did not engage the ep eroy, yet cur follow
III Il IA StlsuEt, gGes 10 de monstrate cur will
IinEness "a hazaru Cur liyes II was reported
that Is regime were sent in tn DIR eetiOn
Drainesytlle, subsequent TO. oar .seltlnG ont
Tor that pfaee--I have siuce learned that such
was not the ease. Abcut night, on our way
back, our Colonel haiied us. and put the vote
10 the regiment whether or not we were
wiling to go the entire distance 10 Centre
vile, the reply was "5es !" with END Rhasis.
so on We went; Toor ISilows some OF our
men complained bitterly CT sore feet, sde 10
by trassiiDg 50 mnah on this hard frcxen
gronnd. some one or two were 50 lucky as 10
gsta ride oa horseback. Others were Obliged
10 remain the over night, and come In the
following Sunday morning No order ~ 70
reg uIarity vi marching could be m,intsinsd.
each getting along rs best he could. MY
Cap ain, myself. and sevefal others were
amongst the first to get 10 csmr--how glad
and warm fires. So. drinking the coffee and
| toasting o.r feet, we rasired for the night.--
We got TO camp = boat IL r. M. ~tEg
sa "R - 18th Virginia Regiment.