Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-08-02
THE LATE BATTLE.

battle on SUNDAY, gives the following account
Of the affair:
is r,uc yesterday was one Of INC most severe and
saneuna, over fought on this continent and ended ~
He turc of the Union troops to hold all The positions
srh ihcy sought 90 carry, and which thc{ ac,gaf
orgy, aud in their fcuca 70 Ccntrcve, %hei. ',', ,v
iHse sttaa aud where Gen Mcdowell believes u''' ''g
I.r at.YnA uts made iu three columns TWO W "tloh
ei Goo cucn'. while tic supsiantal "ofN was q'nc 10y
,f bib. ,.I... border The small swampy stream
I.... .f.. fUf. llN lctu vcry thoroughly AND
t... .... U .1 Goo lthcs--that hatterlcs had been
.. .t t,tf ataa c point, usually concealed boo the
fI nu.Hcs which abound in that vicinity and COW
crnr every n, VI approach the region beyond nose
ale u Advanced dthnsus OF Manassas Junction, when
be- tlrte ader further oh Until these were cHtieo
should h carried others " simii character woun nave
be- nttrcorc Rtevcry point where they could pc etect
odd Ihr utmost Chat military skill and ingenuity could
accomplish for the dcicnse Of this point wa o'e
f.a lI those batteries a. would bc ui uuuDIul issue
auI ust inevitably result in very serious Joss ~ ue
rr iu attack had been resolved upon, therefore, he
erI.rtafod tl find some way of turning The position
HHst intention WIS 90 do this on the southern sdcio
,vfIIoa f.ignsd attack should be made in front On
Thur.day when the troops were advanced 10 Centfee
s.nI Nrfc almost impracticabcthatt they were narrow
crooked aud stony, aud that % would De- almost impossi
bc w bring wy enough artillery to be elective 10 me tme
.quri bis original plan was, therefore, auandnned
.d tfl.y WAS devoted 90 cxaminaoni by The tgpo-
Graphical tnpnttrs Of the northern side Of the position
81 d. Barnard and Capt Nhippc rcconnoitered the place
i,. around and reported that the position could be
entered iy path coming from the north. though IL was
.,. I.,t and .irrtiitous This wassclrctcd there
..fa s. thf inHde and point of attack
600 saturday The troops were all brought closely up to
Cpuffttt-aud at uccdul preparations were made for
heatack hc WINS intended for the neXtday. Gcster-
day morning, therefore, the army marched by oroads,
Ool Richardson Will bis command taking the southern,
which Ioi to Bus Rum and Gen Tyler the northern
running parallel tn itSt disanceo OF about mile anu
h.l lhc movement commenced At about three clock
aHf p at liIc before four and found the long line o
trslu. ttrrdod Gar ONT on the road took the road by
whia Dnl Uuttcr with mis- command, aud Gcp. mellow
oil anu staff. bad HHur, and pushed on directly 9r the
Cont Afer going ont about two miles Col. Hunter
tufncd 600 tc usht.marohing ohhquey toward tie .un
which Doe was ocios some four miles higher mp and then
come dlNu upon Nc iutrcrhcd position ul 'he enemy un
tac other side. Col Miles was left at Cenue,ilc and on
thr road with reserves which be was To bring up Mhtn-
ever r.ty might De- needed. Cen Tyler went directly
forward 10 engage the enemy in front, and send REIN
frefurnts To- Col uuutor whenever II should be seen
Won't out, 40 have already stated, upon what is
marsDd as tie northern road. 1t is billy, like all th'
surface " this section. After going out about ihrc'
mites sou come 60 point down which the road leading
fhfN forest. d"sccrds; then u proceeds hy sue
c,i1 of rising and falling knobs Tot quarter II milk
-nh.i b. crlssr- STONE bridge and then asceuds by
sirsdy lIc, go the heights beyond Al The top Of hn
slnrr hr tthtls had planted heavy huueries, and th
wood. belnw were allied with their troops and with con
coAlol cannon. We proceeded down the road 20 ti
hfsi uf tho small knus mentioned, when the whole col
umu iiaifol The 50 FOUNDER Parrot gun, which had
I.roff Iu Hu road. Capt. Ayrcs LaeIy was stationed
81 pa. raoie li'tc 80 ihc right. The First Ohio and
Second Sow York Regiments thrown into The
oDlIs .u advance on the left. The Sixty ninth New
Y.r. tht t.ut. SECOND and Third Connecticut Rcgi
r.I- utfc ranged hchud them, and The second Wsc0n
-.H vns 'nu'vu into tlc woods on ihc right AZ about
Naruls .. u lrk iUc 70 FOUNDER threw shells 10
MS ntl tlr battery at tne summit Of the slope, on th
0.rn.iio height, one ut which, afterwards learned
-lI, gal exploded directly in the midst Of The battery
an4 1.cl.u aeI tAc uir0st havoc and confusion. Aho
.hHtl II hnur Capt. Aytcs threw out ten or hftcci
hHi u'tH lie4 in 'irt a i'I9'. MNh V"u'u nc seer
moving about use opposite height but the batteries wcr,
titni. Au hour afterwards heard three or ioui
heavy guus fnm Col. Richardson's column at Bun q
ltuu, aul te-c continued az intervals for two OF
tlce Houts ht they were not answered. even by su-
re HHu. lt ,rry clear ihc onrmy intended 10 take
$3.50 tiug TOT paying his respects To and that he
ett' moro over 10 DO T. n its own way. Meanwhile w
csu. Soar a "a distance the sound " Col Hunters az
isa clearing doe way, and waited with some impatieuc
..uHd ~ h7 c.anou un the opposite heights. Tint
No.r tot nita Is ea,rna -siots from guns, wei
Ia.aeoft o richardson's column, but without 10
sin Ic lnsftnte. fcc,tng any reply.
Ata y O., ioio II ooluck, the first Ohio aud second
Nco iurs. which were ying in the wood on the len,
were Ordered 1 advance. They did passing out OF
tlo road, and climbing fence into wood opposite,
which they had barely approached however, when they
vf. n Nv tremendous discharge Of four gun bate
~ pluted the lc in the woods, mainly for the pur-
pose nf sweeping the road precautionary and the open
mold pn W IisAt by which alone troops could pass for
wand ihe opposite bank They staggered for a
muurtt and received orders to retire. Capt. Ayres'
Battery, Formerly Shcruans) was advanced little, 50
20 command his battery, ana Ny twenty minutes O
ailor1us play upon IT, silcncod " completely.
At hltpesi II we heard Hunter guns on the oppo
site height mile 20 the right lie was answered by
hauccs there. and then followed the sharp, rafting
yle,s of muskstry as their infantry became engaged
The hiinu was now iucossant Hunter had come upot
thm Suddenly aud nrned his line Of battle in an opei
hcld ~ the iilht % the road. The enemy drew up Z
oppose HIM hat he speedily drove hrm TO retreat and fol
lowed them up with the greatest ygor and Eapidiiy-
Meantime, for three h9uls previous, had scci
long lines Of dense dust rising from the roads leadn
from Manassas, and with the glass We could very clearly
perceive hat they raised hy the constant and stead
stream OF reimbursement, which continued to pour 4
nearly thr whole day The NiNy-niuth. Seventy ninth
Second and Eighth, New Nork-thc FIRST, Second an
Third Cunueoiicut aud the Second Wiucousin, wcr
brought forward iu advance Of the wood and marched
cruss thc hcld go the right, 20 90 10 Colonel Hunter
support They CROSSED the intervening stream and Dire
up in snul open field separated from Col Hunter
column by dense wood which was flca with hauori
aud mimfy, Our guns continued 10 play upon III
woods Whlr. thus concealed the enemy, and aided mi
tcrliy iu clearing them from the advance Going dow
hc rAtrrine front NJ the column, could watch Nh
progress ~ Col Hunter, marked by the constant
artillery aud The roll Of nuskety a he pushed the rel
els hacl, from point To point. At O'Clock be had drive
them OF the woods and across the road Here, by u
side OF their batteries, thc rebels made stand The
planted their Gas directly in the rood and twice charge
across "a upon our uru bat without moving them "a
inch. They were met by destructive hre aud WEI
compelled 10 fl It'll further hack Gradually hc poir
Of fire passed further away until the dense cloud Of suos
whD marked ihc progress OF the combat were AZ lea
hafa mile the cft Of what had been the central
1t was nov - o'clock was at the advanced poi
Of the front Of nur column. hundred rods bcy
the woods. u which The few troops then there were draw
up, when decided in drive back 10 the town for the PIT
pose OF sending 1iu my dispatch As passed up Oh
road The bulls and shells from The enemy began TO "A
with muro Than usual tapidity. | da not the poiI
from which they oamci but meeting Capt Ayers, b
sd be- wa, about 10 bring up his battery, supported
the Ohio Brigade under Gen. Schonck, 10 rCpcl
ed attempt uf cavalry 20 outhank this column. As
won't forward lac passed down Gen. SchCnck's Drigat
once drawn up across the ro,d, and Capt Aytc
guns were planted ia knoll AT the ltf when poWcrf
body n rebels, with heavy battery, came down from Il
direction Of Bulls Run, and engaged this force with n
mcnd1us eject | went TO Centre,ile. sent of my di
patch, and started with all speed 20 return intending
60 with truops upon what had been the hotly cor
tested field, never doubling for moment that IL wou
remain IN thtir hAnd.. had gone hut quarter Of
mile when we met great number n lugiuyes, and oil
carriage soon became ontangled IN mass Of baRgag
CONS, the ihrcr u charge Of which told me IL
css 4" ~ n that direction, as our troops were rctrcan
Not crcditiug the story, which utterly uconssto
with What had seen but little while before cnntul
I'd to push soon met QnurtcmnsioT Stetson NJ III
Fire Zonayes, who told me- bursting into tears that n
regiment had been utterly picrcs that tAo Colon
an Lieutenant Colonel we're both killed, and that ot
troops had actually been rcpulsed, still tried 10 pr,
coed. but the advancing columns rendered Il impossible
and turned about Leaving my carfiage, went 10
hieh point " ground and 10y the dense cloud ~ u
which over each Of the three roads by which u
columns of Che army had advanced, that they were a
the retreat Sharp discharges ofcaunun in their
hour TO observe the troops and batteries th,
arrived, and then started for Washington, TO send m
dispatch aud write this letter. A. I came past the Nj
which the rebels had their entertainments less than
week ago. our forces taking up positions for d d
feuse ifthty should De assaulted.