Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-06-27
From the Petersburg (va.) Express, June l2. Battle at Bethel Church.
Four Thousand Yankee Troops Attack One Thousand Confederates. FIGHTING CONTINUED THREE AND
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Four Thousand Yankee Troops Attacl I One Thousand Confederates.
 FIGHTING CONTINUED THREE AMI
 A HALF HOURS.
 THe lGnkees Imice Retret anu hotiy!
 They are Finally Routed and Pursued
 THEIR LOSS ESTIMATED AT THREE HUNDRED.
 Heroic Conduct of Confe6erates!
 The almost painful suspense and anxiety int which this community was thrown on Monday after noon upon the arrival of the train from Norfolk which brought numerous rumors of fighting having taken place in the vicinity of Newport News, 0. James River, was most agreeaby relieved yester day forenoon by passengers who came up iron York and Elizabeth City counties, the Jame River steamer, Curtis Peck. These gentlemen bring the particulars of a warm contest in whicl the Yankee troops engaged our terces, for somt three and a half hours.
 l Several gentlemen travelled on the Curtis Peck | for distance of 60 miles, with private Causey, o i Elizabeth City county, who was engaged in tht conflict and related all the particulars. One O. his auditors was Alr. E. W. Hudgins, d most intel ligent and prosperous farmer of York county whC lett his farm yesterday morning for the residence 1 his father in law, Dr. Worsham, in Dnwiddit county. Mr. Hudgins gives us particulars whicl we believe are in the main reliable but they ma, be tightly varied by the official account:
 l, appears that on Friday last, Gen. J. BankheaC Magrudcr. of tine Confederate army, who has been 1 received further information of the continued de prcdatious oi the Yankee llirngs, who under Gen E. F. Butler, have squatted at Hampton and New port News. He resolved to proceed immediate } in the direction of the localities occupied by the merce6ales, and check the lawless proceedings ot their maraudng parties, or at least contne them to more circumscrlbed limits.
 Our forces detailed for ths mission, we are in formed, consisted of some six or more companies of the first North Carolina regiment, Col D. II liill d portion of the Richmond flowitzcrs, under Capt. Shields, and two companies of cavalry-onc from the county of Charles City, and the other from Nottoway county. The column moved on as far as point the dividing line between Eliza beth City and oIk counties, and in the immediate vicinity of the Bethel Church. This is distant about six miles from N Newport News. and nine from
 Hampton. Our troops were here halted, and pro cecded to entiench themselves by throwing UT slight earth works They reached that point some time during Saturday morning, and remained i undisturbed possession of, having sent out strong detachments of airy on scouting duty. On Monday morning about seven o'clock, as was stated to our informant, man who 1t is said had deserted from army and had concealed himself somewhere in the forest between Bethel Church aud Newport News, came into camp, regretting his recreancy, and informing our officers that the Y an kec forces had struck their tents at Newport News and were advancing ill column of four or five thousand strong.
 This intelligence was received by our officers with some doubt, but they resolved to be on the alert and give the infamous despolers of our pro- perty and invaders of our soil, as hot a reception as rifle, musket and grape shot could extend
 The deSerter's information proved to be correct for d few minutes before o'clock our scouts were driven i'll and shortly after our pickets were fired upon. Presently the invading hirelings made their appearance, and it plainly to be seen that they had both infantry and artillery, but cavalry were | visible. As soon as they approached within range | of our guns the gallant Carolinians and Nirgii- 1 ans opened upon them, and poured into their ranks galling fire. They stood their ground tol Il few minutes doing the best they could, but theii guns all went wide of their aim, scarcely q shot | touching our troops
 | It may be proper here to remark that our troops ! had the decided advantage of position, being in q | thin skirt of forest, bordering on the edge of q mll-pond The Yankees were also surrounded by trees, but widely scattered than ours, and not | atlording half the protection.
 The firing continued on both sides until 9 | o'clock, our troops maintaining q deadly fire on l the Yankees from behind the trees and in the ! thicl undergrowth around, while the enemy oould neither dodge our balls Or cause their shot 10 reach Us with effect. The work finally became too hot 1 for the Yankee scoundrelS and they fell back, ill considerable disorder and confusion.
 ,t IL 1 lya crcutous route, which occupied some thirty minutes. In the meantime, the Confederate troop. | betOok themselves to their temporary entrcnch | ments and cooly awaited the approach of the hire | in5s. Al half past nine they again appeared ill | view, but In their march had become involve ed ill 4 thick mor,ss, from which they found it impossibl, 1 to advance or retreat.
 | The Confederate forces now had the scOundrel. just where they desired, and from behind their tenn polary entrcnchments about the Bethel Church poured most deadly fire into thcr ranks. The, caught right, left and in front, and finally scrimb ing out of the mors4, fled in the utmost disorder and conlusion all attempts to rally them by one ol two officers, being utterly in vain. Our iutorlnan states that the flight perfectly wild, and be l trayed a cOhsternation and dismay, more charac | tcrstc of q herd of butloes when suddenly sur prised by band of Indian hunters than bfare ano choair0ns iankcS, led on by the bold and rcdoubta ! blc Gen. Picaymne dii0s B. F. Butler.
 | They were hOty pursued by the gallant first re giment of North Carolina volunteers, while tn,
 Richmond liowtzers, poured grape and canister
 in the rear of the heeDg New Yorl rowdes Gu cavalry continued the chase, and pursued the mis | erably frightened demons on the Sawyer Swami road, and through the woods, to New Marke
 Bridge, which is within two and half miles 0
 Hampton. Not knowing the strength of the
 forces at Hampton, the chase was here abandoned and the pursuers returned.
 It is sad that the cowardly scamps before run
 ming, quickly dvested themselves of knapsacks ! canteens, hayersacks, side-aIms and muskets am
 some even threw away their coats and caps, deter
 mining, like drowning men, that nothing should
 cucumber their persons or impede their progress il | the race for life which lay before them.
 | We hayebeen unable to ascertain the exact nun
 Der of killed, but no one with whom we converse,
 estimates it at less than l50, while many think
 must have reached 3J0. There were also grea
 many wounded. One gentleman counted ovc
 twenty dead bodies and many wounded in a smal
 patch of woods, and to use his own expression, say
 they were lying about dead like sheep, in ever
 direction to which the eye was turned. Many o
 the wounded were left on the field by the enemy
 and were brought into cur camp, where our soldier
 humanely ministered to their wants The enem
 was busy all the time carrying of their dead am
 wounded, from the outskirts of their ranks, an
 we shall have to await their accounts before tn precise number can be sscertaned.
 The morass, where the fire was so constant ant
 deadly from the guns of the Confederate forces
 had not been penetrated when our informant left
 Scores of them fell there and when they are brough
 out it will swell the list of killed and wounded,
 is thought, to a frightiul extent.
 An instance of bravery is related having bee
 exhibited by the famous Col. George Duryea
 which should not pass unnoticed Luckily escapin
 the more dangerous portions of the morass, he as
 cended hill just as his were escaping froI
 their perious position, and retreating with all tn
 haste which their cowardly legs could carry them
 Col. Duryea taunted them for their cowardce, an
 leaping upon fence, raised his sword alolt, an
 cnireated the flying dastards to rally around tn
 stars and stripes His appeals, however were fruit
 less; the stars and stripes had lost their talis
 manic influence, and the Yankees knew they woul
 not protect them from Minnie balls and grape sho Col. Duryea still maintained his position on tn fence, and shlle in the act of raising his swor alolt was fired al hy North Caroinan, who Tt
 marked with anger, {" will fy you.' The ba
 missed it's object but another ri was quickly sci,
 ed from the hands of felloy soldier, deadly ai taken, and in twnkling, Col. Duryea fell pierce r through the heaFt, the crimson current spoutin , from the wound. and reddening his sash with