Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-11-13
RICHMOND WHIG.
TIE LEEsBURG BATTLE.


The battle of Leesburg has not yet found competent
historian shall not al,;npt the record principally in
view Of the fact that multitude OF details has already
been contributed by volunteer correspondence and
more reliable stock may socn be expected from forth
coming Official reports.
There are, however, two points Gf mistake mott
hitherto unnOtiasd which beg leave to hold up view
so far suppose reliable information has reached me-
l. 4atasoniss Plans Of Bastis.-Tho Northern Gen
era crossed his forces two points, apparently equal
columns-one openly at BdOards' Ferry, the nearest
public hroughfsra, whers he fortified hms, formids
bly,; taS oiher claadssinsy mile two above, oppo
site to Harr;sons Island, on portion Of the Virginia
shore marked hy pFecpitous cliffs deep rhvines and i'm
psaeAb!o thicketssa Wild woody, unfrsquentcd e'r-
tory nhe,s military foIe,1 Nigh. well be supposed to be
easily concealed Genera! Stoas very probably antia
paed ,sans attack upon his ower column, from his
dasLng Wess Point ol friend Genera! Rvdhsirtend-
ing no doab, when the battle waIed hot to have ad
vancsd his concealed column upon bis rear aud thus,
placing Evaus between two fires, surprise and overthrow
him |. is ssre corroboration o. this SKETCH thai. at
the close Of DO battle, Col CcgsSell think it was
now prisoer reported to have sd dressed to Ger.
Evans this witty citqus upon the conflict OF the day
Had you ia!ea into our trap sSould have been the
Brigadier, ard not you
Gsasydi Erdas acquainted himself with the fact
OF the double approach of bis caem! aud Instantly re-
solved 20 hold oae division arms l:rgth wbs he d.
moisaed the cher. Accordingly, be took position, in
person, upon tie high, intermediate ground which COM
manded the b;st view of both positions Of his enemy
stationed regimen. or two to holi tho Eardrds Frry
forces at b.y and felt his war the main body OF tie
. hv mi lat nd mr.
through the early and central portions OF the day
TGoughOul the fight, his general command to his Off
osrs was Substantially this Make more use Of tbs bag
onei than the bullet Ctdrg, the enemy instantly aud
| lurously upon sight" Whenever ths reports Of the
frsg and of his oourers gave signs that the
always outnumber.Rg enemy holding his ground, be
would order a renforcement-acst by one regiment,
then by another And when the day closed he had exc
eusd his work perfectly, aud utterly demolished the
| RarrisOa Island couma OF the encmy's forces
Tho ten fed remnant of the enemys army at III.
eard. Ferry succeeded In gsini2g time and retrsang
to the Maryland shore vita very little oss BY playing
our General YANKEE trick Before the dawn OF day
they EAbassd-t is believed through Union emissa-
res-to I'll our Generals with the reiterated tdings
that Bank, aud s.ons had landed 90. 600 uen the
lsssburg side Of the Potomac during the night, and
would soor uves the city. This prompted him to set
on the defensive, and thus the enemy succeeded In
making his s5oare.
Q Tie FSssTDr Of tIs Eorthrn soldiers in the Lees
burg tight
1t is an uudsnIAble fact that from the commencement
70 the concusicn OF the batle the Nrthsra soldiers
frequently adSarc,d upon the Southern with the cry
w are friends " and this always to deceive and de-
/ ..rCy viii on. sslt.exposure.
| At oclcck in the morniog-in full view Of Lees
burg aud within mile Of the town. and before the rst
qua was Gsed-Cap:sia DAD Of the l. Mississippi reg
usni inquired of q number OF Federal soldsrs adsau.
cling upon him, "W10 are youf" They responded,
/ Ne ave friends" out still advanced To the same
question, more enpbstcllly repeated blythe Captain,
the same answer vas returned and the same advance
prosecuted whtrsupon the battle Of the asy
msnced by the Oaptsl's order to FIRE upon them. Cap
tain Duff and forty men, al Of whom earned laurels for
themselves aud their country the morning OF the
asL stand ready 70 attest the truth Of this statement
It Was probably in the second ssirmsh of the day
! iha, Nos,hern Lieutenant sud a portion Of his
very unexpectedly encountered Captain Singleton, o.
she Is.h asssirpl regiment sad of his company
in the woods The CAp.sin iaquIei, "Who are y'H'"
They responded "Fri,nIs." he stepped up and raising
the cap OF the man. aud indg nanty exclaimed
"YOu deserve to be slot for your dapAclty." Tdey
gaasd nothing By their this tms for two Of THEN
number were made prisoners aud shot, In at.
tempting 10 escape.
! TIE Bur! R.as,, company OF the lS.h Mississippi,
we're tho frss corps ordered up a reinforcement
Ihs sh Virginia regiment. GA their way to the battle
add when IbcTed by iello1-aodisrs stationed at later
mediate points to depor; themselves bsavely, with
lively stop and gallant air. they responded, "on the
ground where we inset the enemy we will bury them,
or be buried" Nobly cid they redeem their pieGge,
out 5orey did hey su5r from Lhe duplc.y Of the ian-
! keeJ E,ily in the heat OF TIE geeAt battle, number
0, Federal soldiers abo 10 bs shot down by theu IL
olamed, ID ~ FIRE Gon' IRE :! u, ore friends -"
The Coniederaes believed them and ins alty obiqued
their gurs aud discharged them to the rgh. aud left
rb. clcok scarcely t:ckst these sesiyed friends
orough. their guns to bear upon the very Eea who
mad 60 generously spared their Ves aud shot them to
the earth l. was IN this mianer precisely that Gov.
Pettu. son. eud other gallant young OF that uobs
corps, were slaughtered Tho sayers, need hardly
say were instantly made to bite ths dust by ths enged
comrauious OF the murdered. C,psin J. @. Campbell,
j. s. Pool, T. yirder W. T. Cunliifs, and many Others,
stand ready to confirm this statement.
While passing through the gully which divides the
field principally the field Of battle the Beauregsrd Ri
dss Csp5. Resrney, 18th Miss Reg discovered line
Of soldiers drawn up across the fsli on the hill, ami
halted for They Instantly exclaimed "frisnd'!
don't Ere" soldier Of the Rass cried out, in loud,
iudisnan, to9e Cspai1 they are not friends they are
Yankees Immediately the whole lae from "sbou-
der arms" levsed and discharged their weapons upon
our soldiers. Turner Taylor, J. T. TAueT G. W. Shackie
ford and O. NJ Sparrow will verify this statement.
In the courss Of the agSt, In. obannou, D. L. HiI
on Vim. Dounely, r. T. Downs and others fNqneutlJ
heard tn, Yankees say: We are friends; we are Aissa
apiana" On one OCCASION obaunoa called the attention
OF oourade, j. II. Huchson, by the remark, "Th,y
don't look like frieads' Scarcely had HuiehfOn turned
himself toward the speaker when he was shot dead.