Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-07-25
THE BATTLE FIELD.

~-@-r.~-s-nrz.s-=
THE BATTLE FIELD.
Being in Washington City during the past
week, and understanding that it was the in
tention Of the Government to make an ad-
vance movement on Manassas on Saturday
or Sunday, we procured pass on Friday
evening and started carly on Saturday morn
ing to Centrevile, via. Alexandria and Vi
enna where we arrived, in company with
G. Arick, c. Hazlett, and others, at about
o'clock in the evening, where we soon
found the lst and ID Ohio regiments, in the
advance guard; and from Col. McCook and
Capt Hazlett, of the LIST, We learned that
the whole bod Of the troops, except the
.iYeserves guard, or left division, we're under
orders to march at halfpast 2 o'clock on
Sabbath morning. at IL O'Clock we turned
in with Capt. Hazlett, under the shelter Of
q few bushes, for the purpose Of getting a
little rest. During the night there was con-
eiderable stir among the piokets, the ad-
vance guard of the two armies being within
hailing distance of each other, and consid
cradle firing kept up by the pickets during
the night; but the alarm was. not so great
as it had been the night before, the whole
army having been called into order Of battle
twice during the night At half-past one
O'Clock in the morning the men were called
from their sleep, where they had laid down
Mt tho feet Of their muskets, where they
were stacked the evening before by the men
as they were formed in battle order A part
of the troops Immediately went 10 work to
getting themselves some brealfis', but the
.niajority of the men laid still un;ii The long
roll was sounded and the men required to
form into marching order, which they i'm
mediately did, without gcttinga mouthful
to eat; and at hali-past two the march COM
mcnced, the men all in high spirits in antici-
patton Of short fight and glorious victory,
The march, however, Of the right wing, with
which We started, was long, dusty, dry
route, through about seven miles Of level
woodland, without water, and the men ar
rived in the neghborhood of the enemy,
after meeting with some distractions on the
way, about halfpast 0 o'clock when they
were Immediately, without moment time
for rest or refreshment, hurried into the
engagement, which lasted about seven hours.
The men rushed into the contest eager for
the fray and although they meet with terri.
BILE resistance from masked batteries and
rihe-pits filled with soldiers, they marched
on, conquering everything before them,
until they had silenced four of the enemies
batteries and driven the men from rihe-pts
into the woods, under the most calling fire
of our infantry aud the destructive charge oi
their bayonets. Up to the hour Of four
o'clock every one thought the victory ours,
and were moving forward to take possession
of the field vacated By the enemy But nc
sooner had we, with many others, taken
our position on the place occupied by the
first battery silcncod, than We behcld in ouI
rear large body of struggling troops beat.
ing a precipitate retreat. AS near as we
could Judge from the whole movement this
retreat Of the extreme right wing was caused
by the following circumstances: After the
capture Of tho first batteries our artillery
companies one on the right and the other
on the left Of the second tier of the enemies
batteries, approached very close and COM
mepced the attack upon these batteries A
regiment OF U. s. Cavalry advanced on a
charge on the left Of the centre of said bat
teries, and several regiments of infantry ad.
vsnccd on either wing After the rebels had
been driven from the riae-p and from their
batteries into the woods, tho regiment of
cavalry retreated prccipitately down the hill
for the purpose, as subsequent events proved,
Of making aaank movement on the enemies
rctreating column; and at the same time the
artillery company that had operated so Of.
fectively on the left Of the batteries, being
all disabled by the killing of their horses,
except one team, rushed down the hill to
gain position Of safety outside Of the fire
OF tho rebels. The stragglers on the field
below, not understanding these movements
wcrc impressed with the idea that retreat
had been ordered, and so asserted, when
general stampede took place on the
lower part Of the ground. The fight, how
ever, was continued for one hour after this
stampede Of stragglers, by those who we're
at the time engaged in it, and if the men
who were retreating could have been rallied
as reserve and brought to the aid of those
engaged in the fight, we should, no doubt,
have carried the day. But this could not
be done, although there were repeated Of
forts made, not only by officers but by quite
aunster Of cipiiians, to accomplish that
result The word had been early circulated
thst Gen. johnson was arriving with 25, OOO