Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-07-30
The Battle Of ManusHn.

| OI7YdGleF UeNCTUt W. H. hHLGWy, CyHtW"H~'
ing the Third Brigade Ct The army cyf the
| Shenandoah
| submit the following summary report OF
the part taken in the engagement Of yesterday,
by the Battery Of the Brigade-the Stauntcn
Artiilery-undpr my command. The battery
arrived at Camp Walker, brlow the junction,
at half past eleven o'clock Tho night before,
tho battle, with men and horses greatly fl.
tigncd, by forced march CT SO miles, com
mcnced at day break, over an extremely rough
and steep, hilIy road. Having had but four
hours sleep, and that on the ground, without
shelter, OH 4 rainy night since the preceding
Wednesday night, at Winchester, and no i19d
On Saturday, except breakfast which was
| kindly furnished Us by so!nc ladies' ut Salem,
| in FauQuicr, my men were so tired on getting
into camp that they threw themselves upon tho
ground 70 snatch few hours rest.
\ little after sunrise On Sunday morning,
| the laine0 table Gen. Bee sent for me 20 his
! quarters, aad informed me of the approach OF
!lo cHcay, and that he Was ordered 10 the
Stone Bridge with his brigade and battery
not so much exhausted as mine, aud asked INC
'if we would stand that replied mot ii
''e can help it," Hc then ordered me to pu!
the battery in motion immediately, aad lei ny
wagons remain, and bring our ra.ions and fur-
| age after US to the field. IL &bo:l. twenty nia-
| utcs VIC were in motion, very much stimulated
oT :! cannonade which Ald been opened SO
near Camp Walker that Que OF the balls came
Ehizzing over us just IS We started. After
rapid march Of about five miles nc met the in.
fantrY Of the brigade, who had gone by a nearer
route IieG. Bee III prison then joined tho
battery, and rode with Us about ul,c and Sc
lcctcd the ground re were 10 occupy. and re.
| manned Till lfter the firing commenced on both
sides. Tu lis consuunate judgment il choos.
ing cur ground, 80 are !ndec Cd fc. our almost
miraculous escape from utter distraction. We
scro placed on the slope ol hill, facing 10 the
Vest, with slight depression or rarine run
ming almost parallel with the base Of the hill!
We came into battery" aad unlimbered in
this depression, boing thns slicl:ercd by swell
in the ground TO our front 6vc CT sir feet high.
Our position commanded a beautiful open
farm which rose gently IRON The valley in front
Of Us, back to thu woods about l,oG0 yards
distant! In the edge Ct these woods huavy
column Of the enemy was marching IL the
! sou.hward, while We were descending the
hill TO our position. At the notnen! We
wheeled into hac, observed ore Of their
batteries Of six guns do tho same thing, and
they unlim5cred simultaneously with U.s.
We Immediately loaded with spherical case
shot, with the iu:c cut for 500 yards. Gen.
! Bee ordered Inc not TO fire till they opcced
on me, as lie had sent the Fourth Alabama
Regiment, Colonel Jones, across the valley
| 10 our right 10 occupy q piece Of woods
about 900 yards nearer the enemy, and he
| wished this Regiment, together with one six
| pCunder they he'd alons with them. to get
| fairy in position before we fred lie had
hardly altered the order, however, when the
enemy's battery-six long rifle - FOUNDER
| Parrot guns, afterwards captured by our
| troops-Tithin 100 yards of our position
opened on us with elongated cylindrical shells
| They passed few feet over our beads and
very near the General and his staf in our rear,
and exploded near the top of the hill. We
| instantly returned the compliment. Gen. Beo
then directed NE 10 hold my position till fur
ther orders, and observe the euemy's move
meats towards our left, and report to him any
thing | might discover Of importance. This
was the last time my gallant, heroic General
ever spoke to me. Seeing US fairly engaged
be rode of TO take charge Of bis regiments
The firing Of both batteries now became very
rapid-they at first over shot us and burst
their shells in our rear, but at every round i'm.
| proved their aim and shortened their fuse. In
| about fifteen minutes no received our first in
| Jury. i she'll passed between two Of our guns
| and exploded amongst the caissons, Inanel;ng
the arm Of private j. J. Points with fragment
in ulust shocking manner. ! ordered him to
he carried of the Held to the surgeon ct once
He was scarcely gone when another shell cy.
ploded at the same place and killed n horse
About this time the enemy began to fire too
low, striking the knoll in our front, from ten
! to twenty steps, from which tho r:cochet was
sufficient to carry the projectles over lis they
discovered this, and again began to fire over
us. After we he'd been engaged for perhaps
half hour, the enemy brought another battery
Of four guns Into position abou. 400 yards
south OF the first, and q little nearer to u, and
commenced very brisk fire upon Nv. 4. shell
from this last battery soon plunged into our
midst, instantly killing horse and nearly
cutting off the leg Of private W. S. SiderS just
below the kace. He was Immediately taken
10 the surgeon. 4 few minutes afterwards
another shell did its work by woundng 2i
| Lieu. \. w. CARRIER 80 severely in the wis.
that l ordered him of tho field for surgical
old. We now had ten guns at work upon US,
with no artillery to aid us for more than an
| hour, except, believe, three rounds fired by
the gun with the Alabama Regiment. 1t
ceased its fire, have heard, because the horses
ran off with the timber and left the gun with.
out ammunition. During this time the enc
my's ialantry was assembling behind, between
and 10 the right (our lcii) Of their batteries in
immense numbers, but beyond cur reach, us
we could only see their bayoceis over the top
&C the i!i Two or threa times they =cnturc.!
in sight, when tho Alabaniaos turned them
back On their left ny n we'll directed fre, MD
We gave tbem few shu! and shells na their
right with the Same result. ss they invariably
dropred back over the hill when We fred ut
them, as almns! every She: made a gap in their
ranks.
After NJ had Lcca engaged ior, suppose,
nearly two hours, detachment Of solnc other
bs::crv, (tbc New Orleans Washington Rattal
i'm, ! beiieye) Of two guns, formed upon cur
right and commenced q we'll directed fire.
much to our aid and relief MY men by this
time were so o7ercuuc With Tic intense heat
and excessive labor, that hnif Of them fell upon
the grouod completely exhausted. TIE guns
were so bot that it wa3 dangerous 10 load them
ONE ~as temporarily spiked by the printing
wire hanging in IL, the YcE: havinS become
! foul Ny teams were cut TO pieces tsc ot the
hcrscs we're killed out Of one single piece, and
other teams partially destroyed, So that, alHne,
wo could not much longer have replied 10 the
epsuys batteries rs briskly US was necessary.
We were now serving the guns with d:u;:n-
ishsi uu;sb sbers-Leuts. Harman ond lmLoder
working 4. them as pri7aic;, to relieve the
pr;ra,cs; the latter had the hanLspks in lis
hand directing bis piece, when one q! its rings
vas shot OF Of the trail !y piece Of a shell.
After cur friends On the r!gh. commenced
firing, the eneuiy advanced third battery c!
four pieces down the hill, directly in front oil
and about six hundred yards distant frcIi rs,
upon which we opened hre Immediately, anti
crippled one Of their guns BY cutting of its trail,
compelling them to dismuunt and send the
piece away without its carriage. While th's
last battery was forming in our front, vast
column Of thousands Of ofinlantry marched down