The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-06-13

YORKTOWN, une llth, 1861.
You have no doubt heard long ago, of the
battle which took place on Monday, and OF
the glorious victory which was the result
Nevertheless, L will venture to add my mite,
although, unfortunately, | speak not as an
eve witness having been left behind with O.
venteen others of nv company, as not wor
thy Il presume) to feed powder in the cause OF
the Southern COnfederacy. l send you an
outline, prepared under the eye of an officer
of high rank, who had a distinguished COM
mand on the occasion. From il your readers
will be enabled TO form Just idea of the To-
Calty, and the mauPuvres, without feeling
themselves confused by the details, which are
always sure 10 cucumber the narrative OF an
inexperienced writer. of one who writes
upon contracted view of the whole field.
OUTLINE.
The road from Bethel Church to Hampton
runs South. The Con federates posted them
selves on both sides of it at the Church, facing
down the road to Hampton. The Z. ). troops
came up il until within artillery range, and
plan ted their battery in the road, but screened
from sight by small house and by woods
The Confederate battery the right and
close TO the road opened on the Z. :. battery
and on the column in its rear. The L. =. bat
terry replied, and columns of :. troops
wheeled to the right and left, circled around
the position OF the Confederates, and assault
ed ii on the right and let. On the right OF
the Confederates there was route line of de-
fence consisting of a battery of one hOwitzer,
supported by Colonel Stuart's battalion
trenched on the Tgh ,auG a company of \ Orth
Carolina infantry entrenched on the left
The h0Witzer becoming spiked by the break
ing OF a prlmIng wire, was run back into the
bushes, and the iufintry supp >rts retired
The outer line being lost, the L. ). troops ap
preached and opened 4 heavy fire of musket try
on the Confederates cOncen trated on the hill
al the Church; but owing 10 the thick growth
of woods intervening, the fire was not eff
fective. At the same time the left OF the
COntederates were assaulted By q column
which approached TO within fifty sixty
Is un8pr woods and IpnlOVG
front of Them. This fire took the main bate
ry of the HOWitZer B ttt9iion in the flank,
wounded three men, and killed and wounded
Il fac horse, struck their pieces ana ammUnI-
Jion chests. The HOwItZer Battery could
not, however return the fire, without firing
over the North Carolina infantry, entrenched
on the LETT, aud risking them. The fire of
the battery was, therefore, man tanned TO the
front on the troops and battery Of the enemy
in the road, and the North Carolina infantry
repuIsed the assault on the left. Another
howitzer arriving from three miles in the
rear, was run ont 10 the outer line on
the right, which had been previously re-
occupied by Con moderate infantry, the enemy
falling back. The hOwitzer Immediately
opened with shell house occupied by
the enemys sharp shooters, and which also
served to screen the u. 5. battery from vie
The u. =. battery replied with round shot,
all of which passed over the hOWltzer, while
the shells from the hOWItZ fired the house,
and ranged on TO wards the u. = battery, and
probably crippled it; for, after five or six shots
on each side, the fire OF the enemy ceased and
the battle ended -
Yankees a taste Of very different kind of re-
eeption from what they'll have suspected. l have
OF the least doubt that they expec ted TO sweep
away our little band a. the first onset, and
march on in triumph to this place. If such
We're their calculations, never were men more
fearfully mis- taken. They were met at the
mouth of the cannon, repulsed, routed driv
of the field with so little hope of rallyng, that
70 W a "
/ thing that could impede their flight. In one
/ ins tance, they even left the ramIner of a can
non on the field, and two medicine ches Is
We're captured. Arms and accOutrements
/ of all descriptions were among the trophies
gathered from them.
| The boasted Zouaves did not wait TO cross
! bayonets with the North Carolina Regiment.
They fled upon the first fire. and could not be
! brought to toe the mark a second. An officer
/ OF he I tn Regiment of New York was killed
eudeavoring to induce a com pany mot of Zou-
ayes, however, TO follow him. He mounted
| Il fence that separated his company from our
/ infantry, with great gallantry, waving his
! sword and calling on his men 10 follow him,
/ when he received q muSket shOt IN the breast
and fell dead. His men Immediately fled -
/ The dead officer had a furlough in his pocket
! He had gone to Old Point on leave of absence
and had probably volunteered to lead the
troops, at the head of which he fell. His ranB
| ascertalned from his turlOugh. 1t was
| that OF captain.
| The North Carolina regiment behaved
splendidly on the occasion, as did Stewart's
| command-comprlsing the Young Guard Cap
tain Walkers company, Life Guards the
Southern Guards, the Pittsylvania Rifles
! Captain Werth, and indeed, all our troops
| 1t must have been so, or how could !, 100 meI
have SC utterly routed 000 for such was un
! doubtedly the force of the enemyl For my
| own corps-whose fortune and glory, alas
did not share-they won the highest encomi
| um from the commander, Colonel Magruder
| VINO declared he had never seen more effective
service from any artillery, and said he was
proud OF them. In fact, the battle was more
! an affair of artillery than anything else, like
that OF Volney, which saved France in 1892
although not more men fell then than fell a
Bethel Church, 200 at the lowest estimate
killed and wounded.) The general character
istic of all our late battle was not wanting
on ais occasion. The Howitzers lost not
man killed, and bur three wounded. Th'
! North Carolina regiment lost one man killed
and two or three wounded The other troOps