The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-12-23
The Fight at Evansville.
INTERFERING PARTICULARS.
TOTAL RoUT OF THE REBELS
Their Loss $50.

The Above map Of tho sea. Of war on the Pc
tamao will show the relative position of Drains
villc the locality Of tho battle between Gen.
McCall's Division and tho rebel forccs on the
2oth inst. The camp Of Gen. McCall's Division
s at Great Falls, rear Hunterston aud botwesn
II ard the river. From there they marched to
he Thornton House, in Thornton, as marked on
the map, where the rebels met our troops and
were rcpul,ed, falling back upon Fairfax Court
House, which VIII b. found on the map further
TO the south.
We gather from par,ies who wcro ia the 4 n.
a, Drsln-villc, tho following particulars -
For me days previous 20 the ba,tlo abolt a
btuitto Of the enemy : cavalry hal been In the
habit OF coming down 90 nrainsyillg and ioras.
ing butw,tn there and the Potomac. G. n.
Mccall determined to attempt their capture,
std yesterday morning AZ an carly hour issued
an oder for the Third Brigade, consisting Of
four regiments, commanded 10y Gen. o i, to
proceed to DTaiusyilIe for that purpose, and to
forage. Forty or iify wagons were takcn along.
Tie whole line, except one regiment, h al
pa ID n wood on rising ground near Drains lille,
to the lett Of the Ls,sburgh turnpike, when the
skirmshcrs Of the Sixth Regiment were fired
upon ly rebels lying in ambush. The First
l.ill,s returned The fire and after two or three
Iould, concealed battery opened on the Rides,
heads aud sling Ito a low place in the rear,
Ger. Odd INN ,diat,ly posted his men in line
Of battle. ard Capt. Els'oAs battery opened \
1 most destructive fire on the cor cellcd euemy.
| Tie position OF the enemy's battery could not
| hc asceitanod except by the smoke from the
| discharges, at which Capt. Easton fired sixty
iOunds, three only Of his CUTS being in ~ ion.
| The fourth Lad been placed in another position,
and was not operated during the fight. 0n the
third round, shell from one Of the hoWitza FRS
| lurst Immediately in the eeemys battery, kill.
| ing several men and horos, and disabling one,
| If 10, two, Of their guns. After the battle,
| evidences we're seen that the enemys magazine
had been exploded, and il is thought that it
was the effect Of the shell.
After Capt. Eas.on's battery hm fred about
| sixty rounds, Gen Mccall ordered the firing to
cease, for the purpose Of making an advance.
| The force Of the enemy at this time was I'M
| known, as they were all concealed from Wow by
thickct, in which they were sheltered and
which they did not leave during tho tgh'.
| Gen. Mccall who hal come early in the
/ fight, placed his whole force in position for a
charge himself, and Gen. ord leading the as
FAULT. 1t was a gallant and brilliant charge,
/ and was perfectly successful in routing thu eno-
my, who lied precipitately, spuued by CALLING
fire from the Pennsylvania reserves, and leaving
the field stTewn with dead aud " oundod. A panic
seized the reOols, the men throwing away their
blankets, knapsGcks, oyercoits, and arms oil
every description, and even the officers thro~inp
| away their swords and Tevolvers, AMI in some
instances, their coats.
In the meantime, the wagons wore BABEL u
With the forage which the enemy bad deserted
consisting q seventeen wagon loas o. hay, AM
twenty-five loads Of corn in the ear. The arms
| and clothing ard accoutrements thrown ava,
| by the enemy were sufficient to have lOalcd al
lhesc wagons, and more, but the things were =
| scattered that it was impossible for our soldier
to ga her thom up in time 10 return TO the
J | camp. .
= la addition 90 from forty TO sixty dead boii
| lief. on the fold, there we're numerous pools
= | hluol where ihs rehels had been p sted, sho'
" INK that in their tgh, they had taken vi
N | them what d,hd or wounded they could car
oil. Tie Highest estimate Of the killed al
wounded which has he made Is one huudr
and fifty, but the probabilities arc that the rel
loss was much greater.
On the bodies Of many Of tho dead rcb
c were found letters and papers, mostly OF lit
l importance. On one, supposed 10 10 Lieu.
| X. Rcniing, Aide.de. camp Of Brig. Gen. w
w cox, was iOuTd, with the scala unbroken,
- following order
.bt | HEADQuARTERs FIrTH BRIGADT, SFCoNI
M CoRrs Dec. Is, 1861.
~ DETAIL Field Officer Of the Day, Lieu
"' Col. j. C. Martin.
b. BY order Of Brig. Gen. Wilcox.
n, 4. Il. RENDlNG, A. A. D.
n, Brigade Guard from Tenth ALBANIA r.
Wy ment Couutersign stockholm
r. On nno her was found an order showing Il
iii Iaiicn' for four days had been distributed.
In the woods where the enemys battery
| been were found numbers Of shells and b,
: piled up in good orlcr, aud other inliCaii
that The affair was premeduattd on the par
} the rebels. From the fact that Gen. Met
,ur had orly rcfolyed at u late hour on the pew
le- evening 10 mako the attack on the enen
"a, cavalry in the morning, II was supposed /
" 10 iuiUlma ion could have been CAMEL to
our enemy, Lut circumstances shoS conclusiV
on. | HAT they were informed Of ii. The fact IL
tv I corTOboTatod by one of the prisoners, who sta
= that they we're marched from Centreville
Draiusyille, at quick and double quick, nm
en- | orders TO report TO Gen Stewart. This IL
Gates that the enemy received information
a., | the int dcd attack during the night preyi'
'' The Fame prisoner stated that 1000 I
APP we're ma ching down from Leoslursh, for
81. purpose of meeting Gen. McC ais brigade
That the plan WAS TO allow the national io
to pass Drainsyille, aud for the force there
rel assault the rear, while the force from Leoshu
BILE | made the attack in front. This program
nj. | failed by The skrmisheTs of the 9th discover
the pickets Of the enemy, and being fired on
!" them, and that brought on the engagen
on prematurely. Had the rebel plan succeed
IN tue lst and ID brigades which Gen Met
ar. had taken the precaution 70 order on as
serve, would have come up in time TO join
AZ the battle and the probability is that a
ben larger number of the enemy would have
A destroyed or captured.
One of the prisoners taken was member
we the South Carolina 9th regiment, named "a
Y TIERS He was shot through the body,
he above the hips, with Mimic ball, and morta
= wounded. lie was remarkably handsome, |
~ the only ono of the rebels killed OF taken v
NJ looked like gentleman.
ThIos u the prisoners were from the 30