The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-08-07
The Pageant OF the Enemy's Reserves.

At long way up the rise, and issuing from
the enemys extreme left, appeared, slowly de-
bouching into sight, dense column of infantry,
marching with slow and solid step, and looking,
at this noiseless distance like a mirage Of
selves, or the Illusion OF panorama. Rod by
rod the massive column heightened, not breaking
of at the completion of a regiment, as We had
hoped, but s..ll pouring on, and Oh, and on. till
one regiment had heightened into te b. Even
then the stern tide did no, pause for one of it,
arms turned downward along the ia side Of the
triangle and, the source of the food thus reliev-
ed, poured forth again, and commenced lining
the o.her in like manner. Still the solemn pic
ture swelled s volume, till the ten regiments
had doubled irto twenty, and had taken the for
matiol OF three sides of hollow square. Our
awe-5truck legons, though beginning 10 feel the
approaches Of despair, could not take their eyes
from that majestic pageant, and, though, e1-
periencing new necessity, were frozen TO the
sight.
The mortal tide flowed on, the lengthening
regiments growing into thirty thousand men, with
a mass of black cavalry in the center, the whole
moving towards us, as the sun danced upon its
pomp of bayOnets, with the solem step Of fate.
This was war; compact, we'll made, and reason.
ing war. 1t Was war, too, in all its pOmp ard
glory, as well as in its strength, and we at once
| comprehended we were beaten. In vain did our
startled faculties dart alertly hthe- and thither
for some hope; in vain did our thoughts tura
quickly upon Patterson. 1t would not do
johnson was there before Us, with his cool, fresh
| thousands, and our Waterloo was lost. That
| steady and united host Ou;numbered the whole
| of our worn and staggering columns and it pen.
etrated US with conviction of resistless power.
Decently, however, did We gather up our force,
not by general order, but by sensible accord,
and sad, and panied, and weared, vet conscious
of victory far as We had fought, We folded up
| our columns for retreat The ONLY ones whose
hardihoOd clung spiteuly to the strife were few
regulars at the batteries, who, with the infatua-
ton OF experts, and begrimmed with the mire
OF battle from all ordinary recognition, kept
peppering at such batteries as would still provoke
| their fire.
| Among the last to turn their faces from the
| fight they had So gaily sought were the Burnside
| brigade, which, accompanied by Sprague and its
gallant brigadier and headed bv all of its colo
ue!s retired in line of battle with orders to COW
err the retreat. Thus honored for its steadness,
the Rhode Islanders took off their battery, and
the Z LIST departed with its guns. All, thus far,
| had gone well with the departing movement, and
our battaiions iiom every portion OF the field
were retiring with decCrum; when of sudden
some of the persistent regulars who were charged
|
ammunition, sent back their cassiOns for fresh
supply.
| | have described how that branch of the Ser
| vice mad" IL charges in the morning, and how
recklcs-ly it always sought its way to the 'front.'
through the formed columns Of the volunteers
In the same manner did it now 20 back upon its
GRAND, riding down everything in its road, and
scattering the ranks of the regiments in every
direction. TIE volunteers who had never before
seen such sight, and who were already pene-
trated "itG I'll" fearful pageant OF the descend
Ing enemy, could only understand the movement
in one way. Those flying carriages, aud those
madly excited men were rushing 10 the rear, and
their action therefore constructed into a wild
retreat The thought which appealed to their
agtated minds, was, that if the regulars were in
such haste to escape, it was necessary they
should hurry themselves, and fearful panic
took possession of them al-Uilkes Spirit of
tie Times