Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1861-11-21
The Battle at Leesburg--Interestsng Desc,,n,,o,
Affecting Incident

Affecting Incident. &c.
The Charleston Courier of Tuesday, the 18th ino+o..
has another letter from It's special army corresponden
("Personne,' dated Leesburg October % wbiop
surpases all others from the pen OF that eentla 'af
vivid description and intense, souEthring Iapguaoa
Below will be found some extracts which are rinLI
worth the room they occupy in our columns:
EVIDENCES OF DESTRUCTION AROUND THE BATTLE F1prn
La pasSuS over the ground, the first thing which -
tracts your attention is the shattered condition If Nv
es and bushes. Limbs hang by mere shred: in mo
ny instances trunks are perforated with doZ n hail..
the bark has been torn off by glancng bullets and 90
casionay you see great bots OF blood and brain snae
ed around, where some unfortunate fellow has tak
SHELTER to secure shot. In one hawthorn bush M n
er than man. and not more than three feet in di,r
OF whose limos larger than your thnph
| counted the marks OF forty-six bullets. In d.nhIo
sapiDg not as large mans body, behind which
Yankee had concealed himself just on the edge Of tb
woods, counted between the first limb and the grond
thirteen bullets while under large oak tree VII, So f.
lage amt st touches the earth, a complete Garner j.
formed IF leaves and limbs which have been shot avy1
GEN. BAKERS HORsE-THE BURNING TRENCHES 40
A short distance perhaps two rods from the educ "a
the cliff which runs down the river, lies the horsa q
Gen. Baker, in guilty fine bay animal shot throuob
the body in several places The same ball that ki9J
the one said have also entered the other Furth
down the brow of the decvity four more horses stiff
in death, which used to draw the hOwitzers and
rifed cannon to their position 10 the field. Auober
object eloquent with the horrors OF war, is the lima
broad trench in of the gulleys which contains thu
Yankee dead. Here lie the bodies OF husband son and
brother, all mixed in inextrcable confusion no stone o
mark their resting place, word of record to tell M
living, age name. Bloody, disfgured, dis usirg
corpses they have been rolled H. and covered from the
sight with the earth their steps have polluted and their
arms would have soaked with the blood of its rghfy
owners Lord, have mercy on their wicked souls
THE YANKEES IN THEIR RETREAT.
La speaking OF the cliff down which the ankles turn
l. a yLo itoto 81
The appearance of the place is as if an avalanche had
passed over it, The ground is torn up, busds torn
down. rocks displaced, shrubs trampled cut Of
existence while portions OF clothing cartridge boxes
bayOnets, straps stockings, shoes, caps, cOaS shirts
bread, crackers and ham, tered profusOn on
every hand. Carloads OF these articles have been and
are still being gathered 1t the base OF this
where large number OF the prisoners tax II
Their beats drawn up and they attempted crcss
after the surrender formally made but a few well.
directed shots brought the reCreants back to the shore
| Many stripped Naked threw their clothing upon he
embankment and others carried their CLOTH
ing with them, and yesterday found dozen pair or
more of shirts and drawers lying 10 field upon the is
land. Many OF the prisoners, we'll those who Is
capped threw their guns into the river aud probably
three four hundred have been since rescued from their
watery bed. several d avn out with poles fork
ed at the end while large numbers OF OvercO2ts blank
cts, and accoutrements have been added to our IRE
viOus stock. In fact, almost every in tie brigade
is now armed with a handsome Belgian or London
Tower gun, and covered with Yankee Overc0at The
number of guns captured is not yet known as they are
indscrmlnately scattered among the troops, but it is
! supposed that we have twelve or fifteen HUNDRED.
THE CAPTURE OF PRISONERS.
The capture OF prisoners continued until nearly Two
O'Clock on Tuesday morning; in instance compI-
ny of forty men, consisting of volunteers among whom
were Captains, Leutenants, and other officers taking
two hundred and fifty OF the Federals in one body
About ten O'Clock on the morning OF Tuesday, Captain
Vaughn, of Providence, Rhode Island appeared wltha
flag OF truce and thirty men, asking rmsslon to bury
| their dead. This was readily granted and for several
hours they engaged in the work. Some seventh
five eighty said to have been buried this side
of the river, and about forty the island tile
shore. Their ambuances were running across the island
all night, carrying the wounded. Captain Waugh him
self estimated that the number Of wounded was greatly
dspropOrtionate to that of the killed He thought Their
loss least seven hundred aside from the prison
take n. How true this have OF know
ing, but the ground sreWn with bodies from twelve
O'Clock until the final charge shutdown, aud they
removed as rapidly as circumstances would admit.
A HAND -TO-HA ENCOUNTER BETWEEN A confederate
| CAPTAIN AND A YANKEE OFFICER.
One personal encounter is worthy Of record. Is
! Captain Jones' OF company b, l7th Mississippi was
passing through the woods at the head Of his men,
met another party headed by officer. The two halt
ing Instantly upon discovering their close proximity
Jones exclaimed, "For God Almghty's sake, tell me
quck-irends enemes-who are you? ?" he Other
replied, we treSds,' and at the same time adyanc
ed. A little boy named Joseph Ware, who was be-
hind the MissisSippan, instantly cried out, "Captll
they not friends don't you see they have not gus
like ours. they are YankteS-et me shoot A&Jin
Jones exclaimed. "Who you? Speak quick ior
can't keep my man from firing" III let yOu know
who we are you id rebel, sad the Yankee oblcer
Tor such he ana, suitn the action TO the wore h
sprang upon and seized Captain Jones by the coIar-
For secOud or two scufi13 ensued between the OH
A
one OF the Mississippians dashed out the Yankees
brains With the butt Of his musket
THE HOSPITALS "A AFFECTING INCIDENT.
Turning from the locality after the battle, the hosp
tails the neTt interesting feature of visit. Ie@
three in number one being church, the second an
academy and the third an old hotel Here are c0lhIl
0 the most desperately wounded, but many have nee
been removed to private residences both 10 and h
neighbOrlng country. The Inhabitants, and eSpeca!
the ladies, done, and are doing, all that heart eau
wish. They act nurses, cooks in any other ca
city 10 which their services may be required y0uG
and old uniting in the task of alternating the sufer
of the soldiers Passing through of the departures
i l saw the old gentleman, Mr. Farr, to whom aIuicl
in former letter as having been taken prisoner by t
# Yankees and shot In the back while bringing nag
truce from them HI bolstered up in bed beng
= unable to lie down. and by bis side stood young aa
* OF twenty or twenty-five summers holding bouqae.
flowers and salver of refreshments which she Iau
o brought in few moments previous. saw, too, iDa,
great tears rolling down her checks as she Watcu
the feeble attempts of the slvered haired patriot ~"
three and ten to help himself to the dantle7 %
fore him. and then she seated herself by his SIDE ana
he laid his head back upon the pillow fed him as gen
g and tendery mother would nurse her child II W"
y simple in itself, but in its beautiful lessons aD
" painful surroundings, one that is indeby lmpFe'''
. upon my memory.
"PAr'' AND HIS PIPE.
1t is related of one of the wounded prisoners 1 10
III broth of boy from the could country, that "noT
;e was shot he had pipe in his mouth ana was P" now.
away most ndustriousy. Unfortunately lot n nap
- ever the bullet entered the OF one eye an IN
ID out behind the ear causing profuSe flow Of blood III