The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-07-19
OPERATIONS Of GEN. MoelellAN's ARMY.
OUR CLARKsBURG CORRESPONDENCE.


CiARKsBuRo, Va June Is, 1851.
The Battle Of Rich Misunderstanding Statement Of
the Guide, dc.
The interesting details Of the battle Of Rich Mountain
already published in the HERALD, have been read with
much satisfaction. now send yon some further facts,
contained tho statement Of Mr. David L. Hart, tho
guide to General Rosencranz's column at the battle,
which was fought his fathers farm. The statement
will be found to be very interesting. He says
/ was with General Roscncranz as guide at tho
battle Of Rich Mountain. The enemy-four thou
sand stroug-were strongly intrenched at the
foot Of the mountain the west sdc They had rolled
whole trees from the side and Tapped them to-
gether, filing in with stones and earth from trench
outside. General Mcclellan, utter accommodating their
position sent General Rosencranz with the Eighth Tenth
and Fifteenth Indiana regiments the Nineteenth Ohio and
the Cincinnati cavalry to get in their rear. went with
him AZ guide. We started about daylight, having first
taken something TO eat (but got nothing until SIX
o'clock next night, when of them got little beef,
and turned into the woods right. led accompa'
MED by Col Lander, through pabess route in the woods
by which had made my escape about four weeks before
We pushed along through the BUSH laurel rocks fol-
lowed by the whole division in perfect silence. The
bushes wetted thoroughly and 1t very cold Our
circuit was about five miles About reached the
top of the mountains near my fathers farm II
intended that the encmy should know Of move
ments; but dragon with dispatches ir0u
General Mcclellan, VINO sent after US, fell
into tho banls OF the enemy, and they thus
found out our movements. They Immediately despatched
$500 to the top Of the mountain With three cannon
They ntrenched themselves with earthworks my
fathers farm, just where to into the road
We did not know thoy there until on their
pockets and their openci fro upon We were
then about quarter Of mile from the house, and Skin
mishing began. left the advance and went into the
main body Of the army fhaa no arms Of any kind The
rain began pouring dog IN torrents while the enomy Cred
his cannon, cutting or the tree tops our heals quite
lively They ared rapidly thought, from the Airing,
they had twenty five thirty pieces We had cannon
with us. Our boys stood still in the rain about half
hour The Eighth Tenth then led of, barng to tho
left Of our position The bushes thick could
not see out nor could the enemy The enemy's
musket balls could not reach Our boys, keeping up
fire. got within sight and then pretended to run
they only fell down in the bushes and behind rocks
This drew the enemy from their ntrenchmens, when
boys let them with their Enfield and MIME rides, ana
beard such screaming in my life. The Nineteenth
in the meantime advanced to fence in q line with the
breastworks, AID fred one round The whole earth
seemed to shake They then gave the Indiana boys
tremendous cheer, and the enemy broke from their
trencbments in every way they could The Indiana boys
had previously been ordered to eek baypnets." We
could hear the rattle of the iron very plainly the
order obeyed. "Charge bayonets'' then
dered and away went our boys after the enemy. One
alone stood his ground and fired cannon until shot
by revolver general race for about three hundred
yards followed through the bush, when
called and reformed In line OF BATTLE to receive the enemy
from the intrenchmcnts at the foot Of the mountains
supposed they would certainly attack from that
ooint; but 1t seems that AS soon as they no longer
heard the firing Of the cannon they gave up all
for lost They then deserted their works and took
OF whatever way they could. A reinforcement, which
also coming from Beverly to the aid Of the 1850,
retreated for the same reason We took all their wagons
TENTS provisions, stores and cannon, many guns which
they left many horses, mules, nc. In Short wo got
everything they had, as they took nothing but snch
horses they We found several Of these the
woods. Ono hundred and thirty five Of the enemy
buried before left They for the most part shot in
the head and hard to be recognized Some hundred,
who had managed to get down to the river at Capnges
finding chance Of escape in flag Of truce, and
Saturday morning they were escorted into Beverly the
Chicago cavalry which had been sent after thcm General
Mcclellan having in the meantime gone there with his
rho following pan Of tho field Of battle win enable the
rcaoer 70 NIX ING Telave positions of the Union rcbA
forces al this decisive engagement