Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-08-11

~
mile from the ford tbickIy wooded, Whiist On 4
tne right OF. the road for about the came ar.
.aece the country was divided between Aelds
s snu wooos' Aoont mile from the road the
country on both sides Of the road h open. and I
ior nearly mile further large rolling AeIds ez =,
seno up~n TO the Warsenton turnpike. which
crosses what became the field Of battle, Through
soe p sailey Of ssmali water course, a sributssyi
7 y Shortly after the lssaiug regiment Of N. I
.s fls1oe reacned the open space, aud whilst
Others and the second brigade were cro.slpc In
tne front and right. the enemy opened hls 1re.,
beginning With artillery and following % WITH
,nisntfy The leading brigade (Barnside's)
had TO sustain this shock for shors dine Tl,E-
OUT support, and didit we'll. The battalion bf
regular infantry was sent 10 sustain &c, and
shortly afterwards the other corps Of Porter,s
brigade, and regiment detached from Heinss y
zelman,s division to the left, forced the ene-i,
my back far enough to allow 6herman,s and
keyes's 6rigades Of TyIer's division TO cross q
from their position on the Warrcnton road,
These drove the right Of the enemy, understood
70 nave been commanded By Beauregatd, from
the front Of the field, and out of the de,scbed
woods, aud down 70 the road, and across it up
the slopes on the other side. aWhilst this was
going on, Heinizelmap's division was moving
down the Held TO the etream, and up the road
beyond Beyond the Warrenton road, and 60
go Loft At tho rad dngn zhiah aur frnnua had
marched from sudley's spring, 10 hill with q
farmhouse on H. Behind this bill the enemy
had, early In the day, some of his most annoy
ing batteries planted. Across the road from
tnis nil was another hill, or rather elevated
ridge, or table Of land The hottest part of
the contest was for the possession Of this hill
with q house on it, The force engaged hero
was Hentzelman's division. Wilcox's and
Howard's brigades on the right, supported By
part OF Pofter's brigade and the cavalry under
Palmer, and FraDklin's brigade Of HeintEel-
nian's division, Sherman's brigade of Tyler,s
division IN the center aud up the road, whilst
Keyes's brigade of Tyler's division was on the
left, attacking the batteries near the stone
bridge. The Rhode Island battery of Burn
sides brigade als0participated In this attack BY
its IRE from the north Of the turnpike. The
enemy was understood TO have been commanded
by J. +. Johnston. Ricketts, battery, which
did such effective service, and played 60 bril-
liant part In this contest, was, together with
Griffin's battery, on the side OF the hill, and
became the object Of the special attention Of
the enemy, who succeeded-our officers mistake
ing one OF his regiments for one Of ous' own,
and ailowiDgit TO approach without firing upon
it--in disabling the battery, and then attempted
70 take ie. Three times was be repuleed by
different corps 10 succession, and driven back,
and the guns taken by hand, the horses being
killed, and pulled away. The third time it was
supposed by US all that the repulse was fnal
for he was driven entirely from the hill, and so
far beyond IL as not to be in sight, and all were
certain the day was ours. He had before this
been driven nearly a mile and o half, aud was
beyond the Warrenton road, which was entir ely
In our possession from the stone bridge wess-
ward, and our engineers we're Just completing
the removal of the abattis across the road, TO
allow our reinforcement (Schenck's brigade and
Ayers's battery to join US. u5i az
The enemy was evidently disheartened and
broken. Butwe had been fighting since halt
past ten o'clock In the morning, audit was after
three O'Clock in the afternoon. The men had
been up since two O'Clock In the morning, and
had made what to those unused to such things
seemed long march before coming into action,
though the longest distance gone over was not
more than nine and half miles; and though
they had three days provisions served out TO
them the Gay before, many no doubt either did
not eat them, or threw them away on the march
or during the battle, and were therefore with
out food. They had done much severe fighting.
Some OF the regiments which had been driven
from the hill in the frat two attempts of the
enemy to keep possession Of It, had become
shaken, were unsteady, and had many men out
Of the ranks. aHlt .......
Il was at this time that the enemy q reinforce.
ments came TO his aid from the railroad train,
understood to have just arrived from the valley
with the residue Of Johnston's army. They
threw themselves In the woods on our right
and towards the rear of our right and opened
fire OF musketry on our men. which caused them
to break and retire down the hillside. This
soon degenerated into disorder, for which there
was no remedy. Every effort was made to rally
them, even beyond the reach Of the enemy's Ere,
but in vain. The battalion Of regular infant
ry alone moved up the hill opposite to the one
with the house on it, and there maintained it.
self until our men could get down TO and across
the Wafrenton turnpike, on the way back to
the position we occupied In the morning. The
plain was covered with the retreating troops,
and they seemed to infect those with whom they
came In contact. The retreat soon became Q
rout, and this soon degenerated still further in
to a panic. nir t-t 1-. W l4sM
Finding this state of affairs was beyond the
efforts OF all those who had assisted 80 faithful
Iy during the long aud hard days work 10 gain
ing almost the object Of our wishes, and that
nothing remained on the field but to recognise
what we could no longer prevent, gave the ueo.
eesary orders to protect their Withdrawal, beg
1 cling the men to form 10 line, and offer the ap-
pearance, ct least, Of organization. They re-
turned by the fords to the iWarrenton road,
protected, by my order, by Col. Por'er's force
of regulars Once on the road, and the differ
eut corps coming together In small parties, many
i without officers, they became intermingled, and
all Organization was lost. a-N 9isd i5Boio3
i Orders had been sent back to Mles's division
i for brigade to move forward and protect this
retreat, and Colonel Blenker's brigade was de .
Il tscbed for this purpose, and was ordered 70 60
\ as far forward es the point where the road %
il tte right left the main road fa11g9 QaisN
i BY feferriBe 10 the general order, IL will be
seen that while the operations were TO 90 on In
4 front, an attack was to be made at Biackburn's
i Ford by the brigade (Richssdson's) stationed
thers.1s reference 10 Ma report. and 70 that Of
Major Hunt, The aftillery,9 will
show that this part Of the plan vas we'll and ef
fectively ca ried out. 1tsuccesded Ia deceiving
the enemy for considerable time, and keeping
IN check apart Of his force. The Are Of the
artillery at this point is represented as psrtcu-
larry destructive. .31ci,@ 10 ageio9
N At the time Of our retreat, seeing great 40
tivity in this direction, much firing, and col
umns. of dust, became anxious for this place.
J fearing If II we're gurnedN Or forced the whole
] stream Of our fetteating mass would heohptured
, or Destroyed Alter providing for the protec-
ton Of tbe retreat BY Pofter's and .Bienker's
VI brieades, Irepaifed 10 Riebsrdson,s, and found
! Y the whole force orderedto be ssationed for the
L holding 81 tbs road from Manassas BY Black
II burn's fordto Cehtfevllle, 90 the march. under
!, lhensdefs frome the Division Cpmmender ,,fSr
/ Centrssilles sIyihmediasely halted, it, aud orr
dered 10 tD0taka uplthe beet line OF defense
Al hcross the ridge that their position admitted Of,
: aud subsequently taking In person the command
Z ofthia psrI OF the army, Icaused such disposi-
: tion ofithe forces which had been added ~ BY
the First and Second New Jersey and the De