, 1861-07-22

The correspondent Of the Cincinnati Com
nssrcia1 writing from the scene Of the Rich
Mountain battle, describes the appearance Of
the dead and wounded, as follows:
TIE DEAD On TIE FIELD OF BATTLE.
The dead presented a: gb astly spectaele- /
never conceived anything huff go hideous.
No power Of expression is adequate to de.
scribe it. It YVES complete concentration Of
horrors eelf It is said that the features Of
those who die by other causes, are usually
relieved By faint srni1e-:hat suffering is
rarely left imprinted on the countenance Of
corpEe-but that tic countenances Of those
who are shot have impressed upon them the
traces Of rain. Those which I saW-abput
ffty-ezbibited nothing but the revolving
characters of exquisite agony. There was
not the faintest gllmmer Of a lingering smile,
not the slightest possible tint Of softness OF
nlildnees, not lneament Of beauty remain
ing, to relieve the harsh, ho1id, distorted,
aaoniZed faces Of the dead Of Rich Mountain.
The bright sun, glancing through tfe parting
leaves, lent no kindly ray to soften the ugly
outlines; melancholy had NO sad, quiet Ghad-
oE, to ningle with the hard, forbfdding aspect
Of the dead faces on which gazed with perfect
horror. Had there been even traces Of angry
passion, vindictiyeneas, revenge, death coald
not hare stare SO horribly Us it did, out of
1hoRe ghastly ltneaments; we conld have felt
there WAS still something human left in those
GQma1 iace6 Dull mere outlines.
The faces OF cur OWL dead we're as fea1fu11y
forbldding as those Of their dead enemies. Il
was impossible to drive from my mind refec-
tions upon the terrible intensity of grief
which those who see the forbidding connte-
nances Of the dead loved ones on the field of
battle, must experience. I imagine it must
exceed all other grief for the because
every feature is 60 distorted and unnatural, 30
entirely devoid OF the tone of expression
which friends have loved in the living fea-
lures. Some we're lying prone On the field as
they had fallen, with limbs sprawling, great
thick p1otchcs Of coagu1ated blood near their
bodies, their garments saturated with the en-
eanguined flow, end their gaping faces and
stony eyes, staring full at the broad, brazen
eky. One who had been shot down In the
woods above the breastworks, lay stark upon
his face, one arm thrown with conyulsive
struggle around the limb Of fallen tree.
Clotted blood which had flowed out Of his
side, was near him In thick Jumps.
But the most hideous scene was that Of
twenty-uine dead rebels packed horribly to-
getheT in q trench-most Of them with fear-
tul ori1ces perforating their heads, through
which the brains oozed in eickening c1ots !;
others with Mimic holes full in their breasts;
some with shattered limbs, and others with
lacerated and maDgled flesh, with here and
there splintered bone exhibiting its IL Oh
horrible! most horrible Our own precious
dead, but few in number, had been more ten
derly gathered, and kind comrades had decent.
ly composed their 6tiffening forms. I lifted
the covering which had concealed their mani.
mate features, but saw nothing to remove
trom my mind that indelGble Impression oi
unmitigated uglness OF dead faces Of men
shot in battle.
Our own dead occupy separate graves on
The battle field they 80 gallantly won. The
bodies Of our brave, but misguided foemen
were carefully laid in common grave, and
gre now resting quietly where but yesterday
they fought so we'll
THE WOUNDED.
Our oEn and the rebel wounded lay stroWn
together in blankets on the foora Of Harris
house. Every available space was covered
with their conyu16ive and qufyeripg bodies,
Of wounded There WAS no difference in the
treatment Of the sufferers. The severely
wounded Of the enemy were attended tt
before the slightly injured Of our oWn army
| Most Of them suffered in silence, few slep'
souDdly, but some moaned With intense agony
| One poor fellow, an Indianian, shot through
the side Of his head, who could even yet stant
on bis feet with assistance, suffered excrucia
ting agoDy. II he survives 1t will be almos
| miraculous. Now and then wounded rebe
! would stare sullenly at our people, but tn
3! majority appeared gratefully surprised at tn
;; kindness with which they were treated
Indeed everything possible was done to miti
/ gate their eut1ellngs., shall not attempt t
depict the ghastly, pictures Of horrid wound
| and shudderiGg forms OF poor victims, t.
! whom it would have been mcrciful if the,
could have died, but who lay on the cold, COLI
ground, quivering with agony, with no chauc
to eu1yiVe, aud Jet could not exc out o las
| suffering pasI1.