The Nevada Democrat., 1861-10-15

across the open field, followed by several regl-
ments at run. He was seen to wave his
sword, which cleaned brightly through the
cloud of dust, when his horse, mortally woun-
ded, fell under him; but he was at once re-
mounted. and speedily rallied his broken force,
which, aided by the reinforcements now come
up, charged mp the slope, not minute too soon
for the Federalists were in the act of turning
the guns upon the enemy's position. The Con-
federates were received with volley from the
troops who now crested the hill literally now
ing them down, and again they reeled and wa
vered, but, being again rallied, charged their
foes with such rush and fury that they gave
way before them and abandoned the guns. The
hill was now crested with the Confederates, who
since they were reinforced, outnumbered their
assailants, but the Federalists reformed, and
charged up the hill with their bayonets, led by
an officer in gray uniform, who constantly
waved his hat and sword. On they came but
as the steel-crested human wave had nearly
surged up the hill. they received point blank
volley, and the Confederates sweeping down
with resistless force, charged them with the
bayonet. 1t was fearful sight-we are using
the description of the onlooker-as the bayo-
nets crossed, the death-grapple, the fury, and,
above the clash of arms and the booming of the
guns, rose yells like the "echoes Of hell" 1t
was not only the fierce rage of battle that swelled
those demon-like Htterances, and drove home
~
the long pent up hatred of North and South, of
Puritan Roundhead and aristocratic Cavalier.
Clouds of dust obscured the combatants, but in
about five minutes the FederalistS were seen
driven back, pursued by their foes. Every now
and then they rallied, and then again came the
deadly thrusts, the clubbing of muskets, and
the yells of rage and defiance, till at last the
Federalists were observed ebbing back like
receding wave, and retiring in disorder to the
,-nfN he ,oI ,,sNh Tn,
which was the only hand-to-hand conflict du-
ring the day, the New York and New Orleans
Zouaves came into deadly collision; it was the
only actual rout which the Federalists really
sustained, and though it led TO the loss Of the
Rhode Island artillery, it could not have ma
terlally affected the fortune of the day. For n
long time after this the battle seemed singular
ly indecisive. The troops on both sides rarely
showed out of cover, and though the guns kept
pounding away at each other, the range was too
long for much mischiefto ensue. At one time
a regiment made an advance on the extreme
right, and the order came for Tyler's Horse
and the Kentuckians to charge. Galantly they
dashed from their cover down the hill and over
the stone bridge, which had been mined; but
probably their horses were blown, for they
stopped short, so near the infantry as toreceive
a volley, which emptied three or four saddles.
The infantry then broke and ran away, upon
in a cloud of dust. About three O'Clock there
was manifest cessation in the spluttering dis
tant fire of musketry, and the pale blue smoke
of powder so far ceased to curl out of the wood
that the margin could be distinctly seen. All
at once some most indescribable movements
took place. In front of the denser wood large
masses Of men were lying under cover Of some
small trees or bushes; behind these, fringingt the
wood were the white tits Of countless wagons.
A movement like scufle-it might have been
caused by vicious horses-took place among
them, and two mounted men galloped off to the
mass of troops in front. All at once this mass
disappeared in every direction, except forward,
and the scrimmage amongst the tilts grew fast
and furious, till it was lost in cloud of uni
versal dust. At this juncture, body of Con-
federate cavalry, which had been concealed all
day in the wood to the right, swept across
cornfeld and completed what we now know TO
have been an unexpected and fatal panic.
Everybody knows what followed.