Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-08-01
THE RETREAT TO JAMES RIVER
Imp0rta4f aHd infsrcsttg Particulars ~ thr A0uf
meHf- BracerV Of me Rebel Troops Fepiait F,gh'
Ug--Cok Bcfdms Scrricos
Extracts from r. prirafe Letter

. DEAN Bin order to understand what fol-
lows, let premise a little. Our guns were
placed in line along the brow OF gentle ucli.
nation, and were about ten feet higher than the
level space in front. Before the batteries ON the
right was a large field covered with grass and
bushes, foot or eighteen inches high. On the
left was corn-held, with the corn about as high
a. the bushes II was about twenty hundred feet
to the woods in 'front.' and on the right the woods
ran around near the guns a little.
The rebel army made two attacks, one from the
right and one from the left; both were equally
determined and fierce, but the one on the right
was 10y far the shortest, but the most magnificent
! After driving in our skirmishng on the right,
Company Il, from New Hampshire Sharpshoot-
crs,) the rebels shellcd us terribly For AN hour
II was hell personiGed bat to one who had never
been under fire OF batteries, shooting these most
internal of all eOntrvanccs, shells, IT is an utter
waste of time TO attempt to convey a realizing
{ sense of what the words "bcng SHIELDED means.
All at once the bombaroing ceased, and an omin-
, Gus silence Cnsued. From experience we knew
what was coming, and anxiously gazcd at the
] woods TO see from what point they would emerge.
Every nerve was braccd for the coming hand-to-
hand deadly struggle. Ia moment, as t were,
the wood on the right were filed with a dense
mass OF human beings, and in another moment a
long steady line advanced firmly and quickly into
the open space What daring what madness -
Infantry charging immense batteries at distance
OF half mile over a level plain raked by nearly
I forty cannon Throwing aside an aid from their
cannon aud cavalry, they desperately formed on
an open plain, and pttcd themselves against our
infantry, cannon and cavalry. It sublime =
and torgetlul of all else their boundlcss cour
agc and daring, / swung my hat and chccrcd tll
the tears ran from my eyes.
The moment they hove in sight twelve Parrot
guns and four large howitzcrs began the dreadful
work of death aud destruction covered with dust,
whole companies AS 1t We're going down at every
discharge, the cannon playing quicker and faster.
Still they closed up and closed mp their shattered
ranks, and advanced further and further into that
awful are OF certain death shot aud SHE'LL cannis-
ter aud grape, moved them down, vet firmly as
did ever the veterans of Napoleon they advanced.
and iautercd not Already the remnant had
reached so near that the loud, clear tones OF the
officers could be distinctly heard, and the hattr-
rics seemed doomed. Thousands were killed. bat
r hundreds survived The guns were doomed
held my breath, when 10. night from under their
- faces IA the long grass came a vollcy from our
gallant men, who mp To that time had LAIN conceal
, |cd ~ little ravine, or rather ditch. Flesh and
blood could stand no more They broke and fled.
o. and our men lay down again while those terrible
d cannon hurled destruction into the fleeing mass.
|lhrcc-iuurths of that brigade were left ON that
field. and all have related did not occupy more
. than ten minutes IL must be confessed that
their discipline equals ours, 1t it is not superior
y and Drawer men than their officers do not ive.--
a This talk about the rebels not fighting is played
y. ont. In fact the whole North has been huiuhug-
b, god with stupcudous ialschoods concerning the
l. south. Why should they NOT fight as well rs we
= Are they not one and the same This system of
" misrepresentation has gone far enough.
We were whipped at Gaines Mills, aud our ar
e and appcnrcd nn,ious to ,bardc an I'M. br;do, in
O. our rear. They could have done il easily The
e ,r, Co6ir,, Gv,, c ''
:, critical ,,,,,.,t If ,l. La,tl, ,,, ,i,,, L,,
= ,p ,r,,. , hid. AMI d, ,,,.s H. H. -
ta,,n.d ali H., ,I,t q, ha.,, ,,g tl ,l,,'i
IS ,a,,ir, M, tL, Lr;d.,. and a, ,,,.. ,,, ,, ,i
" terrible result To Col Esrdan b. ,l,, mas, ,f
tb,, ,,,,d., ,r ,,;.,,. a. - pui a. .
e rnc, f,rr,;r,, ,,,,,,1,,,. L - %
- mon viii, ,L, ,,la, tba, an ,,,. ~, i XII ~
Is ,,,,,r,d oo,. All - - fI -. t
, rank. otb..rs ,s.rod i,, ,I,o Ci,,,l ...;.,,i
. him in tbo t.rrl. st,,. NV. i.
p lint tn .,yo tb ann, 70 A. hi. 'I,,'.' i,.'
9 ,,,.r.. f,,,,,.I al -. ~ 'I,'-'" Wv w" "''''
u air., ,nne,r,d n, n,, W.,
= Icur rnIt and .,,,r,sI ,l, In; - ;t
y ,,,ts 'TIa, ,. w., l':i t '''.'''
tcbe ,.,ic,latin. ,h ls,, 6' ,L; ~ ~;
5 d,n,nIod tl,,. a., ,f go, tli vi wi
SEEING this ordered AN az to ri5 IN tk rear 1,'J
! g,ln1 mn annonncin,, that Ricb,mo,d ,,,s tsu',,
+ lie did ~ and tI ,1i,.ct ,a ,,,,;i ,,
IS cbcerod g,,,s ,r,, ,,,..l , H. I
;n, o,,r ,yboI, ,r,,,. GOO. G,.,,, HILL ''.,
= wore s,yrd Wbon tbo,, of,,r,,,,J. l,,a,r,,i f'.
,r;s,n,.r tho l ,ot - i , ,i ,',,
tLts.l al
Il RcrIo,, and ,,,,,, him l' ,.r,..i;, ~
% ,h, arm, ms Ls;,dcnJ had Ja,,c '''''7 '''''
/, II was the tprnin,, ,oint Ec,cr,ly "a, ,l,. from,
p could NOT have soo, II T,,,lil, ,,I Hi,,, ,,,
is equal to fine or,crsn,y Iti.,,,ossilJ, ,, ,,,,,
D. tray lc effort r,,7irJ +, ,to,, ,hI innnn
" rctrcatin, men Won, ,,, al, ,.,,,,i...i ,i.,
e. il was done b,,,,,,lr,. b,,.,, ,,,,l I I;i
" kent and tb. ANN. .,t,.J 7
'Tn,s,I,y pi,,It No.. sl,,, ,,,, ,L, l,,l. GALA \.
:, incat had NJ. -,otbin,,i ,I,r,ii,l ,. f
,r' whole DAYS Tb, nigLt ,y,s ,olJ as tI'. ,i,,.
y was warm We hal mn lIa,,l,,s nom ,',.,,
d. our rlntb,. ,,-, r;n,,;,,., y,t Mn
f. now almost nor mn, me- M, . Ill.,
i' last s,d sr,t,,.. ~ ill.,, rl.;,l.l,,.;,., i,;. w
y, voundrd ror,r,J.. A. t,,. II '','r 'u'
e. ronsed and I,,,on ,,,, wan, ,,,-, a., lI,,,;
a, Landinn A. L,r, tb. t;,il ,,,. ',' ,I,
o. vpr, nstt bo yyo,,nI,,l hal .t l,,',, ,.,.,,..
b,J what ,y,s ,,,;,',, ~ ~ -''' ';,''l'
:. lo,,cus ~ .7S,,, ,r, i,I,i ,i,' ", u"
70 askod Nbo, ,,s,.,..,l ,L, a.
n oL,,d,nod Io ''", Wv w ~ "'
is ;Thrv yci ,,,oJ h. L'os' '1'' cry
e Ms not IN lc,y tLo,n NJ nn -, ,, "" ~
~ fcvcr,d hod;cs , ,lro, - -. s''o '"'''
he for Them mass hl.,ii,. o,,r ~ ,"'Y
re never shall for,ct fin. ,C ho,s I',,
and ,,a,;n,, ~, nv ;,t ',. ''''.'S "l' ~ I','o
10 . r'+'''1 nc WIN s'' 'NIfl'N0iilE Ntt'l nv