, 1862-07-12
BATTLE OF mALVERN HILLS.


The battle Of Tuesday was perhaps the
fiefcest and most sangulnary OF the series OF
bloody conflicts which have signalized each Of
ire last asTsn zen days o W. have already adyss
jackson and others, but, as Jet, have make
but little mention Of the operations upon the
occasion Of Ge.i. Magrudtr and tie troops
urder Ills eolnmand We new propose TO
give sneb particulars as We have obtained on |
the 1e}u after the battle,
j., EaiIy on Tuesday morning the enemy. from i
tbs position to which he had been driven the !
night before, continued bis retreat iu as2uth- !
easter]y direction towards his gun-boats on |
JaHes River. At eight o'clock, d m, Magru- t
tiously, but steadily, and shelling the forests
und swanps in front as he progressed. This
method Of advance WIS Kept up throughout
morning and until four O'Clock p. H., Without
and tife o'clock our troops reached a large
open field, nile wide and three-quarfer5 in
width, Oh the farm OF DE-. Carter. The enemy
! we're discorered strongly entrenched in i
| dense forest on the other side Of this field
Their artillery, Of about flfty pieces, could be
ssrusted elsthwofEs. At ten minutes before
| five O'Clock ?. m, Gen. Mlyruaar ORDERED his
men to charge across the field and drive the
enemy from their position: Calamity they
| spring to the encounter, rushing iato the field
! at 8 1nn run. Instantly from the line Of the
| enemy's breastworks murderous storm Of
grape and cannister Was hurled into their
| ranks, with the most terrible effect
Officers and men went down by the hun
| dredE; but yet undaunted and unwayering,
OF line dashed on, until two-thirds OF tue
distance across the field was accomplished
Here the carnage from the withering fire Of
the enemy's combined artillery and mu sketr7
was dreadful Our line wayered moment,
and fell back into the cover Ct the woods
Twice again the effort TO carry the position
I n c7A fiy1.a
suits. Night at length rendered q further at
tempt injndlcious, and the fight uatn ten
O'Clock was kept up By the artillery Of both
sides. 10 add to the horrors, if not the dan
gers Of the battle, the enemy's gunooats, from
| their position at Currs Neck, t~o and half
Iziles distant, poured On the field continued
broadsides from their immense rifed guus.
Though It Is questionable, as We have spy-
| Eested, whether any serious loss WIS inflicted
On us by the gunboats, the horrors OF the
| which tore sEriehing through the forests and
| exploded with a concussion which seemed to
shake the solid earth itself. Tie moral cffect
Oh tue Yankees Of the=e terrer-inspi al
lies must have been Ter5 great, and in this,
We believe, consisted their greatest damage to
the army Of the South.
| 1t must not be inferred from the ADORE &C.
| count that the slaughter WAS all upon our side.
We baye the best reasons to know tha. ths
. Well-dirceted fire Of our cannon and musEetrE,
,, storm the enemy's position, fell with fatal eff
| feet upon his heavily msssed forces.
At ten O'Clock r. m. the last gun was free
I from our side. Each side held the position
occupied when the fight begun, aud, durin=
! the remainder Of the night each was busil5
crgaged removing their wounded. The rum
, bling Of the enemy's amhulances aud wagons
in rapid and hurried motion, did not cels
even with the dawn. At ten O'Clock Wednes
day morning, they we're still busy, and discon
+AaiY 1Hf,r r1rtH MAJ 1,I
had Eeen removed, but for fear OF onr ad
vauce. Our wounded were carried from tn
: field directly to the farm houses in the neigh
torhool, whence, after thsir Injuries h ad:nee
= examined and dressed, they were brought t.
y this city.
; During the morning the enemy evacuate
his position and retrcatcd, still bearing in
a soEthcaster]y direction, and apparently no
: attempting to lessen the distance bet9ee
: hiHl ard his gu1lhoats.
= rain Of Wednesday, morning, presented scene
y too shocking to be dwelt on wit hout anguist
r The woods and the field before mentione
+ were, on the western side, covered with ou
IS aead in all the degrees OF violent nlutil ,tio1
i whilst in the woods On the west Of the tlel
4 = lay, in equal nunabers, the blue nnieormt
4 bodies Of the enemy. Many Of the latter ".
"a stin alive, having been left by their friends
- their indecent haste to escape from the rebel
: | Great numbers Of horses were killed i
a UUlA ~luFet auu LIE eI44L bt ltltli ulsH5 UIt
~ carcases, and the stencil proceeding from theu
d added much to the 1oathsonc horrors Of tx
~ bloody fpld. TIE corn fields, but regent
- - turned BY the p}owshare, were furrows
>. and torn By the iron missiles. Thousands
- round shot and uneypinded shell lay upon tt
~ ~ surface Of the earth. Among the latter we
~ many Of the enormous shells thrown from Il
y, sunboats. They were eight inches in wild
~ t Dy twenty-three in length. The rlyasas
~ ~ thtse monsters were every where dfscecni5
1 IN tEA nj, IN,
~ here and there great tries, three and four fe
L. in thickness, were burst open and split to We
as as shreds. In one remarkable respect this hatt
~, ~ tit1d differed in appearance from any Of Il
" preceding days. In the track of the euem,
:, flight there wert no castaSay blue great GOA;
- - no blankets, tents nor c1othi9g no letters a
- -, no wasted co:nmissaTT stores. He had, e
~ ltptly, before reaching this point, thror
=. ~ away everything that could retard his has
.. retreat. Nothing was 70 be found on this =,
- tion Of the feld INT killed and wounded "
- kees ard their guns and knap5acks.
Is THE TERRIBLE SvFFER1SGs FROM THE YASk
- BATTEE1Es.
IS, The battle Of Tucsdly evening has be
!e made memorable By its melancholy mot
er mint of caruage, which occurred in tbat p'
to ticn OF Gen. AIagr1der's corps which had be
cs ordered iu very Inadequate furce to charge o
u. Of the strongest Of the encny's blttcri
he There are various explanations Of this atfa
}c~ | The fire upon the few regiments ':ho W
I'D ordered to take the enenly's battery, Thi
re- wa5 supported by two heavy bTigades, a
ur which swept tic thin lines OF our devot
lien, WHO had 10 approach it across stret
if Of open ground, is said to have been an
n. paliirg sight.