The Portland daily press., 1862-09-25
PORTLAND, ME-, THURSDAY MORNING,

| disarranged.
Gems. Hooker, and Sumner, and Franklin
and Mansfield were all sent to the right three
| miles away, while Porter seems to have done
double duty with his single corps in front, both
supporting the batteries and holding himself in
reserve. With all this immense force on the
| right but 10000 men were given to Burnside
for the decisive movement of the day.
Finally at four o'clock, Mcclellan sent stimuli
taneous orders to Burnside and Franklin; to
/ the former to advance and carry the batteries
| in his front at all hazards and any cost to the
latter to carry the woods next in front of him
to the left which the rebels still held. The
order to Franklin, however, was practically
| countermanded, in consequence of message
| from Gen. Sumner that if Franklin went on
and was repulsed, his own corps was not yet
sufficiently reorganized to be depended on as a
| reserve.
Burnside obeyed it most gallantly. Getting
his troops well in hand, and sending portion
of his artillery to the front, he advanced them,
with rapidty and the most determined vigor,
| straight up the hill in front, on top of which
| the rebels had maintained their most danger
| Gus battery. The movement was in plain view
| of McClellan's position, and as Franklin, on
the other side, sent his batteries into the field
about the same time, the battle seemed to open
in all directions with greater activity than
| ever.
i.
the batteries which Porter supported were fir
ing with new vigor; Franklin was blazing
away on the right, and hilltop, ridge and woods
along the whole line were crested and veiled
with white clouds of smoke. All day had been
clear and bright since the early cloudy morn
ing, and now this whole magnificent, unequal
ed scene shone with the splendor of an after
noon September sun.
There are two hills on the left of the road,
the farthpcf and Lowest The rpbplS bav hot
teries on both. Burnside is ordered to carry
the nearest to him, which is the farthest from
the road
THE HILL CARRIED.
The next moment the road i'm which the reb-
ell battery was planted was canopied with
clouds of dust swiftly descending into the val
ley. Blue flashes of smoke burst now and then
among them, horse or a man or half dozen
went down, and then the whirlwnd swept on.
The hill was carried, but could it be held
The guns on the hill above sent an angry tenn
pest of she'll down among Burnsdes guns
and men.
In another moment a rebel battle-line APP
pears on the brown of the ridge above them,
moves swiftly down in the most perfect order,
and though met by incessant discharges of
musketry, of which we plainly see the flashes,
does not fire gun. White spaces show where
men are failing but they close up instantly and
side are in heavy column; they will not give
way before a bayonet charge in line.
There is a halt the rebel army gives way
and seatters over the field; the rest stand fast
and fire. More infantry comes up. Burnside
is outnumbered; fanked, compelled TO yield
the hill he took so bravely. His position is no
longer one of attack; he defends himself with
unfaltering flrmness, but he sends to McClel-
Ian for help. McClellan's glass for the last
half hnnr caIInp, t,r oJ fr,,,,
the left.
BURNSIDE PRESSED.
He sees clearly enough Burnside is pressed
needs no messenger TO tell him that. His
face grows darker with anxious thought
Looking down into the valley where 1900
troops are lying he turns a hali-questioning
look on Fitz John Porter, who stands by his
side, gravcly scanning the field They are
Porter's troops below, fresh and only impatient
to share in this fight. "They are the only he
roes of the army; they cannot be spared"
Mcclellan remounts his horse, and with Por-
ter and dozen officers of his staff rides away
to the left in Burnside's direction. Sykes
meets them on the road, good soldier, whose
opinion is worth taking. The three generals
talk briefly together.
BURNsIDE's MESSAGE
Burnside's messenger rode up. His mes
sage is, Il want troops and guns. If you do
not send them cannot hold my position for
half anihour." McClellan's only answer for the
moment is a glance at the western sky. Then
he turns and speaks very slowly; "Tel Gen.
Burnside that this is the battle of the war He
must hold his ground till dark at any cost. |
will send him Mller's battery. l can do moth
ing more. have no infantry" Then as the
messenger was riding away, he called him
back. "Tell him if he cannot hold his ground,
then the bridge, to the last man always the
bridget If the bridge is lost, all is lost"
THE BATTLE CEASES
The sun is already down; not half an hour
of daylight is left. Till Burnside's message
came it had seemed plain to every one that
the battle could not be finished to-day. None
suspected how near was the peril of defeat, of
sudden attack of exhausted iorces--how vital
to the safety of the army and the nation were
those fifteen thousand waiting troops of Fitz
John Porter, in the hollow. But the rebels
halted instead of pushing on, their vindictive
cannonade died away as the light faded.
Before it was quite dark the battle was over.
Only a solitary gun of Burnside's thundered
against the enemy and presently this also ceas-
ed and the field was still.
COMPARATIVE LOSSES.
We have had a very heavy loss. Probably
not less than ten thousand. The enemy have,
without doubt, suffered much more. The
masses of men which they have sacraficed in
fruitless attempts to capture our batteries, the
piles which they have left dead upon the field,
cut down by our cannon and our mnskets,
show that their loss was much heavier than
our own. So thickly together had the rebels
fallen at one place, and in long line, that our
reserves, coming fresh upon them, fired upon
them, thinking it column of living rebels ly-
ing upon the ground and ready to rise.
FLAGS OF TRUCE FROM THE ENEMY.
On the morning after the battle, Il flag of
truce was sent in from the enemy from strip
of woods, into which an unsuccessful attempt
was made to charge, stating that if we wished
to come under flag of truce we might take
out our dead that was in them. The offer was
not accepted. Another flag of truce was sent
in with the proposition that firing should be
ceased on both sides by agreement while the
dead were being removed. This proposition
was also not entertained and the endeavors
ceased.
BURYING THE DEAD.
Thursday the fighting was not renewed,
both armies finding themselves more humane
ly employed in attending to the wounded and
carrying away and burying the dead.
A hard shower in the afternoon prevented
any hostities, and on Friday morning the en-
emy had all crossed into Virginia with all their
artillery. but one dsmounted gun, supplies,
Wagons, and ammunition, and everything ex-
cept their wounded