The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-04-01

/ vance, but halted about three miles fror
Winchester for the night, lighted their cam
1 fires and bivonacked, while our army la
between them and the town. II was gen
orally believed that a general engagement
would take place on the next day Sunday
and the expectauts were not disappointed
/ That might was one of terrible suspense OF
both sides. No one knew what the rebel
delayed their advance for, while il was on
policy to postpone a battle, in view of tb
preponderating force of the enemy, in orde
to allow re- endorsements TO arrive from tht
division of General Williams the rear guarG
of which bad already advanced ten mile.
towards the Shenandoah. 191
Morning explained the reason of the enc.
my's halt. About ten o'clock re-enforce-
ments of five regiments of infantry and
two batteries of artillery were announced
arrived from Strasburg, under Gen. Gar
nett, by the yociferous and prolonged cheers
which proceeded from their lines. The at
tack was not now long delayed. The
enemy advanced his army, which now con-
sisted of sixteen regiments of infantry,
numbering II, 900 men Eve batteries of
artillery, with total of tWenty-eight field
pieces, aud three battalions of horse, under
Ashby and Stewart. His line of battle ex-
tended about mile on the right of the viii
lage of Kernstown, and q mile and three
quarters on the left of it, and the village
lay on the road between the rebel right and
center. There is a mud road branching
from The turnpike mile or so from Win
chester to the right of the road as you go
to Strasburg. This road passed through
the left of the enemy's center, and was one
of their points of defense. Beyond that
there is grove of trees, and farther ridge
of hills with a stone wall running along
its summit breast high. This was the rebel
line of ofTense Ead defense, On the right of
our line. Our most advanced = regiment
was the Eighth Ohio, of General Tyler's
brigade, and on it the rebels made furious
about half past ten o'clock, A. M.,
on Sunday, with the intention of turning
our right flank. The Ohio Eighth met them
gallantly, whitening them like autumn
leaves before the breath of winter by their
deadly FIRE of rifles. Five several times did
the enemy emerge from the woods and from
behind their stone parapet, with vastly su-
perior numbers, and try yainly TO accom-
plish their object, Our left wing, consist
ing of the Thirteenth Indiana, Seventh
Ohio, and battery lof the Fourth regular
made on it while the real attack of the
enemy was being directed against our right
wing The feint on the left was heavy
Ere of artillery posted on both sides of the
village and the turnpike, which however,
did trifiing damage, Onr battery replied,
siIencing, those of the enemy, though the
friHg was well maintained for a long time
Oh both sides. Our center consisted of the
Fourteenth Indiana, the Eighth and Sixty
seventh Ohio and the Eighty-fourth Penn
sylvanis, aud two artillery batteries belong
ing to the First Ohio Artillery, and the
cavalry, consisting of the First Michigan
snd First Ohio, were drawn up in the rear.
fhe whole Of our cavalry amounted to no
more than 800 men, and this arm played
4 very unimportant part in the action on
sither side. Our right wing was made up
IF the Fifth and Eighth Ohio Regiments
md battery of the First Virginia Regi-
nent. The reserves consisted of the
twelfth Indiana, the Thirty-ninth Illinois
md squadron of the Michigan cavalry.
3eneral Shields was unable to appear on
he field in person, and the command in |
he field devolved upon Acting Brigadier |
( imball, who led our center and our right |
vas commanded by Acting Brigadier-G GEN |
ral Tyler, while Colonel Sullivan directed |
he operations on our left. The battle |
aged along the whole line, with greet !
ury, from eleven A NJ till halp-past two |
,. M, when General Shields, who received |
ccoupts of the progress of the fight on his |
ouch, ordered the right, where the contest |
aged the hottest, to charge upon the enemy. |
hat was an awful charge The left of tho |
nemy prepared desperately to repel our
allant troops, but their rush was as ire |
istible as the tide in the Bay of Fundy. !
'revious to this time, our line of battle had |
cen somewhat changed. The Eighty |
ourth Pennsylvania re-enfoFced our right,
nd also battery of artillery. Our whole
1rce now engaged was about six thousand /
len, while that of the enemy was, at the
1west estimate, eight thousaEd. The reb-
Is had also changed their line, aud extend
1g both their wings, presented a eoncaye
,ont to our army. They had also re-en-
,rced their left wing, and the charge to De
lade by our right was all-important in its
Onsequences. On it, at 3 o'cloek, depended
be fate of the entire battle. The gallant Ty-
,r led the charge, sword in hand, at the head
the line. The rebels fired from the
Ioods with artillery and small arms, while
ur men advanced against their murderous
nowers of lead and iron, returning few
1
me the armies had not been much nearer
} each other than three hundred yards, un-
ss in some few instances. The wood was
ion cleared at the point of the bayonet,
lr men discharglng their pieces at twenty,
nd even Eve yards distance from the reb-
Is, and then dasEing at them with the
ayonet. The rebels fought we'll, however.
hey contested the ground foot by foot, and
larked every yard of it with blood. Re-
ring behind their stone wall, on the ridge,
lr men jumped over after them, and drove
lem along in the greatest confusion and
ith fearful slaughter upon their center.-
he panic communicated. Kimball ordered
charge along the whole line, and for a
tort time the fighting was most desperate.
he roar of the cannon was no longer
card, unless in occasional bursts of fitful
rplosions, and the rattle of musketry was
ore boisterous than ever, and sounded
ke the noise made by a very close thun
sr clap, except that it was sharper and
,ntinuous. The rout of the rebels had
irly commenced, however, and two of
leir guns and four caissons were now ours,
IA thouuh MANY of them turnad and f rcd | !