Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-08-20
The Battle near Culpepper Court
House

AAOaoo-
Mr.. Wallach, editor of the Washington
Sar, who was present at the battle. gives
the most ineligible account of the way
the forces were previously situated and
the battle brought on OF any We have
seen:
On Friday morning last, Gen. Pope, staff
and escort, reached Culpepper Court
House, from his last encampment. near
Washington, the county seat of Kappa,
hammock, having put the corps darr.e< Of
General Banks, encamped there. in mo
ton, in the direction Of Culpepper. and
passing the encsmpment ofGeneral Sigel,
at Sperryville. twenty miles from Culpsp-
per Court House, by the way. AT Culpep-
per Court House Genera Pope found
Brigadier General Crawford. with his hri
gade of Banks corp darres previously
General Hatch'sl and General Bayard's
brigade Of McDowell's cavalry, the ak
treme advance OF his army of Virginia
also Brigadier General Ricketts, division
Of Major General McDowell's c0rDs dGrrncs.
that had arrived Two days before from
Waterloo and Warrenton. Mcdowell him.
self being present, and in command of all
the forces then there.
" Oou on Friday Generals Pope and
Mcdowell received intelligence from the
gallant Bayard-who. with the two regi-
mentsO of his cavalry command doing duty
Immediately under him, New jersey and
a Pennsylvania regiment. had been in
the saddle night and day guarding the
RRpidsn FOR a week, from the Raccoon
Ford down 10 a point fourteen miles be-
low and south of the railroad-that tho
enemy ut Il ybreak had crossed the river.
with two regiments Of Louisiana infantry,
two pieces of light artillery, and three
small regiments of cavalry, and driven in
his pickets. Bayard retired slowly before
them, hisfoToe Of eight hundred tired on,
cavalry only, not being sufficient 10 hold
the ground in front of such n force. He,
however, disputed it inch by inch with
the enemy, and succeeded in capturing
about thirty rebol prisoners, including q
major, a captain and two lieutenants on
his retreat. His own loss was not over
three men. We hear that he was public
ly complimented by his superior officer
on the field on the next day Saturday
for the admirable manner in which he ef
fected his movement. He retired TO the
north and east side of Robinson River
about eight miles, from Culpepper Court
House, and there awaited n supporting
force TO arrive from the immediate vicinity
of that point.
Al moo OF the same day General Pope
on learning these facts. instantly ordered
General Crawford to march his brigade Il
that end. In half an hour after receiving
this order Crawford vas OH the march,
As his brigade. the 18th New York, l0tt
Maine, 18th Pennsylvania, and 5th Con
necticut, and ten pieces Of artillery, flee
rapidly through the village of Culpeppel
Court House..to the gay music Of its foul
splendid bands, its appearance was the
theme of admiration of the many expe
rienced officers of the stats OF General
Pope and Mcdowell, who went over from
their encampments near by to see it star
out. They one and all declared that they
never saw troops with more reliable fgh
in them, and predicted that should they
engage the enemy they would win q nam
to endure as long as the history of the
war itself. The result proved the correct
ness of their judgment. Crawford pro
ceeded rapidly to the front, and occupied
a position about seven miles from Culpep
per Court House, Immediately in rear o
the line of Bayard's cavalry.
Shortly after ordering Crawford. Gen
Pope also ordered the rest Of Banks corp.
to move from Hazel river bridge, neal
Grifinsburg, nine miles from Culpeppel
Court House, where it had arrived the
night before, TO the scene Of expected
conflict,
By eight o'clock P. NJ. the head ofGen
eral Banks column was deserted march
ing around the village to its destination
which it reached before midnight. That
point was Immediately in the rear o
Crawford. Major General Sigel was also a
the same time ordered up from Sperryville
and by & forced march of twenty-miles hi
advance reached the village by daylight
Throughout Friday night and Saturday
forenoon Bayard continued skirmishinl
with the enemy's advance, until the lat
ter, at two o'clock P. NJ, had progressed
to within long range of Crawford's artille
~. At four P. NJ, the enemy developed
a heavy increase of artillery, when q por
ton of that of General Banks came Up
and went into the action, there not being
room enough in the position occupied by
our forces for bringing the whole of 1t in
to play. The contending forces at the
opening of the battle were apparently
about a mile and more apart, the rebel
showing their front upon Slaughter
mountain, a sugar loaf eminence, situated
two miles to the West of the Orange anc
Alexandria railroad at Mitchells station
: Our front was on much lower ground
: with Cedar Run in our and q small wood
ed ridge behind that.
Gradually, from ( to 8 p. NJ, rebell
Opened new batteries from the woods sur
rounding the basin or plain lying between
the fronts of the two c~ontending forces
each succeeding one being nearer to oul
position than the former. Thus they
played a cross fire from both sides, as vel
as a direct front one. upon our troops, in
Guiding the most ofGen. Banks infantry
that had been put in line for the conflict
So annoying was this fire that attempts
were made TO take the batteries nearest
at hand by charges. Thus Bayard's Cav
airy, in a gallant charge, is said to have
succeeded in taking two of the rebel guns
with no loss to speak of. Subsequently
at 6 p. NJ, in pursuance of order, portions
of Augers and Williams divisions of in,
fantry, including Crawford's and Gordon'I
brigades. made three most desperate bay,
onet charges upon the rebel artillery
They were, however, each time received
I " a hCAN ICdNN ALltllllN AALCs 5lduSlbCA
ing them fearfully, That they should
have persevered 10 make three successive
charges, in the face of such a deadly fire
from 80 superior numbers, concealed in
woods, is really the wonder of the war;
These charges develop the fact that the
enemy actually engaged greatly outnum-
bered our forces, about 1000, in action.
Being thus informed of the location Of
the main body of the rebel infantry. our
artillery played sad havoc with them,
driving decimated regiment after back in
to the shelter of the dense forests, to
have their place instantly occupied by
fresh regiments, to be decimated in the
same way. Among others this fire killed
the rebel Gems. Winder and Trimble.-
The arm of the former was torn off by o
shell, and he died very shortly afterwards
from the flow of blood, and Trimble was
knocked dead from his horse by the ex-
plosion of q shell.
u,r;,r ,,r tla c.r,a- &c Manawan opI