Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-07-07

serves all you can say. SedgWick seldom
praises men. But he is q gallant soldier
himself, and he appreciates merit. I found
General Burns stretched under a lofty pine,
and his warriors were slumbering around
him painfully. His eyes we're hollow and
bloodshot, his handsome features pale and
thin, his beard and his clothing were clot-
ted with blood, his face was bandaged, con-
cealing a ragged and painful wound in his
neither jaw--it was enough to make
Sphynx weep 10 lsok upon the work Of an
awful day upon such a man. His voice
was husky from his exhortations and battle
cries, and tremulOus with emotion, when
grasping my hand, he said with exquisite
pathos, "my friend, many Of my poor fell
lows lie in those forests. It is terrible to
leave them there. Blackeney is wounded,
McGonegal is gone, and many will see US
no more. We are hungry and exhausted,
and the enemy-the forest is full Of people
ARE laundering at our heels. 1t is an
awful afiictiOn. We will fight them, feeble
as we are-but with what hope2
Monday morning, the enemy had not yet
appeared in our front. Sumner had
brought off his splendid command, Frank
lin was posted strongly on the south bank
of White Oak Greek, Heintzelman was on
his left, Keyes' corps was moving swiftly
to James river down the Charles City and
Quaker road, Porter and part of Summers
corps were following rapidly.
The whole army was rapidly pushing to-
ward the James river. The correspondent
then gives this thrilling description of the
BATTLE AT WHITE OAK SWAMP.
At about 10 o'clock, General Mcclellan
pushed to the river, communicating with
Commodore Rodgers, and had the gunboat
feet posted to aid us against the enemy
The case was desperate, but it was q relief
to reach the river where we could turn at
bay with our rear protected by tie James,
and fanks partially covered by eunboats
Tidings, however, had been received that
the enemy was pushing swiftly upon us in
several columns of immense numbers, ap-
parently determined to crush US, or drive
us into the river that night. They opened
fercely with shell upon Smiths Division at
White Oak Bridge. After burning down
the house of a good secessionist ald break
ing his leg, the enemy extended his line Of
fire and soon engaged our entire gtar guard,
striking at Slocum, who was guarding
against a flank movement designed 70 cut
our column in twain.
Long before this our vanguard had de-
bouched from the road into the field before
Turkey Bend, and our reserve artillery was
powerfully posted on Malvern Hill, mag
nifcent bluff covering Hardin's Landing,
where our gunboats were cruising. Here
was glorious prospect Though our gal
liant fellows were bravely holding the fierce
enemy at bay to cover the swiftly escaping
trains, it was clear our troubles we're not
ended. We had again deceived the enemy
by going to Turkey Bend. He had imag-
ined we were marching to New Market,
destined tOsa point on Cliff Bottom road
near Fort Darling. 1t was not far away,
and the enemy was massing his troops
upon US on the left, and on our new front
for when we arrived at Malvern Hill, the
wings of the army as organized we're re-
versed, Keyes taking the right, Porters
corps the left-as we faced Richmond
Our line now described a great arc, and
there was fighting around three-fOurths of
the perimeter. .
Gen. Mcclellan, who had already COM
municated with the gunboats, returned
from the front to Malvern Hills, which
were made his battle headquarters, and
dispositions for a final emergency were
made. Fitz John Porter was marched
from the valley under the hill to his post
on the western crest Of the hill, where he
could rake the plains toward Richmond
Our splendid artillery was pictgT:es!ssqq!sIllEX !Il
its supports weae disposed in admirable
cover in holloWs between undulatiOns Of
the bluff Powerful concentrating batter
les were also posted in the center so that,
to use the language of Col. Sweitzer, 'we'n
clothe this hill in sheets of flame before
they'll take it, It was q magnificent
spectacle You see friends, how desper-
ate was the hour. The roar Of combat
grew tremendous as the afternoon wore
away. There was no time then nor after
wards to ascertain dispositions of particu-
lar organizations. They were thrown to-
gether wherever emergency demanded
White Oak Bridge, the Quaker road, Charles
City road, the banks of Turkey Greek,
were enveloped in smoke and fame, iron
and lead crashed through forests and men
like destroying pestilence. A masked
battery which had opened from the swamp
under Malvern Hill, begun to prove incon-
venient to Porter. It plowed and crashed
through some Of our wagons, and disturb
ed groups of officers in the splendid groves
of Malvern mansion. The gunboat Galena,
anchored on the opposite side of Turkey
Island, and the Arostook, cruising at the
head Of the island, opened their ports and
plunged their awful metal into the rebel
cover with Titanic force Towards sunset
the earth quivered with the terrific conous-
sion Of artillery, and huge explosions
The vast arial auditorium seemed con-
vulsed with the cOmmotion of frightful
sounds. Shells raced like dark meteors
athwart the horizon, crossing each other at
eccentric angles, exploding into deadly
iron hail and fantastic pufs Of smoke, un-
til ether was displaced by a vast cloud of
white fumes, through which even the fierce
blaze of setting summers sun could but
grimly penetrate
Softly putting above the dark curtain of
forest which masked the battle field, there
was another fleece which struggled through
the dense foliage like heavy mist clouds,
and streaming upward in curious eddies
with the ever varying current of the winds,
mingled with, and ascribed the canopy of
smoke which Roated from the surface of
the plains and river. The battle stained
sun, sinking majestiCally into the horizon
behind Richmond, Furnishing the fringe Of
gossamer with lurid and golden glory; and
rs fantastic columns caprieiously whitfield
up from the woods, they were suddenly
transformed into pillars of lambent fame,
radiant with exquisite beauty, which
would soon separate into thousand pic
turesque forms and fade into dim obscure
ty. But the convulsiOn beneath was not
spectacle for curious eyes. The forms
of smoke-masked warriors, the CLEAN of
muskets on the plains who're soldiers were
disengaged. the artistic order Of battle on