The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-09-13

W. svsrywhsee, encouraging, ordering, and sst.
ing en- example Of splendid bRayesy. Saturday
~ gS S32 AA4ee, p99A ,aak sfpz, aFaya uR a
feHteG turnpike. tSi29i cdxmkn8eh S,f ,;iEei
1sno ne tSueef, nd 1feDox4n as RN d ~
koe. ecIhe eghA ocmnencsd With ksSxv a. AZ
artillery q Ahe1t 5 O'Clock, il the mornine. and
the infantry were frat engaged AZ eerlv an. y
AZ on ths preceding day. he onnSG 81 attack W.
sarown spoe ~. shs enemy ksepin. under Vhel-
tef OF woods dischea sad dhHieeks, pourise in
uemenooaa yolleys n our faces ~ Nc expossd
oolselvea ana meeting bayonet charge With bay.
ones cnsIse. without hinching or wavsring.o Au
~ Tong our center aud right stood fAstg asd
~ III ap tSef nehs against supsrior numbers,
a amns up the gaping ranks - fast as they were
Eats o'clock in tie afternoon Ii. ep.m 4, three
heavy columns against oar lel& where HcOelpa,
reserves and Duryea's Bsigade held position. Tie
la'ser on the extrsne left. From their conceal
mens 10 the woods they suddenly oper Oh on Dur.
zee heavy dre Of batteries. ana threw ia foroe
into |. confession which was shighteued, AZ bot
oocealooeds By the large body Of rseplers which
swsrmed on the flank. Where tbey cane from
or Why they we're there, did not learn. hut a
sl regiments. battaIions, squadrons. and eomns.
MES they locked to the lumber Of two or three
thousand, and when Dufyee gave way they stAr-
tea on stampede toward the rear. Then came
= CRISIS winch wss really terrible. If panic
should spread from the bewildered, running
wretcnes. me roads and ravines Of the old battle
groono might have seen such pitiabls sight %
tney Old " the dark days Of 1851, Our left
.ulned ana beaten back in confusion, no one
coolo tel 70 what lengths the misfortune might
sition at . glance. Ordering bis cavalry brig
ade to form in regimental line, his bueles sound.
ed the wild notes of the charge, and ID another
moment the hoofs of his 400 harsss woke
tounoesing echoes among the glsns. Down the
Aope and out on the level ground his squadrons
swept on and crashed against the cavalry which
the Rebels were gitbsring to hufl upon our va
vering linesS 1t vas q dsepefate chance for the
safety of more than Eve thousand men, and Blu
ford never drew, rein until his force had rome
through and through the enemy's squadrons.-
There WAS cloud Of dust and smoke, out from
which came pistol shots and the crack Of ear
binsE and the clash of eteel upon, steel, and
shouts and yells, all mingled in pandemonium
OF sounds. Before their impetuous charge the
rebel cavalry fed like leaves driven BY The wind,
And the moment of danger was passed. 8 For .
while 1cCall swung his line around until he
came to the lett of our, oenter, and found SUP
port. The movement was made in order, and
the stragglera got svfely away to Q safe place. j
Recovering from their disorderly retreat, the
enemy gathe. ed tor great spring upon Bufo;d's
brigade; and in Slew minutes our l, 900 we're at
tackled BY an equal force of cavalry, supported
BY brigade Of infantry, and danking battery
Of artillery. Of course, they could not but stagger
against such odds, and the order TO fall back
was given aud obeyed, the euemy repulsing US
for about mile. Here, however, We stopped
| and waited for them to come up until they got
within short range, when our bat teries were
placed in position and gave them such vel
come that they wavered, and, q whole division
being pushed out from our centre, they retreat
ed until We had regained all the lost ground
Sigel turned the enemy's left It about the same
| time as they turned ours, and when night put a
stop to the battle, our whole line stood about %
it did in the morning. The losses on both sides
are fearful, the men Of both going down by hun
dreds, aud their bodies lying in some places
heaped atop each other three and four deep. 81
On Sunday morning we occupied the same
position ~ on the night before; the men had
\ their breakfast (poor fellows, it was only hard
crackers and water and our force was then
put in motion toward Centerville. We rested
there Sunday night without interference on the
psrt of the enemy. On AondSy morning Nc
| Calls Reserves still held an advanced position
ON the edge of the old battle ground. Our Gen
erals supposed the enemy had moved toward
our left 70 flank US, - they made heavy demon
STATIONS with cavalry In that direction. But
these were mere feints. It was worse than that.
He had really pushed his columns to oar right,
getting between % and the Leesburg Railroad,
Il TN suhf r. At Gunf nil md
left between Fairfax and Centerville. His line
had been bent around three sides of ours in the
form Of 1 horse shoe. ,14n 5aEagsaf lsgia 40
So We began to leave Centeryille on Monday
ct noon pushing out heavy columns of infantry
and artillery toward Leesburg, keeping to the
u north OF the Alexandria turnpike to cover the
wagon trains. At 4 p. M, there Was skirmish-
ling three miles west OF Fairfax TO she North Of
the road, about half way between Centerville
and Fairfax. In lee than On hour there vas q
heavy cannonade, and shsrp volleys of masketry
and the fight went on without inteenission until
1 They ssy that the enemy has been heavily 70
I enforced every day fos week past, from the di.
recstoo Of aThoroSgtarez Gsp. so the old game
y played Of Sighting our tirsd men with fresh
tsoops.Sst q ssId' sfaiq 7isaj bas .baait71E
ooreponasae. q tas Baltimore American NOR -
F'Ss-A 10 sfsa sdWAsarsafos, Sept 8, "A. n.
Washington city waa last night in .. state a
great excitement, and not without most substan
tial cause. Crowds we're gathered at ali the no.
teis discussing shd specuiating on tie future.
aud the announcement that Gen. MeOlellsn had
been. assigned to the command of al the tropps
assembled for. the defence of Washington Va
generally predicted TO mean that before twenty.
four hours should elapee the whole Army Of viz.
tginis would be- within the sres Of territory uu-
der bis Jurisdiction. gIarps - go ARA al !.
/ The facts are that the army, Of Virginia. has
been outgeneraled, outfanked, and 90 disheart-
ened BY che daily and hourly evidences Of sups.
rior ssnerslship ON the parssof the rebels that
it is nov On the way to, Alexandra, mourning
the loss Of many gallant, officers and men Who
have lost their lives, or are suffering from wounds
and exhaustion, many Of them il Che hands of
the rebels. By the time this letter reaches, you
the whole command Of Gen. Pope will have fali.
en- back upon the .intrenchments and works for
the defense Of Washington, under the command