Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-04-03

pfigede 10 reserve, to operate against any point
tnat might DO assaulted In front. In this posi-
ZION 1 awaited and expeeted the enemys attack
neIt morning. My advance brigade was two
miles from the town, its pickets extending per-
naps q mile further along the turnpike leading
e!tasonfg. About eight O'Clock in the
mornlngsl sent forward two experienced OH
GERS to feoonnoiter the front and renert indina .
lions Oh the enemy. They returned 10 an hour.
reporting no enemy In sight excepts Asbbv,s "a
ioree OF cavalry, infantry and artillery, which
y tnis hme had become familiar and con.
temptiDie to US. Gen. Banks, who was vet here
IA person. upon hearing this report. concluded
tnat Jackson could not be Ia front possiblv, or
90 decoyed away go far from the main body Of
the rebel army. In this opinion I, too. began
70 concur, concluding that Jackson was too "a .
gacious to be caught 10 such q trap. Gen.
Banks "a therefore left for Washlngton. His staff
omcers were directed 10 follow she came day,
Dy way OF Centeryille. Knowing the crafty
enemy, however, had to deal with, omitted
no preoaution. My whole force was concen,
Nased, ana prepared to support Nmball's brig
ade, which was In advance. -
About IO1f O'Clock It became evldent "a bad
considerable force before ne; But tbe enemy
Sill concealed himself 90 adroitly II, the woods
tnat u was impossible to estimate it. Iordered
portion Of the artillery forward to open Gre
anu unmask them. By degrees they began to
snow themselves. They planted battery after
oatoefy IN strong position, on the center and
on both hanks. 0nr artillery responded. and
this continued until about 8X O'Clock In the
AFTERNOON, when j directed column Of Infantry
20 carry battery on their left flank, and to- as
saii That hank, which was 0done promptly and
spiendidly by Tyler's brigade, aided by some
regiments from the other brigades. The FIRE Of
our infantry was so close and destructive that IL
made havoc in their ranks. The result was the
capture OF their guns on the left, and the fore
ing Dsck ot their wing on the center, thus plac-
ing tnem 10 position TO be routed BY general
atack, which was made about Ave O'Clock by
IN nignt from the field. Night fell upon us az
this stage, leaving us in possession Of the field
OF Dattle, two guns and four caissons, three hun.
dred prisoners, and about one thousand stand Of
small arms. Our killed in this engagement
cannot exceed one hundred men; wounded, two
nundreo and thirty three. The enemy's killed
ana wounded exceed one thousand. The In.
naoltants OF the adjacent villages carried them
TO their houses as they were removed from the
Held OF battle. Houses between the battlefield
and Strasburg, and even far beyond, have since
been found filed with the dead and dying Of the
enemy Graves have been discovered far re-
moved from the road, where the inhabitants Of
tne country buried them as they died. General
Banks, In his pursuit. Of the enemy beyond
Straeburg afterward, found houses on the road
twenty-five miles from the battle field, filled In
tnis manner sndpresentlng the most CHASTITY
The havoc made In the ranks of the rebels has
struck this whole region Of country with terror.
such q blow had never fallen on them before,
and II Ia more crushing becouse wholly unez-
Pected. Jackson and his stone wall brigade,
ana all the other brigades accompanying him,
Tiil never meet this division again In battle.
-Dnring the night they managed TO carry Off
tnelr artillery in the darkness, We opened up
on them by early light next morning, and they
commenced 10 retreat. General Banks return.
ed from Harper's Ferry between 8 and 10 o.
clock A. M, and placed himself, ct my re-
guest, at the head of the command, ten miles
from the battlefield, pursuing the enemy.
keinforcements, which we had ordered back
from Williams's division, and which / had OF
dered forward during the night, now came pour
Ing IN, and with all these we continued the
pursuit, pressing them with vigor and with re.
peated and destructive attacks as far 40 Wood
STOCK, where he halted from mere exhaustion.
Inc enemy's suherings have been terrible, and
sucn as they have nowhere else endured since
were their gallantry and high state Of disci.
pline! that at no time during the battle or pur.
suit did they give way to panic. They fed 70
Mount Jackson, and are by this time no doubt
in communication with the main body Of the
rebel army. hope to be able In q tew days to
ride IN buggy and place myself Rt the head Of
my commandI but have neither sufficient force
nor suticient rank to do that service to the
country that ! hope and feel am capable Of.
NO man could be better treatsd than / am By
Gen. 6Anksi and yet If hs, and his command
had been here on the 22i you would have heard
nothing of fight, because our Willy enemy
you'd not have'been entrapped. Iwant-an ef-
lncient cavalry regiment-~the Third United
States cavalry for instance--and additional In
fantry. wish you would see the Secretary of
War; for instance, In relation to this matter
can. DO the country service II they give me q
.osa ..... JAMES SHIELDS.