Litchfield enquirer., 1862-09-25

sd s5sls Tn order to save his men, and sending successive y sufficient forces againsta position of strength utstrl Rputed hls loss over greater period Of time, but yet lost none the less in the end.
 tinally, at 4o'clock, HfeC Clellan sent orders to Bufnside to advance and carry the batteries ir hisfront at all hazards andsany cost. S How extraordinary ths situation was, may be fladged from homentse consideration ofEths. Facts. It is understood that from, the outset. Burnside's attack was expected to be decisive. as it certainly must have been if things went well elsewhere, and if he succeeded-in establish. ing himself on the Sharpsburg road in the Reb. el rear ssz
 + Burnside hesitated for hours in front of the tbridge which should have been carried at once by coup de main. Meantime Hooker had been fighting for foRr hours with various fortune but final success.
 Attacking first with one regiment, then with tWes and delaying afere eaHtillsrss Burnside was not oyerthe bridge before, 2 .oclock-per-i haps not till 3. He advanced slowly up the slopes in his front his batteries pt he rear GOV erlng, to some extent, the movements of the gin santry. desperate fight was going on in a deep ravlne on his right the Rebel batteries were in full play and. apparently, very annoying: and de structlye while heavy columns of Rebels troops were plainly visible, advancing as if careless of concealment, along the road and over the hills in the direction of Burnsides forces It was at this point of time that lssglsan sent him the order above given. k, 5e's ,srg Ayg Burnside obeyed it most gallsntly. Getting his troops we'll in hand, and sending portion of his artillery to the front. he advanced them l with rapidity and the most deterpined vigor, straight up the hill in front on top of which the Rebels had maintained their most dangerous battery JzS7 sGs lis s3sbees y@iaucs< <9uGT
 The hill was carried, but could it, be. held ?- The Rebel columns, before seen moving to the left, increased their pace. The guns. on the hill above sent angry tempests of shell down among Rurnsde's guns and men. He had formed his columns apparently in the rear angles of two fields bordering on the high road-high ground about them everywhere except in the rear.
 I In another moment a Rebel battle liae. ap- pears on the brow of the ridge above them, moves swiftly down in the most perfect order, and though met by incessant discharges of mus ketry, of which we plainly see the fashes does not fire gun. White spaces show where men are falling, but they close up instantly, aud still the line advances. The brigades of Burnside are in heavy column; they will not give way be fore bayonet charge in line.s The rebels think twice before they dash into these hostile masses
 There is halt, the rebel left gives away and scatters over the field. the rest stand fast and fire. More infantry comes up, Burnside is out numbered Aanked, compelled to yield the bill he took so bravely His position is no longer one of attack; he defends himself with unRl, tering 6rmness, but he sends to Mcclellan for help. McCellan's glass for the last half hour has seldom been turned away from the left, lie sees clearly enough that Burnside is pressed needs no messenger to tell him that. His face grows darker with anxious thought. Looking down into the valley where l5,000 tpoops are ly. ing, he turns half questioning look on Fitz
 John Porter who stands by his side, gravely scanning the field. They are Porters troops be low, are fresh and only impatient to share in this fight. But Porter slowly shakes his head, and one may believe that the same thought is pass ing through the minds of both generals: "They are the only reserve of the army they cannot be spared" ..,.. ,l... -.a
 Mcclellan remounts his horse, and with Por- ter and dozen officers of his staff rides away to the left in Burnside's direction. Sykes meets them on the road--a good soldier, whose opn- ion is worth taking. The three Generals talk briefly together. It is easy to see that the mo ment las come when everything may turn on one order given or withheld, when the history of the battle is only to be written in the thous shts and purposes and words of the General.
 Burnside's messenger rides Up. His message is, |" want troops and guns. If you do not senC them cannot hold My position for half an hour.' McClelIan's only answer for the mo- ment is , glance at the western sky. Then he turns and speaks very slowly: ''Tell Gen. Burnside that this is the battle of the war. He must hold lis gEound till dlrk at any cost. will send him MiI'er's Lahery. l can do TO more have no infantry" Then as the mes sengcr vas riding away he called him back
 ' Tel! hilA if ascanEot hold his ground. then the bridge, to the last man !-always the bridge
 1.-the bridge is lost, all is lost" ...
 Iae sun is already down not half an hour o
 daylight is left. 'I'll Burnsdes message came
 it had seemed plain to every one that the bat
 tie could not be finished to-day. None suspec
 ted how near was the peril of defeat, of sudder
 attack on exhausted forces-how tai to tn, safety of the army and the nation were those if teen thousand waiting troops of Fitz J ohn Por
 ter in the hollow. But the rebels halted instead
 of [,u hing on, their vinlicti"e canHonade di e
 away as the light faded Everything was favor
 able for d renewal of the fight in the morning
 If the plan of the battle is sound, there is every reason why Nc cCIellan should win it. He may choose to postpone the battle to await his rein
 forcements -.t .-
 :, The rebels may choose to retire while it ii
 possible. Fatigue on both sides may delay the deciding battle yet if the enemy means tc
 fight at all, he cannot afford to delay. His re
 Inducements may be coming, his losses are enor
 mous His troops have been Smassed in wood! and hollows where artillery has had it's mos
 terrific effect. -., a .- l'lt sr&s. azL
 It is hard to estimate losses on field of such extent, but ours cannot be less then six thousand killed and wounded--it may be much greater Prisoners have been taken from the enemy-I hear of regiment captured entire, but I doubt it. All the prisoners whom saw agree in say ing their whole army is there. -f 7 l The correspondent of the Philadelphia Press says that during Wednesday night the rebels opened the way to the lords and bridge oppos ite Sheperdstown, and took good position on and commanding the nights west of the bridge.
 Early Thursday morning our whole army was in line of battle and ready to advance, when it was discovered that the enemy were apparently posted on our right in some force, and threaten ing a flank movement. General Mcclellan saw the ruse, and at once changed his front, and moved Franklin's and Sumpers corps by the right flank around near Sharpsbqrg, with a view of getting in, the enemy's flank and rear, and all so to get on the west side of the enemys real positions. Skirmishing commenced about noon, and was so vigorously kept up along the whole line, that Gen nMc Cleilan found it impracticable to cut the enemy of. now that he was so near the river. Daring the day Thursday our army advanced about 8 mile. Our officers took ad- vanced, positions, and while signal officers gave the whereabouts of the rebels, the latter were shelled during the night of Thursday.
 | Friday morning General Pleasanton, with his | light brigade moved after the enemy to the Sheperdstown bridge, cutting of the enemy's