Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-04-18

Beaurerari at this moment made his fatal mis-
take. At o'clock on Sunday afternoon wa ZIG
moment of all others for him to improve. inen
he almost had victory in his grasp. ntue MI.
vigor, energy endurance, and more hurting OF NE
forces upon the inferior force in front anu 'le
day would be his. lie waited for his approaon-
ing reinforcemeuts-waited to refresh MS men
waited and lost the golden hour. The musketry
gradually died away as the sun sunk in the west
but the deep boom Of the cannon still snoos the
earth. But at dark this ceased along the hnes'
broken only at intervals through the nignt-
OPERATIONS AT NIGHT.
Although the din of battle was hushed' save
the boom from the gunboats, there was no reia.s,
tion Of effort on both sides. The rebels occupieo
the federal camp, and looked forward exultingy
to the morrow. Our weary troops tnre"
themselves upon the ground in their places, reA1y
to repel the Zoe should he attempt night attsck'
At midnight the rebels were detected in plant,
ing battery Of heavy guns within three hundred
yards Of our line. Their position was made known
10 the gunboats, aud shells were hurled upon the
position, forcing them to abandon the project
Col. Webster chief of Gen. Grants staff, with
great energy and activity brought up battery OF
heavy guns and placed them in positions
bearing upon the same point, and all the efforts
of the rebels to gain new advantages under cover
of the darkness were frustrated. Occasionally the
pickets fired upon one another; but the two ar
mics lay upon their arms waiting Tor the oa"h'
both bringing up rein.orcements. Beauregard re-
ceived large additions to his army, whether by the
advance of his reserves, or whether by new troops
from Arkansas, is not known, but the NUMBER Is
said to have been from twenty to thirty thousand
With this force he hoped to crush out Grant COM
pletely.
But he was mistaken. Late on Sunday after
noon Gen. Nelson's division Of twelve thousand
men reached the opposite side Of the river, in
forced march from Savannah. The transports which
had been collected, Immediately commenced fer
rying them to the opposite side. They were all
taken over during the night and brought into pO-
sition upon our left. During the night also, Gen.
Lew Wallace arrived with an equal number from
Crump's Landing, having made a forced march
over the muddy roads, fording Snake creek and
several other small streams. The other divisions
came on as rapidly as the nature Of the roads ad-
mitted, till day ght the force under Grant was
equal to that OF Beauregard- Let Us lock at the
positions. Let it be remembered that our forces
had been driven,in and occupied only a narrow
strip Of land along the west bank Of the rivera
strip hardly two miles in width and three or four
miles long. On sunday Beauregard was the az
gressor, bat q en-. Grant concluded 70 try the ni-
tiatiye.
THE FIGHT OF MONDAY.
At lay-break Gen. Wallace moved to the attack
upon the enemy's left, supported by the Chicago
battery. They advanced on the double quick
with loud hurrahs, and charge which made the
rebel column reel il struck by a thunder
bolt. They quailed before the terrible onset
and Welded the ground they had occu-
pied during the night. But the enemy were in
too great force to be routed by shock, even so
staggering as that. They rallied and advanced,
pouring a terrific FIRE upon our advancing forces
Gen. Wallace, CALAMITY leading his men, was
wounded at an carly hour Of the morning, and the
division losing its leader was forced 10 retire fO-
along the line. The roar Of artillery was cOntilE-
Gus and terrible. At intervals the musketry Joined
shaking the earth with thunder peals, darkening
the sun with smoke and strewing the ground with
dead. In addition to Mitchelrs division on the
left was that Of Gen. Nelson. These troops,
which had formed a portion Of Gen Buelis army.
after winter Of inaction, at last stood before the
enemy. Some Of them had been at Mill Spring
and they were eager TO move u the attack. Not
less gallant than their comrades on the right
wing. under Wallace, they advanced upon the en-
envy, while the batteries in the centre played right
and left and in front, supported either hand and
rear by the masses Of infantry.
No pen can describe the scene-;he deliberate
adyanee-the close holding Of the ground-the
contesting Of every inch-the fearful slaughter
the brave Observation-Disclosures surging Of the dense
masses Of men-the shouts, cheers, gr0ans, the
plunging Of wounded and frightened horses-the
sinking down Of whole ranks Of men at a soiley
How madly it RACED Through the forenoon eb5ed
and flowed the tide Of victory. The success Of the
previous day had flushed the enemy with hope. To
be thwarted now-to see victory slip through his
fingers at last was not 70 be thought of.Again and
again the rebels dashed up TO our lines. Again
aad again were they driven back, followed by our
forces, who were driven in return. There were
acres Of ground fought over and over again, where
the dead and wounded we're tr0dien beneath the
contendins hosts.
Long in even scale, the battle hung
But on the side Of the federal forces there was
thought Of filching. All such thoughts had
been dismissed at sundown on the preceding eve
ming. They were to hight till victory crowned
their efforts
The forces under Buell.. fought mos. calamity.
They turned the rebel flank, regained the position
q tho preceding morning, and drove the rebel ad-
vance right hlcs upon is centre. The Eight was
kept up from ridge 20 ridge, alonS the uneven
country. FOR SIX hours on Monday the battle
ragged, till past nooa. when Gen. Grant. putting
the entire column in motion, moved on the rebel
centre, bearing down all opposition, and compel
ling the rebels 90 fee. They broke and lied pan
ic-strickcn along the roads and through the fields
followed by the victorious troops, by Buell. with
the entire force Of cavalry, by several batteries
and regiments toward Corinth. The victory was
com lete. The field was won.
AFTER ms BATTLE.
The field was won; but on such a field as that
the never shone on this western continent. Ii
Is not more than four miles square, but twenty
thousand men were lying the trodden slopes
dying. dead, crushed and torn by the iron hail
and ieaden rain which had hurtled through the
air A this time o. writing It Is not possible TO
state with any tefnitencss the hunters engaged
~ the number killed and wounded. But there is
reason 20 believe that the entire rebel force was
over one hundred thousand. Beauregard's force
N Sunday could not have been less than seventy
thousand, while Grants was unier fifty thousand.