Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-03-26

salui cover the open space on every SldI
But to-day | learn from a farmer that, il
tending to keepus still longer inignoranc
OF their departure, the leaders forbad
the extensive conhagration which thei
burning would involve.
To-day I again visited Blackburn's For
IN company with Capt. Upton (''Ree
Art" who so distinguished himself q
Iyier's aid at the battle of the 18th c
July. Mr.. Wand, the talented leadin
artist of Harper's Weekly, who was m
companion throughout the Mcdowell
campaign, and Mr.. Charles C. Webb, wer
also OF the party. The two latter gentle
men and myself, by the way, are probabl
the only representatives of the New Yotl
press who have this week roamed at larg
over this interesting ground. For som,
reason the usually numerous press brigad
nave generally missed the van of this ad
vance, although l saw Bayard TAYLOR &C
companying yesterdays brief cavalry re
eonnoissance of the battle fields. Will
the artist was sketching the ruined bridg'
mot ''Stone Bridge" but the one si1
miles below, the rest of us half forded
half swan the stream, in order to NOR,
thoroughly examine the position of tn,
rebel batteries in the famous ARTILLERY
duel" Fording Bull Run at this season
Is no joke. The banks are full of quag
mire and quicksand. Mr.. Webb's horse
lost his footing, became badly mired, anC
Tor a moment we thought it all over Will
the noble animal, but the united effort.
Of the party, including haulings, SWORD
pricks, and shoutings, saved him from the
impending fate. Afterward, Il careful
study of the field confirmed us in our o
plnlon of the madness of sending infantry
INTO the forest lining the creek valley, and
OF the ease sand certainty with which
Richardson could have maintained oul
position on the heights and routed the en-,
emy with plunging fire. If this plan
which Gen Il. urged had) been adopted
the battles of Blackburn's Ford and Bull
Run need never have been fought and
lost. The valley would have been too
hot for Beauregard to hold, and he must
have fallen back to Manassas. On the
18th, in fact, his battery calamity replied
to ours from point 200 feet below our
commanding position on the hill.
The camps in this noisome, unhealthy
locality seemed the very picture of desc
lation and despair. The life of the poor
fellows who tenanted those huts must
have been wretched, requiring almost he
roic endurance. In some places pieces of
the halt-cured bacon dealt out for rations
lay petrefying in the sun, beside the quar-
termaster's abandoned cabin. The quail
ty OF this vile food, the entire absence of
torage-corn, oats, or hay-from any rack
within dozen miles lit is with the great
est difficulty that can procure food for
my single horse), convince me that the
rebels would speedily have been obliged
70 fall back to regions better supplied
with the necessaries of life if equally po-
tential reasons had not enforced an earli-
er retreat. The rolling stock of the o. &
a. Railroad was in no condition, learn.
q supply the wants of so large body of
men and horses. II IS noU certain that at
feast &c, ,OO0 men hare been all aciater encamped
'fitLin ten miles Of CentreriLe
Mrs. Butler, whose husband owns the
farmhouse shelled by Ayres's guns, took
ne into the attic rooms where our u
FOUNDER went through, and talked with
lae long while about the events subse-
Auent to the battle of the 18th. Her
are on the rebel side, and so |
eannot disbelieve her frightful and sicken-
lRg narrative of the atrocities of the vic
.prs. Nineteen of our men were buried
F.ear her house. But IN a fer eccsks suery.
6ee,s-rls,y, bic flesh 5otted or hacked
from the bones, and the latter distributed as me
'ne,ltos Of conquest and 5arb@ism.
The stencil engendered by this mon
strous process was so horrible that the
family had to leaYe the place, and much
sickness ensued among the troops. Mr..
Butler confirmed the statement of his
wife. IHerei is no doubtof its truth. Among
The stuff left behind at the camps, Joints
Of human vertebre and human skulls.
'eraped and polished, have been found
Today. Mrs. Butler told me that on the
night of the Goth mounted federal cour-
'ier came within their lines and asked for
Zen. MeDowelPs headquarters. As he
put the question he saw the Palmetto in
'he hat of the South Carolina guard, and
put spurs to his horse, but was shot and
killed. Dispatches in cipher were found
IN his person. lie was buried, but dug
Up within a week, the flesh boiled from
lis bones, and the latter exhibited as
of ''an invaders fate"
This solves the mystery. concerning the
ate of a courier missing, and never heard
If since the evening named. Mr.. Wand,
Who was with our outermost picket that
lay, remembers that horseman dashed
through and toward the rebel lines
Shots were soon after heard, but the af-
vas soon forgotten in the exciting events
If the next morning.
As we returned home tonight we be-
gan to meet the old line of civilians from
Washington coming to see Manassas and
1btain trophies. In the fields, on every
'ide, the dead horses of the rebel Cavalry
lie by the score, attracting clouds of buz-
ards and ravens from afar off.
Among really valuable and welcome ar
'ivals tonight are members of the Santa
v Commission-Rev. DR.. Bellows, DR..
Van Buren,, Mr. Strong, Mr.. 0lmsted, &C.
We get news herewith of the executive
'rders appointing Fremont to the Noun
ain Division. and placing Halleck, &C.,
IN plane with our own general command
ng. Of one pleasant fact my few days of
ate intercourse with the army assures me,
liz: that the rank and file have learned
o love Mcclellan, and, right or wrong,
lave the utmost faith and ardor under
lis leadership.-Cor N. Y World.