Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-08-04
RICHMOND july Oath. 1862

Chlckahominy have been fought and won :
and In them, many Of oar braves, .ons
have laid down their lives that their coun.
try might live. Think of it! Were Won
ever upon a Jresh-won battlefield! +
nope never may see such again! I need
not pant 1t here tho scene beggars de-
scriptlon. But in mourning over our los.
we have consultations that stir the patriot.
veins and swell his generous soul 20 ;uh;-
Iating f~ullness. We know that once the
blood thirsty enemy lowered around Rich
mond, with . view (and the promise to
his troops) of dining in the city on the
"4th OF july" but has since bean driven
from one redoubt and fertilization and en-.
trenchment of the" most formidable charac-
ter to another, till forced into Turkey Bend
under cover of his g~unboats, where he re-
nalns like "A covering terrier before his
master ; We know that we captured more
than thousands worth of property. and
suffered no loss of this kind on orr mart.
their loss, at best, could not have been less
thar ours, in killed and wounded, OH saw
nothing of their own admission of q loss Of
100000 and besides, we captured more
than 1000, according to sta,istics. In
short their whole army, as any ono may
Judge, is cut up, tangled to eternal per-
ple1lty, aud materially reduced ; Richmond
Is rescued, we've gained q great victory.
our troops are inspired with fresh vigor.
and this alone is worth its millions. These.
among others, are among the many conso.
latlons resulting from this signal victory.
The scene commenced on the extreme
right of the enemy, on the evening of the
10Th June, by a portion of Gen. D. 1t.
HILLS division, known a. Gen. Ripley's
Brigade, and of which our regimen. il a
part. The attack was just below Mechap.
%lcsville (qui'e a short distance,) where We
succeeded in getting possession of Meadow
Bridge, b. first driving the pickets in and
then bombing the ~rascals from a battery
commanding the bridge and road. This
done, our brigade moved scross tho Chick.
ahoniny and formed anew for q charge on
three Feleral batteries, protecting Gu.
trenchments, the former of which had al
ready begun their havoc among our own
ranks.
Now the position of the Federal forces
known. would have required a left flank
movement TO have stermed them with any
thing like common slaughter but night
was lowering Ger our heads, and bat little
time was given for Ii hesitation. SO we rush-
Jcfr rnas mfght have
startled the ghost of Tecumseh. On we
went and onward the belching mortars
and believing cannon sent their howlinp
messengers, while the dead and dying fell
on every hand. We were here at the
precipice, and just below was a mil. race.
and so perfectly impossible that only about
one man out of one hundred succeeded in
passing it. We marched to the very brink
of 1t, and lay down. The ditch could not
be passed and after remaining in this
position, exposed to the full range of the
enemy's cannon, and lsaden showers
protecting (the ~enemy's) entertainments,
melting our ranks away, the iron monsters
ha'llng grape aud canister through our
files, We were ordered to fall back. After
retiring, the artillery of both parties play
Ell necessarily upon each other until about
IL Z. NJ, then mutually ceased.
Morn arose, and with the dawn we re-
newed the attack, drove the enemy from
his position, captured one or two batterie,
and so kept up the chase down the river.
tens. d. ii. Hill, A. ?. Hill and Loup-
street acted i'll conjunction, and alternate
~; Gen. Stonewail Jackson operated in
the rear, commencing at Ashland. Con.
Magruder aud others were Immediately be.
fore Richmond, confronting McCleilau'a
strongest ~post-"S~en Pines" These
three grand forces effected . Junction on
Saturday, las we'll as | recolleet) just as a
general route Of the enemy from all his
strong holds were made. The pursuit wa,
1nen Kept up to the Pamunkey and to tho
1t will be sadly recollec.ed By perhaps
every State III the South, that it lad son,
VINO died here ; yes, whole-souled sons of
Mars, and whose blood drenches the plains
of the Chickahominy and cries unto the
Proves of our country" We have died
that YOU might Ilve!!" Their bones will
bleach On the hard fought fields, crumb-
ling into Wondering dust, out the embryo
plowman ('n years to Gomez Flooding hi.
monotous way, will upturn these ancisn,
relics and wonder till he remembers
These are the bones OF those who died 70,
us.!'
There is one thing that I would not man
t'on' but for the fact of its having beer
u~nJustly treated, and We as North Uaroi-
mans most %wofuiIy wronged. L has bee,
SAID North Carolina Troops did but li,:l,
fighting! God forgive the..lying slaudsrers
If nothing else vii do, let Seven Pines
tell lis story! And go to the remains 0
| Tho nannrxAra donl - "a.