The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-09-08


On the whole, We stated q day or two since.
| the prospect now is rendered doubly sure that
| there Will soon ba few rebels In arms 10 Virginia
| Ps.-At Il, 10 p. m., the firing stopped, we
learn from parties just down from Fairfax county.
we trust the fact means surrender of the rebels
and do not see how il can mean aught else.
| The railroad was regularly run this forenoon
| from the town of Warrenton TO Bristow. So il il
repaird uo the rsroad) Is to rebuild the Bull Run
| and Rsppahannock bridges. The former should be
| completed to-night-the lattor may be in four or
| five days.
| INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE.
| lCofrespGndenee Of the Richmond Dispatch
| dRovsTON, near Manassas,
| Sunday, Aug 3D. 1862.
As favorable opportunity offers to write you,
| and as many Richmond men were in the great fight
| yesterday, will drop you line stating simply
| what saw and what part was taken by the battal
| ion to which my company is attached II is com
| posed of four eompsniss-Capts. Jordan of Bed
| ford; Rhett, OF S. C; Eubank snd W. W. Parker
OF Virginia.
Hearing that fight would probably come of
yesterday, Col S D Lee of s. c. who commands the
battalion, pushed from Salem on Friday last till
2 A. N. Saturday, when we found ourselves upon
the battle field OF the day before. At day break
| was aroused by pretty brisk picket firing on our
right and left, and to my surprise. found had
advanced right in among the pickets, indeed n OF
more than 800 yards from the enemy About we
were ordered to fall back ard take position the
left of the turnpike, about half mile from the
road, upon commanding position Hero we had
grand view of the plains OF Manassas. reaching
| far as Centraviiie.
| To the front 1he land breaks beautifully into hill
| and dale. forming sort OF amphitheatTe. About
q mile Immediately in front few houses
called 6rovecn, believe; and this point the Yam
of therc On their right and long lines of in.
fantry were seen ia line Of battle and far in the
distance immense clouds of dust filed the heavens
From early morn a brisl little picket firing was
kept up on onr right, our boys occupying a barn
and an orchard. An attempt was made by few
companies advancing through corn-ielO TO drive
out this Troublesome picket. In our own battalion
there ars 10 guns; and four others, two from Nor
folk and two FROM Lynebburg, belle We. making
90 occupied the of the Hill before mentioned.
The rifle ss~e aEds .Ere at the mep IN
the corn Held" few SHOTS stopped their advance,
and caused the men to scatter and lie down. Then
commenced q cannonading between batteries
and two of the enemys, which WAS kept up. with
intermissions of Is or 30 minutes till the great fight
took place. About A. NJ. a regiment advanced
rapidly the eIemys left, determined this time TO
drive out cur picketa This effort succeeded our
brave sharpshooters fetired through The orchard In
good order So they got well out of the way
opened upon the enemy, and in 10 minutes
they skedaddled ii fine style, shetering themselves
in the ravines and behind the barn. At o'clock
the forces that had been moving almost the whole
day towards our LETT began to move in the opposite
direction and concluded that they were retiring
towards Manassas, two or three miles distant.
Several attempts were now made to ad.
vance upon our left like those TO drive in Our
pickets right, but few shells
served to scatter the skirishors and drive them into
the woods that skrted this beautiful valley either
hand When almost every officer was satisfied
that the enemy, foiled in his attempt to make us
bring on the tight by these little advances
right and left, about to retire, aud merely kept
up the cannonading in order to conceal his retreat,
suddenly at p NJ, regiment after regiment Of in.
fantry were thrown out of the woods upon left
and advanced in very good order for the purpose of
driving out oar pickets and take our batteries on
the left flank. In an instant, Col Lee. always cool
and selfpossessed, ordered every h0Witzer to the
left, and then such blaze of artillery never
heard The gurs from, the nature of the ground,
very close together, and it was almost impOs-
sble to distinguish the discharge of the guns in
your own from those IN other batteries 1t was Clear
that the next thirty minutes would determine the
fate of all batteries. At the same time the en-.
emy made his infantry advance. be commenced
most furious cannonadng. No sound was heard
for two hours from this time but the roar of cannon
and the bursting Of SHELLS. The enemy had a 80.
FOUNDER which was used some time during the ear
er part of the day. but fortunately he did not get
our range So soon the dark columns got near
enough to our infantry. two small regiments, which
had been placed upon our left TO support u.s. poured
q deadenng fire into them.
For some time four five regiments had gotten
ont OF our eight, having advanced under cover OF
the hill and expected to the men driven out OF
the woods and the enemy mount the hill but
still the ba ragged The shells burst sbsye around,
and beneath Every man il at his post; no talking
no dueking of heads now. All intense, silent
earnestnsss 1t was an hour big with every mans
history. 1t was struggle for life. The face OF
every man was flushed, his eye full, and bis arm
stronger than Was wont. 1t seemed that the very
heavens were In a blaze or, like two angry clouds
surchsrged with electricity and waited by opposing
winds. had met terrific in battle Presently the
Yankee coluInns begin to break end men 10 fall ont
to the rear yThe retreating numbers gradually In
crease aud presently the great mass without line or
form, now move back like a great multitude with
out guide or leader. From slow, steady ak, the
great mass or many parts OF II, move a. @ run ana
our eyes tell the victory is won. Then did many
a man say deep down in his heart with flushed face
and flling eyes, THANK God :" One youth ran to
me and said II thought God tnoatd efns us the ne
tory Who knows but God honored that childs
faith lie hesrsth .he young ravens when they
cry Now the scene changes. Uur infantry pour
down from left and right. and our guns cease lest
we shnuld kill cur own men. The guns OF the enc
nv however blaze the faster a. II in ut OF des-
perstion On our right Longstreet. whose name Is
a terror TO the enemy, closes upsn ITEM, ana Tue
hills ou the right roar with mnsketry The battle
gradually reesdes-siowly but steadily. IKE great
hausted and we could not follow. Until nishtfail the
battle ragged especially On the right and 10 SAID
tbst our loss in that quarter was heavy-tnat noth
Ing withstood the onset o. our men. na.. H Ias'
y
per Of our battalion, was severely wounded In the
arm, but NOT dangerously. He is brave, unassum'
Ing officer II was not his first fight, % the country
knows.
OF the 800 men In our bsttalieu, not more than
six were wounded, and none fatally--two In Capt.
Rhett's, ons in Capt. Grimssa, two in Capt. Par
kers. (Sergt. James Jones In the arm and mp
slixhtly, and private David Richardson shghtiy IN
ths le9) and one other that do not know per-
sonaliy.
Col. Lee q position was well chosen, and the bat.
tie wsi brought on In the ensny's attempt to cap.
fure his bstterIsA Our men behaved remarkably
veil II h impossible 70 state our ioae II 10 how
ever. mueh less than that Of the ensmy. This u
csrtsluly true In that part of the hsd where our
hetteiiOa ops1ated. ] know this from personal
inspection. This morning We moved mp and oceu.
.ie6 ~ ensny's gFound, snd ws are permitssd 10
ssst nd 20 - sonsthing may not be hed 70 sas,
- - - have bean hsting for over twenty -four
hoara Dut for green apples they would havs ~.
Sseod greatly.
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n - erIala NhonA ~ mt - nation. saase or
Aenis so1 o. 60nels - fAanka(1v1ne ~ hs eood.
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naenanll Iaae = ~ aesl Hosrt ....
=. Ali =. 1G,-casna1lns ~ - heegd
1ist 9fnSf YnuIno1n naGI4 44oDs