Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-08-19


CENTRAL AUt:uM. GEAEY M PRINCE
WuI'HnFil.
REEL Lass III KILLED AND WOUNDED VERY
GkEAT-rNioS Loss uS gEGI.iiST,L OFFICERS
VERY HEAvY--S,AEs OF TEE rHIoS OFFICERS
KILLED AND wocEDfp
The editor nf the Washington Star" who
vas on the battle Held, near Slaughter :
mountain, seven miles southwest. nf Cularpcr
Court House. Virginia, during The laIIsr ror-
ton OF the terrific engagement rha. took
place there IN Saturday afternoon and Suu-
day morning, furnishes the following detail
cd account Of the engagements:
From the Washington Sta. 0: Monday
GErAT Battle 1T sLArGHEfa's MOUNTAIN, .E-.R
crLPEPER COURT HOUSE.
On Friday morning last General Pope, staff
ind escort reached Culpeper Court HOUSE,
llroiu his last eucampment near Washingion,)
the county seat OF Rappahannock, having
put the corps d'amss Of General Banks, en-
talp:per, and passing the encampu,ent of
General Sigel, at SperryYille, 20 miles from
Culpeper Court House, BY the wa.
AT Culpeper Court House General Pope
found BrisAdier General Crawford. with his
brigade of Banks corps d'armee, previously
Hatch's0 and General Bayard's brigade Of
,,McD9well's Cavalry-the extreme advance
nj his army of Virginia. Also Briggdteg Ger.
Ricketts, division OF Major General AIcDoss
ellis corps d'armee, that had arrived two days
before, from Waterloo and Warrenton-Nc-
Duwsll himself being present and III COM
mand of all the iure-s then there.
At noon on Friday, General5 Pope and NC
Dowtli received intelligence from the gallant
Bayard (who with the twc regiments Of his
cavalry cou.uand doing duty immediately
under hi,u, New Jersey and Psnus, !yania
regiment, had been III the saddle ni.ht AMI
day guarding the E4pidsn, ,or week, from
Rartuon ford down t. point fourteen mieg
below and snuth of the rGilroadj tbs, the
enemy at daybruak had crossed tie river with
tTu Regiments III Louisiana infantry, tgo
pieces VI Iight-irtlllery, and three sIuali reg!
,nenl> of cavalry, and driven III his plckrts
bayard retired slowly before ,heia-hi; !ors (
oi eight hundred tired out caval.- nnir not
being sufficient to hold the ground ii lr0l, cf
such force. lie: however, disputed !! men
BY inch with the enemy, AMI succcnic:: IN
GLIDING major, captain ana twn lirut-nants
ON his retreat. His ca-u los vas rot oTer
three men.
We hear that he WAS publicly ompIme,r-i
by MS Superior officer on lie lir.l or the
ueXt day-SsIuriay-.tor the admirable mai.
her in which he effected his movement, lie
Retired 10 tie north ami east SHE vi Robinson
river, about eight uiiIcs from LulpeJer Court
House, ami there awaited supporting force
IL arrive iT0In The iin!Dcillie vicinity OF thai;
pHEi.
Al noon oi The saInr day: Lenrrai Pope Oh
learning these i..:ie. INSTANTLY Ordered zen
CraH ford IL ;har"h HI brigade ~ Inst cii.
In hall ali hour sttrr rerri,,ns this ar,l-r,
Crawford was IN the maTGil. AZ his briaat.
the 18th New York, lttl. Name 10Th Penn
>rlvanla. AID 5ih Connecticut aud ten pleces
Of artillrry--iiled rapidly through the village
Of Culpeprr Court House IL the gay Music u
its four splendid bands, iti appearance was
the theme III admiration ol the many expert
enced officers Of the Stats OF Generals Pops
and Mcdowell. who went over froGn their CO.
campments, near by, To see it start out. They
one and sll declared that they lever saw
troops with more relishle light" in ther.,
enemy, they would With q maine &c endure IS
long rs the history Of the war .sseIi. The re-
suit proTsd the correctness Vi thtir juig-
mint. a.---..~-.--
Crawford Proceeded rapidly 10 rn3 irGnt
and occupied Position about seven rnie;
from Cuipeper Court House, Immediately ii
rsar OF the line oil Bayard's Cavalry.
Shortly after ordering Crawford, Gen. FGPe
also ordered the rejt Of Banks corps 10 move
rapidly from Hazel river tIidre, AGAR Grit
tinst'urg, mine miles from CulpepeT c. Ii
where it hal arrived thu night b=Iorc. 20 nc
scene OF expected conflict. Hy : ? ", the
head Of Z. column vas deserted marching
around the village to is destination. wiirh II
reached before midnight Tiat point was
Immediately liz the resr ri Ora i"Id. MAJOR
GeneraI :;i.el was also 1T the SANE tiGn- Of
derei up from Srerr:ville. ard By f.r:-d
march Of twenty rules his advance r-ac had
the village ty daylight,
Throughout FIiday nj: ST aad Saturday
forenoon BayhTd continued s!:irEiistn.. wish
the eneny:s advance, Until the latter, az = P.
W., mad progressed to within long raiise Of
Crawtord's artillery. Al 1 P. NJ. the -aau1y
developed heavy increase Of artillery: when
portion of that Of General Banks came UP
and went into the action, there not being room
enough III the position occupied By on: forces
for bringing the whole of it into play.
The conisndng forces at the opening Of the
battle were apparently about male and more
apart, the rebels showing their front Upon
Siaughter's Mountain, sugar-loaf erainenct,
situated two miles TO the west Of th= Orange
and alexandria Railrosd at Mitchei's Station.
i'm
Cedar Run in our rear, and a small wooded
ridge behind that.
GRADUALLY from four to six =. IN. the rebels
opened new batteries from the woods sur
rounding the basin or plain laying between
the fronts of the two contending forces, each
succeeding one being nearer TO our position
than the former. Thus they played a cross
lire from both sides, as we'll as direct frcnt
one upon orr troops, including the most CT
General Banks infantry uhst lad been put
in line for the conflict So annoying WAS this
fire that attempts were made 70 take the bat
teries nearest at hand BY charges, Thus
Bayari's cavalry, iii 4 gallant charge, is said
to have succeeded in taking Two ot the rebel
guns with no loss to speak of.
subsequently, at P. NJ, in pursuance OF
orders, portions Of Augur;s and Williams
divisions Of infantry Including CTswiord's
aud Gordon's brigadesJ made three u'oat d@s-
psrate bsyonet charges upon the artillery
They were, however, escn time receiTed ky
yery heavy infantry hre, slaughtering them
frariully. That they should have perseTered
to make three successive charges in the lace
Of such deadly lire from SO superior nnrD-
hers concealed il woods, is really the q 10der
of the war. These charges developed the
fact that thr enemy actually engaged greatly
outnumDered our forces about 1000 i'll sc-
ton.
Being thus informed Of the location Of TIC
main body of the 7ebel infantry, our artillery
played sad havoc with then; driving deci-
mated regiment after regiment back into the
shelter ofthe dense forest to have their places
instantly occupied by fresh regiments. :" nc