Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-07-09
VOLUME XIII, NO. 1852.

r charged AZ the guns, not PotcdlfAtl OuA Ooss1iAJ
which was screened by thickets. The artillery
D gave them she'll and canister, which ehecke,
their mad career. AVeTill charged, and horse
rider, and all were in one red burial blent. Deat
horses are scattered over the fled, and dead mel
lie under the shadows Of the forests. We los
but one brave trooper.
THE PURSUIT
Headquarters, which had tarried ear th'
bridge, were now moved two miles beyond
Keyes' corps was forward. Sykes was guarding
, our aanks, Morrell was moving behind Keyes
F5tz John Porter stood guard around the camp.
Day was wearing away. An awful tumult 10
rear, as if the elements were contending, had
been moving senses with exquisite power.
FOaming steeds and pushed riders dashed into
camp. Stout Sumner was holding his own.
The enemy was raging around him ike fam
ished wolves. There seemed TO be q foe behind
every tree; but the old hero and his gallant sol
dieTs fought Ike lions. You could see the bale
ful fires Of cannon flashing against the dUsky
horizen, playing on the surface Of the evening
clouds Ike sharp magnetic lights. Long lines
| of musketry vOmited their furious volleys Of
pestilential lead through the forests, sweeping
| scores Of brave soldiers into the valley of the
shadow of death. And nature now, as if emu
loUs Of mans fury, flashed its red artillery, and
rolled its grand thunder over the dOmes OF Rich
m0nd now miles to the right Of US Moment
after moment elapsed before even pTacticed sol
diers could decide which was the power Of God,
! and which the conflict Of man, 50 strangely
similar were the twin reverberations But the
| sharp glare Of electricity recorded the truth In
vivid lines of FIRE. No combination of the
dreadful in art and the magnificent in nature
| was ever more sOlemnly impressive.
| Nothing struck me so keenly during all that
gloomy day and more desolate night, as the
| thinly disguised uneasiness Of those TO whom
/ the country had intrusted its fate. It was well
/ that soldiers who carry mUsksts did not read
/ the agony traced upon the face Of that leader
| whom they had learned to love. A few in that
| gloomy bivouac folded their arms to sleep, but
/ most were too exhausted to enjoy that blessed
relief That dreadful tuIult, but few short
miles in the distance, Rged till long after the
l whip-pOOr-will had commenced his plaintive
song Late at night couTiers, not from the field,
dashed in with glad tdings. Sumner had beat
| en- the enemy at every point, until they were
| glad to cease attack. The warrior was advised
| BY Gen. Mcclellan to retire quietly 70 our main
| body, but the old man, gams as king eagle,
| begged to be permitted to drive the rebels hoHe
Said a general to me, "Old Bull Sumner didn't
want to quit. The game old fellow had to be
eh5ked off, Hereafter, ys carping critics,
when military faults are censured, bring not
| Williamsburg up in judgment against heroic
| Sumner Nobly has he redeemed his name.
That battle in the forests was a contest Of des
| parahon A naughty and Tevengetul foe, con-
fdent in victory and numbers, pressed US to the
wall, and that spirit Of resistance which should
inAame every army of the North against those
who war upon constitutional Liberty, met them
hand to hand, steel to steel, and drove them to
their dens. 1t was a Sunday battle
HEAVENS ARTILLERY.
That night there was another strange meteor
illogical phenomenon. l suppose it was about
midnight The lights at headquarters were still
blazing. The commander was yet working with
unyielding devotion aids were still riding fast
but all else was silent l had Just fallen into
slumber-the first during two weary nights
when was startled by what we al thought was
the terrific uprOar of battle. Again and again It
Numbered, and rolled subimely away of en- the
| borders Of ChickahOminy. For soma moments
we feared the enemy had crossed the river be-
/ hind our rear guard, and was destroying our
/ right wing in darkness. Many who suspected
/ they might be victims of a SUlusi0n-mOst natu-
raj in that critical period, when nothing but the
sound Of cannon and musketry had been the
/ most familiar sound Of our camps Tor months
criticised their senses sharply, but still the up
roar was so wonderfully like battle, that we
could not shake the opinion from our minds that
night fight was going on. Five minutes
elapsed, 1 suppose, before the ragged crown Of
a black cloud IN the distance reared itself shove
the forests, and dispelled the gloomy deception.
Morning besmed upon us again brilliantly but
hOtly We thanked heaven that It had not
rained The enemy had not yet appeared IN
our front Sumner had brought off his splendid
command Franklin was posted strongly on
| the south bank Of White Oak Creek, Heintzel-
man was on his left, Keyes corps was moving
/ swiftly to James river down the Charles City
and Quaker road, Porter and part Of Summers
corps were following rapidly.
BATTLE OF SAVAGE STATION.
Moyino to the rear to learn the fate of friends,
the history of yesterdays bitter conflict was
/ sketehed for me in the haggard features Of the
weary men who had fallen exhausted into their
| forest biVOuac Brave old Summers face bore
traces of the excoriating fire of battle, but his
features were radiant with smiles. He was elO-
quent in his praises of bis command. Burns
/ had borne the brunt of the fight, and he did 1t
| uagnifceHtIy, SIR" Sedgwick who had been
sick for days had stemmed the torrent grimly
| His first words were, B., that was Burns fight
He showed himself splendid soldier. Let the
world know his merits. He deserves all you can
saw" Sedgwick seldom praises men. But he
/ is gallant soldier himself, and he appreciates
merit / found Gen. Burns stretched under a
/ lofty pire, and his warriors were slumbering
/ around him painfully. His eyes were hollow and
/ bloodshot, his handsome features pale and thin
| his beard and his clothing were elOtted with
| blood his face was bandaged, c0neealiDg rag
ged and painful wound in bis neither jaw. Ii
| was enough to make sphynx weep to look
| upon the work of an awful day upon such man.
/ His voice was husky from his exh0rtatiOns and
battle cries, and tremulOus with emotion, when
graspng my hand, he said with exquisite psthos,
nv friend, many Of my poor fellows lie IN
those forests 1t IS terrible to leave them there.
Blseksney is wounded-McGonega is gone,
and many there are who will see us no more.
We are hungry and exhausted, and the enemy
the forest is full of peOple-are laundering at
| our heels. 1t is an awful afiietiOn. We viii
fight them feeble as we are-5ut with what
hope7r To know such a man, to feel how keen
/ ly he realized the situation, 10 wach his qulver-
ing lips and sad play of features, usually SO
iOYous-Oh, friends, it was anguish itself And
I there was a tOWnsman OF yours there, who won
| imperishabe honor. VIM. q. JONES' lieutenant
colonel who but one short week ago took com
mand of the Ist California regiment. lie han
dled it like q veteran, and behaved like Bay
ard His new command, fred by his enthusi-
asm, and daring even beyond their old prowess,
done deeds which General Sumner himself said
entitled them to the glory of heroes. 80 hot
was the fight aud so hot the work, that Jones
once fell headlong from his horse, from exhaust
ion. but recovering soon, be resumed bus sword
and again led his gallant fellows to the charge.
Gen. Burns speaks so warmly Of the devotion
and heroism Of Geo. Hicks, Of Camblos, and
Blakeney, and G.ifiiths, his staff and his colo
nels, Morehead. Baxter, and Owen, their eoun-
trymen should know their worth. So Sedgwick
: speaks of his adjOtant Capt. Sedgwick, and OF
Howe, his aid SO Sumner speaks Of Clark, and
, of Kipp, and Of Tompkins, Of Col. SullY, and
of all in his command. In that fray Sedgwlek $
division lost 600 men and 400 more Of various
corps are not among their comrades. Gen
Brooks also was wounded in the right leg, but
! not seriously The enemy first attacked a
Orchard Station, near Fair Oaks, in the morn
|; ing, but were soon driven off. At about noon
! they returned in heavy force from the front o
Richmond, while a strong column was thToWE
: : across Chiekahominy, at Alexanders bridge
. near the railway crossing. They first appeared
). in the edce of the woods south Of Trent's, anc
3 onened uDon our column on the Williamson burg