The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-07-09


the blutE Powerful concentration hat.
teIies were also posted in.fhe center an
thai, to use the language Of Colonel SWIFT.
ger, well clothe this hill ia sheets Of
flame before they take ie" II was a
magnificent spectacle You see, friends.
how desperate was the hour The roar
OF combat grew tremendous IS the after
noon wore away. There was no timo
then nor afterwards TO ascertain disposi
tons OF particular organizations. They
were thrown together wherever eneIuen.
CIV demanded. White Oak Bridge the
Quaker road, Charles City road, the banks
Of Turkey Creek, were envelopcd in
smoke and flame, iron and lead crashed
through forests aud men like destroy
ing pestilence.
A masked battery which had openod
from the swamp under Malvern Hill be
gun to prove inconvenient 70 Porter. IA
plowed and crashed through some Of our
wagons, and disturbed groups of officers
in the splendid groves OF Malvern man
sion. Tie gunbost Galena, anchored on
the opposite side of Turkey leland and
the Arostooki cruising az The head Of the
island, opened ports aud plunged their
awful metal into The rebel cover with III
tanic force. Towards sunset the earth
quiyered with the terrific conclusion of
artillery and huge explosions. The vast
AERIAL auditorium seemed convulsed with
the commotion Of frightful sounds
Shells raced like dark meteors athwart
the horizon, crossing each other al eceep-
trio angles, exploding into deadly iron
hail and fantastic puils Of smoke. until
either was displaced by vast cloud of
white fumes, through which even the
fierce blaze Of setting summers sun
could but grimly penetrate. Softly puff
ing above the dark curtain of forest
which masked the battle-h field, there was
another fleece which struggled through
the dense foliage like heavy mist clouds,
and streaming upward in curious eddies
with the ever-varying current of the
winds, mingled with, and absorbed the
canopy of smoke which floated from tbe
surface of the plains and river. The hat
tle-stained sun, sinking maiestically into
the horizon behind Richmond, Furnished
the fringe Of gossamer with lurid and
golden glory aud as fantastic columns
capriciously whitfield up from tho woods
they suddenly transformed into pillars
! OF lambent fiame, radiant with exquisite
beauty, which would soon separate into
a thousand picturesque forms and fade
into dim opacity. But the convulsion
beneath was not spectacle for curious
| eyes. The forms of smoke masked war
riors, the CLEAN Of mnskets on the plains
whore soldiers were disengaged, the ar
hstic order Of battle on Malvern Hill, the
wild career of wilder horsemen pluneing
to and from and across the field formed a
scence Of exciting grandeur. In the for
est where eyes did not penetrate, there
was nothing but the exhilirating and ex-
hausting spasm Of battle. Baleful fires
blazed among the trees, and death struck
many shining marks.
Our haggard men stood there with
grand courage, fighting more like crea-
lures Of loitier mould than men. Weari-
ed and jaded, and hungry and thirsty.
beset by almost countless foes. thew
cheered and fought and charged into The
very jawsof death until veteran soldiers
fairly wept at their devotion. Il was
wonderful how our noble fellows fought.
wonderful how their hearts swelled with
greatness; and as the enemy, in very mad
mesa at the terrible bitterness with which
they resisted, plunged fresh columns
against them-o two, three, four, fys
lines of battle, fresh men each time. and
stronger than each predecessor, our alo
rious soldiers still fought and still repell-
ed the reyengeful foe " History" said a
! General, "neyer saw more splendid self
immolation. IL was agonizing to see the
men stand in the ranks and fight tin ex-
hausted nature could do no more" At
last deep darkness ended the fight. The
enemy withdrew and sat himself down
10 watch his prey. We had beaten him
back. But the morrow! Would the enc
my strike our ragged columns again?
MONDAYS BATTLE.
cannot detail the battle of Monday.
Brigades, and regiments and companies
and fragments Of each were fought as
they could be used It matters not who
were here or there 1t was terrible
battle. Gen. Mccall was lost. Gen. Sum
ner was twice wounded, but not seri-
ously His wounds were bound on the
field, and he remained in the saddle and
in the fiery torrent. Col. Wymau, too, of
the 18th Massachusetts,, was killed. Gen.
Meade was severely wounded How
many others / cannot tell. It was a
bloody day There will be weeping at
many a hearthstOne, and many loved
one was lost who viii be sought for long
aud never found.
sumner, and Heintzelman, and Frank
lin, and Hecker, and Smith, and Sedg-
wick, aud McCall-Hancock, nd-Dvid-
SOD, and Meade, and Seymour and
/ Burns, and Sickles, and Sully and Owens,
and dead Wyman, and all the galaxy OF
brave leaders, won title to glorious hon
Ors. They tell me that The rebel Gem
eral Longstreet was wounded, and two
other Generals lay dead on the field, with
long lines Of rebel officers and hecatombs
Of men. Melancholy satisfaction for
such dead as ours
The enemy was beaten again, thank
/ God beaten badly, driven back, and
slaughtered ieaTfully. The gun boats
had az least a moral agency in the fight
4 Il did not appear that their guns could
do more than protect the left flank
which was much, and the enemy was
| Shy Of that point. But an officer Of
Gen McCal's staff told me we lost 20
! guns that day. How p "By the enc
my in overwhelming masses marching
up and taking them II was said Heint-
zelman's command captured twelve from
the enemy, and a whole brigade Of the
enemy. / think the latter doubtful
General Magruder was certainly not
captured Prisoners assure me jackson
was not hurt. Here is question. Better
err on the safe side, ] inquired and was
not satisfied. Nobody knew. Itwas so
reported. can't take reports War