Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-07-17

The he Battle Bat e. e Tnssdsy as s Described .
rfble slaushfsr Of fEs 7sbsis.
IFtom the sisla,.9aa Il .lals.4, of 1,,d.s juy a
The battle ~ Tuesday va psrhsps the
hercest and most sxngdipzfy Of ths ssriss Of
bloody conflicts than hsys dgnslizsd each Of
the last seven days. We ba7e nIrsady sd.
ssrted to the part played = the action BY
Gen. jackson and others, but, 81 yet, have
the occasion of Gen. Msgruder and the
pose ~ give such particulars a. We have OBJ
tanned on the field after the battle.
Early on Tuesday morning the enemy,
from the position q, which he had been
driven ths might txfars, continued his ne
threat 10 3 b01th- -Qestsf1y difsction toward
his gunbosts on Janes River. Ats o clock,
A. NJ, Magruder TecommeBced the pursuit,
advancing cautiously, but steadily, and she'll
ing the forests and swamps in front a. he
progressed. This method Of advance was
kept up throughout the morning, and until
4 o'clock, p. NJ, without coming up with
the enemy. "a
But between and o'clock our troops
reached large open field, mile long and
three-qusrters in width, on the farm Of DIR.
Garter. The enemy were discovered strong
/ ly intrenched IN dense forest on the Other
side OF this field. Their artillery, Of about
SO pieces, could be plainly seen bqistling on
their freshly-construeted earthworks. Al
ten minutes before 5 O'Clock, p. NJ, Gen.
Magruder ordered his men TO charge acros:
the field and drive the enemy from their po.
sitiou. = s,s, +. - - s-.e - =
/ Calamity they sprang 10 the encounter,
rushing into the. field at fun run. In.
stantly from the line Of the enemy breast.
works murderous storm of grape and can.
lister was hurled into their ranks, with the
most. terrible effect. Officers and men wen,
down by hundreds; but yet, uudsunted and
unwavering, our line dashed on until two.
! thirds of the distance across the field was
accomplished. Here the carnage from the
! wlthenng ire of the enemy combined ar.
tillery aud musketry was dreadful.
| Our line wavered moment and fell back
to the cover of the woods. Twice again tbs
effort to carry the position was renewed
but each tine with the same results. Night
at length, rendered further attempt inju
dicious, and the fight until ] o o clock wa
kept up by the artillery of both sides. r
adj to the horrors, if not the dangers, o
] the battle, the euemy's gunboats from thei
!, position At Curl s Neck, two and halt mile
distant, poured on the field continued broad
d sides from their immense rife guns
Though it is questionable. as We hav
suggested, whether any serious loes was in
I hictcd on US by the guuboats, the horrors q
the fight were aggravated by the mons.e
e shells, which tore shrieking through the fol
y ests and exploded with concussion whic
e seemed to shake the solid earth itself Th
q msssl aHect on, ,ths-s Yankees of 4fhsss .tsl
n ror-inspiring allies must have been 'ver
e great; and in this, we believe, consiste
their greatest damage TO the army OF th
: South.
o 1t must not be inferred from the above a,
d count that the slaughter was all upon ou
? side. We have the best reasons to kno
It that the well directed fire of our cannon an
r musketry, both before and subsequent I
G our efforts to storm the encmy's position
y fell with fatal effect upon his heavily mas
1t ed forces.
O At 10 o'clock, p. NJ, the last gun W;
k fired from our side Each side held Ii
Il position occupied when the fight beguI
h aud, during the remainder Of the nigh
b ! each was busiy engaged removing the
b wounded. ~
The rumble of the enemy's ambulance
o and wagons, in rapid and hurried motion
B did not cease even with the dawn. At
y O clock on Wednesday morning they we,
l. still busy, and discontinued their labors, n,
!, because their wounded had been remove,
-e but for fear of our advance. Our woun,
4 ed were carried from the field directly
e the farm houses in the neighborhoot
/, whence, after their injuries had been e:
5, amined aud dressed, they were brought
RS this city.
J. During the morning the enemy evacuate
s his position and retreated, still bearing in
ID south, easterly direction, and apparent
& NOT attempting to lessen the distance b
ID tween him and his gunboats.
le The battle. field, surveyed through Il
Mt cold rain of Wednesday morning, presen
ly ed scenes too shocking to be dwelt on witt
n, out anguish. The woods and the field b
ID fore mentioned were, on the western sid'
As covered with our dead, in all the degrees
# violent mutilation; while in the woods (
r. the west of the field lay, in about equ
n, numbers, the blue uniformed bodies Of Il
a enemy. e
ID Many of the latter were still alive, hsvi
n, been left by their friends in their indece
D. haste to escape from the Rebels.
IN Great numbers Of horses were killed
nd both sides, and the sight of their dis6gur
We carcasses, and the stencil proceeding frc
le, them added much TO the loathsome horrt
IT, Of the bloody field. The corn fields,
ed recently turned By the plow-shape, were Fl
,ct rowed and torn by the iron missiles.
ed Thousands of round shot and unexplod
l shells lay upon the surface OF the earth.
lg- Among the latter were many Of the eat
oh nous shells thrown from the gunboats
ne They were inches in width by % in leng
*. The ravages of these monsters we're eve
ow where discernible through the forests
no some places, long avenues were ,ut thrsu
cir tree tops, and here and there great tire
TX, three and four feet in thickness, were bu
ay open and split TO very shreds.
'ce In one remarkable respect this hattle-fi
,a ,a differed in appearance from any Of the p
"a. a. ceding days. In the track Of the eneul
ia flight there were no cast-away blue grt
,a coats, no blankets, tents, nor clothing,
~ 'pn letters, and no wasted commissary stores
Ihe Ih He had evidently, before resehing this po
lus thrown away everything that could ret
'cu his hasty retreat. Nothing was to be 70,
s on this portion Of the field but killed
't1 ~ wounded Yankees, and their guns and kn
"a sacks.
a. THE TERRIBLE stFFERfTas FROM TIE r
-.