Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-07-10
Rebel Account of the Battle of July
Ist-TerribIe Effect of Our Artillery.

AsC-IerfloIe Euect OF our Artillery.
From the Richmond Examiner, July 4.
The battle of Tuesday was perhaps the
fercest and most sanguinary of the series of
bloody conflicts that have signalized each of
the last seven days. The enemy, early in the
morning, from the position to which he had
been driven the night before, continued his
retreat in southeasterly direction towards
his gunboats on James river. Magruder fol-
lowed in pursuit, advancing cautiously, but
steadily, and Smelling the forests and swamps
IN front as he progressed. This method of
advance was kept up throughout the morning,
and until four O'Clock p NJ, without coming
up with the enemy. But between four and
hve O'Clock our troops reached large open
field, mile long and three-quarters in
width, on the farm of DIR. Carter The enc
my were discovered strongly entrenched in a
dense forest on the other side of this field
Their artillery, of about fifty pieces, could be
plainly seen bristling on their freshy-con-
structed earthworks. AT ten minutes before
hive o'clock p NJ, Gen. Magruder ordered his
men to charge across the field and drive the
enemy from their position.
Calamity they Sprang to the encounter.
rushing into the field at full rum Instantly
from the line of the enemy's breastworks a
murderous storm of grape and canister was
hurled INTO their ranks, with the most terrible
erect. Officers and men went down by hum
dreds, but yet, undaunted and unwavering,
our line dashed on until two thirds of the dis
lance across the field was accomplished
Here the carnage from the whitening fire of
the enemys combined artillery and musketry
was dreadful. Our line wavered a moment
and fell back to the cover of the woods.
Twice again the effort to carry the position
was renewed, but each time with the same re-
Suits Night at length rendered further at
tempt lnJudcious, and the fight until 10
o'clock was kept up by the artillery of both
SIDES. 10 add to the horrors, if not the dan
gers OF the battle, the enemy's gunboats from
their position at Curtis Neck, two and a half
miles distant poured on the field continued
broadSldes from their immense rifle guns The
horrors of the fight were aggravated bv the
monster shells, which tore shrieking through
the forests, and exploded with a conclusion
which seemed to shake the solid earth itself
The moral effect on the Yankees of these ter
ror-lnSplrlng allies must have been very great
and in this, we believe, consisted their great
est damage to the army of the south
The last gun on our side was fired at Top,
NJ Each side held the position occupied
when the fight begun, and, during the remain
der OF the night, each was busily engaged re-
moving their wounded. The rumble of the
enemy's ambulances and wagons, in rapid and
hurried motion, did not cease even with the
dawn. AT 10 o'clock on Wednesday morn
ing they were still busy, and discontinued
thelr laDors, not because their wounded had
been removed, but for fear of our advance.
Our wounded were carried from the field di-
rectly to the farm houses in the neighborhood.
whence, after their injuries had been exam
med and dressed, they were brought to this
city During the morning the enemy evacu-
ated his position and retreated, still bearing
IN south-eastery direction, and apparently
not attempting to lessen the distance between
him and his gunboats. The battlefield sur
veyed through the cold rain of Wednesday
morning, presented scenes too shocking to be
dwet on without anguish. The woods and
the field before mentioned were on the west
ern side, covered with our dead, in all the de-
grees of violent mutilation; while in the
woods on the west of the field lay, In about
equal numbers, the blue uniformed bodies of
the enemy. Many of the latter were still
alive, having been left by their friends in their
indecent haste to escape from the rebels
Great numbers OF horses were killed on both
sides, and the sight of their disfgured car
cases, and the stencil proceeding from them
added much to the loathsome horrors of the
bloody field. The corn fields, but recently
turned by the plow-share, were furrowed and
torn by the iron missiles
Thousands of round shot and uneXploded
shell lay upon the surface of the earth.
Among the latter were many of the enormous
shells thrown from the gunboats. They were
inches in width by % in length. The raw
ages of these monsters were everywhere dis
cernible through the forests. In some places,
long avenues were cut through tree tops, and
here and there great trees, three and four feet
IN thickness, were burst open and split to very
shredS. In one remarkable respect this bat
tle-field differed IN appearance from any of
the preceding days. In the track of the enc
my'S flight there weren no cast-away blue great
coats, no blankets, tents, nor clothing, no let
tiers, and no wasted commissary stores. He
had evidently before reaching this point,
thrown away everything that could retard his
hasty retreat. Nothing was to be found on
this portion of the field but killed and wound
ed Yankees, and their guns and knapsacks.
The battle of Tuesday evening has been
made memorable by its melancholy monu-
ment of carnage, which occurred in a portion
OF Gen. Magruder's corps, which had been
ordered in very inadequate force to charge
one OF the enemy's batteries. There are va
rious explanations of this affair. The fire
upon the few regiments who were ordered to
take the enemys battery, which was support
ed by two heavy brigades, and which swept
the thin lines Of our devoted men, who had
to approach it across stretch of open ground,
Is SAID to have been an appalling sight.