Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-10-04
THE BATTLE OF sHARFsBURG.


THE BATTLE OF SHARPsBURG.
The Southern public ere i1debei TO "PeTscrne," as
army correspondent OF the Charleston Courier for the
most pho sketches Of the operations of cur armies
which have appeared in print Bat for his contributions
TO the Courier we should have been under the necessity
Of relying upon the Northern press for tea Ct blsP,
or awaitir g. r months, the publication Of formal ocil
reports In the Courier Of the 20 ult, We f-d hia
account of the Battle Of shaTpaburg, from which W.
copy the following extracts "Perolne' estimates that
the Yankee force engaged in this battle was nearly
200 900 and doubts if carried into the battle more
than 10 O00 men
HE FIGHT on THE LIFT.
With the frst break of daylgl: the heavy pounding
of tie euenye gu.s their right announced the battle
begun ard for IN hour the sueu soemirg u1inter
rupled BY ought save their Own echoes. AcCGlan bad
initiated the attack dickson and LAYTON, Command
ug Ewel's division -swsys in time-bad ccme rapidly
ferrsrd during the ngh, and were in position on our
extreme left What straI &c strength ard confidence
We all iel. ia the prCs1rcs If tia. mar, "S.nneSeP
| Jackson B,tHean six aud seven O'clock ths Fderes
advanced large bedy Of skiimsteIs and thIFy atter
the Eaio b0dy of the eneng was hUIlcd agss the d.
vision OF G!nSal LsW.on. The ise now nscale !eai-
| iul snd iucessaaL What were fret as met o:es,
Gear and consecutive, nerg into tunuuoul chorus
that made the earth tremble Pie discharge OF muss0ty
sounded upon the esr Ike the rolling Of thousand
distant drums and ever ard tho peculiar yeAs OF
cur boys told Us OF some advantage gained. We Who
ware upon the centre could see Il tie or nothing oil this
portion of tle bnte but from the dense pal OF smsks
tha. hung above the sceno knew 100 well that bloody
| work Tss going on.
| The F,drsls there outnumb5red us hSee to one
Their best troops were concentrated upon this single EFF
fort turn our let, end fer t"o hours a-d hat the
\ ide OF battle ehbed and H)d.d alternately fer and
AGAINST Va Still boss fought desperately, perhaps
as they never fGu hit ioe. Wncle big we're swept
avsy before tho irtn storm tho ground covered
wi the wounded and dead. EF5lS cd division, over
\ poseed b. svpaTior Ipnbsr., gave back Hood, vita
his Texsue tho Eighteenth Georgia and the Hfmptcn
LagO9, rushed into the gsP and retfe9od the los
EFelrs men Isying on this support, returned TO the
izht ard AIDING their weight to tts5 OF he fresh elttu
ate troops, the emmy IN turn we're drY back. He.
iufJTced they made aLoher desperate Effort on The e1
t,emc let aod here sgnin repetition OF the sctCes
have described For zine they ,ukefua, and our men
retired slowly fighting over every inch ground. was
| irving hour Tae FedCTa,i their advantage, and
pr ssed Il with vigor Eight b-teiies we're in ft play
upon u ard the din u heavy guDs, WhisIng sad burst
ng of sheil and the o. mlskeEy, VAS almost deaf
| eBipg.
AZ this juucture Lee ordered 20 the fupport OF J4ek
son the Cisson OF General hcLlws, which Lad bseo
held 10 reserve. AID blessing never came oppor-
| iunely Or men had ought until not only thy, bat
thrir ammunition were well Lh GXN aus Cd and dsiOn
future stared them in the iscs. Bu thus cn,oureg d,
every man ra g. and tie IA. r,doub,t IA Us ia
tenSty S1lendioly handld The r,iniJrcema nj swept
on ike wave, is blows falling t.ick and iasSuptn
| the sudaceus columns tkat hsi 20 G;uo6erhy forces
h sir way 70 the pOsirion vlicl originally con-
msOcad the ta.le. II an hVui istrT and the ,Ieuy
were Tereat1g. A; ols pC.l. W. plisls. ioS E-s'lT
nile aud lssS nigh post on Of our nc re tnc les
slept on the Va 'e erouud. TIC sHrc,s So foucl to
decisive IS co up ed witl u.rN 5'sllS, cCu-
ug,s as l. VS. possible u uGAo 10 iu view Of tho pgCu
lar circu o. the ba-e AID ta' 70. osHpsy 81
the country CCsain j. Is. ttat sI,r tAe ION q
the cot at hslCpas ten, the nksss cii no renew
again AZ tJs poiuI tuilg The J. IAey had been %
faxed ard I'll they cCud DO h.-c,lt Was 70 rIs3cn,
u, Fl 9 rlp.aiog IN lin che expsilsl na.h they had
a;temp ed on our line. J. Vas, b-yCnd al coubt, the
most holly contested ed on which bAte hos taken
| place daring the wsr.
| IHE Y!GKT UP5S Tux ciSTEs.
Soon after the c,sIstoa Of the fIn, on tie lsf the
enemy made strong lstratior uPor our crnre, in
front OF the eivi:ion Ct Gen. d. Hill Hsr;, for a
wbe the contest was cIrT,d IN manly bJ artillery,
| with which both he ousmy and ousalges Abnai
/ ani,y supplied Tie only dtfFeucn b-tWren the W.,
IL any AZ an in the supatory Of their mg.r aud p)
sCas aai ~ part he lax o! ihcent lIa Iitoe.
BisIV after battery va "a: 70 tie Ter eI1Su5ie anl
cur O. dlsu Eago,g, rel at2 il TIE av Utry IN the
cpBo,a side Of Jae P0'ou.c, 6.J,-'l % ol she long
conmsisry fains which te been ofdrsd ~ gard from
Nrtin ,eurS and 81 pAeyas.gEa 20 r,sy5 he necssa
| tes 0! the Amy.
Az INDICATED in the former rset e. this Letter. our
artillery vas posted @ fIums OF tie Lac Of II j
which ran from RICH: TO ltf l iro-t q the to6l. 1ba
of n, enemy WITH one exception, was On the risilG
ground at the base OF the Blue Rigc, AID upon the
ysrioug IN neLces this side. Ell sl5 Fdlra battery
we 6oldy shown ovsr the SoIe Bddgs OF the Tdrn-
nike nine hSnSred or bou7snd yards ~ our front, snd
sed its position unh diss { WITH hsTtlhood worthy
| Of better csUse | carat GOV Fs-s I'll Tie pei
tor of the dfr6rt bi.,eritsOaly thCse "tigh cav
Altogether We may have lad pAylg ~ This Tine o1c
! bundled guUs The GL,mr tGVlrg a. east an CQcal
nurbsr You NAV iGacin' Wll' norrc o'-ce'i MED
the air and haN u-Iemu NJ va tie hI Il havy b4l'
and shs ros tee & lhtig gLy through Ib Eee1,
bp-.tipr and ,hIoWuS tlr.r mur0cIuaI fHP'1Clts on
every side and again buTyi3s 'heGe.T aa!i CLOUD
OF d-s IA The Garth, sl"by5 wLe's they Utr' itas
pec.Cd ,,,--.,..-.
Ths e1cbs7go Of iron sSnp.iue-,s bad b,eu kept up
from early morning, but a; ee'en Cvo- lie hfe eegsn
20 cJneea rae ard iuCrtGsc H. IT, O'4 us OF 10
enemy could b. ct.Ucl!j across lie Alte:im en-
the Cd ~ groCnd beyond moving as u IN PREPARATION to
.Svsrea Others vera 20 i.r in hc dsD CO cha. yeu
could rscog theu as troops only oy hi sGng that
glo,psi upsn their arm. h'c CVusiGera' Luwo-rI
Se,c " hn cl1not hot ceAl1iy tia li'S 'h'' htgs
our tsces ~ ivI!Ee OcgC t-s 90 -' -m &c q
tbs tl,n5ike Nas tIuly nag cLt an The eye Cmtrlc
ed pe:.ro tgca as a!is 10 ,ae lJt o. ts Icu 20 lock
rpo1 IL this 81 -.
FrSlG tH,u'y different ssas pciG's s-eq' volumes Of
smoks yero CYery 10, tlrt lrsfiJs ,,r che ~ D. - o.
nsry Guns TIE air va vi wl,h tie ru'.y sh.as:ic
shspss thA jI,ei aEay Ion 5cgrei 7a-l1 alu were
IL ng to and fc, Leading, ils sud -a-lcs the at
,l,ery aud now and tnsl .,ar.y yeN would TosCl the
ear, arid the tuuul. that Pks Of 6a.a or ssstef
rom some wsll-d a'red ball 1rc us we've &c eu,
ny. A regiment or two bad crossed de rig'r, and,
Tuonr In toulds fom the F5ods sls,g IL banks w,rs
irving 70 torn a line Suddenly sr,t ial.s sHoUg
ven, And suo;bcr AZ ano r,r II hcu'a1ds scat
ter Ike a swarm of ii r., cad pt'4I IL tie woods
second time the effort .de and s3ere IA oond
hlIre. Taen there is a dy.rsigu. TIC batteries Of
he Federals opsn Sftcsl iieir io.aaty try Snothr
ro,' and fui:y they glccoad IN C s'i-g lcdgcuel,
On this side. Oar trSops -sdeg : - II H. met h, m,
and a fierce oa.;.s etg "a N he scutra BACtSrss,
forvsrys surcirg sld syi s Ike snip IL storm.
the various celumus seen in motion. l. is hot
place for u, bu; is hotter M for Vie enemy They ae
directly under ear gurs, AID loW tEcm down hke
| -. nv lc,ica i-eh LIZ the Ntte-aul