The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-07-11
A Walk over the Battle Field at Fair Oaks.

gives the following description of that bloody
battlefield after the great fight OF the lst and
I'd of June.
After long fourteen mile ride, and night
in, or rather on, the mud, arrived at General
Kcarney's Division Headquarters, last evening.
The First New York volunteers, Col. Dyckman,
left Newport News on Tuesday, and for the time
being your correspondent placed himself under
their protection. They are now located just
few rods ahead of the last great battlefield,
with the 37th New York. Kearneys headquar-
ters s,eing in the same field. The command pre-
sented an admirable appearance, and was, by
some, taken to be brigade, as one or two bri-
gades here arc no fuller than this regiment. This
tells sad tale of the destruction of war.
From early yesterday morning to noon, there
was heavy cannonading to the right, (kearney
is on the extreme left,) and the men were all un-
der arms. At first we supposed there was mere
/ ly gun practice, but shortly it was evident that
q whole battery was at work, and lively, too.
The earth trembled for miles away. About
noon the firing ceased, and then shout, as ii
from many thousand throats, was heard away
up at this station. We understood that divi-
sion was crossing the Chickahominy in another
advantageous place, and that their advance was
assisted by the artillery. Later news tells us OF
| their success though we have no particulars.
/ paid visit to the battlefield of Saturday
and Sunday, called by some the "Battle of the
Seven Pines," this morning. The camp of Ca.
seys division presented sight which an artist
might envy, and yet one of desolation All a.
round lay charred ruins, clothing, guns, car
fridge boxes, &C., the property mainly OF our
own troops The whole pavement was just as
level as the Russ Pavement ON Broadway. Here
was where the enemy first made their appear
ance on Saturday. and where they so badly
! drove back our men. A little further on is a
piece of woods, and by walking through water
and mud knee deep, one is enabled to investigate
its contents The bark of nearly every tree Is
peeled off towards the roots, the rifle balls and
canister fired into the forest by our men having
taken down the trees about as lively as they did
Confederates.
/ Letters, guns by the dozen, both Secesh and
Union, clothing enough to start half the Chat
ham street dealers in business, new made graves,
yet unburied bodies, and all the minor indica-;
lions OF DafrIc una uegrrI, xfsr rsssi
dest scenes ever witnessed on the Virginia Pen-
/ insua. In swamp we found eight bodies OF
the Alabamians close together, and III such a
horrible state of decomposition that hardly
man saw them without turning away his head.
Their clothes were ON, but the bodies were swol-
len that they fitted as tight as the skin itself.
In several cases the flesh had already been eaten
off by vermin, and the head and the skull lay
bare. 1t was disgusting scene, which some
people might have seen with profit But it
ought to be added that our people are burying
the dead, just as fast as they can reach the re-
mains.
/ saw one body, which was evidently that of
a Confederate officer. His clothing was rather
better than that of the large majority we saw,
and other indications of rank were numerous.
He Law concealed behind some brush, and had
evidently been wounded, sought its shelter, and
there died The limbs were contracted, but up
on the face there seemed to rest pallid smile
One hand held en- to fence rail near by while
the other was extended upon the earth. Like
all the rest the body was swollen to twice its
natural size, and millions of vermin were fast
devouring it. Calling some scouts, grave was
dug, and the decaying flesh was consigned to Its
last resting place.
Another body was found sitting on the ground,
the back braced against q fence. The skin was
peeling off the hands, and hung down from the
! fingers in shreds. One hand rested on the mus
ket, whose contents had been discharged. The
head drooped to one side, and the features were
fearfuly contracted, evidencing dying struggle
of most painful nature. In his vest pocket
there was a piece of paper, and curiosity prompt-
ed me to read it. There was some scribbling
upon it, the distinguishable words being, Eighth
Ala. will never yield" "No, sir, never" Then
some poetical lines, of which, amid the blood
and dirt, succeeded in deciphering the follow
ing:-
''Suppose we die upon the field?
Twill prove that never will we yield;
Twill show the foe that, like food,
Well pour for Southern rights our blood"
Below-this verse were the following words:
sTDG woman who wrote that Southern
man ought to marry; Northern one she would
spurn."
A curiosity seeker might have collected
bushel of letters, in these words so full of hor-
rors, but had not the heart for the task.
10 show how desperate was the struggle in
the heavy woods between Casey's and Wards
camp, have spoken of the bullet marks upon
the trees, of the dead and OF their effects, ever
ywhere seen. Another indication was the clo-
thing yet hanging upon low tree branches, fen
ces, and lying upon the ground. An officer en-
Gagged in the battle tells me, that when we pur-
sued, on Sunday, the retreating Confederates to
the woods through which, on Saturday, they
drove us, desperate encounter ensued. Hun
dreds Of men, on both sides, threw of all their
superfuous clothing and went in, as we are told
the Goth did at Bull Run, stripped almost to the
waist Those who had the opportunity, placed
their coats where they would be preserved; 9TH
crs with no time for that threw them on the
ground, and lost them with their lives. Within
a space of two acres there are ungatbered arms
enough to supply New York militia regiment.
In that small space nearly six hundred men were
sent to their long account.