, 1862-04-03

fire Of our infantry was so close and dostrue'
tive that it made havoc in their ranks. The
result was tho capture Of their guns on the left
and the forcing back Of their wing On the
centre, thus placing them in 4 position to be
routed 6y Il general attack, which was made
about tiye o'clock by all the Infantry, and
succeeded in driving them IN tight from the
tie1d. Might fell upon us at this stage, leay-
ing us in possession Of the field Of battse, two
guns and four caissons, three hundred prison
ers and about one thousand stlnd of small
2rnle. Onr killed in this engagement cannot
exceed one hundred men wounded, two hun
dred and thirty-three. The enemy's killed and
wounded exceed one thousand. The inhabit-
ants Of the adjacent vll1sgcs carried t11em to
their houses as they were removed from the
neld oi battle. Houses between The battlefield
and Strasbnrg, and evan far beyond, have
since been found filed with the dead and dy-
ing Of the enemy. Graves have been di5cov-
cred far removed from the roa1, where the in
labitants Of the country buried them as they
died. General Banks, III his pursuit Of the
houses en- the road twenty-five miles from
the battlefield filed in this manner, and pre-
senting the most ghastly spectacle. The
havoc made in the ranks Of the rebels has
struck this whole region Of country with ter
ror: Such blow had neyer faIlen on them
before, and it is more crushing because
wholly unexpected Jackson and his Stone
wall Brigade, and al the other brigades
accompanying him, will never meet this
division again in battle During the
night they managed to carry of their ar
tillrry in the darkness We opened upoa
them by carly light next morning, and thcy
commenced to retreat. Gen. Banss returned
from Harper's Ferry between nine aud ten
o'clock A. NJ, and placed himself, at my IT.
quest, st the head Of the command, ten miles
from the battlefield, pursuing the enemy.
ReiHforcementG, which we had ordered back
from Willfams's division, and which had
| ordered forward during the night, HOW cana
i;,ITTg p1II7iTg in and with all these ne continued
the pursuit, pressing them with vigor and
| with repeated and destructive attacks as far
| as Woodstock, where we halted from
| mere exhaustion. The cnem7's sufftrings
have been terrible, and such as they have no
where else endured since the commencement
| OF the war; and yet such were their gallantry
and high state Of discipline that at ne time
during the battle or pursuit did they give way
| to panic. They fled to Mount Jlokso1, and
are by this time, no doubt, in communication
with the nam body Of the reh=l army. 1hope
! to be able ia few days to ride in q buggy and
| place myself 1t the head Of MT command but
hare neither sufficient force nor sufficient
| rank to do that service to the country
that hope and feel AM capable Of No man
could be better treated than I am by General
| Banks; and get if lie and his command had
[ been here On the Sd you would hare heard
| nothing Of fight, because our willy enemy
| would not have been entrapped. want III
| efficient cavalry regiment--the Third United
States cavalry, for instlnce--lnd additional
infantry. wish you would see the Secretary
Of War, for instance, in relation to this mt
ter can do tile country service if they give
mea chance. JAMES SHIELDS