Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1862-02-25
he Battlefield.

a correspondent writing from Fort Dor
elsnu on the l7th inst gives The followin,
account Of sad scenes witness On the battle
3 Quad at that place:
Il was invited Oh Suaday morning. Lr
Gen McCiernaad 10 take a rid, over The
battle field. 1t wouli be difficult 70 describe
IN few words the scenes which hav. mat
my view. The battle ground was chiefly
Confined to the space outside the r, beI
Publications, up the river bank a distance
OF two miles, to the the DO mt were General
NcCiernaGd's iUrce allied from the retire
ment which they were at first forced inn,
by the impetuoEs charge Of the enemy. /,
must be remembered that 1t was here ,b.,
the grand sortie was made by the rebels I'm
the river bank with the intention uf ,ur,,i,,',
our right flank, and cutting their way onf
Some ten or twelve thousand men romr,sa5
the iorce sent out for this purpose. Thpv
advanced under cover of a deadly 6,a u
artillery, and stead!ly drove Ger. CcCler
nahds force before them about of ff,v or
sixty rod. Oar troops here made a stand
and, having been reinforced by one or two
regiments, began the assault, before which
the enemy were forced to retreat. The
ground was contested with desperation ard
the slaughter on both sides was immense
The whole space Of two miles WAS strewed
with dead who lay in every imaginable
shape and form.
federals and rebels were promiscuously
mingled, sometimes grs2pled in the fierce
ueath-thrOe, sometimes facing each other
as they gave and received the fatal shot or
thrust, sometimes lying across one another
and again heaped in plies which Law six or
seven deep.
could Imagine nothing more terrible
than the silent indications of agony that
marked the features of the pale rn,es
which lay at every step. Though dead and
riged IN every muscle, they stIll wrjthed
ana seemed TO turn to catch the passinu
breeze Tor cooling breath. Staring ewes
gaping mouths, clencbed hands ard
strangely contracted limbs. seemingIv
drawn INTO the smallest compass, as if by
mighty effort to rend asuuder some ire.
sis'aoie BOND which held them down 10 the
torture OF winch they died One sat against
uee, and with mouth and eyes wide opcu
'Ookeu Up Into the sky as ct to catch a
glance OF lfs tieeting spirit. Another clutch
ca tue branch OF an overhangiug tree, and
huhg nall suspended, as in The death rang
ne RAISED himself partly from the ground.
ihe other hand grasped his faithful mus
Set, ana the compression Of the mouth told
oi the determination which would have
been fatal to foe had life ebbed a minute
iater. n thlrd chung with both hands to a
Dayonet which was buried in the ground.
IN the act Of striking for the heart Of a rebel
Toe Great numbers lay in heaps. Just as
ths tire Of the artillery moved them down,
manglng their furms inco an almost indis-
tiDgulshabie mass. Many o! our men had
evidently fallen victims to the rebel sbarn-
shooters, for they were pierced through the
head by rifle bullets. some 10 the forehead.
some in the eyes.others on the bridge of the
nose, in the cheeks and in the mouth This
circumstance verified statement made to
me by rebel officer among the rebel nr;s-
oners that their men were trained to shoot
low and aim for the face, while ours as a
general thing, fred at random and shot over
their heads.
The enemy, in their retreat, carried of