Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1862-06-14
A Walk OVER THE BATTLE FIELD.

Tfprrc@p ,;ltcnCc Of The New t'rk hNl'rcSS.l

Casey division presented u SIGHT which ali ar
list might envy, AMI vet one Of desolaton XII
arustn lay chal1ed ruins. clothing, Guns, ear
fridge boxes, Nc, the property mainly OF our
own, troops The whole camp was Just Il level
as the Russ pavement on Broadway. Here was
where the enemy first made their appearance
on Saturday and where they 50 badly drove
I,a:k our men 4 lit further on is 4 piece Of
woods, and by walking through water and mud
kne>,-tleep on2 is enabled to investigate It's con-
tents. The bark OF nearly every tree Is peeled
Of towards the roots, the rifle balls ANA c;ll1iS-
tel fired into the forest by our men having f;-
ken down the trees about rs lively as they dld
Comic arateS Letters. gunsb the dozen, both
S,c1sh and Union, clothing enough to start half
1be Chatham street dealers in business new
made graves yet unbu1e;l bodies, AND all the
minor indications of battle and death. form one
Of the sa,lle scenes ever witnessed on the
VIRGINIA ponin>il}; In u swamp we found
ciy}; bodies OF -Aibamians close together: and
IL su:!l a horrible state OF decomposition that
hardly a man saw them without turning away
his head Their clothes were on, but the DO
lies were 50 swollen. that they fitted as tight
~ the skin itself. In several cases, the flesh
had ;lrea,Iv been eaten off by vermln, amt the
head anl skull lay bare. It was dreadful
scene. which some people might have seen with
proti.. But it oughy to be added, that our peo-
die are bu1ying the dead just as fast as they
can reach the remains saw one body, which
was evidently that Ola Confederate officer. His
clothing was rather better than that of a large
majority we saw, and other indications OF rank
were numerous. Hell lay concealed behind some
brush, and had evidently been wounded, sought
is shelter, and there died. The limbs were
contracted but upon the face there seemed to
rest a placid smile. One hand held on to a
fence rail near by, while the other Was extend
ed upon the earth. Like all the rest. the body
was swollen to twice its natural size, and mil
lions of yernin were fast devourlng it. Call
mo some scouts a grave was dug and the dc
caving flesh was consigned to It's last resting
place. -
Another body was found sitting on the
ryonnd. the bac'- braced against a fence The
Skin was peeling off the hands, and hung down
from the fingers in shreds One hand rested
on the musket, whose contents had been dis
charged. The head dropped to one side, and
rhe features were fearfully contracted, evidcnc-
mo a diving struggle Of most painful nature.
IN his vest pocket there was 4 piece OF paper,
and curiosity prompted me to read it. There
WAS some scribbling upon it, the distinguished
HE words being, ''Eighth Ala will never yield
~ sir. never" Then some poetical lines, of
which. amid the blood and dirt, | succeeded in
deciphering the following:
>.Su,p,se we die upon the field?
twill prove that never will we yield;
Twill show the foe that like flood,
Well pour, for Southern rights, our blood
Below this were these words:
::'The woman who wrote that, a Southern
man ought to marry Northern one she would
spurn