Daily Nashville union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1862, 1862-04-23
NASHVILLE, TENN. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3D. 1862

steep accents, with blood and persniration /
streaming down their faces. Men with shat |
tered fingers changed their muskels TO the |
left handle, aud still fired their pieces as beat |
they could.
Everywhere was mad excitement, every. |
where was horror. Commanders ralloped |
wildly to The front OF their regiments, ond |
cheered them on, using their sabres on each |
and every foe. aud urging their spirited |
steeds whenever the troops were falling |
back, careless of their own life, as il they |
had million souls to spare.
RECKLEssNEss or LIFE. .a..
No life was worth farthing for he who
lifted bis musket this moment fell the next a |
stitfened corpse. Yonder fresh regiment
rushed bravely forward, and ere they had
gUue twenty yurtis, u 6uurge Uf grape sent
the FOREMOST bleeding to the earth. Whole
heaps OF corpse lay upon the murmuring
ground, and Fixed eyes stared at the sur
residing strife With che awful stare %
death.
PANIC-sTRTCKEN REGIMENTS.
During Sunday afternoon eleven or twelve
of the Union regiments, after fighting brave
" for two hours, were thrown into disorder
by number OF shells which burst above and
around them, and at the same moment
rebel battery opened upon them at
distance OF half mile with terrible devasta-
tion They could not eudore the murder
Gus FIRE. They turned and fed, and several
of their officers endeavored in vain TO rally
them. They were utterly paui3-stricken at
first, and they would have run if the infer
nal nit had opaned hefora their hnrryins
feet. No appeal, no censure affected them.
Many threw away their arms, aud sped as
country school-boy who thinks he has seen
ghost in the village church yard.
A number of flying soldiers recovered
their alsrm aud their pride, aud returned TO
their posts fighting mole bravely than be-
fore to wipe out the stain but the greater
part ran beyond the reach of the hnman
voice, even crossing the river and going 10
Savannah
ARRIVAL OF GENERAL BUELL.
As the sun was sinking toward the West,
General Buell's column, so anxiously ex.
pected, appeared on the opposite side Of the
river and the enemy redoublod their Efforts
to insure our defeat, knowing that on the
morrow our numbers would nearly equal
their own, and that they must put the last
remnant of strength into the contest. They
| did so. They summoned a large portion Of
the reserve, and fell with unexampled fury
| upon our ranks, shouting like madmen and
| striving IN every possible way to extend
| the panic with which the unfortunate twelve
regiments had been seized Every one {
/ their cannon seemed ~ play every musket
performing its atural office. The resources
| of their generals were exhausted. They
told their troops the condition Of Affairs
that this was the golden opportunity tinD
| all depended upon winning a victory before
the darkness should compel suspension Of
holtilities.
The rebels swept like an avalanche upon
/ the loyal troops, and. the shock had its effect
! Our soldiers wavered, fu they were nearly
exhausted with the long, hard fight, and The
enemy fresh forces gav0 them the adyan-
! tage. Here was a crisis, and General Grant
rode along the whole line amid a storm Of
balls and encouraged the men, and assured
them that if they held out until The mkt
morning Buell., with his thousands would
have crossed the river, His brief remarks
added courage TO many a faint heart, aud
strength to many tired arm, and our ranks
fought with a desperate aud invincible spir-
it, STILL they could hardly cope with the
overpowering force Of the rebels, until Col.
Webster, chief Of Gen. Grants staG, planted
several batteries aud brought them to bear
directly upon the enemy's right, and about
the same time the gunboats Lexington and
Taylor, so near were the cOhtendihg armies
to the bank, opened heavy Gre upon the
advancing rebels.
The foe endeavored heroically to endure
this terrible double fire, but their columns
had not the iorttude to stand and be moved
down by hundreds. Beauregard and john
ston attempted to hold them to their position,
and they exposed themselves most recklessly
TO prevent t5em from falling back; but 10 no
purpose Every discharge Of the batteries,
every roar Of death from The guubOats, sent
the rebel regiments Keeling to the grave, and
in less than half an hour, they moved back
ward, leaving us In possession OF all the
ground W. had occupied in the morning.
THE SECOND DAYS FIGHTING.
During the night, Gen. Nelson's division oil
Buells army reached the battle-h Id, and
early in the morning the engagement was
renewed; Nelson occupying the left and Gen.
Wallace the right Nelson and Wallace
opened upon the enemy with heavy fire
and caused them to fall back. For Reyeral
hours the victory seemed to be ours; but
about lOl2 the rebels, who must have been
reinforced, made a series Of gallant charges,
and caused our troops 10 retire for q quart or
OF q mile, pouring, most fearful v0deys OF
musketry into our ranks. Again The pros
pect looked dark, and thousands Of hearts
felt alarmed, not for themselves, but for ID
fortunes Of the great battle on which so much
depended
No ped can describe the Fcene-the dslib,
crate advance-lhe close holding VI the
grouud-the contesting OF every The
fearful slaughler-the brave discrimination
the surging OF The dense masses OF men
be shouts, cheers, groans, the pluuging o.
wounded and frightened hoFses-the sinking
down Of whole ranks OF men 40 a volley
How madly IL ragged Through the fore.
noon ebbbed aud flowed the tide Of yictorg
The succ ,es Of the previous day had dsslel
b. enemy with hops. To be Inverted now
to see victory slip through his hngsrs al
last, was not to be thought Of Again and
again IN rebels dashed up 10 our lil,,
/ 4 gain ANA au4lu fbay 4.nra fIriUaft 4. ..l- I,I