The New York herald., 1862-11-19


sndeayoriug 10 cut OF Heintzelman and keyes.
FoR FIGHT.
succeeded bringing with him They are no,
ihse riaed cannon, the objects q sx,ravasan. s
ons range in an open coanirythese the true guns
for ashi-twelve pound howitzcrs The ola pattern
rspid discharge q thec pieces makes terrible havoc in
the opposing ranks In Johnston sends against this
hsitey best troops, those Of South caroiina-the
anpiou Les ion among others ln yam hs PUSHES On Il
fall valianty led by General sumner IN person throw
,heinseyes upon enemy Al The point of the bayonet
drive him fariousy with irlghtful slaughter and fear
back as far rs Far OAKS Satmn.
Nisht pu the combat ON both sides
nothing known the result of the battle bat what
each ono had with his eyes. Friends ana
miih lay down amid hears OF dead aud
wounded wherever darkness overlook them. Ese
the night had imposed the eombatanGs ons ol those
sacit iruces so frequent in war
GENERAL JOHNSTON.
Evidently Johnston had littcred himself IN throwing
oil his forces the four divisions Of tho ici Wing Ina
N. caud annh late them before any AID coud come 10
them the main body o the ARMY on the eI oanN VI
The chickAnanny For the mmen. ne nsa rcc1l,ea
ami also before The furious and Unforeseen attack .. sum
nsrs ,roons No doabi he had counted The terrible
nsr Se ~ e p.vie day to havc sweed the Chckahc.
inny SO as 20 the establishment OF bridge im
p,ssiplc or to sweep away in its overlooking waters
,basc red cstasi shed but capricous baed
his lans as il did hours later those OF his adver
ro ia the water doa cd its twenty hours
Was this unhoped for delay turned TO account
Thst is question which win remain always dispute,
as Others oil the same kind, which form one
The necessary cha ters OF the history OF most srea.
battles.
7. was only at O'Clock in the afternoon that the
.,ti,n had commenced We had waited some time to
the attack that side was rot ent intend
q. the encmys hasleuug 10 Sebonch on the
etl bank. We had been promptly relieved o. orr uncer
taaty by violence or the attack and by the reports OF
10 IL ~ ate
muclng TO the point % attack.
sus:NEs - TIM FIGHT.
Then Sumner had received orders tc GROSS The water
with div vsons. He had executed the movement
with rapid.y ma ching a. the head Of his
lumu, without any other guide than the sound OF
the cannon, and he arrived al the risht moment
AID the critical place. But some persons
thought then, ana still think that il, at the moment
received The order to cross the river the same
order hal been given 70 all the divisions of the right
wing i would have been practicable. We fancy what
might have happened r. IN place Of Throwing ntteen
acon thrown summers bridge, doubtless, wcald not have
for the crossing OF so many Al midnight the
tai end OF his column still crossing, struggling
against ali the difficulties which bridges formed Of trunks
THAI turn under The feet muddy slonghs and
dark ngh;-the darkness rendered stl deeper by the
thickrcss ,f the woods-presen horses and artillery.
veral bridges were, h.wever, roAdy 20 ba thrown
across 1T o,ncr points II necessary to work
wiihou. moments loss construct them, aud
hot be dista bed by the obstacles the enemy would
not have tailed to present TO the undertaking. A
prigade was displayed for full effect and.
fashion, opposite the points naturally marked out for
cossrg but the stake large, the result 50 impor
tan. and the occasion and favora
bo for playing decisive part, that nothing in our OPT
lon should have prevented that operation from being
attempted.
Here, again was evident that American slowness which
belongs nuch to the character Of the army than that
or lis chief until O'Clock in the evening
that the icea of securing all the bridges without delay
causing the whole army at daybreal to the
right bank Of the Chickah0mny, was entertained
FAILURE
was now too late -Four hours had been lest and the
opportuniiyihat moment so nec;ing, ia in other
circu,nslances- gone The RISE which Johnston
had vaniy counted which had not hindered Sumner
from crossing during the night The river rose
raridy carrying away the bridges, tearing up and
sweeping OF The trees which formed the pankng Of Sum
oyeraowins waters. Nothing could cross.
7xRRrRE SCENES o< FIELD.
Al the earliest dawn Of day The combat resumed
body but without order method, and rushed upon
fedcrals Who knowing that they were iu,er.r in
eD 70 s do than and hpd Se srouna
They fought with fierce determination both sides
without any noise, without cries and whenever they
were too hardly pressed they made charge with the
baysnet Tie artillery, placed the emnences in the
wished that all those who forgetful Of the past and i'm
pcied by do not know what Kind of egostca calcula.
ton have lavished their encouragement tho fatal
belon Of slsve0wners could have present this
iratricidai struggle. could have wished them as
punishment sight Of this terrible battle field where the
dead and dying were piled up by thousands wished
that hey could nave seop those temporary ambulanecs
oh what msery-ohl what suferingl The ambulances
had something about them particularly horrible The
houses altogether too few 10 contain the smallest
proportion Of the wounded and they therefore
PEELED TO lay them outside but although they did not
make any complaints aud bore their fa;e with the
oca courage their exposure In one position beneath the
rays OF the o. the middle OF julie became
tocrshic. They were then 10 be putting forth
al ineir remaining strength and crawling TO seek little
shade. l will always remember be: OF rcses, whose
svect.scented flowers was aamiring while conve:sng
Of hese unfortunate who had just died beneath
lls bushes We looked at each other without saying
word, the heart being oppressed with the most painful
emotion. Moursul scenes, from which the pen Of
urItFT q he ha rlrfa has
away
,kssAroS cP rHE rIRs AND RETREAT o. The RrEgrs
Towards midday the fire gradually diminished, then
csfed The enemy retreated; but the ederas
position to pursue them. No then knew what a
the Souberners had Just suffered In the person uf
their commander General Johnston who severely
wounded u was TO his absence that was owing, In a
army In the morning When the firing ceased at mid
they aad ben sustaining and being no enees csmmand
cd, were. il s said or IN the midst OF these mmenz
wo DIS one secs nothing and Is Compelled guess every
tnng) state OF inextricsble VINO can say
what would have been the result II az this the
,huiyye fresh troops left on the Other eide
dsordercd mass after having successfully crossed the
bridges.
such Is the history OF this singular HATTIE which,
although complicated by incidents superio. 10 human
Uil, must not be taken Otherwise than as : type
Of American battles The ccnGie, was a bloody
one Tor the North had Lost 5oce msn the so,t6
lest 5000 but the we're barren On one sJe as
on the otheF The Coniederates in greatly superior
bers had made vigorous attack had driven back thsir
opponents about mile taken cannon and ,topped
there satisfied with thus having achieved the rght
ciaim victory The fcderas had bad The snslye bat.
tie which they so much desired. They bad r.pulsed tie
enemy, captuIeds genera and taken considerable mum.
ber Il prsoners bot, ar-es ed by natural obstacles.
which, perhaps, we're not insGr Grmouutabe, they cj 4
draw any advantage from .heir In fact both
sides had miscsrried through Il organization snd
hierarchy. from the absence q that bono which crss
between the commander aud hal great body which
called army-a powerful bond which cmpowe-S a
general ask Of his soldiers and bibdy obtsn those
extraordinary efforts which win bsttlss Although the
uses Of the enemy much greater thar those of
TIE tcderas the result was especially distress
ing 70 the latter Gbey had lost