Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-04-23


/ s furious cannonading, they made general rally
Our forces flushed with their easy victory
ly prepared for the sudden onset when retreat had
been al they had been seeing before Suddenly the
Rebel masses were hurled against our lines with tre,
back At this critical juncture Captain Terrys regu
lar battery came dashing up. Scarcely taxing tne
70 unlimber he was loading and sighting ms pieces
before the cassons had turned and in an instant was
tossing in she'll from twenty four pound ho"tAefs ~
Here was the turning point Of the battle on the left
The rebels were only checked NOT httea On On 9 eey
ed off Every private at one of the hoWltzers fe and
! the gun was worked by Captain Terry himself and
{ cor1oral The rebels seemed advancing A regiment
dosbed M from our line and saved the disabled piece.
Then for two hours artillery and lhuskery at close
range At last they began 10 waver Our men press
81 "a On the General direction of his troops in
( the field. came up. At glance he saw the chance
" Forward ri double quick by brigades" Our men
eaped forward if they had been tied and were only
too much reoiced 70 ue able 10 move. For quarter
OF mile the rebels fell back. Faster and faster they
less and less resistance made TO the advance:
At last the front camps on the left were reached and
by half past that point cleared. The rebels
had been steadily swept back over the ground they
We had retaken all our own guns lost here the day
before. and or two from the rebels were left as
trophies 10 tell in after days how bravely that great
victory over treason in Tennessee was won.
ADVANCE or cRITTENDEN's DIVISION.
I have sketched the advance of Nelson. Next TO
him Crittenden. He too swept forward over his
ground the front some distance before finding the
foe. Between eight and nine O'Clock however, while
keeping Smiths Brigade up even with Nelson's flank,
/
in the grand advance. they upon the enemy
with a battery position, and, well Supported Smith
dashed his brigade forward there sharp. close
work with mnsketry and the rebels fed. We had
three pIeces-a twelvepound howitzer and two brass
Ohio dear. Major Ben. Patt Runkle fell, mortally
wounded. Softly may he sleep, and green grow the
lauTels over his honored grave! None worthier wear
them living.
For half an hour, perhaps, the storm ragged around
these cap GaPqbrea ba gqhs hen came a the renex rebel
canght its full force. The rebels swept up the bat
teriesaround them and down after our retreatng
column But the two brigades, like those of Nelson
their left took fresh POSITION faced the foe and
held their ground. MendenhaIs an6 Bartlett's bat
terIcs now began shellng the infantry that alone OPP
posed them. Before abandoning the guns briefly
held they had spiked them with mud, and the novel
expedient was perfectly successful From that time
till after o'clock while the fight ragged back and
forth over the same ground the rebels did not sue
ceed in firing shot from their nrld-spiked artillery.
At last our brigades began to gain the advantage
again, Crttenden pushed them steadily forward
Mendenhall. with his accomplished First Lieutenant
Parsons one of our Western Reserve West Pointers
and Bartlett, poured in their shell. rush for the
contested battery and il is ours again The rebels
treated towards the left Smith and Boyle holding the
infantry well in hand Mendenhall again got their
range and poured in she'll on the new position. The
fortunes ufthe day against them against their
comrades TO Nelson's 'front.' and they were soon IN
Just then Brigader General Thomas ]. Woods ad-
vance brigade from his approaching division came up
II was too late for the fight but it relieved Crtten-
until they were found 10 have left our most advanced
camps.
Thus the left was saved. Meanwhile McCook. with
magnificent regiments ever came from the Army
the world was doing equally well towards the
His division was handled III such way as to save
great etfsion of blood, while equally important
suits were attained. Thus the reserves were kept
much as possible from under fire, while those to the
front were engaged. Thus the lists of killed and
wounded VIII show That while as heavy fighting was
done here as anywhere on the right centre, the
casualties fewer than could have been expected
1t would scarcely be interesting to proong details
where the course of one division nearly rescmbed
that Of the others. But let me sketch the close An
Illinois battery serving the division, in imnli-
nent danger The Sixth Indiana ordered to its
relief rapid rush. close musketry hring-no need
of bayonets here-the battery is safe The enemy
to the front and right Advancing and firing right
obique the Sixth pushes on. The rebel coiors fall
the fated coiors drop. There is fatality
it; the rebels seem to think at least they wheel
and disappear.
And then Rosseaus Brigade is drawn off. in splcn-
did style, as if coming in from parade, conscious of
some gr$na mas master o relc & &"achmg 'hsr m move
sGan KirL's RrJoade advanced to meet them com
ing of the woods into open field TO do They
met by a tremendous fire which threw a battal-
ion of regulars front of them (under Major Oliver,
and meanwhile down drops the brigade fiat the /
gTSund. Then. the front is clear they spring up,
charge across the open feld-never mind the falling
straight 10 the woods. under with the
enemy driven back by the impetuous advance. And /
he rallies. Fierce musketry firing sweeps the
woods. They advance thirty rods perhaps. when the
Twenty ninth Indiana gets into a marsh and falls par
TALLY to the rear Heavier comes the Icaden hail.
Twenty and Thirteenth both fall back fifteen or
twenty rods: they rally and advance; again they
hurled back again they start forward and this tune
they come in on the Vulnerable points. The enemy
fees Col Wagoncr's 18th Indiana comes up to the
support the enemy disappear fresh troops take their
SER oe similar deeds OF WiRchs and Harrisons regi-
ments, but, " from one learn all"
MccLERNASD AND HURLBURT.
Further to the right McClernand and Hurlburt were
gaIantly coming on with their Jaded men The sol
diers would ghtthat the greatlesson of the bat
tie II surprised and driven off ia consequence OF
surprise that can hardly be wholly charged on them
-Four times McCernand regained and lost again the
ground 10 the front of his division. Similar were
Hurlburt's fortunes.
But must abandon these details. Beginning at the
left we have followed the of success that swept
us forward again. from spot 70 spot the hard lost
fields OF Sunday our peons ofvctorythe wild cheers
of successful understanding the requiem of
the fallen Rebels who have atoned for their treason
by the brave mans death Nelson, Crittenden, Nc
Cook, Hurlburt Mcclellan have borne their divisions
through the fray 1t lasted longer on the right. and
rarely interesting the chess game Of mast
er Let us trace it through
LEW. wALLAcE's MOVEMENTS
In speaking of the opening of Mondays battle,
mentioned Major General Lew. Waace's opening the
bail at o'clock by sheng with enflading fires reb-
el battery. few shots demonstrated 10 the rebels
that their position was untenabe. The instant Sher-
man came IN to protect his left, Wallace advanced his
infantry. The rebel battery at once imbered mn and
got out OF the way The advance had withdrawn the
DIVISION from Sherman making left wheel, to get
oaeE INTO the neghborhood of our ne they advanced
some tWo hundred yards, which brought them to a
te eeFatlon with broad open stretch to the front,
AS the division halted the crest of the swell there
passed before them vision. Away to the front
were woods. Through the edge of the timber skirt
ing the fields, the head of a rebel column appeared
marching past in splendid style the double quick |
Banner after banner appeared; the STARS and Bars"
formed long line, stretching parallel with Wallaces
line OF battle. Regiment aferTegment appeared, the
line heightened, and doubled and trebled the head
OF the column out of sight and still they came
Twenty regiments were counted passing through the
woods The design was plain. The rebels had aban-
doned their way through our left and the mani
leSt lttern pit was TO right.
- Batteries were ordered up--Thompson's and
lhrber's-and the whole column was sheed as ii
passed The rebels rapidly threw their artillery INTO
position, and a brisk cannonadiHg began After a |
une while the fight still rested with the artillery the
rebels opened and destructive battery on the
rgnt which our men soon learned to know as Wat
sons Louisiana BSttery, from the marks on the am
munlqon boxes they forced it from time to time TO
leave behind " ' " '"'4N ~