The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-09-27

VI smoke burst now and then among them
horse or man or half q dozen went down
a1 ~ se s9 IA Eci,!.I y syePt on
me Rebel Columns, before seen moving to tn,
kf, increased their pace, The guns. on the Hi
shove, sent ID angry tenfpest az she,, a., -,
among BorDsids's guns and men. He had fo,m-
Cd his oolumns apparently in the near apslea 81
twohelds bordering theroad-high ground abon
mem everywhere except 10 rear. Wv =
IN another moment Rebel battle line appear,
on tnsa brow Of the ridge above them, move1
! .wntty down in the most perfect order, and
ssongh met BY incessant discharges Of musketry
OF which We plainly zee the flashes, does not are
gun. White spaces show where men are fall
oos they close up instantly, and still the line
advances The brigades of Burnside are IA
neavy columns they will not give way before =
oayonet charge 10 Hne The Bebels think twice
oetote sney dash into these hostile masaea. "a
.neFe ID halt Tie Rebel left givss way and
scs!ts over The Geld, the rest stand fast and are
Ev'S u,anuy comes up, Burnside 10 outnumber.
o nan.ed, compelled 10 yield the Hill he took
% 4rsvely His position h no longer one of A.
-; ne cefsnds himself with unfalterine firm
ne oas &C. sends; 70 Mcclellan for helm No
OlsllanS glass for the. last haf hour ~ ..ldoo,
been turned away from the left. 80 :
As oees clearly enough that Hurns;de ia n,....
sd-nssds 60 messenger TO tell him shat Hia
iaoe grows DAT ker with anxious thoueht Look.
rig down Into the valley where IL, 900 troops are
iying' e turns half questioning look on Fits
John Porter, who staads BY bis side. rravelv
scanning the field. They are Portera troons s..
low, are fresh and only impatient to shsss r. th;s
fight But Porter slowly shakes his hesd., ana
one may believe that the same thought ia pse,ine
through the minds Of both generals: saThev
are the only reserves Of the army; they cannot
be spared" 29y a83 81 81 asSaea. II n 4,
Mcclellan remounts bis horse, and With Por-
ter and dozen officers of his staff rides away
70 the left in Burnside's direction. Sykes meets
them on the rosd-a good soldier, whose opin-
ion 10 worth taking. The three Generals talk
briefly together. It 10 easy to see that the mo-
ment has come when everything may turn on
one order given or withheld, when the history Of
the bsttie is only to be written in thoughts and
purposes and words of the General. IA
BYrnsides messenger rides up. His message
Y, y want troops and guns If you do not send
McOlellan's only answer for the moment ID q
glance st the Western sky Then he turns and
speaks very slowly: .,'Tell Gen. Burnside that
this is the battle Of the war. he must hold his
ground till dark at any cost. will send him
Millers battery. can do nothing more
have no infantry. Then as the messenger wss
riding away he called him back. eTell him if
be cannot hold his ground then the bridge, to the
last man always the bridge If the bridge 10
lost, al 10 lost s-. - eel IN 90.
The sun is already dswn: not half.an.hour Of
daylight 10 left. Till Burnside's message came |
it had seemed plain toevery one that the battle
could not be finished to-day. None suspected I
hon near was the peril Of defeat, of sudden at
tack on exhausted forces-how vital to the safe.
~ Of the army and the nation were those fifteen
thousand waiting troops Of Fitz John Porter in
he hollow. But the Rebels halted instead Of |
cushing on, their vindictive cannonade died
way as the light faded Before it was quite
lark the battle Was over. only solitary gun
II Burnsidels thuadered against the enemy, and
PRESENTLY this also ceased, and the field was
till.