Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1862-04-24

constantly deceived by the skill and strategy of
,ur foes.
Constant efforts were made to flank our reg
ments, and in many instances the Rebels mar
'owly escaped success so much so was this the
,ase that we were again and again put upon the
defensive, when the offensive was the need of
he hour.
BY this time the enemy had occupied large
portion of the ground on which we had been
when the action begun, and we were
still falling back before the Confederates, who |
seemed to be fighting with more and more de-
and who were doubtless cheered |
and encourage by their early success.
The Union center gave unmistakable symp- |
toms of giving way, for it was sorely pressed,
and the fortunes Of the day appeared to be
against us. when Gen. Hurlbut's division was
ordered to its support, and well and bravely was
it supported.
A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE.
Hotter and hotter grew the contest fiercer
and hercer the struggle. Each man fought as
1t success OF defeat depended on bis own right |
arm and charge after charge was made upon
the Rebels to regain the ground we had lost. |
lhey stood firm as rock and though our
artillery often swept down their ranks, and left |
fearful gaps in their columns, they manifested
no trepidaton, nor did they waver for a mo-
ment The living supplied the place of the
dead. Tn musket that had fa en- from life
less hand was seized at once, and the horrid
strife swept on as before. The force of the en-
emy appeared increasing, ard where the great
est havoc was made, there the strongest op-
position was shown. Hand-to-hand contests
were innumerable. Every struggle was for life.
Quarter was asked on neither side, and the
crrOup1 drank III tho hIpo1 of hundrp1s pf
brave fellows every hour.
Men lost their sembance of humanity, and
the spirit of the demon shone in their faces.
There was hut one desire, and that was o de-
stroy. There was little shouting. The war.
riors were to much in earnest. They set their
teeth firm and strained their every neave to its
utmost tension. Death lost all its terrors, and
men seem 10 feast upon the sight of blood.
The light of the sun was obscured by the
clouds of sulphurous smoke. and the ground
became moist and slippery with human gore.
The atmosphere trembled with the shock and
the earth shook with the tramp of the thous-
ands and tens of thousand of warning foes.
REcKLEssNEss OF LIFE.
No life was worth farthing for he who lif-
ted his musket this moment fell the next a
stiffened corpse. Yonder fresh regiment
rushed bravely forward and ere they had gone
twenty yards, charge of grape sent the fore
most men bleeding to the earth. Whole heaps
of corpses lay upon the murmuring ground
and fixed eyes stared at the surrounding strife
with the awful stare of death. What mockery!
dreadful vision But who cared for it
Death was not to be thought of, but to be met
with Indifference, come when il might. Death
was in the air, and bloomed like poison plant
on every foot of soil.
PANIC-sTRIcKEN REGIMENTS.
During Sunday afternoon, eleven or twelve
of the Union regiments, after fighting bravey
for two hours were thrown into disorder by a
number of shells which burst above and around
them, and at the same moment Rebel battery
opened upon them at a distance of half a mile
with terrible devastation. They could not en-
dure the murderous fire. They turned and fed,
and several of their officers endeavored in vain
to rally them. They were utterly panic-strick-
en- at first, and they would have run if the In
fantry Pit had opened before their hurrying
feet No appeal, no censure affected them.
Many threw away their arm,, and sped as
country schoo-boy who thinks he has seen a
ghost in the village church-yard
A number of flying soldiers recovered their
alarm and their pride, and returned to their
posts, fighting more bravely than before to wipe
out the stain but the greater part ran beyond
the reach OF the human voice, even crossing
the river and going 20 Savannah.
ARRIVAL OF GEN. BUELL..
AS the sun was sinking towards the West
Gen. Buell's column, SO anxiously expected, SO
needful in the great emergency, appeared on the
opposite side of the river, and the enemy re-
doubled 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 cid so. They summoned a
large portion of their reserve, and fell with un-
exampled 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
of their cannon seemed at play, every muskei
performing its natural Office. The resources OF
their Genarals were exhausted. They told then
troops the condition tf affairs that this was
the golden opportunity; that all depended up,
on winning a victory before the darkness should
compel a suspension of hostilities.
The Rebels swep, like an avalanche upon tht
loyal troops, and the shock had its effect. Gu
soldiers wavered for they were nearly exhaus
ted with the long. hard fight, and the enemy
fresh forces gave them the advantage. Herr
was crisis, and Gen. Grant rode along tn
whole line, amid a storm of balls, and encour
aged the men, and assured them that, ii the.
held out until the next morning, Buell. with hi
thousands would have crossed the river. III
brief remarks added courage to many fam
heart and strength to many tired arm, AM
our ranks fought with desperate and invisible
spirit. Still they could hardly cope with tn
overpowering force of the Rebels, until Col
, Webster, chief of General Grants staff, plan
, ted several batteries and brought them to bea
, directly upon the enemy's right and about tn
same time the gunboats Lexington and Taylor
, so near were the contending armies to the bank
opened heavy fire upon the advancing Rebels
The foe endeavored herocally to endure thi
terrible double fire, but their columns had nC
the fort tude to stand and he moved down b
/ hundreds. Beauregard and Johnston altemF
ted to hold them to their position, and they eA
/ posed themselves most recklessly TO prever
them from falling back but to no purpose
: Every discharge Of the batteries, every roar
death from the gunboats, sent the heoei ree
ments reeng to the grave, and IN iess .nu
A half an hour, they moved backward leaving u
: in possession of all the ground we had occuP'e
/ in the morning. .ho., Ga
3 In this part of the action, Gen. Aioer! olu
ney Johnston fell and Beauregard was Ser'ouS'