Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-04-23
New Series---Vol. XVI, No. rs.

J
! they came from our left and centre Thew
had wasted their fire at l 900 yards. Instan-
| taneously our deep mouthed bull dogs flung
! out their sonorous response. The rebel artil-
! lery opened, and she'll and round shot came
tearing across the open space back of the bluff.
May be forgiven for the malicious thought,
but | certainly did wish one or two might
drop behind the bluff among the crowd of
skulkers lowering under the hill at the rivers
! edge.
| Very handsome was the response our bro!
ken infantry battali0ns poured in. The enemy
soon had reason to remember that if not
I Still ia their ashes live the wonted fres'
at least, still in their fragments lived the an.
cient yalor that has made the short lived rebel
successes already cost so dear
THE GUNBoATS oPEN FIRE.
The rebel infantry gained no ground, but
the furious c0nnonading aud musketry contn-
ued Suddenly new actors entered on the
stage. Our Cincinnati wooden gunboats, the
! A. Q. Taylor and the Lexington, had been all
| day impatiently chafing for their time to come.
The opportunity was theirs. The rebels were
attacking on cur left. lying where Stuart's
Brigade had lain on Licking creek in the
morning, and stretching thence in on the
Hamburg road, and across toward our old
! centre AS far as Hurlburt's camps. Steaming
up W tlc HlOulH Ol the little creek the beats
rounded to. There was the ravine cut through
the bluff if on purpose for their shells.
Eager to avenge the death of their Com
manding General (now known to have been
| killed couple of hours before, and to COM
plete the victory they believed to be within
their grasp, the rebels had incautously ven-
tured within reach of their most dreaded an
tagonists, as broadside after broadside of sew
en- inch shells and sixty four pound shot soon
taught them. This was foe they had hardly
counted on, and the unexpected fire in flank
and rear sadly disconnected their well laid
plans. The boats fired admirably, and with
a rapidity that was astonishing Our twenty
two land guns kept up their stormy thunder,
and thus amid crash and roar, and scream
of shells, and demon-like hiss of Minnie balls
that Sabbath evening wore away. We held
the enemy at bay it was enough The pros.
pect for the morrow was foreboding; but suf-
fcient unto the day is the evil thereof. We
had had plenty of evil that day-of course,
therefore, the text was applicable Before
dark the Both Indiana, from Nelson's advance
} brigade, had crossed advanced into line with
Grants forces at the double-quck, and had
put IN fourteen rounds as an earnest of what
should be forthcoming on the morrow.
The enemy suddenly slackened his fire.
His grand object had been defeated; he had
not finished his task in day; but there is
evidence that officers and men alike shared
the confidence that their morning assault
would be final.
AS the sounds of battle died away, and Di-
vision Generals drew off their men, Buell. had
arrived and Lew. Wallace had been heard
from. Both would be ready by morning, and
a council of war was held, and it was decided
that as soon as possible after daybreak we
should attack the enemy now snugly quar-
tered in our camps. Lew. Wallace who was
coming in on the new road from Crump's
Landing, and crossing Snake creek Just above
the Illinois Wallace's wv. H. L. camps, was
to take the right and sweep back toward the
position from which Sherman had been driven
on Sunday morning. Nelson was to take the
extreme left. Buell. promised to put in Tom
Crittenden next to Nelson, and McCook next
to him, by 4 seasonable hour in the morning.
The gap between McCook and Lew. Wallace
was to be filled with the re organized divisions
of Grants old army; Hurlburt coming next
to McCook, then McClernand and Sherman
closing the gap between McClernand and
Lew Wallace.
THE NIGHT BETWEEN TWO BATTLES.
Stealthily the troops crept to their new po-
sitions and lay down in line of battle on their
arms. All through the night Buelps men were
marching up from Savannah to the point op-
posite Pittsburg Landing, and being ferried
across, or were coming up on transports. By
an hour after dark Wallace had his division
in. Through the misdirection he had receiv.-
ed he had started on the Snake .od
proper, which would have brought
the enemy's rear, miles from SUI
where he would have been gobblednno
full Getting back to the righ' i"0'
layed him. He at once ascea serve;
ton of certain rebel battel'; strain
oG h1nn on Icbf n mao
absolutely to bar his advance ,af SUI
and selected positions for coupldne.
teries, from which he could silence t.
dreaded. Placing these in position,
ranging his brigade for support, toek b
one o'clock in the morning. Then his we.
men lay down to snatch few hours of 81,
before entering into the valley of the Shadow
of Death on the morrow. BY nine o'clock all
was hushed near the landing. The host of
combatants that three hours before had been
deep in the work of destruction had all sunk
silently to earth, the wearied to sleep, the
wounded to die The stars looked out upon
the scene, and all breathed the natural calm
and quiet of Sabbath evening. But pres
emily there came a flash that spread like sheet
lightning over the ripples of the river current,
and the roar Of heavy naval gun went ech-
! ding up and down the bluffs. through the un-
natural stiffness of the night. Others speed
| ily followed By the fash yoa could just
discern the black outline of the piratical look
ing hull, and see how the gunboat gracefully
settled into the water at the recoil the smoke
soon cast up thin veil that seemed only to
soften and sweeten the scene from ti,s woods
away inland you caught family the mufied
: explosion of the shell, like the kneII of the
spirit that has taken its fight.
We knew nothing then of the effect Of this
gunboat cannonading, which was vigorously
kept up till nearly morning, and it only SER
we'd to remind US the more wildly of the days
disasters, of the fact that half mile off lay q