Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-07-21
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Potomac. 1t is now my duty to chronicle thu
prediction as an accomplished fact.
After waiting some -FOUR or five days in line
of battle, near Hagerstown, Gen. Lee found
out what suppose his Sagacity had before leu
hun to fear, VIZ: that the enemy had no Idea
of attacking him, but had thrown itself on the
| defensive, and was busily fortitying in his
! front. In these circumstances, aud III view vi
! the fact that forage and flour were not to be
had for love OF Confederate money, nor could
| be impressed, our forces began to iall back.
1t was raining quite hard on Monday morn
| ing, about ten O'Clock, when the order came
| to the Brigade Quartcrnaster, with whom l
was styling, to pack up and move across tile
| river. The teams were supn III readiness anu
| started towards the river. Arriving there,
found all the ferries buslIy engaged IL carry
\ Ing tue wagons over, anu | also saw largc
4 numbers tUrdIng, the water taking the horses
up nearly to their backs. Many were await
| lug their turns ut the iDrds, AMI ferries, aud
uInerS were continually arriving. 81 | con-
cluded ut once to move across, and plunged
luto the Rubcvn. My feet aud legs received
| a having from the classlc Potomac, and >oVn
reached The Virginia shore and made my Wal
| out of the hundreds Ut wagons which lud
reached this bank and wh.cn were STRIVING
for the lead in the rctrugrade movement.
| The puntoon bridge which had been con.
structed ut " illiamspOrt WAS tiVated down to
Falling aters, fur miles below Williams
port, and made fast there Oh Monday morn
ing.
On Monday night, about dark, the work oi
recrossing the army back to Virginia begun
Some returned by means OF The ponruolI
| bridge, but the most OF the boys--ihat Is, the
infantry, had to take it rebel fashion, and
come over by wading, the water taxing many
of them up 10 their arm pits. The rear guard,
or rather the line vi skirmshers, lett the CELL
tire and immediate front about two o'clock on
the night of Tuesday, some four miles
sbeyond the river, and fell back solwly.
i&n addition to the water which our boys had
| TO pass through in getting over, they were sub
| jected to tho peltings OF rain-sturm, lasting
| all nig ht, ana falling almost IN torrents Their
| feelings next day can, Of course, be better
| imagined than described. As the rear guard
| was leaving, which was composed vi portion
of Heth's division, the enemy tell upon 1t with
cavalry, artillery and infantry, anu succeeded
in capturing number OF prisoners, yariuusly
estimated a. from three hundred ~ one thou
sand among them, Col: Christian, vi the 03th
Va, and Licutcnamt-C Colonel lice, vi the same
regiment. 1T was here that Gcn. Pcttigrcw
was wounded nlurtaily, as ! regret to lcarn
The cavalry were also engaged, and suffered
but, to what extent, | am not advised. We
captured about sixty prisoners, and Killed and
wounded some We had some wounded, "nd
perhaps, i few killed, but how many, On either
side, | do not know, and lave ~ means al
hand Of asccrtainpg.
Thus the incaSi0n of Pennsylvania and the
liberation vi Maryland has GUIDED with Il lvss
Of, ut the outside, not over .ft!ts" thou>and
temporarily from duty, but not over ciyht MoH-
sand, should say, perma"entiy. The greatest
result achieved 10y thus campaign Is, thil we
have Jcl our army for ono m"nM on The che
my's territory. AS iur the lusscs, though heavy
aud grievuus, it is by 10 means unfair to pre-
sumo that even without Il forward move II bat
tie would have been forced ere this. III which
more blood would have been shed.
The enemy .ccupy Maryland Heights ana
picket out us lar rs Bolivar, just beyond
Charlestown. On Tuesday evening we charged
and drove in their cavalry packets, who Ill turn
rallied and brought Oh Il tight III which our
cavalry, under Col. Asa llarinan, drove them
back, capturing sUme thirty PRISONERS, wliv
have arrived here. | 10 not know What Other
losses were sustained, except tia! Col. ASA
lIarman is said to be badly wounded.
My good SENSE will prompt me, now and
hereafter, TO ignore the whereabouts vi the
army OF certainly until Il light shall occur, "l
which there seems now but little probability.
Meade is said to be II cautious lIfan, and hats
doubtless been long enough with the army to
know the difference between .f3hf'Hy d.teH-
sircly On his own SOIL aud cpe,uiiHy gGenSire-
IL III the country of Elscnciny. But, that he
will he soon ready to offer battle, let Il. not
a., nj or al \ noble
leader and gallant army, chcckca but hot
,phiUUcd Is again IN our own soil to defend
us. Sacrifices vi lives have been freely nllic,
and the hazards Of battle have been Urayely
encountered for country, home and JothpSe al
home. Let these bear this III mind. anu maze
ready to receive the Wounded not only ut this
but Ut coming fights, anu be- really t. send t"
the Sh0eieSS oI this army, "t whVm there are
many, their private contributions. Ii the uV'-
ernment has an abundance, then, these Will
not be- lost il the Government Is without the
means of furnishing thcm,sO mulch greater
the obligation upon private individuals 10 uu
their duty and ut once.
You Will hear it said that tllis General dis
approved the attacked at Gettysburg and tl.at
General advised it. Gen. Lee, hear, with Il
masnauimous irankuess and honest candpr,
that betokens the man, assumes the whole re-
sponslbillty und well he may, Tor II ever there
was Roman who could punt the crowd ci
would be Deheadlny critics, 10 the Capitol
which he has 80 often silvci, when they pro-
pose to dash him from the Tarpcrlon Rock, II
Is ROBERT +. LEE. Let those vino lind ilult
with his general,hip shoatder their muskcts,
step to the front ana vinulca,c. by their proves
on the battlefield, their claims 10 criticism
when away from it.
Of the valOr and courage of the troop at
Gettysburg, wish that could speak in detail.
have every reason. however, Ia believe that
Longstrect's men, under their 'car-it0rSc, ncrc.
fought better. Hood and McLaws On the
second day, and Pickett on the Mird, fought
with more than their accustomed valor and
skill, but were not strong enough to break Frc
lines of battle formed Of living, brca hius,
fighting men, behind the most approved breast
works of modern times. Three lines ol battle
were pierced aud passed, but the other Two re-
sisted our heroic efforts, and So let it be admit
ted
A. P. Hill and Ewcll did the fighting en-
tirely, the first day, and with what effect Gun
be readily inferred from the fact that they
drove the enemy back fully five miles. The parts
which they bore Oh the second and third days
were most conspicuous, and added new brll-
liancy to the laurels Of these able leaders and
their heroic mon.
To show the severity Of the fight, MS far as
the artillery was concerned, and what al I'M
earthly noise it must have made, an officer of
Pegram's battalion of arti lcry told me that
his section fired alone over four hundred
rounds, and he further observed, that it was
the first artillery fight of the war in which the en-
cmy were the first to desist with their artillery.
Our artillery was not only handled quickly, but
was adm rably served, and was destructive as in
its effects upon the enemy in arms, US it was
alarming to the peaceful inhabitants of the
Teutonic race who dwell in the rich aud beau
tiful valley of the Cumberland.
Inasmuch Us have had to write from what