The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-01-10

/ I LII biAO nOhu h6uL AOIlH from hOSc-
Grams; the flower of the left wing and
j center were hurried over toward the
right, and massed, rank behind rank, in
an. array of imposing grandeur, along
the turnpike, and facing to The woods,
through which the rebels were advanc-
ing. 4- .f. sfs
The scene at this time was grand and
awful as anything that ever expect to
witness until the day of judgment 1
i stood in the midst and upon the highest
point of the somewhat elevated space,
! being between the turnpike and the rail
| road, and forming the key to our entire
position. Let the rebels once obtain pos
session oft, and of the immense train Of
wagons parked along the turnpike, and
the Union army was irretrievably ruined
Even its line of retreat would be cut off
and nothing could save it fromutter rout,
slaughter, capture. r.,fs
And yet each minnie it become more
and more plainly evident that all the re-
endorsements which had been hurried
into the woods to sustain and rally the
broken right wing and q ehaek tho
I gress OF the enemy IN that direction. bad
proved inadequate to the task, and had
IN turn been overthrown BY the great
mass which was struggling in inextrica-
BILE disorder through the woods. Such
sounds as proceeded from that gloomy
forest of pines and cedars, were enough
to appal with terror the stoutest hearts.
| The roar of cannon, the crashing of shot
through the trees, the whizzing and burst
ing OF shell, the uninterrupted rattle of
thirty thousand muskets, all mingled in
one prolonged and tremendous volume
OF sound, as though all the thunders of
heaven had been rolled together, and
each individual burst of celestial artil-
lery had been rendered perpetual. Above
1t all could be heard the wild cheers of
the traitorous hosts, as body after body of
our troops gave way and were pushed
back toward the turnpike. i
PANIC AMONG THE TRANSFERS.
Nearer and nearer came the storm
louder and louder resounded the tumult
of battle. The immense train of wagons
parked along the road suddenly seemed
instinct with struggling life, and every
species of army vehicle preceded by
frightened mules and horses rolled and
ratified away pell nell, in an opposite
direction from that in which the Victori-
Gus foe was pressing onward The shouts
and cries of the terrified teamsters urg-
ing their teams to the top of their speed
were row mingled with the pillows Of
sound which swayed and surged over the
field
AN APPALLING SIGHT.
Everything now depended upon the
regiments and batteries which the genius
OF Rosecrans had massed along the turn
nilxa tn -raaai1,1-4l---- r~---sssv
of our broken and flying battalions
Suddenly the rout became visible, and a
crowd Of ten thousand fugitives, present
ing every possible phase of wild and un-
comfortable disorder, burst from the
cedar thickets and rushed into the open
space between them and the turnpike
Amongst them all, perhaps no half
dozen members of the same regiment
could have been found together. Thick |
and fast the bullets of the enemy fell
amongst them, and scores were shot
down; but still the number constantly
increased, by reason of the fresh crowds |
which burst every moment from the |
thickets. 1t was with the greatest diff
Guilty that some of the regiments which
had been massed together as a sort of
forlorn hope, to Withstand, and if posi-
BILE drive back, the victorious cohorts of
treason, could prevent their ranks from
being crushed or broken by the mass of
fugitives .ss
From my position upon the elevated
ground between the railroad and turn
pike, could view the whole scene; and
with an intensity of interest and tumult-
uous emotion which | have no language
to express, l watched for the result when
the desperate soldiers of the rebellion
should enter the open space. A tempest
of iron was whistling all around my head;
but, for the first time since / began to
participate in the transactions of this
fearful war, they whistled and burst un-
needed. / make no pretensions to ex-
traordinary physical courage. He who
SAYS that amid the horrors of battle he
experiences no feeling of awe, and some
times shrinking awe, is a falsiier, an
idiot, or a madman. But at this time
could not have retired, even had / been
so inclined Ny feet were rooted to the
snot: my oaze vast oS"ipatad la'aJ. fShe
enemy to appear; and had an earth
quake rent the earth before me, / could
not have moved from the spot until /
knew, from the testimony of my own eye
sight, whether the troops upon whom
rested the last hope of the Union army
were, like the rest, to be beaten and
overthrown. 1t was not in consequence
of superior physical courage that l re-
mained there but of the mental impossi-
bility of doing otherwise. .oe
THE VETERANS STAND FIRM.
The flower Of our troops were ranged
in order here; and had no fears for the
result unless one of those unacconnta-
BILE panics which sometimes ruin even an
army of veterans should seize upon our
vet unbroken battalions Yet there were
men not liable to panic - men whose
lofty courage and devotion to their coun-
try's cause overcame and extinguished
fear. Col Loomis was there, with his
immortal First Michigan Battery; and
thereI was Stokes, with the guns and
equipments furnished by the Chicago
Board of Trade; and Mendenhall and
Guinther, with their regular artillery;
and the troops led by Gen. Wood, com
prising some of the finest in the ser
vice; and the three famous brig
odac ha1on0ino 10 tha old Third divi-