Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-09-30

acted as guide, and who had brought Gar
field from RossviIle. In passing by I'M
rebel extreme right hank, the party wa
fred at, aud Garfield aud Cav narrowly
escaped with their lives. Both their horse!
were shot, and Gen. Gartield's orderly
killed. They, however, reached the centre
10 safety, aud Gen. Garfield soon explained
how General Rosecraus had been forced q
Rossville He was soon given TO under
stand the situation, and Immediately be-
gan TO indfte despatch 10 General Rose.
Grams, and before the last despatch was
flushed the rebels, as if eager 20 coDsum
mate the victory ere the day should die
out, pushed up for a last Hnd oVerWheiming
attack. ItWassfiVe O'clock sWheh The last
combat Of the hattle began and the sun
refused TO look up0uitl euds si9e -.
| THB SUNSET sTRUgaEE gF s9rgDAE. "a
Men in battle are not Individually sour.
ageOus. Courage is as much derived from
organisation aud discipline as from nature.
To speak of the morale of an army 10 but
to speak of its cOurage-the terms are sy-
nouymous. Courage is derived from the
electrical touch of shoulder TO shoulder
Disorganized McCoOk's aud CritteRden's
men had fed like towards to the rear
Still standing shoulder to shoulder, Tho
mas men, thrilled with the electrical fuid
of courage, defed and defeated in u two
hours struggle the entire rebel army at
lacking il at once Ia front and on both
TANKS. That force of eighteen thousand
or twenty thousand men Was as one man,
aud Thomas remained the representative
mau Of that army.
| Just behind Harker's brigade, posted 10
the key of the position, there was a slight
hollow in large open field, in which were
standing about dozen dead trees. In this
detection of the field, at the time the last
fight of Sunday began, there were gather.
ed together Generals Thomas, Gordon,
Granger, Garfield, Wood, Brauuan, Stead
man, Whitaker and Col. Harker. As the
fight opened, Harker and Wood ran up the
hill TO their brigade and division, both be-
ing the one and the same. SteRdman,
Brannan aud Whitaker rode of TO join
their commands. Garfield continued to
iudite his dispatch.
Granger and Thomas remained, the lat
ter on his horse, his arms folded. listening
to the awful FIRE which soon ragged along
the line with the cOOlnes Of assured victory
or the calmness of despair. His lips were
compressed. His eyes glanced from right
to left as the she'll and canister exploded
about the field, and once saw him, just
as the fight opened, most turiOusly glanc-
ing up at large, beautiful white pigeon
or dove which alighted upon a dead tree
above him aud watched the battle from
her dangerous nest. The representative
man Of that line, in unfAlteriug courage,
(Thomas,) may be also said 10 have repre-
sented by his thoughts AZ that mOmePT the
thoughts Of all. Watching him, we could
see his anxiety at the reflection that If that
line did not stand all would be lost and
each and every man there knew that the safe
ty ofthemselves, but more, the safety Of the
whole army, depended upon them. To be
defeated there was to be cut TO pieces or
captured. To he routed was to fall back
upon Chattanooga in disgrace, to be ignO-
miniously taken in fight. There was no
help to be expected save in the darkness
Of the slowly approaching night.
Our men were short of ammunition, and
had orders to make what they had serve
the best effect. Yet, despite this precau
tion, all along our line u most furious fire
was kept up. do not say that ammuui-
tion was wasted +; for we bad reason
subsequently, to know that the FIRE bad
been marked by most deadly effect, aud
that the last repulse Of the battle was one
of the most bloody to the rebels. There
were but two charges, but each 80 admirR-
bly, sustained by the rebels that only the
desperate defense of our men could have
repulsed them. Our line was the simple
convex, with centre salient; and extend
| log arOnnd this far beyond each llauk was
the cOncavs line Of the rebels, couceutrA-
ting their fire upon US with great effect
But this disadvantage WAS made up in the
| superior character of the ground we Occn-
pied. Our losses were heavy; but the men
did not falter, but, with all the energy of
despair, fought on, only turning their faces
from the foe to look With anxious eyes TO
the declining sun. At the FIRST repulse of
the enemy General Turchin, in the centre,
with that valor which has ever character
lied him, advanced his men from behind
their line of rails and logs and pursued
the enemy down the hill, running over and
capturing the larger part of Mississippi
regiment.
Pushing too far in this brilliant charge,
which stauds out as q silent point in the
history Of the battle, Turchin became eu-
veloped in the rebel lines, and all believed
that he was captured. But TurChin bad no
Intention of surrrendering. Better for him
that his "ears be stopped with the brown
dust Of death" on the field where glory
nigh be won than suffer and die by the
slow tortures sofindignities heaPed upon him
by his would-be captors. Finding that
safety depended in cutting his way through
again to our lines, Turchin about faced his
men, and under q fre from all sides re-
turned in safety, but leaving many a gal.
liant follower dead behind him.
The second attack was GOT less desperate
than the first. Standing in the rear ot
Harker's brigade, my attention was at
trActed solely to It. tell the story ofwhat
it did, but in telling that tell she story oi
the whole line. The brigade was fearfully
reduced. The Third Kentucky, of Colone
Dunlap, had gone into the 6ght with three
hundred and sixty men but at this houI
there remained but eighty. The largest
company numbered but ten men. II was
the representative brigade Of the army tha
gathered about its representative man, aut
II felt itself to be the body guard Of il