The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-12-13
The Attaels BraveIy Rspnlsed.
Particulars Of the Fight.

stake, had the advantages Of al i'm
/ pregnable position.
The enterprise was . bold enc, the plan
1 mastery and the attempt vigorous. Sue
cess would have given the enemy poses
sion Of the key to all our works on the
west side Of the town, not the town itself.
But Fort Sanders lost, our position in
Knoxville would be more precautions. Bot
they failed. We do not know if Long
street has done his worst: but tits evident
that he expected to have exploited brill
liant and decisive coup de gueTe. He was
thirteen days deciding upon it. He wait
ed until re-enforced By the forces of Gen.
! Jones, Mudwall Jackson, Carter and Ger
70 GOrdO Williams. BE selected three
brigades Of picked regiments and deter
mined upon night attack, always the
mos. dangerous and bloody, but if snc-
cessful, the most decisive. Il is evident
that be played tremendous odds to en-
sure success, and every man in those
doomed brigsdes advanced to the storm
ing of Fort Sanders with that confident
courage that usually commands it. To
resist him were part of the 18th New
York in the front, four companies of the
Tooth Pennsylvania on the right, and four
companies Of the I'd Michigan on the
left No part of the fort is complete.
One bastiOn on the northwest angle, and
parapet on the west side only are up
Temporary traverses were made by cot
ton bales, and also two salients from
which guns could sweep the bitches on
the north and west.
Spirited skifmishing commenced on the
right of the position, at 10 o'clock P. N.
Saturday. The vigor and persistence of
it evidently foreshadowed something
more serious behind, and such became
the feeling Of all the immense audience
within our lines, who listened to the con-
tinuous and unceasing crash of musk ctry.
hour after hour, TO one, two aud three
o'clock, a. III. Many an anxious heart
that night beat high with hope and fear
for their rebel friends without, and many
fearful and timid prayer went up to the
God Of battles, for the safety of friends
within. All felt that an eventful moment
was at hand for veal or woe, in the des-
TIMES of East Tennessee and her brave
defenders. The enemy dashed upon the
!
left of our position several times, as if in
confident bravado, and finally drove our
skirmishers from the advanced rifs-pits
and occupied them about daylight Sun
day morning. Our men rallied and as
determinedly rWsained them, driving the
rebels back in turn. Suddenly an ava
lKnche of men were hurled upon the dis
ntrihs pitR, our skirmishers were forced
back and covered by our guns from the
fort by our r,ireating men. Two storm
ing brigades were enabled to approach
within one hundred yards of the bastion.
1t was their intention, probably, to draw
out our boys and then attempt to retura
with them and enter the works. In this
they were foiled.
Our skirmishers fell in on the left. and
the rebel storming party advanced direct
! ly upon the bastiOn. Then ensued
scene of csrnsge and horror which has
but few parallels in the annals of war
fare. Bllaklaya was scarcely more ter
rible. SsunlSd for a moment by the
torrent of canister and lead poured upon
them by Buckley's 1stRhode Island Bat
terry and our line of musketry, on they
came. Again and again the deadly mis-
siles shattered their torn and msugled
columns. Their march was over dead
and wounded comrades, yet still they
filtered not, but onward, still onward:
whole ranks stumbled over wires
stretched from stump to stump, and fell
amid the dead and dying, yet sill over
their PROSTATE bodies marched the DOOM
ed heroes of that forlorn hope.
At last the ditch was reached, and Che
slaughter became butchery, as if on
wager of death against mortality. Ben
jamin's guns on the sslients swept the
ditch as the tornado would the corn. The
earth was stated with blood-men waded
in blood, and struggled up the scarp and
slipping in blood fell back TO Join their
mangled predecessors in the CORY mud
below. The shouts OF the infuriate rebels,
the groans of the dying and shrieks of
the wounded, arose above the din of the
cannon.
Benjamin lighted she'll and threw them
over the parapet, and artilIerymen fol-
lowed his example. 0ne rebel climbed
tie parspet and planted the flag of the
Thirteenth Mississippi Regiment on the
summit, but the rebel shout that greet
ed its appearance had scarce left the
lips that framed il than man and flag
were in the ditch together, pierced by a
dozen balls. Another rebel repeated the
feat and Tejoined bic comrade. A third
essayed to bear off the flag and was
eleven with an axe. One man entered
an embrasure and was blown TO frag-
ments; two more were cut down in an
other, but not one entered the fort The
three veteran regiments of the Ninth
Army Corps stood up 70 the work before
them unflinching and glorious to q man.
The heroes Of dozen campaigns from
the Potumac to Vicksburg, they found
themselves for the third time arrayed
for trial of courage and endurance with
tee flower of the Southern army-pick-
cd men of Longstreet's boosted veterans,
aud saw the sun rise, on an entire brig
ade annihilated, and two more severe
ly punished
Even the dead Outnumbered us, for
not more than three hundred of our force
participated IN the defonse of Fort San
ders. Benjamin, of the 81 U. s. Arlil-
lary, and Buckley, of the 1st &. /. bat
terry were foremost in acts of daring q I'd
gallantrY. Gen. Ferraro, who has never
left the fort since LOngstreet's APP
pesranoe before il, TO whose skill and
foresight much of the admirable dispo-
sitions for defense were due, was in COM
msnd, and right nobly has he earned his
star. His GOODNESS, energy and skill are
subjects OF universal encomiums.
The dead and wounded were left On
the field, and the CHASTITY horrors were
rendered sickening by the vain cries of
hundreds for water and help. In full
view from the embrasQres the ground was
covered with dead, wounded and dying.
Forty-eight were heaped in the ditch be-
fore the bastion; thirteen in another
place, almost within reach of those who,
though late their foes, would have willing
needed their anguished shrieks for water,
yet none dare go 10 their assistance.
The humanity Of Gen. Burnside was
not proof against so direct an sppeal, and
be at once sent in flag of truce, offer
ing an zrmistice until O'clock p. NJ, for
the purpose Of borying their dead and