Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1863-12-30
The Horrors of War.

One of the editors of the Atlanta (Ga.l III
telTgencer, who visited the field of ChicEa-
manga, ten days after the battle, writes to
his paper an account of his observations,
from which we take the following extracts
We leave the Chattanooga road and turn
to the right. We ride along the avenue, and
on every side, thickly Strewn, are the marks
of the sharpShooterS' skill, and the terrible
effects of shell and grape from the masked
battery. The loss was not alone, however.
with us. but the foe met his fate also. lie
has left the dreadful evidence of many dead
bodies. In the woods near the upper end of
this openinr. we saw one of the b!uc-habitcd
dead. sitting with his back against Il log, his
arms on his knees, and his fingers dOvetall-
ed together Apparently he had sat down
deliberately to die. The worms were feast
ing on him. His jaw was hanging down;
his black and gliStening body, which had
swollen until it burst OFT his clothing, was
one of the most horrible and diSagreccble
sights we ever witnessed.
Close By, another had crawlcd upon log,
and placing his back against L bush, and
resting his head on his hand, the elbow bent,
the body in reclining position, he had pull
cd his cap over his eyes, and given up his
spirit from the battlefield.
At the back part of the field, sweeping
eastward and south Of cast, was large and
destructive battery. The worn places where
each gun was placed indicate that ten or
more guns were in battery there. The dead
horses and Yankees lying about tell how
ycngettll the assault was, and how success
full. But from the hill where this battery
cast its storm and rain of shot and shell, and
canister and grape, the evidences Of Il terrific
FIRE are more apparent here than anywhere
else on the field. The woods are very thick
in trees and bushes, and the limbs, trunks
aud branches, us they lie cut of and torn i'll
all directions, made an abattiS through
which our forces rushed and charged to 81
lencc the loud-throated voices Of those death
dealing engines.
We pass through the path Of the artillery
storm, and here and there are graves of our
soldiers. On the second hill, with trees and
limbs lying thick about, evidences Of the
terrible passion Of man, the graves Of many
ave Texans-the 2ith and others, rest
calmly, marked by the careful hands Of
friends back of these are number of
Georgians.
Thence we turn to the left and follow the
Savannah road. At intervals the open woods
show signs of the conflict being more severe
than in the thicklv wooded spots. Its along
here, we are told, that Gen. Hood and his
men made such terrible onset and Slaugh-
ter. They and that portion Of our army
which advanced from the Red House, and
along the road to the right Of the Sawmi!l,
did execution which is perfectly fearful.
The carnage was awful. Every avenue has
hccn swept Us by broad Bosom of deStruc-
ton in the hands of Hccate Battery paths
are innumcrablc. Here they fOught-thcre
they misunderstanding dead horses, men,
broken caisSonS, piles OF ammunition, rent
clothes, and destruction generally
On one point, on the rise OF a hill, we saw
the bones of an Immense Newfoundland
dog. He evidently was the pet Of some bat
terry, and WAS shot while following it up
Close by him we counted thirty-cight dead
Gaukccs-ncarlv thirty dad hrrSeS->aw
more than ton OF she'll, shot and canister,
and all the broken AMI al pui ,ntd p Iraphcr-
MALTA of Il strong battery-ali within the
space Of eight feet square.