The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-01-15

reposing on their arms after the great struggle
Of wednesday, Dec. 3lst. There was put little
alarm after the battle, and comparatively little
uneasiness, each army thinking, doubtless that
its opponent was too much exhausted to care
about renewing the strife.
On Thursday morning the sun rose in sky
without clouds; but along the eastern horizon
a broad zone of mist and fog, seen through
which me great luminary looked red and bloody,
rs it IN sympathy with the horrors of the battle
field.
The artillery open the fight,
1t was just eight O'Clock when the roar of
cannon recommended with a terrible sgnif-
canoe unknown few days before. A skirmish
had begun between the pickets in front OF
Palmer lines and those of the enemy. Our
batteries Immediately commenced Smelling the
woods from which the rebel fire proceeded
Two dozen pieces Of the enemy's artillery opens
e1 IN reply, and having by this time, accurately
obtaime + the range OF the elevated ground be,
tween ne pike and railroad, upon which so
many OF our troops were massed, their guns
were worked with greater effect than ever be-
fore
Every form of shell, sehrapnel, round shot,
spherical case and oblOng shot, were hurled in
most w. pleasant profusion over the field. Oar
infantry, unable 10 take any part i'll this terrible
duel, lay close upon the ground, the fiery mis-.
lilies continually whizzing and bursting oveI
their heads, and tearing up the earth amor gst
them srd around them. 1t was wonderful that
so few we're injured By the iron tempest yet
there WAS scarcely regiment all along the left
and ceuser that did not have one, at least, Of
it's members killed or wounded The Eighth
Indiana Battery, Lieut.. Estepp commanding,
was moved nearest the rebel lines and did great
service in finally silencing the enemy's guns
when the FREEING ceased, however, several of its
brave men were wounded, one-third Of the
horses were disabled and some of the
pieces were drawn off to the rear by hand In
all we lost about hundred men: but we had
the satisfaction of hearing from rebel prisoner
who were taken the next day, a statement that
the fire from our batteries was exceedingly
effective, and an acknow led cement that their
was decidedly inferior to our own -
But after all this success Of ours. it is needless
to deny that general gloom and dependency
was beginning to spread in the army, among
both officers and men.
The line Of battle.
The deaf of McCook had hanged our line
of battle upon the right. The scattered battal-
ions of Johnson and Davis, as well AS the some-
what less fatally broken regiments of Sheridan
were re-coected as well as possible and ranged
- line OF battle, no longer at right angles with
rs npike, aud sweeping round toward the
town; but almost parallel with the pike, and
thrown back away in the direction OF Stewart's
creek. Our center and left had also been some~
what withdrawn, to accord with This new ar
!angement OF the right, and it seemed to many
that We had everywhere been pushed back
The army was weakened by it's long list of
casualties, by over four thousand captured, and
by more than that many stragglers who had
shamefully deserted their comrades in the hour
. 49,. 4. l.
field.
The men tried to fatter themselves with tale.
If the arrival of reinforcements; but alas the
better informed all knew that the last avail.
abe division,was even now on the field, and
hat all the fresh men who could possibly be
brought up. would, as far numbers are con
cerned, amount TO mere handful. In point
u fact, the reinfOrcemeuts received during the
lay consisted OF only two brig AIDES, Wake
1T Fry's division, andSs Stark weathers ut
R2usseau's. | knew that the latter, at least
could De depended on rs against twice their
oumber, but what, after all, was that? The
renewed efforts of the enemy early III the morn.
iEg. oannoy the right wing,the impudent cav
airy charge away around to our left the eve
sing before, the heavy cannouade on the centeI
III O'Clock. the continual reports that were
Drought IL Of rebel raid between Murfreesboro
zrd Nashville, and the capture of our wagon
aims III that direction. the occasional booming
u cannon away cff to the rear, the whizzing of
bullets over the field from almost every point
nj compass-all these things tended to produce
4 sinking ofhearts amongst the soldiers, con-
ssqueut upon the general impression they Gre
ated that we were surrounded on all sides by
an enemy vastly superior in numbers, that our
supplies, even now grown very scanty would
soon cease altogether, and that starvation, rout
rain aud retreat, were actually staring US in the
face.
4 slight panic
When this fierce cannonade took place in the
morning, it is useless to deny that feeling of
consternation and dismsy took possession of
many who were unused TO fear, and the opin-
on began 10 gain ground that Gen Rosecrsns
,ad given up the contest, and was drawing in
lis lines preparatory 10 falling back to Nash |
nile.
What New Years morn WIS that! Yet |
here was undaunted souls there who maintained |
. steadfast cheerfulness even amidst the een, |
raj gloom, who smiled whenever they met a |
gelt known eomrade, and shouted Happy New |
'ear!" even amidst the appalling thunders of
he canuoDade.
At the time the first guns were fred in the |
morning, | was myself in the rear where had |
zone to visit one of the hospitals 1t was |
bout two miles back; and yet as the first echo |
u the cannon reached their ears, there was a |
lumber of pusillanimous rascals who turne d /
heir faces IN opposite direction from that