The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-07-22

/ the wall, by making CRIB OF fence
rails. two feet high, and the same distance
apart and then filling it up with dirt. Fur
| ther along on the road find the rails from
| the western side of the road piled against
! the fence on the east, 50 as to form breast
work two or three feet in hight; few
/ spadcsful of dirt served to fill the intcrSt
ces. This jefense was thrown up by the
rebels, at the time they were holding the
| line of the roads.
EvIDENCE OF HOT WORK.
! Moving to the left find still more severe
traces of artillery fighting. Twcnty.scvcr
! dead horses on u space of little more than
one acre, is evidence of heavy work, Here
are few scattered trees, which were eVi
| IDENTIFY used as a screen for our batteries
These trees did not escape the storm OF
shot and shell that was raiuod in that Iii
Ircction. Some OF them were perforated by
cannon shot, or have been completely cut
off in that peculiar splnteriug manner that
marks the course of prujoctlle through
green wood. Close by where this fighting
took place are piled large number of mus
/ kets and cartridge boxes, that have been
collected from the field Considerable work
has been done in thus gathering the debris
of the battle, but it is by no means COM
plcte. Over all the ground are scattered
muskcts, bayorets and saberS-our own
being indiscrminately mingled with those
of the rebels
BURIAL PLACES OF THE FALLEN,
My next advance to the left carries me
where the ground is thicliy studded with
graves. In one group counted a dozen
graves of the goth Massachusetts,; near by
those of the l37th New York, and close at
hand an equal number from the 18th New
Jersey. Care has been taken to place 4
headboard at each grave, with legible in
Scriptiom thereon, showing whose remains
are resting beneath. The headboard is
usually made from the remnant of a box
that may have served its purpose and be-
come useful as a box no longer. In n few
instances they appear to have been made
from fresh lumber with special reference
to their present use. On one board the
comrade of the dead soldier had nailed the
back of his knapsach, on which his name
was painted. On another was a brass plate,
bearing the soldiers name in heavily
stamped letters.
ARTIFICIAL DEFENSEs.
The line Of breastworks continues. From
the center of our position, far away to the
extreme left. our men threw mp hasty de-
fenses, from which to resist the rebel at
tack. Wherever stone fences were found,
they were taken advantage of to form a
part of the line Where these were not at
hand, the rails from fences were heaped up
and covered slightly with dirt. Where
these did not run in the proper direction,
works of earth and trees were thrown up,
behind which the men were TO fight. They
extended nearly to the base of Round Hill,
md i,.t IA, tl,nt 81 fl,n al
ton. They We're thrown up on Wednesday
night after the First and Eleventh Corps
had been driven back through the town.
1t was General Meade's plan to compel the
enemy to make an attack, and for this pur-
pose the works were thrown up At the
same time the rebels We're not idle. They
threw up a line of over four miles in length;
in some cases constructing it with great
care. For much of the way their works
partake more of the nature of permanent
detenses than they do OF Il Fabrication that
is designed to be merely temporary. 1t
was evidently their suppOsition on Wednes-
day night that they could compel us to
make the attack. They looked for an as
sauIt with inferior numbers upon their
army, in strong position of their own
choosing Their expectations in this par
ticuar were not fulfilled.
BATTLE DEBRIS.
The defcnses thrown up on our left were
next in order of visit. They consisted of
single line of earthworlls, and in few in
stances Of two lines. Behind them lay the
debris of battle scattered everywhere.
Pieces of clothing, tattered shelter tents,
spoiled cartridges. cantecns pierced by
bullets, torn haversacks, broken muskets,
sabers, bayonets, soldiers eQuipments-all
were mingled in confusion. Stained and
saturated with loyal blood, the fragments
of clothing torn from wounded heroes bore
evidence Of the terrible struggle. Behind
the breastwOrks were the graves Of the
fallen, dotted thicllly around. The ground
was deeply cut by the wheels of the artil-
lery as it performed its evolutions on the
field.
EFFECTS on WHEAT FIELDS.
A mile from our central position on the
crest OF the hill at the cemetery, was a field
OF wheat, and near to it a large tract on
which corn was growing luXuriantly before
the battle. The wheat was teartully tram.
pied by the hurrying feet of the dense
masses of infantry, as they changed their
positions during the battle. In the corn-
field artillery had been stationed, and
its position rs often as the enemy
its range. Hardly hill of coru
is left i'll its pristine luXuriance. The little
that escaped the hoof or the wheel, as the
guns moved from place to place, has since
been nibbled oft by hungry horses, during
the night bivouac subsequent 10 the battle.
Not a stalk of wheat is upright; not blade
OF corn is uniniured-ail has fallen long
before the time of harvest Another har-
vest i'll which death was the reaper, has
been gathered above it.
THE ASSAULT ON THE LEFT.
On our extreme left the pointed summit
OF hill of a thousand feet elevation rises
toward the sky. Beyond it the country
tails oil into the mountain region that eX-
tends to the Potomac, and across it into
' irgina. This hill is quite steep, and diff
cult of ascent, and formed a strong position
on which the left of our line could rest.
The enemy assaulted this point with great
Iury-thrOwng his divisions, one after the
other, against it. Their efforts were of no
avail, Our men defended their ground
against every attack. 1t was like the dash
Dt the French at Waterloo against the i'm
movable columns of the English. Stubborn
resistance Overcame the yalor of the assal-
ants. Time after time they came to the
assault, only to fall back as they had adj
1anced. Their final retreat left the remnant
)t our own men still standing behind their
works. The rebel dead aud wounded We're
scattered thickly about the ground. Our
own were not wanting,
sToRMED WITH SHOT AND SHELL.
Nearly to the left extreme of the line, and
lalf way between the crcsts of the ridges,
stands a neat farm. Around this dwelling
he battle ragged AS around HOurOumOnt at