Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-12-12

4 second, though tiade Win d6abie iihaI
suppoftediWith heav fe5erVes. The WAY
of battle, like the wass spf the sea when
dashea RgainstHA roek-bpnnd coast, bea
add missed, aud strug led inlvain for th
brave men who guArded onr right were re
Esolvad'neEer to yield one itootto the hate
Efnyaders.i The odds aghihst which the.
conteuded were feafftil5; for while the en-
emy advanced in two end even three mas
siYe lines, their own arpY consisted Of ON
lly one, long and wea { iines without sup
Iports. Yetthey NOT only Fepu1Bed ever
| attack, but captured seven flags, abont 3Ol
prisoners, and femaihed masterb Of thl
ground until night when they were order,
ed to retire, carrying OF eAlli their guns
losing sna prisoHcts and but 8 small pei
centage Of killed md wounLed. The
whole coiam4pd spshayed YelLi and es.
pscially t9at mode 5ol dier, Is j1E General
Cleburnesa "a true son of the Emerald Isle,
and his heroic diyiaioB. General Hardee
sayea the army tfep dfspstrous ropt, and
added fresh laurels to his brow.
The attack on the left wing was not
made until about noon. Here, as on the
right, the enemy WasFepulsed; bat he was
obstinate, &ndifought with great ardor and
confidence, returning the charge again and
of our brigade near the centre, said to be
Reynolds. pave way, and the Federal flag
was planted On Missionary Ridge. The
enemy was moi slow in availtng himself of
the great advantages of his new position.
In a few minutes he turned upon our
fanks and poured into them q terrible en-
filhdiug fire, which soon threw.the OODfed-
crates On bis right and left into confusion.
Under this confusion, the gap In our ranks
grew wider and wider, and the wider it
grew the faster The mnltitudinous foe rush
ed into the yRWntng ohasm. Tho confusion
extended uhtil Il finally ASSUMED the form
of q panic. Seeing the enemy in possess.
ion of.a portion of the heights, tie meh
hastily concluded that the day was gone,
aud that they had best save themselVess-
Just at this moment the alarm was In.
creased by On artillery battery, which
rushed down The hill to the river for a
fresh supply df ammunition the men,
however, spppo5ed they were flying from
the field, aud. that all was lost. Nearly
the whole left wing eventually became
involved and gave wRy,R portion Of il re-.
ttring under orders, but the greater part
inlunmitigated rout. = iet' So
Gen. Bragg did al he could to rally the
fugitives, and refotm the broken line. He
exposed himself ID the most unguarded
manner, and at oht time It looked as If he
would certainly b killed. His staf otfi-
GERS were also conspicuous in their efforts
toirestore our lineS They aud their chief
were the last to le9ve the ridge.
The day was lot. Hardee still main
tanned his gr0uuf but no successor the
right wing could restore the LEFT 70 its
original position lAli men, even the brav-
est. ara snl,ipet Froi and eoufasion; but
to-day some OF the oenfederRtes did not
fight with their accustomed courage. Pos.
sibly the contrast between the hsaVy saaooes
otlthe Federals, as they rolled across the
valley aud up the mountain ridge, and their
own long and attenuated line, was not Of .
character to encourage them.
Our casualties are small, very small, too
small, indeed, to be recorded along with so
complete and hnmiliRting q defeat. In
cluded among our losses are some of our
best guns, perhaps as many as thirty or
forty. The infantry supports, in some In
stances, fed so precipitately that there
was no time left tofemoye the guns. There
were but few roads down the mountain by
which they could retreat, andtthfs OCCa.
sioued further loss, All the artillery be-
hayed well. The men in Cobb's battery
stood their ground after their supports had
lied, ana thougn tqey lost tnslr guns, tney
fought them to tie last; and when they
could use them no longer on account Of
the steepness Of the descent; they hurled
hand grenades at the foe as they crawled
up the mountain beneath the muEzles of
the guns. u 10 %. 'i., .'''t. g i''. =
The ,enemy's loss must have exceeded
ours ten 70 one. oprsdea aud some Of
the wounded were left on the feld.
e But It is3 late and bitter cold, and must
close. We cross the GhickamAugA 70. night,
and then proceed to Dalton. write under
the greatest possible Disadvantages. s. j.
RIIIu0Fg 9