Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-10-14
THE NORTH CAROLINA WEDNESDAY, ooT Il 1858

. can now be found. Il IL very much %, however
over the whole field. From this hill Ne look dow
! over corn field, and through the woods, Fher
/, our right wing came on like . hurricane
From this point we travelled Northeast and Ess
] towards Rnggold and Grsysyille.. Passing owe
! the fat or slightly rolling ground between Snod !,
/ grass home and Kellys farm the woods are literal
" torn into shreds. Horses and dead Yankees ~
!. lying professionally about. The conflict az slonl
the road, passing by Kelly's house and h4t mlle
any other part Of the field The wooda arr thick
and the land nearly level which explains TIE mat
ter. every shot on such ground showing more PLAIN.
" than on open ground We found Mr. Kelly
packing up his household goods. Numerous desc
Yankees and horses are scattered about his house.
1fOne,man had leg amputated and apparently died
under the operation. The leg was thrown across
bis body, and there he lay, most disgusting, ye.
extraordinary sight. Passing up the wood toward
Chattanooga the evidences Of the fight present nor
rors upon horrors. The ground is nearly level ana
the road very broad, with occasionally field as
far as the eve can see on either side and ct some
nlaces mile in width; the conflict was close, al
Most hand to hand All the destruction which can
be imagined as attending the terrible carnage OF
battle field is here in al its horror. The dust IS
thicker than we ever saw it anywhere, and all over
the woods for miles in length aud width, there IS
cast mantle of impalpable dust which makes the
gray forest more sad and melancholy in the long
slaDting' rays of the setting sun. We leave the
Chattanooga road and turn to the right. An open,
narrow space in the woods, which seems to have
been cut out for an old road, and may have been
been made pasture field attracts our afentions,-
We ride along the avenue, and on every side tn,cx
" strewn are the marks of ths sharp skill
and the terrible effects of shell and grape from the
masked battery. The loss was not alone, however,
with u.s., but the foe met his fate He has left the
dreadful evidences in many dead bodies. In the
woods near the upper end Of this opening, we saw
one of the blue habited dead, sitting with bis back
against log his arms on his knees, and his fingers
dove.tailed together. Apparently Id had sat down
deliberately to, die. The worms were fessting on
him. His jaw was hanging down his black and
glstening bod which had swollen until it burst off
his clothing, was one of the most horrible and dis.
agreeable sights we ever witnessed. Close by, On.
other had crawled upon log, and placing his back
against bush, ana resting his head on his hand,
the elbow bent the body in reclining position,
he had pulled his cap over his eyes, and given up
his spirit from the battle field. We crossed KEEL
leys farm, passing from the house back across the
field. A series of breastuorks ranged in line on
various parts of the field, but thy seem to have
been of but little service At the back part of the
field, sweeping eastward and south Of east 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 v'sngeful the assault
was and how successful But from the hill where
this battery cast its storm and rain of shot and
shell, and canister, and grape, the evidences Of
terrific fire here are more apparent here than any
where else on the field. The woods are very thick
in trees and bushes, and the limbs, trunks, and
branches, as they lie cut off and torn in all direc
tons, made an abattis through which our forces
rushed and charged to silence the loud throated
VOICES Of those death dealing engines'. We pass
through the path Of the artillery storm, and here
and there are the graves of our fierce soldiers On
the second hill, With trees and limbs lying thick
graves of many brave Texians Oath and Others,
rest calmly marked by the careful hands of fre nds
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 cou.
flict being more severe than in the thickly wooded
spots 1t is along here, we are told, Gen. Hood
and his men made such terrible onset and slauph.
ter. They and that portion Of our army which ad-
vanced from the Red House, and along the roa5 to
the right Of the saw mill, did execution whidh is
perfectly fealL The carnage was aieful-svery
avenue has oVeh swept as BY broad bosom Of de-
struction in the hands Of Hecate Battery paths
are innumerable. Here they fought-there they
dead horses, men, broken Gals.
sons piles Of ammunition, rent clothes and destruc.
ton generally. On one point on the rise of hill,
we saw the body Of an immense Newfoundland dog.
He evidently was the pet Of some battery, and was
ed thirty eight dead Yankees, nearly thirty dead
horses--saw more than a ton of shell, shot and
canister, and all the broken and abandoned para.
phernalia Of strong battery all within the space
of eighty feet square. The trees and bushes and
underground every where evince the furious en-
counter and desperate struggle which had trans.
pired. The paths where our batteries followed up,
and at various points were placed in position, are
numerous, and show they We're worked rapidly,
doing fearful execution. Over this part of the field
about mile from the saw mill, there are evidences
Of most desperate and long continued fighting
The ground is slightly rolling and rocky, and the
chances for open, fair fighting about equsL The
left wing Of the enemy resisted onset there and
sullenly, but certainly, they gave way until they
were doubled on their centre, aud on Sunday night
retreated back from Snodgrass' house toward Chat
tai ooga The evidences of the conflict are more
apparent and numerous on the entire field than on
my bss lie field we ever visited All over it. breadth
and length, the same terrible marks of desolation
are visible Inc fell spirit Of destruction seems to
have rioted in uncontrolled madness-farms are de-
are leserted-felds are laid waste
no beasts, no birds. not even buzzard, Qp be
seen any where. The Only signs Of life d the
visiting, and occasional burying parties.
The W ole country Tor many miles about is COM
plesely deserted Their fields Of corn have been
destroyed and the people are Obliged to leave to get
subsistence. The entire field of nerly eight miles
in length and from three to five miles in width, has
been stripped Of everything that our army needed
or required, as trophies Of war. Thousands of
visitors have CLEANED and picked until there only
found few torn and broken articles of no value
except as souoenirs Over all the extent of the field
the marks Of shot are visible on every tree. We
are certain that not single tree has escaped. All
are SCARED With from one to hundreds Of marks
mlnle schrapnel, grape canister bombs, solid shot
grensdes and all the rest Of the Internal appliances
Of war have clipped cut SCARED, blasted, scsthed,
torn and broken the forest,
We expended over one and half millions of m