Weekly national intelligencer., 1864-03-03

went entirely over u.s. striking trees twenty to thirty feet
so tno ground Their guns appeared TO be screened by
heaPs OF brush or were possibly barJse on the railroad
embankmeuts.
Our infantry line Of battle udciously formed ex
ceent ia iac Tor the unavorabe and contracted position
left for them to occupy With the exception of the ANAL
field of few acres before referred TO- we were in tha
woods amid heavy growth OF pine timber and swampy
ground intervening between aud the enemy of whose
position we knew nothing We the smoke of bis
guns the Hash OF bis Infantry but of the exact on he
occupied the conformation of his troops of the topo-
graphy OF the field we knew little
IL was lighting the enemy at great odds and great dsad
vantage bu' our troops fought bravely noby speudidy
ana Tor three hours and half of the sharpes
hsrdest anf most sangunay battles of tho consider
ing tbe number engaged. That outnumbered at
nfst very much doubt their line Of battle did not
ceta hlrd OF mile although they overapped and aaksd
ootn our wings They received rcements by rail
from Lake City train of troops coming in an hour after
t'e hght begun Other trains probably arrived but the
and thunder OF battle prevented seeing
ing their rival.
The rebel forces skilfuy handled and they came
into the tight in admirable order and fought with great
energy and valor They were probably veteran troops
from savannah and Charleston, and other camps Geor-
gla lt IL Impossible to say who commanded them but
presume to be General Gilmer or Mercer Lieut. Gen.
hardse known to be at Lake City week ago and il
possible that he might have been command or
at the battle
We unfortunate in having two of our arteries dis
abied 10 the early part of the fight Langdons Battery
having twelve killed and seventeen wounded IN a short
time also losing three Of its guns-I2p brass Napo
Icons Hamiltons Battery lost fortyfour in killed aud
wounded and nearly ali its horses and two guns3ncb
iron PARROTS Elders Battery lost no guns but large
number OF his gnDners ard horses The Third Rhode
Island Light Artillery lost two killed and FIVE wounded
saving her guns only by coming out of the fight before il
was haf over The loss of guns aud horses was de-
porabe but it solely because our batteries were not
sufficiently supported by infantry
Inc battle closed at dusk and think it provideutaI
that night in due season. otherwise question If our
retreat would have been successful as it was Finding
our forces repused with the (cpored roops) u
In fhA amnrn
decmated army from the sanguinary field leaving our
dead and large numbers of wounded to the tender
mercles OF the enemy This the saddest thing con-
nected with the battle, but will question its pro-
prlety No commander could have done otherwise under
the circumstances Another l1mentable feature was the
aoahdonment OF some sixty or seventy badly wounded
the rear OF the hrld of battle We however left sur.
geon n charge who volunteered to remain to attend the
wounded and accept the enemys hospitality and become
q prisoner of war
Inc retreat OF our army in military point of view
was admirable Next great abilities in fighting battles
- me rare ability to withdraw your forces successfully
rom lost battle field in the face Of the enemy flushed and
maddened with victory Gen Seymour executed bis rs-
treat handsomely ard credtably Besides managing his
etreatng coumna he found time to look after the wound
cd oy Tue roadside to persuade them forward thank them
ior their gaantry and sympathze with their suffering
halt was made ut Sanderson eight miles from
the battle held coffee cooked and medical attention
gwen to the severely wounded But by some buodyr or
neglect thirty or more badly wounded men were left in
the deserted buildings of the town. From Snderson to
barber plantation, ten miles, the longest ones ever
marched over ny poor wounded aud weary soldiers wa
~ended ar cfaWed along the wounded filing the mid
night AIR with lamentations the crippled horses neghnp
IN sorrow, and the full kissing the cold clsmmY
lips of the dying
AT seven O'Clock the forces again fell into line ambu
lsnces wagons and the wounded in the advance n nor
H"n OF our batteries next mile two of stragpers
tneh came the Infantry, with Burtons br gads for the
rear guard and the cavalry and Elders battery last In
this position We marched TO Baldwin, twelve miles When
Wthih three or four miles of Baldwin portion OF the
reoei cavalry hove IN sght and after skrmishing with
our cavalry fell back. At Baldwin few cars were OBJ
famed aud many of the wounded were drawn by mula
power into Jacksonville
haowng that the enemy was following us up in force
zen seymour ordered c0mmssary stores some 6fty
or sky thousand dollars worth TO be DESTROYED This
accomplished, and several buildings which we're ammu
htrn hred we again resumed our march for Jsc ckson-
vie twenty one miles distant pushed on with the am
huahce train and reached here clock this norm
log here found negro brigade, Col Littl,feld at
work on The entertainments for the protection of the town
Consderabe CONSERVATION exists among the people here
aPpehensiVe that the rebel army may defeat our forces.
aud gam possession OF the town have no fears of ,nv
tnng OF the kDd and do believe the rebels viii I'd
vance beyond Baldwin. We hold Jacksonyiil, with
out hcuy, yet do not think it of any value To Us
c"rrect estimate Of losses the battle of Onste
cannot Dc obtained at this time tLlk our entire loss in
K'ed' wounded and missing will exceed twelve hundred
one fourth of cur army How MANY were killed in hat
ue cannot oe Told aswe left our dead and severely wounded
on ihe held Like the expeditions of Naryaez Ponce de
he s9to and other early Florida adventurers ours
ended IN disappointment, misfortune, and final defeat