Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-09-29

after its prey. ursHs and his men, In
that proud moment when they sent the
pride of the Tartars careering over the
precipice of Donoc, felt the thrill |
that every true soldier in this army felt
at this brave hour,
The word is Forward N along the |
miles of the contest Forward |" You
shall hear it from the lips Of command
erS everywhere, from generals and colo
nels and captains, with a superabund-
ance OF oaths and curses and unnecessary
entreates added, The woods ring with
it. Cheers succeed it, and the lines ad-
vance anew, Yonder in an orchard on
the left, the troops of Getty's division
of the 9th Corps are making havoc
among their enemies. They have cross
ed ravine and taken q crest, and the
batteries Of Mccartney and others, post
ell in their rear on this side Of the IA
vine, are sending over their heads a
worse than equinoctial tempest ofbomb
shells. On the right-far to the right
now-the army of Western Virginia,
still pressing the foe with resistlesS ar
dor, are revenging Winchester. The
First and Third divisions of the Sixth
Corps, in centre are making an angle
out of the triangle described before
The cavalry of Torbet, on the extreme
right, are sweeping around, preparatory
to a last and overwhelming charge soon
to be made. The artillery, closing up
on our rear, thunders still more heavily.
Back from the mountains, back from the
nearing spires OF Winchester, the echoes
80 40 hattln hlinm Tho lnS
plateau directly overlooking the plain
before Winchester is gained by the whole
army. The enemy, encompassed by a
semicircle, fought still, retreating upon
the furthest verge of the plateau, their
artillery, driven to the plain below, be-
ing completely silenced Along the
plateau the forward march of our bat
tallions is as answering as upon parade.
Down lower and lower yet the heads of
the rebels sink, and are lost behind its
verge, What cheer then goes up from
the Army of the Shenandoah A cheer
that, like the sweep of billow, ranges
through the army, making its heart in
tinitely glad Forward, still forward,
at a double quick, cheering and firing
| still Winchester is in full view, its
roofs and steeples glowing red in the
| setting sun. Our artillery, borne across
the rayine TO the plateau. and across the
| plateau TO its farthest verge, now does a
| work so terrible that to witness it is
| sickening The whole rebel army,
swept down the slope and on to the
| plain below, is completely demoralized.
| At every discharge of our guns its ranks
bend helplessly forward, like the grasses
of a field before a storm. Rebel horse
men, galloping everywhere upon the
! plain, sway useless sabres and shout
useless cries for their men to rally
There is no rallying there.
And now, as the right flank of Gen
Crook sweeps around into view, the
enemy flying helpleSsly before them
every where, the cavalry of Gen. Torbert
still forward to the right are seen gal
looping in resistless columns around the
j left flank of the rebel army o, what d
! sight is there The horsemen, eacn &
hero bent on vengeance, gallop in CLOSE
ranks, with sabres cleaning red, with
cries that sound above the roar OF mus
kerry and artillery, to complete the worf
of this great day. Their horses, eacl
arching proud neck, and with nostril
wide and glowing, have d look like tn
Roman chariot h0rSes OF old in tn
midst of victory. Faster, yet faster
with speed greater than the wear,
feet of the enemy they encompass, the,
gallop on and ia among the fyin,
crowds. The sabre, that arm of whicl
so many mythical deeds have been re
corded, does actual work now.
Gems. Torbet and Merritt with thei
stats, joining in the splendid glee of tn
moment, are in the very front of the frs
line, charging and dealing death wit
their men. Gen. Custer and Lowell
whose brigades are making the charge
are also in front doing good service
The Sixth and Fourth New York, Dew
ms brigade, join in the good work Tn
enemy, surrounded ON their left by thi
brilliant movement, can make but mo
mentary opposition. Scores, forsakin,
their comrades, fly to the houses near
and conceal themselves therein. Mum
bers are cut down and captured, the res
make their escape, join their flying com
rades across the Winchester pike, max
ing toward the town. Four hundre,
prisoners, four battle flags and one piec
of artillery are the prizes, aside from tn
dead and wounded of the enemy, of thi
brilliant charge.
The sun, alas. sits on the horizon
verg1. Across that plain before Win
chester, it's beams shine upon seen
rivaling in picturesque sublimity al
historic fields of most heroic wars. Vast
and level, and beautiful for miles, tn
field itself, unpeopled, would be full o
romantic interest. Peopled as it is b,
thousands of rebels, shattered, demeral
lied, flying, by thousands still pursuing
troops moving in well ordered battalion
reSounding with torrent of musketry
and the boom of cannons surprising tn,
roar of Waterloo, it is scene which l
at least, exhausted by its excitemen
and the sleepless marches which hav,
succeeded, cannot hope to suggest t.
any Imagination. The smoke Of thu
BEETLE alone would have told who were
the victors. Along the ragged front O
the rebel hosts it rose in patches along
the solid front of the Union army it rose
in straight thin clouds. Far off on the
nights surrounding Winchester, the enc.
mys artillery, again hurriedly posted
| Numbered faint answer to our own