Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-10-06
wounded had passed over him s.iiI An :.


some struggling. There is no straggIing no,
One, gazing along these columns. wreatbe
III the smoke OF their own DISCHARGES, csnnr
imagine that a thought of retreat dwell
among them. -
/ The word IS Forward !" along the mile
of the contest. Forward !" You shall bas
it from the lips Of commanders eyerywbar,
/ From generals and colonies and captains wit
a superabundance of oaths and curses an
/ unnecessary entreaties added. The wood
ring with it. Cheers succeed it, and tn
I lines advance anew. Yondcr, in an orchar
! on the left, the troops of Getty's division c
the Sixth corps are making havoc among th
enemy. They have crossed a ravire an
taken crest, and the batteries of McCart
ney and others, posted in their rear on thi
side OF the ravine, are sending over thei
heads worse than equiuoctial tempest o
bombshells. On the right-far to the RICH
now-the army of Western Virginia, Still
pressing the foe with resistiess ardor, are re
venging Winchester. The First and Tbirc
divisions OF the Sixth corps, in center. are
making an angle out of the triangle described
before. The cavalry of Torbett, on the ex.
IRENE right, are sweeping around, prepare.
tory 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, hack from the nearing spires
OF W mchester, the echoes of the battle are
trembling. The last plateau directly over
looking the plain before Winchester is gained
by the whole army. The enemy, encompass
ed by semi-circle, fought still, retreating
upon the turthest verge of the plateau, their
artillery, driven to the plain below, being
completely silenced. Along the plateau the
forward Ol9rnb Of
sWerVlng as upon parade.
Down lower and lower vet the heads of tho
rebels sink, and are lost behind its verge
What a cheer then goes up from the Army of
the Shenandoah A cheer that, like tho
sweep of billow, ranges through the army,
making its heart glad. Forward, still for.
ward, at double quick, cheering and firing
still Winchester is in full view, its roofs
and steeples glowing red in tue setting sun.
Cur artillery, borne across the rayine to the
plateau, and along the plateau to it's furthest
verge, now does 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
helpiessly forward, like the grasses of a field
before storm. Rebel horsemen galloping
everywhere upon the plain sway useless sa-
bres and shout useless cries for their men to
rally. There is no rallying there.
And now on the right flank 9f Gen Crook
sweeps around into view, the enemy flying
helplessly before them everywhere, the cav
airy OF Gen. Torbett still forward to the right
are seen gallOping in resistless columns around
the left flank of the rebel army
o, what sight is there These hOrsemeD.
each hero, bent on vengeance, gallon in
close ranks, with sabres cleaning red, with
cries that sound above the roar Of musketry
and artillery, to complete the work of this
great day. Their horses, each arching a
proud neck, and with nostrils wide and glow
ing, have look like the Roman chariotRor
es of old in the midst of victory Faster, vet
faster, with a speed greater than the weary
feet Of the enemy they encompass, they gal
lop on and in among the flying crowds. The
saber, that arm of which so many mythical
deeds have been recorded, does actual work
now, Generals Torbett and Merritt, with their
stats, joining in the splendid glee Of the mo-
ment, are in the very front of the first line,
charging and dealing death with their men
Generals Custer and Lowell, whose brigades
are making the charge, are also in front, do
ing good service. The Sixth and Fourth New
York, Devins' brigade, join in the good work
The enemy, surrounded on their left by this
brilliant movement, can make but mOmen-
tary opposition.
Scores, forsaklng their comrades, fly to the
houses near, and conceal themselves therein
Numbers are cut down and captured, the rest
make their escape, join their flying comrades
across the Winchester pike, making toward
the town. Four hundred prisoners, four bat
tie flags, and one piece of artillery, are the
prizes, aside from the dead and wounded of
the enemy, Of this brilliant charge.
The sun, alas, sits on the horizons verge.
Across that plain before Winchester, its
beams shine upon a scene riValing in pictur-
esque sublimity all historic fields of most his
toric wars. Vast, and level, and beautiful for
miles, the field itself, unpeopled, would be
full Of romance. Peopled as it is by thou
sands of rebels, shattered, demoraIized, fly
ing, by thousands Of still pursuing troops
moving in well ordered battalions, resound
ing with torrent Of musketry and the boon
of cannon, surprising the roar Of Waterloo
it is a scene which l. at least, exhausted BY
its excitement and the sleepless marches
which have succeeded, cannot hope to sug
gest to any imagination.
The smoke of the battle alone would have
told who were the victor5. Along the rag
ged front Of the rebel hosts it rose in patch
es; along the solid front Of the Union army i
rose in straight thin clouds far off on The
heights surrounding Winchester, the enemy
artillery, again hurriedly posted, Numbered (
faint answer to cur own.
The missiles from these guns, badly aimed
pl0wed along the plain, endangering the rebe
wounded who were left i'll the retreat, quite
as much as our own meI.
One more charge ere the sun goes down.
One more charge with victory in its meaning
victory as its result. The day is won; the
rebel army is beaten and overwhelmed at ev,
cry point.
Flying through Winchester, scarcely at
tempting a stand, except to protect the re-
naming pieces of their artillery, they "a are
pursued by our men. In half an hour WIN
chester and the heights beyond are in our
possession. The twilight gathers; darkness
falls. The only signs of the enemy, met In
the morning and fought during the day, are
the echoes Of their artillery wagons retreat
inc along the pike toward Newtown.
We have taken twenty-five hundred prIs-
oners five thousand stand of arms, five piec-
es of artillery, and eleven battle flags. Near
" three thousand rebel wounded have been
left in Winchester and or the field. Gen.
Rhodes is killed. Gems. Gordon, Goodwin,
Lomax, York, and others, are known to be
wounded The rebels must have lost at least
six thousand in killed, wounded and prisoners.
Our own losses amount to between three
and four thousand killed and wounded. The
losses in the 9Th corps are nineteen officers
killed, and one hundred and ten wounded,
one hundred and sixty three men killed and
fourteen hundred and sixty-fve wounded.
The losses in the 10Th corps are said to be
between two and three hundred killed and
nine hundred wounded. The losses in the
Army Of Western Virginia are said to be two
hundred killed and six hundred wounded.
Specimen losses, illustrating the fierceness OF