, 1864-06-10
An EuEli&h Estimate OF American
Fighting.
FRro,,, {},n T.nndnn fT4mea Nav pk1

from the London Tmea, My 81
The details Of the great battles in America
arc calculated rnther to enhance than di-
mtufgh the sensation with which the tele-
grams were received There has been no eH.
asesration, no ovcretrained description Of
recollected that even tho long reports Of ia
rious fighting, which We yesterday published.
still leaYe the days OF sanguinary action nn-
accounted for, 1t must be allowed that war
has never come before Us In shape 80 appal-
ing. Perhaps the Americans may be proud
Of tbs pre-emiuence, but. they have Ger
t.iniy fought more desperately; Tor longer
any netiop before them. 1t would not be In
possible to match the results of any one day's
battle with stories from the wars Of the Old
World: but never, VIC should think in the
history Of man, were i've such battles as these
compressed into six successive days. 1t Is
hard to conceive how nature could have Sup
ported the exhaustion aud the strain. We
have been told that after single days hard
fighting the lassitnde and reaction In even
Victorious army are such that any fresh force
might snatch It's 1anrels from It; whereas
here arc two armies hotlY engaged In the
work Of slaughter from the morning OF Thurs-
day til the night Of Tuesday with scarcely
The tnternisslon Of m hour. On every day,
except Saturday, there Was pitched battle,
contested with the utmost fury; aud even
Saturday was devoted to marching and fight.
| Ing on the march. Nor were these prodigtous
| operations divided amNaE immense numbeEa
brought into action by rffaya, Ncltherarmy
numbered apparently over l0o, 900 men, aud
| OF these cyerY man eeemed to h4re been en-
! rurcd In every battle. Indeed, We are ex
pressly told that the Federal "rcservcsn vert
| brought up on the very first day.
BurstlnE OF the Great Wlnrd Gum.
4 r,hc ,,,onsfer pr,n uh0se cAstfne at thI
Wiard Ordnance Works we described aomt
weeks since, was on Saturday last subjected
| to 30 severe q test as to czuse Its almost tota
| destruction Though OF but fifteen inche,
cslibre, the gun, from its peculiar pattern
! was probably the bulkiest piece of orlnanc.
ever made In this country, being IS feet ii
length, over si1 feet In exterior diameter
and weighing Over q. coo pounds. The charg'
ed, consisting OF 50 pounds of quick-burn1aE
powder, and an elevated ehot or 800 pound
weight; the cartridge waA Is inches In diam
ter by 15A In length, the ball a solid doublt
shot is inches by "a. This is more than thres
times the service charge. The gun was f1ret
about dusk, and caused an explosion By
which many in the city, at be distance o
two miles, were much a9armed; when ths
clouds Of smoke and gravel had subsided, Il
vas found that the gun had been blown Il
fragments, one piece OF about Is. 900 poundI
| weight having been hurled q distance o
about go feet, In view Of the .immenB'
charge, Mr.. Wizard took everg precaution te
Keep the bystauders at = safo distance, AMI
to Ills caution wemay attribute the fact tha
no one was at all injured, though the fgint
fragments passed In Alarming proximity Il
many ol the epectators~ Wbether the rup
! turr was caused by defective casting, or wa
! duc merely to the heavy ch2rga, We are una
BE to stafe.-1trnto7 M ~ Monitor.