Maryland free press., 1867-06-06
iFraa nAEfLH os ~ IL

~ s''ns es'.e17 W. 9'V' 97a
ssrsharps was the first ana last great battl,
Syea tl,s soifpf Maryland. In the hours Of on,
Stltten berd day was decided the fate of Baltimor,
" Esuttb ashlngfon. ATTactica,i$ drawn battle i
WIS stfateglcalN O. Confederate defeat *Addstc
uleSe notable features the further circn instance
81 TINT It was the last 0fght Of, Mcclellan. Thai
ought, ought, Of itselssto make it Interesting. -9'
bet US followthe steps Of the two athletes who
j had already crossed swords on the banks of the
Shckahominyg and who now advanced to a fnsl
dr4al OF each other muscle the soil of Mary
"A, land These hardy 1adyersaries were Lee, com
tnanding the Army of Northern, Virginia. and
n Mcclellan, commaudingthe Army Of the Poto-
II ,lnac, sG g.fe ,,ysi s-r-,,t,f r 80 f;ssessss
On the last day of August the fate of General
r.! Pope had been decided His shattered battalions
had ,retreated from the fields of Manassas and
Lee pressed on to complete the victory which
had cost him so much BLOOD General Pope had
but one ambition now-to save the remnant of
his armY-and TO the wotk he sedulotsly ad-
dressed himself on Monday, the lst of lSepten-
Z her, by doing what he ought to have done be-
fore delivering gibattle-ntilzing, that is to say.
the troops of Sumner and franklin
These had pushed out as rapidly as possible
ssfrom Alexandria, and now, on this lst of Sep
tember, were at Germantewn-a small village
mile or two west of Fairfax Court House. Here
3 line Of battle was formed with the right at Ger
= 1ehe troops were hardly in position when-the men
i af jackson Were seen advancing by the Little
4 River turnpike.
w. Their commander was worn ont, and had sat
nown under tree, leaned his back against the
runk, folded hishands across bis breast, and
sa ar's asteeps The-efaes of the skirmishers awoke
sim soons'f he rose, amunnycd his horse, and in
1frcen minutes was at the head of his column,
itihPn advancing upon the enemy.
= ga1 FhIs7 battle was;a strange one. No sooner
fl.Sesd tile artillery begin to roar, ihan as if in
response, the heavens echoed it. The cheers OF
{. the. men were responded to BY tlierlshing sound
of great wind in the trees; the glare of the can
mon by dazzling flashes of lightning; the thunder
1 1f the guns by crash after crash from the black
and lowering clouds. In the midst of this con
. 4llct of the elements, the human conflict COM
Nlneneed, and the huge torrents of rain which
tosoon&began to fall seemed the protest of the in
animGte world against this reveI of mans pas
asiops. So heavy was the riin, that one Of jack
srs0n S commanders sent him word that the
powder of the men could not be kept dry; he'
:. would Soen be compelled to abandon his position
But ilat thing OF abandoning position rarely
suited jackson. :: 8. - -
~ Tell him to hold his ground" he said in
qfhrefnccents, to the messenger; 'tif his guns will
* not 60 off, neither will the enem,'sr'
a. And the7ine remained firm the enemy made |
no headWay, and yet they fuu ur1t well. They |
were.freSh, and comm anded by the ave Kear- |
peY and o:h'rs This day was to b, the last OIL
stle,ofd foe of Fremout. Kearney rushed forward |
{, t, rtllythis lines, mistook Confederate party |
3 fbri his own men, turned aud galioped away; |
s bllt l,allct took hlm. ,, f+. ."
s95 GA the next morning | was riding along the
Ii turnpike, and saw acrowd gathering at small
~ house by the wayside.
81 "iyltr are those men looking at ?'' inquired
of a soldier. ..
= '.s.tt the body of General Kearncy, which
Z no 10 iiiSfor f,,c with ofI
truce, TO is friends"
90 After the fl of this gallant soldier, the enemy
did not continue thecon,est with much ardor
,vAt night they still were there in the dark and
= dripping woods which the storm IaShed as be-
fore; at dawn. tley had disappeared. Behind
thai friendly rampant, covering the Warrenton
ssrnad 10 Centreyille, General Pope had rereated
sAt sunrisr-Sptarfs cavalry rushed with cheers
into. FairElx hut the Feteral columns were as
far as Anntnfae, In the deLris-guns, oil +
cloths. and kIrlpsacks--scattered along the road,
YOU read ptai,Iv sttExt Pope"
Aud n0withe unskilled soldiers on that 81 of
z 1Septcmber, 1862, thought eve are going Slraighi
= toszzW ashiH9fon. w. No il SIS a -personage than
ss,lacksan seemed 10 encourage this idea. Sitting
his horse Onstle QXhi! ridge surrounded by tn,
curious he said iriear TO an officer:
81 f'W hat roa5s lea,lto Vienna aud ----?"
The latter Yoeiis were spnkin too lowto bc
cau hi Receiving rcpIy, he nodded, reflected
IL 80 ~; -" Saa seeI Nv fo w
n"o, ol 1'S ~ "n'a.''
the .Cnmterla1h Yaiev. .s.., ,..t =, 80 I
M.GsaSad AZ ~: 49, y ~ y.lsse
p.s,nSry, @ ny ~ is sS'o''u o'''''s@
= No time was lost, The mon uero worn. 70 81
.ssa -. VIZ -, w. "a
ris,i r,;an of 9 s ~ fag o ah 3 ,5"mg ,hag
wasihe time 10 padse.i Before the smoke hid
canS.r ds /. na,o,. ;m trao a,o ro'I ~ ssms ~"
fe Pntom5cat esopr;n 'Sse
and the hands nisr;ng ttuaryiana nv M,r,,I,di;;
IN fbe III of Sante,obar 90 h,d r,ossad i,;s
afrnr;n tbe r;cinity IF Froder;cl, Gitv NE
t,a hard o.S
esss Pcope' VINO slRposea , fat the N4Eylspders
ss No., y s,s,sss Il sHs don duonsu ~
nbas !, "a Nm -