The National tribune., 1881-09-10

guns. Through the frightened air rushed monster
shells Our ears were assailed by roar as if
the artillery of the whole earth, and heavens,
| too had been let off in unison. The ground
shook as if with fear. Great wreathes of smoke,
| from out of which shot tongues of flame curled
upward building lofty pyramids in ethereal space
! The golden plOwed into wide burrows, the
bosom of the earth was gashed and SCARED, the
advancing wall of gray rent and torn asunder.
Men and banners and forests of cleaning steel
went down beneath the surface of the golden sea
! to rise no more. Those who continued to breast
the fearful blast dashed bravely onward The
gaps were closed again and again, only to be re-
opened by each succeeding gust that swept above
| the heads of us who watched and waited. Be-
hind us the cannoneers were handling their pieces
as if they were toys, not huge engines of suffer
ing and death The very guns themselves seemed
endowed with life. We could feel the fiery
breath as it came in short sharp gasps from their
! blackened muzzles We could hear them groan
as they recoiled from each discharge. They shook
and trembled, and yet
CAME BRAvELY TO THE FRONT,
time after time. Ammunition boxes were emptied
and went rumbling to the rear for a fresh supply,
but others took their places and the fearful work
went on. Up from the gunboats on the river
came huge cylinders of ron-two hundred pounds
weight of metal-bursting high in air and rain
ing death upOa the advancing foemen, but their
course lay straight onward.
Fiercer and deadlier grew the storm At last
came the supreme moment when flesh and blood
could Withstand its fury no longer. Valor must
yield to the inevitable. Endurance and heroism
were unavailing. The, living wall is shattered
by the blast; small fragments begin to fall away
and go drifting slowly to the rear, when disinte-
grafton begins in earnest. Our cannon give them
one vengeful parting breath, and the flower of
Lees army are in full retreat. We spring to our
feet-we, who have waited so lOng-and charge
The day is at last. The harvest is ended
The golden sea has vanished. 1t has been Tapped
up by the flaming tongue of war. Corpses strew
the earth. In places bodies lie piled in heaps,
just they fell. The ground is crimson now,
and mangled forms and shattered weapOns-the
wrecks of battle-meet the gaze on every side,
while groans of pain and cries of agony mark
out the field that waited for the harvest and was
gathered grain was never garnered in before.
THE BATTLE ENDED
like those which had preceded it, when darkness
intervened. The result was glorious victory for
the Union arms, and had Mcclellan followed up
the advantages offered by the overwhelming de-
feat of the rebels he could doubtless have entered
their capital within the week. So thought many
of his generals. Sumner was especially unwill-
ing to obey the order to retreat to Harrisons
Landing Malvern Hill " was fought in reality
by Porter and Couch. Both acted according to
their own judgment and acquitted themselves
nobly, as did their men. General Couch has
never received the credit he deserves for his
part in the battle. No troops were ever better
handled; never was better military skill dis
played than by him. Every man who fought
under him that day knows this statement to be
true, and so may every one else who will but
study the plans and results of that mOmentOus
day. General Hunt, chief of the reserve artillery,
and Captain A. P. Martin, formerly of Martins
Massachusetts Battery, and then chief of artillery
of the Fifth Corps contributed greatly toward
the general success by the manner in which they
posted their guns; and of the others prominent
On the field there but one officer (the COM
mander of the first brigade, Morrell's division)
whose conduct was made the subject of unfavor
able comment by his men, and to him let history
accord the charity of silence. The gallant Cass,
the Fourth Michigan, laid down their lives upon
the field while leading their regiments to victory,
and so did others whose names neither time nor
space will permit of being mentioned. The men,
too, emulated their officers and fought with dis
ciplined courage which scarcely to be expected
from those who, for six long days and nights, had
been retreating before a superior foe; and yet
they were of the Army of the Potomac which, !
though often defeated, never suffered shame.
THE ORDER TO WITHDRAW
from Malvern received by General Porter at
about ten o'clock the night of the battle and he
distributed it to Sumner and Heintzelman as di-
rected The army Immediately began its march |
to Harrsons Landing General Averill, with
Buchanans brigade of the Fifth Corps and proper
artillery, covering the rear, and remaining in pos
session of the field until the next day, when he
fell back slowly, cOntesting the enemy's advance |
from point to point. The rebels pursued, but did
no special harm. All the guns, wagons, and ma |
terial made a safe passage, and the I'd of July |,
found the remnants of the army gathered upon
the bank of the James in place of safety. The
rain fell in torrents, as it had done almost every |
night and at intervals during the day from the |
26th of June, but the men did not mind it. They |
were hungry, but hunger was nothing to them |
then. They wanted repOse sleep, rest; and when |
night let down the darkness over the broad plain |