The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1882-07-04

ridge, and the Confederatas were not as
well eff when night closed in as when
they first assaulted johnson. That same
nerve which sustained sold Rosy" as he
saw his army rolling back melted him
to persevere, and from defeat he plucked
victory. Neither Bragg nor Polk nor
Breckenridge nor Hsrdee-the men who
fought him and felt his mettle-have
traduced him. 1t was left 10 the Union
Generals, who had never fought battle
in which he did not have from two or
four to one in men and guns.
THE wHIRLwIND OF FRIDAY.
Rosecrans knew just what ought to be
idone when that first days fight closed,
and he set about doing it. Bragg was
ifn a quandary. He had defeated the
Federal army, and yet it still confronted
him. He could not drive it further, and
he dared not walk away from it, 1t was
Rosecrans who now began to push for
ward. The 1st was spent in reorganiz-
ing his divisions and in advancing his
lines. There was an angry erowl all
along the lines, but no battle. On the
morning Of tue 81, after Rosecrans
again crossed the river and began push
ing the Confederate right, Bragg saw
the game and set out to block it. There
was a climax coming, and every man
felt it, Each Federal regiment threw up
such cover as it could, and hugged the
ground to escape the artillery fire. There
was constant rattle of musketry along
the front and steady fire between bat
teries; but no great harm was done on
either side. 1t was brain against BRAIN,
General against General. Bragg was
massing to hurl an avalanche against
the left; Roscrans was bringing up gun
latter gun to hold what ground be had
gained, and to stop that avalanche in
its rush.
At three O'Clock the Confederate ar.
ftiIlery ceased its roar, and then came the
: climax. In plain sight of every Federal
on mile front the gray lines moved
out OF the woods and rushed, and every
cannon which could bear on the Federal
position was let loose. In regimentsl
front and six lines deep. with bugles
pealing, flags flying and every man cheer
ing, the avalanche of war made its rush.
THE CRASH
Directly in the path of that rush were
the Eighty-feurtb Illinois, the Sixth and
Twenty.fourth Ohio and the Thirty
sixth Indiana. They had slight breast
work, and they hugged down behind it
Five to one were rushing down upon
them, bat not man moved. The Third
Wisconsin battery behind them began
to roar, but not musket was discharg-
ed. 1t was only when the sc ST. on
the belt-plates Of the advancing Con-
federates could he plainly seen that the
brigade sent forth its volleys. Five
hundred men toppled over dead along
the front, but the avalanche would not
halt or be turned. In five minutes the
Federal brigade was rolling back and
carrying with it the reserve A Federal
division rushes down-brigade after
brigade comes forward on the double
quick, but each and every regiment is
rollet back or flung to the right or left
Hariee rolled McCook back the same
way, but this time it is Rosecrans be-
hind the broken wing. As the last regi-
ment falls back ne opens on that advance
with sixty cannon massei for just such
an emergency. Fourteen Federal bat
teries, and all using shell and grape !!
Sixty pieces of artillery roaring and
flaming together! More than half
hundred guns pointed directly into a
dense mass Of human beings! Men said
that hell had broken loose. HILL hath
no terrors like such an assault and de
tense 1t is naelstrom OF horror.
Every circle is made up OF human bod
les battered and shattered to masses OF
pulp. Every sweep echoes shrieks and
groans and oathes and cheers. Toe vor-
tex is the blood OF brave men. The
whirlpool of war is unlike tina. of the
ocean. 1t gives up its dead and wound.
ed at nlghtfall. 1t filings back upon
field and forest the gorv fragment.-the
deal with their agoniz.d look-the dy-
ing with their prayers and groans.
The Confederate avalanche was halt
ed Then it was whirled about. Then,
as two scores OF Federal regiments
rushed back into the fight with yells of
defiance, that mighty mass turned back
on its path and was swept away. Tie
fight had not lasted over thirty minutes,
but three thousand men lay dead on the
front, and the Confederate right was
broken and routed. That repulse de-
cided the battle of Stone River. From
that hour Bragg began preparing for re-
treat.
THE LOSSES, sc.
Rosecrans fought that battle with 43 :.
600 men. and his losses footed up 8 800.
Bragg officially reported Rosecrans' force
at 5000 and his own at IS 900 Con-
federate military writer's give him 40
600 His losses footed up over 5000
men, of whom about 1000 were taken
prisoners. He captured 6 200 prisoners,
SO pieces OF artillery 5000 stands of
arms, 300 wagons and their teams, 81
wagons with ammunition, SO amhulan-
ces, 8 batlle-fags, and burned TOO or
800 wagons on the various pixies. To
his report he estimated the Federal loss
at $4,000.
The force ON either side was nearly
'he same. crediting the best authorities,
hu', as The Confeierates were constantly
assaulting, they were in superior mum.
bers in every attack In some assaults
they numbered five to one. When
Breckinridge assaulted the Federals he
flung at least eight thousand men at less
tnau twenty-five hundred. Taken as
whole, it was one of the best matched
battles of the war, and no other field
equaled it for desperate and terrific fight.
ing between man and man Let him
who hath "Stone River" engraven upon
his shield keep the letters bright
M. QUAD.
He said her hair was dyed, and when
| che ;pd dio alto avola;r,aA utT,a Il tts