Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-09-08
TRUCE IN VIRGINIA
General Corbin Calls Of the
 Fighting Armies.
DARING ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE BELL
Colonel Wngoner, Umpire Tn Chief Gave Decision Favoring Blue
 Army IA Bloodless Loss of 1.SOO Men

< 4 OI 1$OOV 1MSms
 CORPSHEADQUARTERs, GAINES. WILLIE, Va, Sept. 8.-With practically continuous fighting since early morn. ing on the defense line established by General Bell. running north and south through Thoeoughfare hostilities were stopped by General Corbin at noon in order that the men on the firing line for thirty-six hours might be relieved
 1t is estimated by army officers that the casualties during the two days of fighting have depleted the blue army by 1,800 men and the brown from 1,5OG to 1,800.
 A daring attempt was made to cap ture General Bell in his headquarters at Thoroughfare. General Bell heard of the plan, and literally took up his bed and walked. He secreted himself in farmhouse near by. The capture was planned by scouting party.
 General Bell had stripped his head quarters of it's guard for other duty and if confronted by the armed scouts would have had to accompany them to the lines of the blue army.
 Just before the recall Colonel Wag- O44OAy Ck14C1 SuoLca1OCQ J1C dO- vance of the blue army practically through General Bells left wing. This would give the advantage to the blue army on it's face, but there are many other points to be taken into consider ation which may have bearing on the general result.
 Time after time the blue army ven tured out in the open, only to be ruled back by the chief umpire. Twice hos tilities were stopped that decisions might be rendered
 When the battle opened General Bell had no artillery to oppose that of the blue army, which was pouring a terrific fire into the woods at short range. Shortly after the first cessa- tion was sounded General Bell threw a battery into action directly opposite that of the blue. This battery, how ever, consisted of only eight guns.
 For fifteen minutes an artillery duel was fought with great vigor. At the same time the musketry fire continued both in the open, on each side, and from the edge of the woods. There was lively mix-up in the woods also, and the roar of battle was reproduced with the exception of the hissing of the bullets and the shriek of the shells.
 A colonel of the blue cavalry was captured, as were the colors of the Fifth Massachusetts regiment. These colors were returned to corps head quarters by General Bell with a letter stating that he should have returned them to the regiment, but he did not want to take any action that might be regarded as spying on his ad- versary The colors were returned through corps headquarters.
 Connecticut's governor, Chamber lain, is in camp at Manassas. He will witness the military maneuvers on Bull Run field with the governors of other states and military officers. Colo nel William E. Landers, assistant ad- jutant general, accompanied the gov ernor
 The first maneuver problem has closed with General Grants force pushed through the left wing of Gen eral Bell. This put the blue force with in two miles of Thoroughfare gap, the objective point However, General Bell had Smiths brigade on the right and Barry's brigade on the left of this breach in his line, and Colonel Wag- ner, chief umpire, draws no conclusion as to what might happen had not hos tilities ceased under the command pre- viously issued by General Corbin to cease hostilities so that the tired troops might be given relief.