Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-09-10
FIRST VANCOUVER
PROBLEM CLOSED
"Blue" Army Pushed Through Left
Wing of the Brown"
SEVERE FIGHTING ALONG LINE

Gainesville. Va, Sept. S.-The first
vancouver problem closed with Gen.
eral Grants force pushed through the
left wing of General Bell. This put
The Blue force within two miles of
Thoroughfare Gap, the objective point.
However. General Bell had Smiths
brigade on the right and Barry's bril-
gade on the left of this breach in his
line, and Colonel Wagner. chief UNI
pire. draws no conclusion as to what
might happen had not hostilities
ceased under the command previously
issued by General Corbin to cease hos
tilities so that the tired troops might
of the Blue force was made by Gen.
eral Whit with Prices brigade. con-
sisting of the 10th Virginia. the First
Maine. First Alabama and 10th infan-
try. Previous to this there had been
severe fighting on the line to which
General Bell had fallen back during
the night. This line. the Antioch road,
was within two miles of the western
limit of the manoeuvre zone and ex-
tended the five miles of the zone.
While General Bell was falling back
to the new line from the Carolina road.
which had been the scene of conflict
the day before. General Grant occu-
uied the hours between midnight and
daylight in concentrating his forces
for an attack on the Brown left. He
withdrew all of his cavalry from the
southern portion of his line, their po-
sition on the first day. and threw two
full brigades and 16 guns to the point
placed that IL had unobstructed play
for an hour on the Brown line. The
effect of this fire was not taken into
account by a decision rendered by the
umpire on the field early In the bat
tie. when the Blue force was required
to fall back, but was taken into ac-
count later and credit given accord
ingly to the effect of the fire of the
Blue artillery.
Every spectacular feature of battle
in full progress was produced in the
manouvers, and the field was viewed
from near and far by many spectators.
General Corbin went among the troops
of both armies and made close obser-
walton of the progress of the battle.
At 6 O'Clock this morning the prob
lem was reversed and the Brown army
took the field against the Blue in the
effort to strike at Washington.
The militia troops displayed the
usual disadvantage of experience in
the field Many of them ate their two
days rations the first day and went
hungry The regulars set them good
example in this respect, dividing their
supplies equally between the two days.
Complaint of depredations by militia
men came to headquarters from We'll
lington. where II was claimed that the
First South Carolina regiment had
cleaned out provision store absolute
ly. The loss will be reimbursed to the
proprietor and the amount deducted
from the pay of this regiment.
The first serious casualty of the ma
MOWERS occurred yesterday. Private
Williams. of the Seventh cavalry. a
member of the Brown army. was shot
in the right lung with a wad from a
blank cartridge. The shot was fired by
a soldier in a Tennessee regiment at
short range. and was purely accidental
and incident to the manouvers. II is
thought the wounded man will recover