New-York tribune., 1904-09-08
GRANT WINS DAYS FIGHT
BELLS FLANK TURNED.
Halt Called to GiUe Troops at Bull
Run Needed Rest.
CThe sphere:
lBr TELEGRAPH TO THE rR1BUNE-l

army, IS considered as having obtained the final
strategic advantage in the problem of the last
two days, the chief umpire. Colonel Wagner. ex-
plains that It Is possible to accord to either
General Grant or General Bell the distinction of
victory, The problems as they are worked out
contain too many obstructions to give them any
great military value. and 1t has already become
a serious question whether the next manoeuvres
will have such problems presented in
last years mansuvres and now in this vicinity
The umpires yesterday and to-day found it
somewhat difficult TO render their decisions. and
there was difference of opinion among them
as to which OF the troops should be ruled out OF
action 1t is certain that men who have nothing
to fear in the way Of injury and officers who
obliged to consider only theoretical losses are
found in strategic positions which would bs i'm
possible IN real war.
One OF the most valuable features OF the
mansuvres is lacking IN the absence OF lectures
and discussions following the days work Next
year this will probably be arranged so that there
Will be less manoeuvres and better opportunity
Of exchanging views.
General Grant took up his task OF forcing Cen
eral Bell and his brown army through Thor
oughfare Gap last midnight Fighting did not be-
gin at that hour. but the reaIignment Of posi-
tons and the assuming OF new ones occupied
the forces OF both armies until daylight The
imaginary reinforcements OF the blue army TO
arrive during the night from Fairfax Court
House seashed their destination and were placed
In position on General Grants left General
Bell officially informed OF the arrival OF
these reinforcements. on the principle that he
would have ascertained the fact through his
scouts we're the reintorcements real
GENERAL BELL FALLS BACK
General Bell. notwithstanding the repulse OF
the attack on his centre, which was in progress
when the day closed yesterday. deemed it ad-
visahie TO fall back to a shorter defensive line.
This he established In the night from Buckland,
on the extreme south OF the zone. through
Thoroughfare. which Is about and one-half
miles east OF the gap. TO Antioch. on the
treme north. The defence was established by
daylight and on 1t General Grant advanced
After practically continuous lighting since
o'clock on the line established by General Bell.
hostilities were stopped by General Coroin az
noon. in order that the who had been
the firing line for nearly thirty-six hours might
be relieved Just before the recall was sounded
Colonel Wagner. chief umpire. sustained the ad-
vance Of the Blue army practically through Gen
eral Bells left wing This would give the ad-
vantage to tho Blue army on its face. but there
were many other points to be taken into con-
sideration before giving dnal decision
Besides this movement a battle was fought
throughout the morning. which two brigades
OF the Blue hammered one and a half origades
OF Brown Just 10 the north OF the final fanking
movement Besides having a superior force the
Blue army masked a battery OF twenty guns
which commanded the Brown defence line.
Each side occupied a strip OF woods and fought
ever an open space Of about six hundred yards.
which sloped down in the centre Time after
time the Blue army ventured out in the open.
only TO be ruled back by the chief umpire.
hat
might be rendered
TURNING MOVEMENT BEGINS.
shortly after II o'clock the turning movement
began. The Fourth Brigade Of the blue army
advanced through the woods on the right OF
the brown. The line OF the brown had TO swing
to position along a fence and in the edge of
the woods to meet this movement In doing
so they came under a strong enflading fire Of
the blue advance and II for this reason
that the advance of the blue army was sus-
tained in the ruling, just before the cessation
OF hostilities The blue force here was superior
to the brown though it had to fght in the open
and against the concealed brown line. The
lighting here was fast and furious for about
thirty minutes, and was stopped that the UNI
pire might decide who had the better Of the
situation. He sustained the blue advance.
4 daring attempt made LAST night TO
capture General Bell IN his headquarters at
Thoroughfare The capture was not made be-
cause General Bell had heard OF the plan. and
literally took up his bed and walked. He Sc
creted himself in a farmhouse near by and
slept till morning The capture was planned
by a scouting party. General Bell had stripped
his Headquarters of its guard for other duty.
and II confronted by the armed scouts would
have had to accompany them 10 the lines OF
the blue army
The work OF night marching and day lighting
which has been done by the regiments OF each
command since midnight Monday is beginning
TO tell on them. To-day they were tired, but
issued bv General Corbin. after visiting the
firing line to-day ana viewing the condition
OF the men, to postpone the problem until o
o'cIocl, in the morning. This viii give the men
six hours additional rest The cessation AT noon
to-day will add three hours to this.
The blue forces which opened the attack
were the brigade OF General Wlnt consisting
of eight companies OF the 9th Massachusetts
the whole of the 18th New-York, SIX companies
OF the LIST Georgia. TWO battalions OF the lst
Connecticut, six guns Of the I'D Battery, six
guns OF the 9th Battery and four guns of the
Massachusetts battery, and ten TO twelve troops
of the 10th Cavalry.
The brown army consisted of the Second and
Fourth hrigadeS under command or General
Barry and General Smith; the "a Georgia, the
Sth Massachusetts 18th New-York 4th New
JerseS one battalion Delaware infantry. %
South Carolina I'd Vermont ana Two hattalions
Of West Virginia infantry
II is estimated by army officers that the
ualties in the two days OF lighting have depleted
the blue army by 1.SOd men and the brown
from 1500 TO 1.s00-
-