The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-01-04
A MONTH OF BATTLES.
Continued from page L.

Geo. A. Cribs, Of Co. i, and Lieut..
McClintock, Of Co. c. were mortally
Lieut. Harries OF Co. H, Capt. Bieser
and Lieut.. Schall. OF Co. c, and Capt.
E. H. Ranch, Of Co. III, were among the
severely wounded.
The regiment during the battle was
under the command OF AdJt Israel
Uncapher, and maintained its place
until OF 346 men 176 were killed and
wounded. During the brief but des-
perate fight on Bald Hill the color
guard suffered terrible loss. No less
than five men were shot down with the
| regimental flag I'm their hands.
The Retreat to Washingtsn.
The 31st of August was occupied
| principally in caring for the wounded.
reorganiZing and in preparation for
coming military movements. The Con-
federates did not attempt to follow our
retreat across Bull Run, but our right
| being open, no barrier was in their way
| to prevent their purpose Of getting into
| our rear between Fairfax and Wash
! ington. They were observed I'm strong
force on the Aide Pike marching rap
idly upon our right flank. Centeryille
was no longer tenable ground, and
| with it's thousands OF wounded and dy-
ing was given up.
| Early on the morning Of the 1st Of
September our army was in motion, the
| head of the column facing Washing
ton. The enemy's cavalry lowered on
our left flank in strong force and an
attack was momentarily expected.
When within three miles Of Fairfax,
and when the column was in motion,
the growl of artillery and a sudden
voiley of musketry on our left flank
announced an attack from the enemy.
Though sudden there was no faltering
fl the jaded lines as the storm of bull
~ 4
derbrush that partially concealed the
enemy from view. Defeated at Manas-
sas, discouraged by disaster, and deci-
| mated by battle, there was neverthe-
less manifested at this time a desperate
purpose to fight to the bitter end in
the last ditch" Scarcely had the
echo Of the enemy's artillery died out
upon the Summer air when an Aid
galloped forward and delivered to Col.
Coulter the following verbal order,
Colonel, you will file left and form
line in the edge of the timber" at the
| same time pointing out strip Of wood
land on our immediate left. The or
der was at once obeyed. Still further
to the left the rattle of musketry at
once increased into one continuous roar
that swelled in volume every moment
and resounded through the gloomy
woods like the steady roll Of thunder.
In the west a dark storm-c!oud.
to mimic the drama of hell below,
rolled up from the horizon, at inter-
walls Illuminated by vivid flashes Of
lightning, succeeded by terrific peals of
thunder that mingled with the almost
incessant roar of artillery, and formed
ever been my lot to behold. The
genii Of the tempest and the red hand
of war We'd with each other in terrific
grandeur end awful fury.
Death of Kearny and Stevens.
The furious attack of the Confeder-
ates was met with firmness, disci-
pline and courage on the part of our
| exhausted regiments that might have
put to shame the boosted bravery of
the invincible "Old Guard of the
Great Napoleon. With precision and
skill equal to the evolutions on dress
parade our forces changed front left
| musketry and artillery. The Confeder-
ates emerged from the woodland and
advanced steadily. Their battle flags,
| dust-stained and torn as our own, were
again in the front and followed with
heroic devotion by dense masses of
men in gray and butternut, who doubt
less expected to break and crush our
bleeding army and thus insure the
speedy capture of Washington. They
were, however, doomed to disappoint-
ment, for when a prolonged roar of
| musketry opened along our bristling
blue line of battle their splendid form
alton shook, trembled, faltered, then
braced, reformed, and again quivered
with death, dismay and defeat. While
torrents of rain washed out the blood
stains upon the green grass and leaves,
and the musketry died away with the
sGrly mutterings of thunder in the
heavens, they fled from the field that
had cost them SO much in blood. The
victory was dearly won, for the dash
ing Gen. Phil Kearny, 1.-The one-armed
devil" the accomplished Gen. Stevens
and the brave Col. Geo. w. Pratt, of
New York regiment, met their fate in
this brief but sanguinary battle.
Night gathered apace in pitchy
blackness, and our forces bivouacked
in line on the field. No fires were
kindled and no lights pierced the gloa:
of night save when vivid flashes
of lightning, following in the wake of
the storm cloud, for an instant flashed
upon the bloody field, only to leave it
darker than before. Wrapping our
selves in rain-soaked blankets, w lay
down upon the wet earth to sleep away
the fatigues and forget the perils of
the battle. Though drenched by rain,
we yet slumbered deeply, and when
morning dawned thousands of forms
rose up from the soggy earth, their
blue uniforms smoking with the steam
that evaporated from them when ex-
posed to the air. After breakfast our
march toward Washington was re-
sumed. Lees effort to throw himself
between our lines and the Capital had
been thwarted. Fooled in this, he was
now pushing his jaded foot cavalry"
under Jackson toward the upper Poto-
mac fords with the evident intention
Of crossing into Maryland, where Balti-
more and Washington could be equally
menaced.
Inside the FOrtihcatiOns.
After a toisome march late in the
evening of Sept. our brigade Hart
suff's) camped on Halls Hill, within
the Notifications of Washington, in
sight Of the city, some four miles dis
tant. The massive dome of the Capt.
toll rose high above the mists that half
obscured the less imposing structures
surrounding it.
Four days were occupied i'm rest and
the work of reorganizing on Halls Hill
Pope's disastrous campaign had to a
great extent been demoraliZing, and the
army had been decimated by disease,
assertions, death and wounds until it
was but skeleton of it's former self
when its commander vauntingly an
nounced headquarters in the saddle"
and led it against the brave followers