Year: 1862

tnaI tDey were cleared out OF the 0pt
! ground around the fort-swept fro
the space between the houses and Il
! huge wood-pile-knocked wholly ol
), Of the camp, and when they ran f
J refuge into the clap-boarded building
the bullets sent in after them drol
them out, and swept the whole crow


off the ground. The ed. in turn,
course, sustained furious FIRE, for ii
rebel attack was nowhere made b


towards. But when the roll was calle


at evening, not man was missing.


OF dead and wounded, there was th


inevitable list. Take, also. the case {


the esd Pennsylvania. Col. McCurtel


seat to support Casey Immediately afte


the attack on him was made, this thor


oughly-trained body OF troops, consci


entiously looked after for half a yea
by a commander once distinguished 70


his zeal as Methodist preacher, Tough
| furiously for an hour-were drive


back from their position, but not bro


ken-halted at the word Of command
loaded, wheeled, and fred-retrested


halted, loaded, and fred, again ant
again, and came off the ground in per


feet order. with their two colors flying
and presenting to the whole army {
striking proof that the success of bat
ties is in the discipline Of troops. anC
the excellence Of soldiers is wholly de
prived from the conscientiousness anC
thoroughness of their officers.


But the theme is not q grateful one
and my personal interest in it is full Of
pain. Now, after long pause in the
writing of this letter, and careful col.
lection Of the facts Of the case at the
distance from the scene of action al
which 1 am placed, carefully collected
so as to correct any errors of judgment
l may have formed in the heat of the
battle, l am clearly of the opinion that
the suddenness with which Casey's d.
vision disappeared will be accounted for
by proof that at least ten or twelve
thousand of the enemy, bursting out Of
the woods, swept the uniformed and
scarcely formed regiments, with q whirl-
wind of fire and steel, right off their
feet-ran round the intrenchments and
occupied them in an instant--killing the
artillery horses as they went and seiz-
ing the batteries-and in twenty min
utes taking full possession of the ad-
vanced position of the Union army
But | am as clearly of opinion that dis
tant picketing and thorough picketing
would have averted the disaster, and,
that neglected, that thorough discipline
would have made protracted fight Of
what was a sudden rout, and would
have held at bay the rebel avalanche un-
I'll Couch or Hooker could come up
with re-enforeemeuts.


To resume the narration. Peck
stood on the extreme left waiting an
attack from a force which, we have
learned since the battle, was composed
Of three brigades. An erroneous eau
tion restrained the attack. Just before
4 p. m. word came that Couch was in
danger of being crushed, and Keyes or
dered Peck to march to his help. His
brigade had been reduced by details
and other causes to $500 men. With
these he came out of the side road
where he had been in line Of battle,
marched across the open space swept
by the enemy's shell and our own strag-
glers, and went into the woods far
through which Couch was hard at work
with three regiments and battery
But a wall Of fire was suddenly raised
up in front of Peck. The immense
force which bad hung over his left
threatening it all the day had been rap
idly countermarched way round the
front, and flung upon the right of the
center. Here Peck had met the ene-
my which be had watched since the bat
tie opened. A quarter of an hour be-
fore / had watched two streams of SOL
diers going from left to right in the
edge of the woods beyond Gen. Ca
sey's old position, and through his
camp this side, double quicking on some
intent of mischief. Out of sight, the
fery and furious scene at hand drove
them out Of mind, till the recoil oi
Peck,s men before the iHfernalist Mag
ara roar of musketry ever heard on this
continent announced the arrival of that
immense countermsrching force to smash
in cur flank, and put the wreck Of the
Left Wing in motion to the Chickahom-
my. And it was done, too, almost
Mortal men could not stand before it,
1t was the FIRE of brigades. Peck's
horse was shot from under him.
Heintzelman's was shot. Keys was
shot. Staff officers and colonies were
everywhere dismounted. and the air


hissed, screamed and roared with mis-
siles, and our men fell fast and thick


but must say, that / felt in this he'll
of unequal strife, the influence OF the
enormous struggling of Casey's men,
as distinctly as / had an hour before


felt it when | sat in my saddle behind q
noted regiment fixing bayonets, with
q visible reluctance, unquestionably
caused by the stream of retreat flowing
right in front of them. It seemed i'm
possible, for the outnumbered men to
stay--thst they must go. Not SO
thought the fighting Heintzelman.-
Mounted on the horse of one of bis or.
derlies, be few everywhere among the
retreating troops, begged them, or


dered them, threatened them, to stand;


massed them together, and led them