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m )t lUc dun (Lonstmmoimitst. BV JAMES GARDNER. From the Charleston Courier. OTJE ARMY CORRESPONDENCE THE SECOND BATTLE OF MINASSAB. DESCRIPTION of THE |sEtl\ ? -IREAT THE SCENES —THE REXD AFTER RUK FIGHT- ISCI DENTS, AC., AC. ~, Nc.\a Germantown, Sept. 2, ISG2. Mv ;ut letter, written on the field immediately after tfie bef.le, eare yon a hunud. yet not tncori rect general account of the aß*ir, based ?>l'“ n ; litD'ted personal obsermtione. . ince then IHiavr , tra-heredraany interesting particulars iruoi oilier*, j »ud in the present communication ajaliende.ivor : *e lay before your readers a full uid connected | iarrative of the splendid achievement. ! I may premise br saying that no event o. the | war has been more decisive or eat siac'orv in its | results; no great battle has been more speedily j fought, severely contested or quickly won. am ; nev'-r before has our unscrupulous enemy been j forced so soon to acknowledge ins utter de’eut. | Zi my former letters and teiegrams kuve reached j their destination, you already know'he circuro- j -stances of our advance hither; the departure from I •Orange Court House; the tnuveineu'. across the j Hap.dan; the steady retreat ot the Federala be- j fore us; tbeir stand .at the Rappabtnnock; the | artillerv duel at the rail bridge; liie thnk mo-f i ment up the river to Waterloo.ai.d subsequ miy | eight taiics to .the left, our passage thert; the i continual edgiDg around the leftoi the euemy, | also by Jackson, with Eongstreet m tie leal and , to the rigtl; the advance ot ••Ssronewali" to Bris tow and ''iaaassa.-j the capture and destruction ! there of immense stores ot provisions, i medicines and matt HA of war, including cuts, | wagon trains and hundreds of prisoners : ue . burning ol the railroad bridge over Bud Rural i t’nion Kills; the severing of comuiunicauoa win, Washington; tbe falling back ol Jackton; the ! march ot hoDgsircet's emp* fame through Thoroughfare Gap, in the Bull Run monntairs, | and the' fight at that point; and finally the tons j cecirelun of our earire army behind and around the cid battle ground ot Manassas. All this was the result of the strategy of Gen. • Lit and it is needless tc add that under Jackson and L«»nge*reel the details of the grand.plan were | earned oat in every respect, and that tLQeaemy | were outfitted and discomfited at every point. j for ten days or more the troops of both ts these : Generals in the advance were constantly under lire. The former had been engaged in no less ttxa four serious lights. Many of the Iran were j barefooted, in rags, provided with only a single j blanket as a protectu® against the heavy dtws and severe cold at night, frequently they would .git nothing from daylight toduji.gbt, nitons at j best consisted of t »rd bread ami water, xith an i occasional intermingling of bacon, and the whole j arruv were in wbat at any other time they would have chaiacter:red as a suffering coodtioo. Not* • withstanding these adverse circumstances,not aj murmur oi complaint has been heart, marches of ; twenty aud iu one instance of thirty' miles t day hajre been patiently endured, and the spirit of the • army so tar from being broken was elevated to * ! degree of ea husiasai which foieboded nothing but the victory it won. The determination ueve; j to be defeated wae written in every face. Friday fiuad Jackson’s army aligned on t ue • est of the VV'urrectoa turnpike, w>tt his left wing ! resting near Ball Fan, and hie right not far fritfn , Oroveton—the whole column parallel or th«re> ah with the road. When I rf»?afc of army { lines, I refer to th* genera! disposition of 'he ! troops, and not to the exact situation < fbrigades, which, in the course of an engagement, frequents j ly face every arc of a circle. The di ision or Gen. Anderson had not ’et arrnved, and the corps oi I Longstreet hud not been fully placed in position. The enemy, probably aware of our movements, selected this opportunity to make an attack upon j Jackson, hoping thereby to turn otir left, destroy our combinaiims, and disconcert tbs plans which had already become apparent to the federal Com manders. After heavy cannonading and skir* mishing, which commenced early in the morn ing, the enemy at 4 o’clock F\ M. moved in force against Juckeon’3 line. Toe Washington Artillery of New Orleans and several other batteries were planted upon a high bill that commanded the extensive ground over which the enemy were advancing, and just in front of this, perhaps a little to the left, the fight began. The Federal-: threw forward u heavy col umn, supported by held batteries, und under cover of their tire made a bold stroke to divide our line, i The blow tell upon a portion of Ewell’s troops, j wtto were concealed behind the embankment of*n railroad, but no sooner had the enemy appeared within close range than they received a terribly galling fire, wh.ch drove them from that portion of th field. As they ran, our artillery opened upon the flying mass with shell and round shot Every bill could be seen taking effect. The enemy felt by scores, un*’’ finally ifae once beautiful line melted confusedly into the the woods Os the Yankee regiment it is stated that but three w*le left unharmed Again they rent wed the attack, and gradually tbe fight tie- j came general alcog nesriy the entire column of Jackson. *Th«* enemy made tremendous efforts, bui the old "Stonewall” withstood ererv shock. As the after mon progressed, however, General L-e discovered that -trong Yankeereinforcements were coining up, und accordingly ordered the dm viaior of General JLoo.d, belonging to Ungstreet’s corps, to make a dei/ionstration on the enemy's left. Tbis was dor*, perhaps an hour before dark, und the m meat,they went in, ibedifference becau* perceptible at a glance. Jackson, thus strengthened, fought with renewed V)gor, and the j enemy not knowing the nature of the reinforce- i .mens, end diverted by ourennet, which com pell- , him to change big 4inea, was proportionately ! weakened. The result was, that at dark Hood’s division Had driveii the for*?s in fronted them three quarters of a mile from our starting point, and had it not been for the lateness of the hour, might bar_» turned the defeat into an utter rout. In this affair, the Hampton Legion, IStb Geor jgm, Ist, A— and <*>th Tex**, known as “Whiting’s brigade, but more recently as "Hood’s.” paruci*. patted, and from ev«ry source i learn thev per formed their part in the bloody drama "hand*, aoflttely. During the fight the Eighteenth Geor gia, Fifth Texas and the Hampton Legion, encountered the Hevemeenth, Twenfv-second, I Twenty-fourth and F rty-foeirth New York rect„ 1 mems, who were concealed from view be a deep i ravine, ana before they were aware of it, tbe I antagonism wer- within twenty steps of each * other. Oar men secured the advance of the j first fire, however, and rushing forward with a veil after their voLey, were in a moment upon tbe Yankee ranks. Adjutant Patton, of the E gh teenth Georgia, made a d..sh for the color of the I Twenty-fourth New York, but tbe bearer refusiug i to give it up, one of the Georgians, named Ser- ! O’Neti, popped upon him in true Irish atrle 1 and knocked him down with hib fist. During tbis 1 -han-J conflict, Lieutenant Smith, also off iLc Eighteenth, was attacked with a bayonet, I wl *h he Cd-ignt with his left hand, and witu the ; Mhtr b-ougbt his opponent to the ground. Lieut. ! .Thomas, of the Hampton Legion, had a similar fight i»:th the color bearer of the Twenty*second | New York, in which he secured the fLgof that ] ; regiment. j | For the first time in its history the demand wa« j i made m tbia fight for the surrender of tbe ts amp- \ *c>n Legion by uhe Colonel of the 22d New York. I Surrender h— ll r ” thundered Col. Gary# “If you t don't ddhv*r your sword up I’ll blow your brains J i oat, sir.' These are South Carolinians,” where-, upon the prudent Yankee gave up his sword and | was baDded over as a prisoner ot war. The mv in front of Hood was now being routed, and 1 the d&rkuess eloping m upon the scene our troops bivouacked upon the held. Daring the night or* ; ders came from headquarters to fall hack to their original position, which was done—a dia'ance of ! threesfourth3 of a mile. The object of ibis move- . ment was to draw the enemy into tbe tr *p which had been set, to be sprung upon the following j dav, and it is this simple retrograde movement ; which led to the dispatch sent' by Gen. Pope to ! Washington, stating that he had whipped our ar my and driven us from the field, but confessing that the Federal loss w as eight thousand ;n killed and wounded. O; our »wn loss on that occasion 1 have no ! means of forming an estimate. We captured sev* , eral hundred prisoners, arms, and a number of B J g». THK B ATTLE OF SATURDAY. Friday night found those of our men who were not engiged'in bnrying the dead and bringing awjy the wounded, sleeping upr n their arms. All tbe troops of Longstreet s corps, with the eis ception ofGVr. R. H. Anderson’ which was on'y three or four miles in the rear, hud taken their j places in the line of battle, and every one looked forward to toe events of th-* conning day, the aCn j ticipat ions of which had sus-aii ed our soldiers 1 und-r the terrible fati.mc, discomforts and depri vations, of thrir ten data tedious march. “IV.v-n awokefiromltsstarry s'lence. To 'he .iiim ot gathering brmlea,” and. with the first streak of daylight visible through ihe light mist which usceucied fr:m the woods, the men sprang from their lairs to arms. : and prepared for the onset. The pickets were within four hundred yards of each other, and be tween these tiring now eimmeuced, and extended along the entire line S* me times you should bea*- the discharge of a sing'e gun; again it would j fc ' a sharp succession of reports, ks if a half dozen mnxz’es were aimed at a single object, and frequently a volley would salute the ear. AH ; these however were but the faint puffs of wind which precede the hurricane, i At an early hour Lee and Longstreet were in | the saddle and on the front, inspecting the v*ri« [ ous coaimand?, consulting witn subordinate Generals and making their dual disposition of | ;roops. | Through the-centre of the battle field runs the [Warrenton Turnpike, tern lasting at ti e btone i Hndge over Bell Run. In front of the Run, and I at nearly a parallel line, is a road which crossed i the eld battle ground of Manassas, known a* the i Sudlev Road. Seventy-five yards behind this is ! the Henry House, famous as ibe locality near i wh.ch Bartow and Bee fell, on the 21st of July. IIM3. To tbe left, and in the rear, within pistol J shot, is the house of the free negro Robinson. |Tc the left of the Warrenton Ti upiae, in the I rear, is the eminence to which I have before re | ferred as tfce locality of the Washington Artillery [and other batteries. On the present occasion, 1 however, it was occupied b.y eighteen guns, under j comand of Col. {Stephen D. Lee, of {South Caro i lina. The position was about the centie of tbe * 4 entire army, and certainly it was tbe most j maodmg ground that could have been selected for the purpose. Viewed from this point, tbe I country presents an undulating appearance, here rising to the crests of hills, and there dropping i abruptly into tbe winding vallies. Around the j held, aud occasionally shooting into it in narrow ! hands, are heavy woods; bill tbe most hotly con* j tested position of the day is, in the main, an open • expanse which begins at the Warrenton Turn- : i pike, and runs along in front of the China House - to the right. • The enemy held all the s f rong points, and o'tr | advance was as often up hill as down. A* near as I can ascertain the disposition of j I mgstreet’s corps was as follows : Ou the left of j me Warrenton Turnpike were tbe brigades <4 > Pryor which rested upon Jackson’s right,) Fea : therstooe aud Wilcox, the latter acting as General | jof the division. On the right of the turnpike I 1 were the divisions of Gens. Hood, Kemper and Jones, with Anderson as a reserve. It would re- : veal the organization of the army to enumerate the various regiments of brigudes attached to i these commands; but, for the satisfaction of friend* at home, I may state that Gen. Jenkins was :u the division of acting Major General Kem pef, and Gen. Evans in that of Gen. Hood. Evans iimiaelf behaved most gallantly on the occasion as General of division. Virginians were generally ! brigaded together under Kemper aud Pickett, Georgians under Toombs, Anderson and Drayton; ] North Carolinians under R. 11. Anderson; Alaba- ; mians under Wilcox; Misnssippians under Feu- i thersioue; Texans under Hood Fiondians under j Pryor, and South Caroliniam inder Evans, Jen* kins and Gregg. These States were likewise j j miscellaneously represented in other brigades, j which it is unnecessary to mention. 1 have said that the troops were all eager, anx- 1 ious, and in the full belief that the battle would commence at an early hour in the morning. The I waking of a portion of our batteries into hie soon after day lig fit, and the frequent cannonading j thereafter, the almost in>»baDt skirmishing id - front wan it£ exciting voiievs of musketrv, all conspired to produce this impression. It is mv 1 own Burmiae, however, based upon certain facts I which I cannot relate, that it was not the inten tion of General Lee or Longstreet to gi*e the eDe my battle on that day, hut simply to make a feint attack, and while thus engaged to allow General Jackson to slip out, continue his onward move* raent on tbe left und towards the rear of the Fed* eral column, and thereby secure a position where say in twenty*four hours, the result of a battle would have been the capture and demoralization j of the entire Federal army. In this, how ever, our Generals were disappointed. After waiting until j ' three o’clock. P. M-, the enemy himself took the j initiative, and marched boldly to the attack, 1 aiming their blow, as on the previous day, at the j j line of Jackson. It happened to be my fortune to I be od the heights occupied by Lee’s battalion of artillery, und to witness the opening of the ball | All the morning we had been watching a move- ! incut of the enemy to the left, the low black ' masses immediately in front of us, aod the clouds of dust from columns moving in the rear, indicating their purpose at a glance. During this time our batteries were pitching their shot and shell into the Federal ranks, and returning tbe tire of their artillery, on the brow of an opposite hill. Sometimes it was fierce, but gens erally it was a deliberate, casual interchange of warlike courtesies, as if each took pleasure ' '*n making the other spasmodically uncomforta* ' ' ble. . | | Suddenly there belched forth from every brazen throat in our battery & volley that seemed to | ‘shake the very earth. For'a moment every : thing was swallow-ed up in tDe fiery grey mantle of battle, but as the sporting whirls of smoke ' drifted away, the cause ot the tumuit was at once ! ! revealed. A dense column of infantrw, several ! I thousand strong, which had been massed behind i and near a strip of woods, had moved out to attack Jackson, whose men were coocealed behind j 'an excavation on the railroad. As soon a6 they ' were discovered our batteries opened with tre- ! ‘ mendous power, but the Federals moved boldly I forward until they came within reach of our ; small urms, whtre for fully fifteen minutes they I ! remained desperately imgaged with cur infantry. As tbe fight progressed, a second line emerged I from the cover, and went to the support of those in front, and finally a third Ime marched out into the open field below us.amd there halted, h-rtSitated, ; and soon commenced firing over the heouds of j their comrades beyond. Jackyon’B infant’rv raked these three columns j terribly. Repeatedly did they tfreak and run, an J j rally again under tbe energetic appeals of their j ( AIWSTA, GA., WEDNESDAY MORNING, SFPT. 17, 1862. officers, for it w*s a crack coros of the Federal army, thatol Gens. Sykes an<Tfllorrell, but it was not in human nature to stand- unflinchingly before that hurricane •»$ fire. As the fight pro* greased Lee moved bis batteries to the left, until reaching a po ition only tour hundred yards dis tant from *he enemy’? Does, he opened again.! Tbe spectacle was now magnificent. As shell af>» j ter shell burs' in the Watering ranks, and r< und j shot ploughed broad gat - among them, you could distinctly see through the rifts of smoke the li*d- j era! soldiers falling ana flying on every side With the explosion of ‘every bomb, it seemed a* I iFsccres dropped dead or writhed in agony up"n I the field. Some ffe crawling on their hands I and knees, some f ere pftleu up together, and some ; were lying scattered around in every a titude that | imagination c-u conceive. With the dispersiop jpi ihe enemy i reserve, i the whole muss broi. -‘and ran like a flock of | wild sheep. Jackson's uien, yelling like devils, ; now charged upon :he scattered crowd; but you I could notice that tiey themselves had severe!v j suffered, and were hut'a handful ' mpared with | the overwhelming f tbe enemy. The flags j of two or three regiments did not appear to be more than fifty yards apart. The brilliant Dfi.tir did not occupy more than half « n hour, but in ! that brief time over three hundred and fi.ty Yao j kee souls had becu launched into eternry and i five times that number left mangled upon ihe ground. It was like thxj waves rolling against u solid rock and dashing back in showers of s »ra\. A golden opportunity was r ow at band for Long street to attack the exposed left flunk of the en« - my in tront ot him, and he according v ordered the advance of Hood’s -division, whi h moved obliquely to tbe right and forward ot ihe portion it had occupied. Agi-ini* was a hw iutitu! sight i to sea this long line of veterans, preceded py u cloud of skirmishers, around whose heads played j the light whiff; of smoke ttiat jutted out horn \ their muskets moving 10 engage ihe distant enes j my. Kemper next followed, with tlie brigade ot S Gen. Jenkins on the right o. that of i'ickett, and ! Jones* division completed our line of haute. The : brigade of Evans acted as a support to Uood. Not many minuies elapsed utter the order to attack, before the volleys of platoons un i finally the rolling reports of Icing lines of musketrr, in dicated that toe battle was in full progie.-s Toe who’e army was now in mouon. The woods were full of troops, aud the order lor the supports to forward at a quick step was received with enthu siastic cheor, by the elated iLen. The dm wa.* almost de .fening, the heavy Dotes of the artilleiy, at first deliberate, but gradually incrtas’ng in their rapidity, mingled with the sharp treble of a-, small arms, gave one an idea of some diabol ical coocer' ia which ail the fines of hell weie a? work. Through the woods, over gen lie rolling hills, now and then through an op*n fieid, we travel on towards the front. From an elevation we obtain a view of a considerable portion of the field. Hood and Kemper are now hard at it, and as they press forward, Lever yielding an inch, sometimes at a double quick, you hear those un** mist likable yells, which tell of a Southern charge j ora Southern success. Suddenly we stumble! ! over the first reminder of the opemug skirmish. ! i Jt is the bodv ol a TeXfcn blefding from aghast- I iv wound m the breast. The eyes of the p-»or ! ; iclloware already set ia death —it is useles to | waste sympathy ihere. You now see scores « i dead and won -ided—all Confederates, for the Lrt • i of ihe enemy & sharpshooters has be**u fatal. Ket. ing the vicinity of Ihe China House, the I <ve at once embraces the entire vista of battle— i . at least that portion of it which is going on in • rout of Longstreet. S-ime-bf pu:* men arc in ih j woods in the rear, and the open held • which-atxctcbe? iu<ir>4 *• lu: suvf'sss fa* I*,way ! towards Bull Run. The olf bailie ground is plainly discernable less than two miles distant and to the right and left as well n front, the . country is comparatively unobstructed by heavy woods. Just before you, ouiy thrte or four hun dred yards away, are the infantry of the enemy, and at various points in the rear are their re* serves and batten s. Between the armies, the ground is already covered with the deaJ and wounded, for a distance lengthw.se of Dearly a mile. j Our own artillery are likewise upon command j mg positions and you hear the heavy rush of shot, the terrible dumps into the ground, and the crash of trees through which they tear with re* sistless force, on every side. The Federals, according to their own state** i meets, are under command of Gen. McDowell on the left, Siegel in the centre, and Kearnev on the right. Their troops are the best disciplined in rtie Yankee army, and for a little while most nb» > stimtely do they contest every inch of ground | over which we advance. Nothing, however, can witnstand the impetuosity of our boys. 12very ! line of the enemy has been broken and dispersed, • but rallies again upon some or her positioibe. - h'.nd. Hood has already advanced his division ! nearly half a mile at a double quick, the Texans, (Georgians and Hampton Legion loading and tiring j ! as they run, yelling ail the while like madmen. r hey have captured one o. wo batteries and va I ) ions stands of colors, and are still pushing trie enemy before them. Evans, ut the head of his j brigade, is billowing on ihe right, as their sup-j 1 port, and pouring in his effective vollies. Jen.-, i k ns has come in on the ngkt of the Ohinn House, j and, like an avalanche, sweeps down upon the * legions before him with resistless force. .Still i further to the right is Loagstreet’s old brigade, j composed of Virginians— veterans of every battle j field—all of whom are fighting like furies. The I First Virginia, which opened the ball at Bull Run j on the 17ib of July, lSdl, with over six hundred 1 men, now reduced to lets than eighty members. I ] is winning new laurels; bnt out of the little hand*, j ful more than a third havte already bit the dust. | Toombs and Anderson, With the Georgians, to** ! I gethtfr with Kemper and Jenkins, are sweeping around on the right, Hacking the Federals, ann I driving them towards their centre and rear. \ Escbelman, with ms company of the Washington Artillery; Major Garnett, with bis battalion of ■ Virginia batteries, and others of our big guns, j are likewise working arvund upon the enemy’s • left, and pouring an enfilading tire into both i tfaetr infantry and artillery. Our cavalry. too, # are playing a conspicuous pari in determining the fortunes of the war. Near the Lewis bouse, which is a mile or t Wo on our right, one of our regiments has charged iwo regi«* ments of the enemy, bit has been repulsed. A second is dispatched to its assistance, and tbe charge is repeated. For the first time in the war the Yankees stand, (or rather to the r credit, be it sajd, tbe Michiganders,) and a desperate hand-to ' hand conflict ensues and continues for fifteen nr j twenty minutes. Our men first open upon ihe ! Federals with their carbines, and then dash iu with their sabres, cutting and slashing right aud j left. The Federa's fight well and return blow for ! blow. MeD are unhorsed bead* cracked, and j flesh cloven to the bone. Hut the Confederates go i through with their novel Experience unflinching !y. Finally we succeed m partially surrounding the Yankee cavalry, and thus gain a substantial 1 advantage, before which the latter give wav, leav ; ing their dead and wounded, together with uum* ; bersof prisoners behind. Scores on our side whom- I have seen are badly mutilated, some of . them minus ears, noses and fingers, and some I with more serious wounds upon their bodies, but none were killed. Meanwhile the grand citrus of bittle is thun dering aloDg our front as if every atom of space i hud its particular echo. Jackson has closed in upon the enemy on their right, and Longstreet has similarly circumscribed them on their left. In other words, the V shaped lines with which we commenced the engagement have opened at the angle, while the two opposite ends of the fignreare coming together. Lee has advanced Dig battalion of artillery from the centre, and from hill top to bill top, wherever he can effect a lodgement, lets loose the racing musses of iron that cha.-e each other through the Federal ranks. Pryor, Feather stone and Wilcox being on tbe extreme left of Longstreet's line, are co-operating with the army Os Jackson. We do nothing but charge— charge charge * If tbe enemy make a bold effort to re trieve the fortunes of the day, (and thev made many,) eud we are repulsed, it is but for the mo* ment, and the regiments rally ing upon their sup ports plunge back aga'n into tbe tempest of fire that before swept them down. Tbe minnie balls wbicn fly in showers seem to bear a death warrant in every deveiish screech; grape shot and canieter rakes the men by scores; friends fall killed <md wounded on everv hand; shells with the r shrill de~ moralising shrieks course through the air like fiery monsters, striking where they are leas: expected, ana scattering their fragments ia all directions, out one iron-hearted troops are unflinching, “ ‘ bouyh thr diet few sharp nr.a dead’v. Not a -nan relax*«! hi- ho d, • Forth ir.oub w»ret g wd tluilli-e WVb tbettiigbty ttio’ight? of old.’ 1 Some of the posit ons of the enemy were strong a* nature could n.atie them,* and were charged five or six times, but each time our soldiers were turned back by sheer physical inability to sur mount the (,b>iacl**K before them. It was then grand to witness the moral heroism with which, though their comrades went down like swarthsol grass unde? jbe ra-»vurr’s scythe, other ui-n con tinued to step into the pa?h of death with cheerful ataerry and s’lil to fail w.th the bat»leshout upon tb*oi bps. and the* proud smile of conscious valor on their faces. * It was a task of almost superhuman labor to drive the euemy from these strong points ed as they were by the best artillery and infantry in the Federal army, but »i less than four hours irom the commencement ot tbe battle our iudon ini table energy had uccomplisbel evtrything. The arrival *»f R. H. Anderson with his reserves s<>on after the engagement was fairly opened, proved a timely acquisition, and the handsome man net lu which he brought his troops into po» sition showed the cool ann gkitPnl General. Our Generals, Lt;e. Longsfreet, Jackson, Hood, Kem* per, Evans, Jones, J nkins, andmb.-rs. all shared ihe dangers to which they exposed their men. How well their Colonels and the subordinate officers performed their duty is best testified by j the list of k lied xnd wounded. South Carolina 1 alone lost four as noble spirits us ever graced the earth - Ex Gov. M -aus. who fell while gallantly leading his regiment into action, Cols. Gadborry, Glover, and Marshall; while Cols. Moore, Ben bow. Edwards, and McGowan received wounds which disabled them from further participation in the fight. 1 have, however, forwarded several iists ot Casual'll s. which renders it unnecessary for me to particular ze them further at this time. The battle raged iu ihe manner described until slier dark, and when it was impossible to use firearms, the heaven** were lit op by tho still coo* nnued flashes of the artillery, and the meteor flight o! shells ecat'en-ig their iron spray. By this tune ihe enemy had been forced across Bull j Ron, aud their dead covered every acre from the I starting point of the tight to the Stone Bridge. Had we been fav red with another hour of day* light, their tout would have been as great as that i which followed the original battle of Manassas. ! I As it was. they retreated in haste und disorder to ! j he heights ol Cen-reville. We hud driven them i up hill and down a distance of two and a halt I 1 miles, captured b»<ween »wen»y abd thirty pieces , jot artillery, several bunded primers, (though it. w soldiers cared to be troubled by tbe latter, and some six *»re.gh* iu m-audWud ot kruw.- VVe iu,ve knied tor them General Qivagi» W. Tay lor. Geoetal Patrick, GeoeralSiah I, General RtftrS ler. General Hatch, Gen. Isaac J. S-eveos, (of Secessionvilie memory.) and Gen. Buford, (re ported; . and wounded Genera! Rickets, Towers, Seigle and Schenck. Os Colonels, we have killed i Fletcher Webster, a son of Dune! Webster, Brown, of the 2Sth I -di.ina, C dtus, of the 73d Pennsylvania, Tii'iintt, of the 2gJ New York, and others whose name* I neglected to note while conversing with the prisoners. TlfK FIELD AFTER THE BATTLE. This is u portion of tbe history of the day which pen caun »t fully describe. But if the reader can imagine bimseii standing on the heights around the (.id Henry House, and looking across tbe country m the direction from which w<* ad vanced, over the gullies, ravines aud vailies which divide the opposite hills, he will see deaa and wounded lying * y thousands as far as the eye can reach. The woods are line wise full ot them. 1 1 has been remarked by every one that the euemv on this vast hetacornb outnumber us five or « x to one They lie thickest upon the slopes and summits where (heir batteries were planted, and the infantry were drawn up as supporters, in many instances as many ns eighty or ninety dead, mark ing the place where fought a single regiment. It i is one of the singular coincidences of this strange | batt'e, that lioou’s brigade encountered on Sat* : urday precisely the same troops whom they met j at Gaines’ Mill in the battle before Richmond—tbe 1 Duryea Z muves, tie ce fellows in red baggy I breeches, red xkuil caps aud blue embroidered jackets—and as on that occasion, literally mowed them down lu front of the Hampton Legion and | Eighteenth Georgia, J counted ninety-six of the i * dead, to say nothing ol two or three hundred j j wounded, who were lying lri.iOjerv attitude, and | groaning in every imaginable^: In front of the Guinn llou*j£ yffjiich is now u j I hospital, tbe havoc has been t nrThe ground j is shewn not only wi h men, uuaiimni- . I (ion, provisions, haversacks, caiitteus, aud what ! »?ver else ihe atT ighted Federals could throw | ! away to facilitate their flight be ore our onsets at ! tfiat poiut. Several cannon, broken caissons, i ; wheels and numbers of dead Loracs are also to he ! seen here. lu front of ihe position occupied by Jacksou’s ' men ihe killed are even more plentiful. Iu many j places you cannot w .ik three eet without being j compelled to step over or uroimd a corpse. Some** , limes they are piled together, aud very rarely you can se • a Confederate soidter lying in the midst | of a putrifung max*. To-day I found a wounded I Federal, who has lam for the last two days and i nights, where, by exieuding his band on either I side, he could touch the dead bodies ol live of his ! companions. One of these he waa coolly using i tot a pdiow. How callous men become by saw j iniliafity with the scenes ot war. The evidences of our handiwork are not so j great around the Henry and Robinson houses as ! in ihe portions of Hie field to which I have just a h.-.'cd. The dead aie more scattered, as it liny i were p cxed off, or killed while running. Indeed, ! by »he time the enemy reached ibis point, it was too dark for either party to effectually engage the-; oilier. One fact, however, is remarkable, and it j seems to indicate that retributive justice has ai- | ready begun iik work—l found a dead Yankee ! ivmg at full length upou the grave of llie aged 1 M s. Henry, who was killed by the enemy's balls j in tbe old battle which raged vpon this spot, j Three others were upon the very spot where Bar tow fell, and wuliin a lew feet of the death place oi General Bee was still another group. Some of the Georgians, in attempting to find the locality where the Bartow monument was erected, bu r I which th« V.-uda s had broken in fragments, found the base ol the shaft covered by one of the ’ | corpses. I may here add that a daughter of tbe ; tree negro R *biuson. who lives ’u the neighboring i house, went the night .a'ter the perpetration of the ; outrage and ecu red the only portion of the monu ment that was left. This she is now guarding with a care so religious that I could hardly pre vail upon her to pait with a small fragment as a retie. I do not know whether you would call the act disgracelul or not, but there is not a dead Yankee VOL. 14,—N0. 38 in all that broad field wba baa not been stripped 4 of his shoes or stockings, had his pockets turned inside out. and in no aureus casts been I? ft as naked as the hour be was born. If von could see our barefooted and ragged men, you might think there was even a virtue in stealing from a defunct enemy. Some of the soldiers, however, do not scruple at taking every valuable thing they can layj their bands upon, and rob friend and foe, dead and alive, alike. For all such comorants the halter is the only remedy. Among the amusing occurrences of this kind, it is related of-a soluier belonging to the Eighth Alabama Regiment, that be found a Yankee in the woods, but being separated from hia regiment did not know what to do with him. While soliloquiz ing, the officer who gave me the incident rode by, and his advice being asked, he told the soldier he bad better let the prisoner go. “Well,’* said the Alabamian, “I reckon I will; but look here, Yankee, you can’t leave till you’ve given me some of them good clothes. Strip! 1 want your boots and breeches ” The Yankee protest* ed against any such indignity, and appealed to the officer to protect him. The Alabamian also plead bis cause. "‘Here’s this fellow,” said he, “come down here a robbing of our people, and he's stayed so long it's no more’n right he should pay for his board. I don’t want him to go around in his bar legs any more’n 6a wants to; and I mean to give him my ale tilothes.” “A fair ex change is no robberjh” replied the officer, “and as you have no shoes aud a mighty poor pair of pants, I reckon you better belp' “Now, Yankee, you hear what the ‘boss’ ver; off with your-traps and let's trade.’* The las; thing my friend saw, as he rode away, wi- the two worthies, m their “bar legs, " stripping for an exchange. It is impossible to make a correct calculation of the 1 osR on either side. I have already said that I that of the enemy, from the evidences on the field, exceeds ours five to cUe. Hiding m a straight line, without turning to right or left, I yeater» day counted seven hundred’and,six.y*two of their dead. There are prybably three times that num - ber. Major Wheeler, of the sth United States Regulars, who accompanied a dag of truce to our lines, also visited the field yesterday, and bis es timate of the Federal loss is from twelve to fifteen thousand killed and wounded. BOSPITVL SCENES. As rapidly as possible our wounded were car** ried to the rear, and laid in the woods by the road side, or deposited in some of the neighboring farmhouses. For nearly half a mile along the Warrenton turnpike the forest presented a Tas’ spectacle of Juiman suffering. Here were the va rious temporary division hoepitajs, including one in which was congregated seventy or eighty bads ]y used up Y’ankvefl. Returning here after the battle, I found Doctors Darby, Green, and butst, with their attendants, hard at work by torchlight upon the wouuded of Hood’s division. The poor fellows were lying upon the ground awaiting their turn with patience, some dead and some dying, but the great majority with only painful wounds in the extremities. The operating tables consisted of a pile of rails, covered with a i few ruugh boards, and these were slimy with blood. Armk and legs were lying around the 1 half dozen surgical altars in profusion, and as fast iason * patient was removed another *ook his * place to be anethizjd by the merciful chloroform ( \nd undergo the necessary surgical treatin'^* ! The men all appeared to bear their wounds fully, and it was only now and then >t ieo ! knife cut deep that a smothered gr^ n re veatec k the sharp pain. ; Ujm a-mettiaccwi V!mirt boys a few men \ advanced in ye*!tf,£rfcy haired and wrinkled. ■ t Seme tbdwfcnt thejFffcu sewedrragh of war, bu‘ . ihere were others again, hot, fiery fellows, who ached t) return t > the field. 11 It is a sad sight to see poor, limbing, bleeding j men, supported by or ntak |mg their war alone, some borne in blankets or ion Jitters, and others rid ng horses led bv com ! rudes, and one calculated to subdue the excti“r { meat and enthusiasm which attends the progress :of u fight. But this is no time for feelings It is consoling, also, to observe how cheerfully the men bear up under their misfortunes, many : of them smiling and happy, as if returning from a picnic partv. “Hallo, Bam, I’ve got a broken leg in here, but we’ve beeu giving them fellers ; thunder,” said a young fellow, traveling along in an ambulance. “Well, they’ve got me this time, -ure,” exclaimed another who was shot through | the arm, “but I’m better iff thun if I filled acof fin. aint 1?” In several cases tie wounded men . had been before wounded, and in two instances I i saw where balls had struck within an inch of the yet unhealed orifices. ! Our wounded ti dd officer* were carried to the neighboring bouses, but all, as soon as it can be done, will be sent to some point where they can ! receive the proper and constant care of the reg* ular Army Surgeons. 1 The Robinson House U used as a Yaukee bos* | pital. In a visit there this morning, I found about (one hundred of them packed ic the rooms and yard, as thick as sardines. Several of them were officers, and one of the corpses was that of a Briradier General. I did not learn his name. The wounds of the majority were undrested, the blood had dried upon their persons and garment*, and altogether they were the msst horrible set c! beings it has been my.lot to encounter. Evident ly the Yankee surgeons are above their business, or obstinately refuse to atte: d to it for the pur pose of throwing theiabor upon theConfedeiates. ! I have been told by one of our Generals that he was informed by an eye witness, that a Federal j Surge<»o|had deliberately taken out his instrus ! men’s and cut the throat of one of his men, as an j act of mercy, the sufferer being shot so severely ! that he could not have surnved, and that most I agonisingly but a few hours, j All the wouuded as weil as the uninjured pns* j oners are to be paroled as soon as arrangement? • | to this end can be made. In my lists of casualties sent you, i have neg>» I lected to mention the fact that Major Del Kern- I per, of Alexandria, who commanded the battery i attached to Kershaw’s brigade until his promo tinn, was wounded near the right shoulder joint, I While among his batteries, and that it is feared i he will lose Lis arm. There are various other features of the battle to which I may allude in a subsequent letter. I ought not to close this, however, without recall ing to mind the remarkable coincident that the first and perhaps the last, great fiatt.es of the i Oon'eUeracy :u Virginia at least, have been fought : upon the same grouod. The same Generals in ' some instances commanded then who commanded •j now; Several of our regiments fought upon pre* qisely the same localities on both occasions, and ! the dead are lying upon the same hillsides, and in ! the same gullies where others fell a vear ago. McDowell has had his wish of fighting the fist* j tie of Manassas a second'time fully gratified, and i he is probably just as poorly pleased cow as then. ! The only difference b tween the two battles is in the greater equality of the forces engaged and the relative changes ot position—the enemy on this ! occjs on occupying the lines of battle then held j by ns, aud the Confederates low fighting advan* I cing from th j position at that time possessed by ; the enemy. Truly, God’s wa;s are wondrous. September 3. — The enemy have rttr ated from , CentreviUe, leaving a large quantity of valuable ; stores, of which we have taken pos-ession. The Federate are now supposed to be falliag back on ; Waehing'on, and in o their fortifications around | Arlington Heights. The Chain Bridge over the ! Potomac i 9 reported burned, and the Union cm* j z-ns of Alexandria are selling their good? and ! chattels and leaving that town. ( CONTINCED ON St! PAG*.)