Sunday Battles—the Assailants Victorious.
By J. F. Byington
SINCE the defeat of the northern army at Bull Run, it has been said by the advocates of the first day of the week as the Christian Sabbath, that the reason of the defeat was on account of the attack being made by the northern forces on Sunday. Not only has this foolish idea gone the rounds of religious and political periodicals, but individuals use it as an argument in favor of the sacredness of that institution. Not long since a friend used this so-called argument while in conversation on the subject of the Sabbath. And so certain was he that Providence always favors the army which is attacked on Sunday, no matter how wicked and unrighteous its cause, that he reiterated what has so often appeared in print of late, and made the broad statement that history recorded no event of this kind where the assailants were victorious. I could but think at the time how foolish a Sabbath-keeper would appear if he should use a similar argument in defense of the Sabbath of the Lord. And yet, as far as my knowledge extends, Sunday advocates have no better arguments. Every passage of scripture brought forward from the New Testament as having any bearing on the subject, only proves that the Sabbath still existed in the days of the latest Bible writers as a sacred institution, and that the first day of the week was then known as a day of secular business. Therefore Sunday observers and defenders endeavor to solace themselves with such arguments as the above. But for the benefit of my friend, and all others who have been so greatly strengthened in their Sunday-Sabbath belief by these remarkable providences in favor of the institution, I give below five instances in which commanding officers have attacked their enemy on the first day of the week, and gained a complete victory. The battle of Monmouth, N. J., was fought Sunday, June 28th, 1778, an account of which we have in the following words: “On the morning of the 28th, the light-horse of Lafayette advanced against the enemy, but, being briskly charged by Cornwallis and Clinton, was forced to fall back. Lee, surprised by the sudden charge of the enemy, ordered a retreat across a morass in his rear for the purpose of gaining a more favorable position; but part of his troops, mistaking the order, continued to retreat, and Lee was compelled to follow, briskly pursued by the enemy. At this moment, Washington coming up, and both surprised and vexed at observing the retreat, or rather, flight of the troops, addressed Lee with some warmth, and ordered him to rally his troops and oppose the enemy. Stung by the reproaches of his general, Lee made extreme exertions to rally, and, having disposed his troops on more advantageous ground, opposed a powerful check to the enemy, until at length, overpowered by numbers, he was forced to fall back, which he did, however, without any confusion. The main body soon coming up in separate detachments, the battle became general, and was continued until night put an end to the contest. Washington kept his troops under arms during the night, designing to renew the battle on the coming morning; but Clinton, in the mean time, silently drew off his troops, and proceeded rapidly on his route toward New York. The British left on the field of battle about three hundred killed, while the loss of the Americans was less than seventy.”—Willson's History of the United States, pp. 248, 249. The capture of Fort Erie by generals Scott and Ripley, which took place on Sunday, July 3d, 1814, history records as follows: “Early on the morning of the 3d of July, generals Scott and Ripley, at the head of about 3000 men, crossed the Niagara river, and surprised and took possession of Fort Erie without opposition.”—Id., p. 319. Sunday, Aug. 15th, 1813, the following naval engagement took place: “An action between two schooners deserves particular notice, for the desperation and gallantry with which the Americans achieved a victory over a vastly superior force. On the 15th of August the privateer Decatur, of seven guns, fell in with the British government schooner Dominica, of fifteen guns, and engaged her for two hours. The Decatur then ran into and boarded her enemy. After a desperate conflict, hand to hand, the Dominica was taken. The Decatur was the better manned of the two, but the great inequality of force in other respects, renders this one of the most brilliant naval achievements upon record.”—Goodrich's Pictorial History of America, p. 717. The battle of Cerro Gordo in the late Mexican war, Sunday, Apr. 18th, 1847, furnishes another instance in which battles commenced on the first day of the week have resulted in favor of the assailants. The record of it is as follows: “The way was now open for the march toward the Mexican capital, and on the 8th of April general Twiggs was sent forward, leading the advance, on the Jalapa road. But Santa Anna, although defeated at Buena Vista, had raised another army, and with 15,000 men, had strongly entrenched himself on the heights of Cerro Gordo, which completely command the only road that leads through the mountain fastnesses into the interior. General Twiggs reached this position on the 12th, but it was not until the morning of the 18th, when the commander-in-chief and the whole army had arrived, that the daring assault was made. Before noon of that day every position of the enemy had been stormed in succession, and three thousand prisoners had been taken, together with forty-three pieces of bronze artillery, five thousand stand of arms, and all the munitions and materials of the army of the enemy.”—Willson's History of the United States, pp. 356, 357. The battle of Chepultepec, Sunday, Sept. 12, 1847, is another instance in point. “The reduction of the castle of Chepultepec itself, situated on an abrupt, rocky height, one hundred and fifty feet above the surrounding grounds, was a still more formidable undertaking. Several batteries were opened against this position on the 12th and on the 13th the citadel and all its outworks were carried by storm, but not without a very heavy loss to the American army. The battle was continued during the day, on the lines of the great causeways, and when night suspended the dreadful conflict, one division of the American army rested in the suburbs of Mexico, and another was actually within the gates of78the city. During the night which followed, the army of Santa Anna, and the officers of the national government, abandoned the city, and at seven o'clock on the following morning, the flag of the American Union was floating proudly to the breeze above the walls of the national palace of Mexico.”—Id., p. 360. Any person can satisfy himself that the days above mentioned were Sundays, by reference to any perpetual calendar, or to a rule for ascertaining upon what day of the week any given day of the month fell, in any past time, found in Bliss' Sacred Chronology, pp. 12–14.