Monday, December 19, 2011

CAIRO, April 9 [1862].

Further advices from Pittsburg Landing give the following about the battle:

The enemy attacked us at 4 o’clock Sunday morning, the brigades of Sherman and Prentiss being first engaged.  The attack was successful, and our entire force was driven back to the river, where the advance of the enemy was checked by the fire of the gunboats, and our force increased by the arrival of Gen. Grant with troops from Savannah; and inspired them by the report of the arrival of two divisions of Buell’s army.

Our loss this day was heavy, and besides the killed and wounded, embraced our camp equipage and 36 field guns.  The next morning our forces, now amounting to 80,000, assumed the offensive, and by 2 o’clock P. M. had retaken our camp and batteries, together with some 40 of the enemy’s guns and a number of prisoners; and the army were in full retreat, pursued by our victorious force.  The casualties are numerous: Gen. Grant was wounded in the ankle slightly; Gen. W. H. L. Wallace killed; Gen. Smith severely wounded; Gen. Prentiss prisoner; Col. Hall, 16th Ill., killed; Cols. Logan, 32d Ill., and Davis 51st Ill., wounded severely; Maj. Hunter 32d Ill., killed; and our loss in killed wounded and missing not less than 5,000.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday Morning, April 10, 1862, p. 1

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