The St. Louis Democrat has a long and interesting account of
this great battle in Arkansas, differing considerably from the one we printed
yesterday from the Cincinnati Times. We
give a part of it below:
SIGEL WITH HIS REAR
GUARD CUTS HIS WAY THROUGH THE ENEMY.
Early Thursday morning Sigel’s division was moving from Camp
Cooper, beyond Bentonville for Sugar Creek.
His rear guard composed of the Twelfth Missouri Infantry, Captain Jenks’
battalion of cavalry, attached to the Thirty-sixth Illinois, two companies Benton
Hussars, and six pieces of flying artillery, (Albert’s battery) left camp at
six A. M. The main column marched
through Bentonville without observing any indications of the enemy. Gen. Sigel and staff, together with the rear
guard, arrived at Bentonville in an hour and a half. While resting here, a black line was observed
on the prairie towards the south, which at first attracted no particular
attention: Sigel, with his glass soon became convinced that the line was in
motion. Soon secesh flags were seen
moving on Bentonville, and the prairie became black with the rebel masses of
cavalry and infantry. The rebel cavalry
moved up rapidly and deploying to the right and left, surrounded the town. Clouds of cavalry were still observed
advancing at rapid speed.
Sigel moved forward the rear guard across a ravine on the
margin of the town, and the opposite side of the ravine was occupied by the
rebels, who came rushing up with a yell. – Noticing that they had formed in his
rear, he detached four companies of cavalry to hold them in check. Opening his lines right and left he sent his
artillery to the front, to meet a force drawn up in line of battle a mile out
of town.
Turning to Captain Jenks, who had come forward to support
the latter, Sigel said “Captain, the enemy are on our front, on either side of
us, and all around us.” Then raising his
hand to a level with his shoulder, and lunging it down with each sentence,
exclaimed, “We must advance; we must cut our way through;” and concluding
emphatically, “we shall cut our way
through.” Sigel then got off his horse,
and personally superintended the planting of pieces in position. He opened fire on the enemy in front, every
shot having a telling effect on the enemy’s ranks, which faltered and fell back
in the woods. A rapid advance of our
column then took place, the enemy seeming to retreat on either side, but
instead they made a detour and formed again two miles further on at the
entrance of a deep gorge. – On reaching this position, it was found they were
supported by a large body of infantry, whose advance preceded our arrival by
taking a shorter road. The infantry were
placed in ambuscade, covered by the crest of a hill. Our troops pushed forward into the gorge
along which the road runs, when suddenly a galling fire of musketry was poured
in along our whole like from the top of the hill along our left flank. The Twelfth Missouri charged up the hill in
face of the fire, and drove the rebels over the hill.
During the charge, Sigel ordered two pieces forward about a
mile to a point where he could see the hill where the rebels supposed they were
under cover. The guns were masked by a
grove and were not observed by the rebels.
As soon as this battery was planted, two cannon shots were fired from
the head of the column in the valley, producing no effect but deceiving the
enemy. A rapid advance of the whole
column was then made, and as we receded from the enemy the latter covered the
hill in large numbers, advancing on our rear.
The masked battery in front then opened on them, the balls passing over
our column still in the gorge, which caused such destruction to the rebels that
they scattered in all directions and ceased to molest us any further.
THE GRAND BATTLE OF
THE EIGHTH.
The enemy during the night advanced and took position one
mile nearer our camp, occupying the extensive bluff to the left of Elkhorn
Tavern, where they had batteries planted which commanded the open fields and
bottom lands on this side. The open
woods, a mile this side of the town was also occupied by the enemy in
formidable numbers. They had batteries
pointed in all available positions commanding the approaches from this
side. General Curtis designed to open
the ball at day-break, and gave the necessary orders for a change of front, the
left wing having to be moved obliquely forward.
The cannonade opened twenty-five minutes past seven, on Col.
Carr’s division, and the portion of the latter engaged fell back. Gen. Davis advanced on the main road and took
position on the right wing, while Col. Carr moved to the center, and a desultory
fire was kept up for a short time. About
eight o’clock Gen. Sigel’s division marched into the open field and took
position on the left wing. His batteries
were planted along the elevations in this portion of the field with alternate
regiments of infantry.
The line as now formed was concave with the wings advanced
toward the enemy, while seven batteries were planted along its whole length. –
No more beautiful spectacle could be conceived than the “magnificently stern
array” presented by our line of battle.
The utmost confidence was at once restored, and our men felt reassured
that victory was in their reach. The
bluffs occupied by the enemy on their right were covered with the secesh as
thick as they could stand, while the intervening woods in front of our center
was alive with them. Our batteries were
soon opened all along the line, and a perfect wall of fire blazed out in
rolling volumes. The enemy replied
promptly with his batteries, with little effect, except disabling one of Sigel’s
guns. The murderous cross fire of our
batteries crashed through the timber with terrific effect. The cannonade was terrible for two hours and
a half, during which time the infantry advanced slowly under cover of our fire
from the batteries. As soon as the enemy
broke the infantry advanced with a yell in double quick, sending volley upon
volley of well-aimed musketry. The
Twelfth Missouri rushed forward and charged on a battery in the heavy timber,
capturing three guns and a flag belonging to the Dallas Artillery. The Twenty-Second Indiana also captured a gun
and two caissons. At this time Gen.
Sigel pushed the enemy’s right flank, while Gen. Davis and Col. Carr drove
forward his left flank. The fight became
general, and the ravine near the Elkhorn Tavern was thronged with the flying
enemy. The bluffs on the left forming a
natural fortification, where they had several regiments and a battery posted,
where stormed by Col. Greusel’s brigade.
The precipice here is seventy-five feet high. The Twelfth, Fifteenth and Seventeenth
Missouri and Thirty-sixth Illinois scaled the hill and drove the enemy out, the
brigade losing only eight men killed and twenty two wounded. The top of the bluff was completely covered
with their dead and wounded from our spherical case shot and shells. The arms and accoutrements were scattered in
all directions. A prisoner taken here
stated that Van Dorn had not been seen for two hours, and they thought it time
to leave. The victory was complete. The retreating enemy were pursued for two
miles by company D, of Bowman’s battalion, and the pursuit was kept up by the
Benton Huzzars [sic] and Gen. Sigel to Keetsville. Prisoners including officers were taken in
large numbers. Our loss in the battle
was comparatively small, but the enemy’s was terribly severe. We killed General Slack, and young Clark, son
of Merriweather Clark, of St. Louis, who had his head taken off by a cannon
ball. He commanded a battery gallantly,
and had just given the order to retreat, when a ball struck him on his horse. –
Lieut. Col. McCulloch, son of the General, was also found among the dead with
his commission in his pocket, near Elkhorn Tavern.
Gen. Curtis has won a victory that should place his name in
the front rank of heroes battling for the national cause. From his position in the field he observed
every movement, and gave his orders with admirable coolness and decision. His Aids, Capts. McKinney, Stark, Aughfelt,
Stitt, and Lieuts. Adams and Hoepner, were seen flying over the field,
conveying orders and bringing intelligence.
INCIDENTS.
In the battle near Elk Horn Tavern, Sergeant Major Wooster,
of the Iowa Third, was hit by a cannon shot, taking away the side of his skull,
while he was engaged in untangling the horses from the Dubuque battery, having
bravely volunteered to go ahead on the dangerous errand in the face of a plunging
fire from the enemy’s battery. Calling
to his boy after he was shot he said: – “Johnny, Oh Johnny, I must go!”
A cannon ball, in the battle near Lee Town, killed two
cousins named Alley, and lodged in the breast of Lieut. Perry Watts, of Company
K, 22d Indiana. It was taken out and
proved to be a 6-pounder ball.
A man was shot through the body with a ball and caught it in
the waistband of his pantaloons, where it had lodged.
In the battle of the 8th a ball struck a tree, shivering it
to splinters. One of the splinters, six
feet long, struck a secesh and impaled him to the earth.
Lieut. Henne of Company F, Twelfth Missouri, who had lost
his left arm in the Hungarian war, was truck in the battle of the 8th by a
cannon ball, which carried away his right leg.
He was carried off the field, and when passing to the General, while his
face was wreathed in smiles, as if forgetful of his sufferings in the
exultation of approaching victory.
On the rebel side the Indians were in command of Pike,
Standwartz and Ross. They proved of
little account, except to plunder and riffle the dead and scalp the wounded of
which fact. Col. Bussy, of the 3d Iowa cavalry, has ample evidence. In the field these cowardly allies could not
be brought within range of our cannon.
They would say, “Ugh, big gun!” and skedaddle for the brush.”
A secesh doctor who came afterwards into our camp, relates
that on the morning of the battle he observed about 300 Indians daubing their
faces all over black from the coal of the charred stumps. The doctor inquired of one of the chiefs of
the significance of painting thus, when he was answered that, “The Indians,
when going into a fight, painted their faces red; but when they are pinched
with hunger, they color black.” These
fellows have had nothing to eat in two days.
McCulloch was killed in the brush on a slight elevation on
the opposite side of the field by Peter Pelican, a private in company B,
Thirty-sixth Illinois. The attack in
which the ubiquitous Ben. Was taken off was led by Captain Miller. McCulloch wore a dress of black velvet,
patent leather high top boots, and he had on a light colored broad-brimmed
Texan hat. He was on a light bay
horse. Pelican went up and took a gold
watch, now in Possession of Colonel Greusel.
A ball after breaking the legs of two men, hit Captain Hobb
in the back of his leg and was stopped.
The Captain was slightly injured, but the sword was battered.
Four of Price’s negroes were captured by Col. Ellis’ First
Missouri Cavalry.
Price’s filed glass was taken and used during the remainder
of the battle by General Davis to make observations.
A cannon ball struck the ground, and ricocheting, passed
under Col. White’s horse; carried away a leg of the horse, rode by Lieut.
Landgrove. The Lieutenant fell with the
horse, but extricated himself as soon as possible. The Horse getting up, hobbled to the secesh
ranks, taking along the Lieutenant’s pocket money, which was concealed in the
holsters.
A Dutchman rode directly into the enemy’s works with a caisson. The rebel Major asked him where he was going,
and the man answered, “Dish for Sigel.”
The Major smiles, and directed the man where to go, which was probably
to any point beyond the rebel lines.
– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye,
Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 22, 1862, p. 2
