(From the Mississippi Department of Archives
and History.)
The Brigade under
Gen Quitman approached the round fort, near the distillery at the South Eastern
corner of Monterey, by a file movement by the left flank. The column formed by
the Missi. Regt. filed to the right, and then formed by company into line, the
left file of each arriving first upon the line. The fire upon the fort
commenced upon the left of the Regt. and was taken up successively by each
company as it arrived on the line. Being in command of the extreme right of the
Regt. I arrived on the line after the firing had commenced.
My company formed,
fired, and by some mistake of the men fell back perhaps ten paces, loaded, and
were again brought up to the former position & fired obliquely to the left
at the fort. The noise, and confusion at this time was great, and I could not
hear any command from the field officers, but observing a forward movement, I
gave the command to advance, which was executed rapidly. When I arrived close
enough to the breastwork to see anything distinctly the first thing I observed
was Col. McClung waving his sword upon the fort. I called out to my men to
hurry in, pointing to Col. McClung. When I reached the ditch, the Missi
Riflemen were running into the fort, many of my men were in the fort before I
could get over the ditch, and up the embankment. When I jumped into the fort
men from different companies of our Regt. were pouring in from all sides, and
around on the embankment. I passed on immediately out at the rear of the round
fort, and on to the right across the branch which runs between the distillery
and the 3d fort, with some of my own company, & some of other companies of
the Regt. inclining to the right, up the creek or ditch under the hill upon
which the 3d fort stands.
I have no
recollection of seeing any soldiers but the riflemen in the fort when I passed
through it, and do not believe any others got in before the enemy were driven
out by the Missi. Riflemen. Those immediately with me were close upon the heels
of the Mexicans firing upon them as they ran over to the 3d fort & into the
bushes along the creek. After recrossing the creek, about where I previously
crossed it, some few, perhaps 20 riflemen were conducted by Col. Davis to the
right still further, until we reached the corner, where the first street to the
right of the fort, intersects the road leading from the distillery to the
right. I posted the Riflemen behind a house, and wall within a garden on the
corner. A considerable number of regular troops, and a portion of Gen. Hamer's
command had by this time collected in the lane near the corner. The Mexican
guns raked the street on our right. Col. Davis endeavored to prevail upon the
officers in command of the troops with which we were thrown to charge the
battery on our right, under cover of the fire of our rifles. But we were
ordered out, and retired across the street, and into the fields without again
returning to the fort. We were exposed to the fire of the cannon in crossing
the fields, and were threatened with a charge from the Mexican cavalry. After
remaining for a considerable time exposed to fire from the forts, towards
evening the remainder of the Mississippi Regiment under Maj. Bradford joined
Col Davis. We were then ordered to go to the relief of Gen. Taylor at the fort,
and distillery. After advancing part of the way under a raking fire from the
enemy's Forts, we were ordered to retire to Camp. Having crossed the range of
the cannon I think four times, in marching and countermarching across the
fields. (Signed)
* Company B,
Wilkinson Volunteers—Capt. D. H. Cooper, Lieutenants Carnot Posey, James Calhoun,
Sam R. Harrison.
1 Cooper, Douglas H., a soldier, was a
resident of Mississippi at the opening of the civil war, was sent by the
Confederate Government to form alliances with the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws,
and Chickasaws. He was colonel of a Choctaw-Chickasaw regiment under General
Albert Pike, at the battle of Pea Ridge, in 1862, and was promoted brigadier
general May 2, 1863. At the second invasion of Missouri by Sterling Price, he
was entrusted with the operations against Fort Smith and Fort Gibson, in
cutting off communications. His command was composed of the 1st Choctaw and
Chickasaw, the 2nd Choctaw, the 1st and 2nd Cherokee, 1st and 2nd Creek, and
Cherokee, Seminole and Creek battalions, Howell's Texas Battery. He settled in
the Indian Territory and died there about 1867.
SOURCE: Dunbar
Rowland, Editor, Jefferson Davis, Constitutionalist: His Letters,
Papers and Speeches, Volume 1, pp. 116-8
