How the Three Iowa Regiments Happened to be Captured

A Correspondent of the Dubuque Times gives the following explanation of the manner of the capture of the 8th, 12th and 14th at the battle of Pittsburgh:

PITTSBURGH LANDING, April 10.

DEAR TIMES – Though the news of our fight at Pittsburg Landing will reach you long ere this does, I will venture a line. The whistling of bullets is not as unpleasant as I had anticipated. But for their effect, the [music] would be exhilarating. The Rebels attacked us on last Sunday morning, with Beauregard in command. The army on both sides was immense, and the carnage commensurate. The battle field was six miles long, and the range of the Minies [sic] and Dahlgreens [sic] will indicate the width.

On Sunday about 7 o’clock p.m. one portion of the line of our troops composed of several Iowa Regiments with Ohio troops on one flank, and Illinois troops on the other, seemed to be a point of special attack. The enemy charged with both infantry and cavalry. In this hour of peril, when every man ought to do or die, the Ohio and Illinois troops fell back, or rather took to their heels and fled, leaving the line something in the shape of a U, the middle of the letter being represented by the Eighth, Twelfth, and Fourteenth Iowa. This conduct on the part of the right and left flanks, while the Iowa boys stood their ground, gave the advancing enemy a chance to surround our boys which they were not slow to improve; and though they fought bravely, they could not escape. And they fought, till their officers saw that to continue the struggle was to sacrifice all the noble lives entrusted to their keeping, so what could they do but surrender?

Even then it was with difficulty that the boys could be induced to cease fighting, many of them preferring certain death to surrender.

But it was inevitable, and now those three noble Iowa regiments above named, are prisoners.

Where, in the meantime, were the troops who ought to have stood by the Iowa boys? Away down at the steamboat landing, huddled together like frightened sheep to the number of thousands!! And there they staid, and even refused to return at the command of distinguished officers, until the General in command ordered our own gun boats to commence shelling them if they remained disobedient!!!

Mr. Editor, these are rather stubborn facts more so because the organs of military renown, especially of Illinois, have sought of late to claim all the bravery for their own men.

On Sunday night, reinforcements under Gen. Buell began to arrive, and continued to pour in all day Monday. Beauregard found he had more than his match; and after a hard and very fruitless cope with the Western portion of the far famed “Anaconda,” he fled in ignominious disgrace on the evening of Monday. Our forces at once set out in hot pursuit – and further this deponent saith not.

We have had a hard battle, and the name of the dead and wounded, on both sides, is legion.

It is to be presumed that while we were engaged, “all was quiet on the Potomac,” but I assure you we had something to deal with besides wooden cannon.

Doubtless many will write, fully and truly, about the fight; but I took up my pen to tell you how it was that three Iowa regiments were successfully circumvented by armed rebellion in front, and cowardly perfidy in the rear; and having accomplished my truthful task, I add no more.

- Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 2