Camp Cairo Illinois.
. . . no Drill this morning. At day light the fleet once more
get under way and in Co. with the 2 Gun Boats Lexington and Tyler Proceede down
the River to a point 3 miles above Columbus; landed on the Mo. side.
Disembarked all of our forces the 27th taking the lead we marched around to a
point about 3 miles distant from our landing place and about opposite the
enemys encampment at Belmont opposite Columbus & on this side of the River.
By throwing out skirmishers from our right flank the position of the enemy was
ascertained. The 30th & 31st Regts were then sent forward to engage him,
the 30th to attack the center & 31st his left flank while the 22nd Ills.
7th Iowa & Taylors Battery supported the center The 31st were the first to engage the enemy
and soon the action became general, from left to center. The 27th which in the
mean time had been lying at the point from which skirmishers had been sent out
was now ordered around to attack him on his right flank which we did though at
a great disadvantage having to fight him in his own position among fallen
timbers, after one hour's hard fighting we had the satisfaction of driving him
from his encampment tearing down their "cursed Rag" and planting the
stars and stripes where it had lately waved.1 Here was scene
presented to the Eye which can be easier imagined than described.
All over the Battle
field they scattered and in heaps The dead and the dying Friend and Foe lay in
close proximity to each other. Some torn asunder by cannon balls some with
frightful wounds here and there in different parts of the body Some were killed
out right with musket balls through the temples or forehead others with limbs
torn completely off suffering the most torturing agonies 'twas a most horrible
sight to contemplate But we were not allowed but a very short time to
contemplate for the enemy by this time had reinforced by Cheatham's Brigade of
Five Thousand men again advanced upon us evidently with the intention of
cutting off our retreat. And just at this moment they commenced shelling us
from Columbus from their Batteries of 60 Guns, The shells fell among us thick
and fast. However previous to this we had the satisfaction setting fire to
their Camp & destroying it. Now the command in order to work its way back
to boats—had to its way through the enemy—resulting in the loss of many brave
fellows killed and wounded the enemy pursuing until we reached the boats. Our
forces having embarked safely before they came up Except the 27th which in
order to evade the enemy, our Sagacious Col. as he has proved himself to be in
this day's fight marched around the Bayou some Three miles above where the
boats lay, Thereby escaping the terrible fire to which the balance of our
forces were exposed.
Our Regt. was
brought up by the Gun Boat Lexington.2
_______________
1 Colonel Buford of the 27th Illinois in
his official report of Nov. 9, 1861, praises the work of his men in the
following words: "It was our first action. We encountered great odds;
the enemy in his fortified position, the thunder of the heavy artillery from
Columbus, the whizzing of rifled cannon; we had no guides. How could soldiers
who had only volunteered a few days ago be expected to brave such odds? But
they did brave them." War of the Rebellion, Official Records, Series I.,vol. III., p. 285.
2 See the report of General Grant for the
verification of this episode. Nov. 17, 1861. War of the Rebellion, OfficialRecords, Series I., vol. III., pp. 269-271. See especially p. 271: "At
this point, to avoid the effect of the shells from the gunboats that were
beginning to fall among his men, he [Colonel Buford] took a blind path direct
to the river, and followed a wood road up its bank, and thereby avoided meeting
the enemy, who were retiring by the main road. On his appearance on the river
bank a steamer was dropped down, and took his command on board, without his
having participated or lost a man in the enemy's attempt to cut us off from our
transports." For further light on this engagement see Ibid. pp. 275, 277-280,
282-285, 288, 289, 291.
SOURCE: Transactions
of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1909, pp. 231-2
