The Van Buren press., 1861-08-28
Letter from a Member of the Little Rock

Letter from Member of the Little Rock
Artillery to n Friend in this City.
In CAMP NEAR SPRINGFIELD. Mo-,
Wednesday. Aug. II. 1861.
FRIEND =: After waiting patiently
to meet the enemy in battle array, the day
came and passed. and it was glorious day
for us. for we achieved a great victory over
the hirelins minions of the North. After
Harvesting our horses, ON Friday evening.
to march at nine o'clock to meet the enemy
that night, who were nine miles from us,
and three miles west Of Springfield. We
remained up all night, waiting anxiously
for orders TO start but owing to the APP
pearance of the weather. which Was cloudy
an >prinklins. the enterprise was given up
and the Missouri General failing to replace
their nickets. which account, for our being
Surprised. Towards daylight we were al
lowed to lay down to rest, as we knew not
wha; hour we would start, leaving our hor-
ses hitched III oar cannon all the while But
10! our revlie was sounded by the roaring
OF IN. enemy's cannon and mus kerry, who
ma |. th,lr atEa * on the extreme left from
pus gp,.,I,n on Cnurrhll's regiment IN their
amp. lacy were completely routed. and
>Ucr.. lei IN forming in the road to NEE,
them. when here tn. lighting commenced
As soon a, oug infantry forme and march
Ell ont INTO the hollow, Capt Totem open
ed his oattery of two "a 4-pounders and nine
pieces Of small calibr, on them, which, as
soon As we saw. we opened our battery on
him, AMI his attention was Immediately
drawn toward us and turning to his men,
said. turn your fire on that little battery,
aud in five minutes you will see them scam
pering away and leaving it," But. when,
an hour and a half had elapsed. his laconc
remark to his men was "By CT, they
are regulars ." But he was mistaken, and
we'll he knew it. too. 1t was his own pet
company, and first named after him even
our battery was picked out in the Rock by
him. In the heat Of the battle Gen. Pearce
rode up and cheered US, eXclaiming. " Hur-
rah for the Little Rock Artillery" And
near the close, Gen. McC Culloch rode up and
said, Boys, that last fire decided the bat.
tie YOU drove them. three times from their
guns, dismounting 3 guns, bursting the last
and killing five men on the same gun, dri-
wing Totten. himself from them.''
The Louisianians and 81 Arkansas Reri-
ment fought desperately, and we have re-
|
on different occasions, from being fanked
by the regulars. by firing grape into them
when they were completely routed and fed
| in confusion. The Louisianians charged
on Seigles battery during the fight and took
it. pieces. without losing man save two
which Reed's battery killed, by firing into
them, supposing them to be the enemy ad.
vancing on them with it. Seigle's regi-
ment were finally completely routed and
he barely saved himself by raising the
Southern flag which they captured from
Churchill in the morning. You can i'm
agine what sort of battle it was when we
met sue. as Sturgiss and Montgomery in
! the field. The former reported with $500
men of which great many were regulars
the latter in the command of the I'd regiment
Kansas cut-thrcats a. l style them. Gen
Slack. and Weightman. of Missouri were
killed. being the principal field officers lost
on our side. while we got their commander,
Gen. Lyons, wounded Seigel seriously, AMI
Totten reported killed. The Louisiana
! regiment lost 9 killed. including their 1t.
/ Col The Sd learned. lost I3 with Can't.
Brown. and Bell, and Lieut. j. Walton and
Lieut.. Weaver. of our battery, who was
killed in the first rounds, as their shots in
our first and second positions were we'll di-
| rected tor us. In our second charge we
lost two more killed. one wounded. and n
! horse killed. The names of those killed in
our company. were Carver. Byler, Ca small
boy. who had ais leg taken of by can
non ball. B. G. Byrd was wounded, and
strange to say. yet trne, all on the same
gun with me, which had six grey horses in
the team. IS you may recoIlect, our first
cannon had when leaving Van Buren,. and
| this was their principle mark. Churchill's
regiment suffered more than any other on
the field. his loss being 40 killed, and near
~ foar times IS many wounded. Suffice it
10 say that oGf total loss was abou, 250