Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1861-11-07


single one could be called respectable
More than half of them were old flint
lock squirrel guns that were next tc
useless in battle.
Two brothers lay behind a fence
one of them was shot dead, and the
other, mere boy, played dead and al.
lowed himself to bc taken prisoner. In
talking about the matter afterwards
he said he thought our boys fired all
the time. Cartridges were to him a
thing unknown. He was used to
patching his balls and priminS his
pan, and our fast firing, he said, beat
him all hollow" The ignorance OF
some of these people is amazing to
one who has been reared in land OF
free schools and newspapers.
OF their killed, not a single one that
I saw wore uniform, their clothing
being generally homemade and but
ternut-colorcd. Old torn fragmenta-
ry hats were laying in every direc-
tion, with here and there nut-brown
,hrcad-bare coat. | confess that in
looking over the field, and rejecting
on the condition of these people, felt
for them the deepest pity and commits
Grafton.
| do not believe the rebels will ever
be allowed to know the extent of their
loss. Many from the surrounding
country were there TO see the fun
and have crack with their squirrel
guns at the damned abolition Yam.
KEGS" Many of their dead will not
be found for several days. The hogs
have already mutilatcd some of the
bodies. | saw one body with the face
and throat eaten off and the eyes eat
en- out. Poor fellows! To the wives
and children, brothers and sisters, the
fathers and mothers at home, they
will be numbered among the missing,
and that will be the last of them.
Some of the enemy performed deeds
of worthy of better cause
One of their cannon was placed in the
woods near the mouth Of a lane and
was vigorously worked. AS our for
ccs advanced, they picked off one af.
ter another of the rebel gunners, till
at last but a single man was left
This one man continued his work o
| loading and firing as fast as he could
nothing daunted. At last he fell al
his post bravcly and heroicly.
A very remarkable fact is that near,
ly all the rebels killed were shot in
the head. A spy who came in yester
day says Lowe, the rebel Colonel
who was killed, was desperate char
acter-nothing short of cold-blood.
ed murderer--a human butcher He
had charge of prisoners at Bloomfield
and occasionally would send off six
or eight Of them ostensibly to Poca.
hontas, Ark, the distance being nine
ty miles. A squad of desperadoes
would start with them in the morning
and return the same evening, having
delivered their prisoners at Pocahon
tas that is, they had taken them tc
some swamp or ravinc and shot them
down like skccp-killing dogs
Our soldiers were greatly exaspe
rated toward the citizens Of Frederick
town for trying to run them into al
ambuscade, by persistently and unan-
imously telling falsehood as to the
movements of Thompson. There were
but few men in town, and almost eve
ry woman told the story that she was
for the Union, that her husband was
for the Union, and that he had beer
forced to run away lest the secession
lists should kill him /; but when tht
truth was ascertained it was found tina
nearly every one of these men was
with Thompson, and that Thompson''
army was then lying in ambush nea
town. Our officers did their best tt
restrain the men, but the soldiers
were determined to have revenge, ant
they broke into several houses, store,
&c, and used whatever they wanted
and other things they destroyed. 4
dozen or twenty houses We're burne'
down, but wherever a man was known
to be a Unionist his property was un
touched.
Col. Carlin's command returned from
Fredericktown on the Gath. Tn
troops entered Ironton about9 o'clock
and were greeted with loud cheer
from the loyal citizens and soldier
who remained there. Bon6res blaze,
in all parts of the village, and patri
otic airs were played by the regimen
tai bands. The troops presented
fine appearance. In the language G
Scott
"'Twere worth ten years of peaceful life,
One glance at their array
They had grand jollifcation, Q
course, in honor of their victory.
The battle lasted nearly three hours
Our forces were about 1000 strong
commanded by Colonel Plummer. TIL
rebels had 5000 or 5000 men, an
were commanded by Gen. JEFF. ThomF
son. We fired the first gun. Gu
army was leaving Fredericktown fo
Greenvile, and came upon the enem
unexpectedly one mile from the forme
place. The attack was led by tn
illinois l7th and Missouri llth reg
ments, followed by the Illinois got
. aud 2lst. The enemy commenced r,
treating in the beginning of the figh
Col. loves regiment was in the from
and suffered the most severely, Low
fell early in the action.
"wh his back to the field and his feet to the foe."
T. But, alas he fell ingloriously in a
ignominious cause.
. After they had retreated into tn
woods beyond the reach Of our artill,
ry and infantry, the cavalry was O
dered to pursue them. They endea,
ored to make another stand, and th
: cavalry charged them. 1t was in thi
! splendid charge that Major Gavi,
, fell. ] hope the conduct of the Ind
ana men at Buena Vista will never b