The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-06-24
THE RATTLE.


Arriving at the brow of the ascent. Cant.
TOtten opened the engagement by throwing
a few nine-pounder explosives into their
ranks, while the infantry filed oblique right
and left and commenced a terrific volIey of
musketry, which was for a short time well
replied TO, the balls flying thick and fast
about our ears, and occa sionally Wounding
a man on our side. The enemy were post
ed in IA lane running toward the river from
the road along which the grand army of the
United States were advancing, and in a
brick house on the northeast corner of the
junction of the two roads. A couple of
bombs were thrown through the east wall
Of that house, scattering the enemy in all di-
reCtions The well directed fire of the Ger
man infantry, Lieut.. Col. Schaeffer,
on the right, and Gen. Lyons COM
pany of regulars and part OF Col. Blair's
regiment on the left of the road, soon COM
PEELED the enemy to present an inglOrious
aspect They clambered over the fence into
field Of wheat and again formed in line
just on the brow Of the hill. They then
advanced some twenty steps to meet US and
for i short time the cannons were worked
with great rapidity and effect. Just at this
time the enemy opened a calling fire from
grove just on the left of our center, and
p
left
The skirmish now assumed the magnitude
of a battle. The commander Gen. Lyon,
exhibited the most remarkable GOODNESS, and
preserved throughout that undisturbed pres
ence OF mind shown by him alike in the
camp, in private life, and on the field Of bat
tie. " Forward on the extreme right -
"Give them another shot, Capt. Totten,"
echoed above the roar of musketry, clear
and distinct from the lips of the General,
who led the advancing column. Our force
was ?, 900 in all, but not over 500 partici-
pated at any one time in the battle The
enemy, as we have since been reliably in
formed, were over 1000 strong, and yet
twenty minutes from the time when the
first gun was fired the rebels were in full
retreat, and our troops occupying the ground
on which they first stood in line The con-
summate cowardice displayed by the Sc
ceshers will be more fully understood when
| add that the spurs or successive ele-
vatiOns now became more abrupt, steep
and rugged, the enemy being fully ac-
quainted with their ground, and strong posi-
tons behind those natural defences, or
chards and clumps of trees Offering them
selves every few yards. Nothing more
however, was seen of the flying fugitiyes
until about one mile west o. the house of
VIM. NJ. Adams, where they were first post
ed. Just there was Camp Vest, and a con-
siderable force seemed prepared to defend |
the approaches to it. Meanwhile a shot
from the iron howitzer on the Mcdowell an /
nounced to US that Capt. Wooster, with his I
artillerymen, and Capt. Richardson's COM /
pany of infantry, who were lef in charge of /
the boats were commencing operations on /
the battery, over mile below Camp Vest. +
This bat increased the panic among the in
vincibic ID lrai1nrA and Capt. Totten had .
but to ave Them few rounds before their /
heels we're again in requisition, and Capt. .
Cole and Miller, at the head of their com