Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1861-09-26
Communications.
pondence Of the St. Charles City lnteiligencer
ARMY LETTER,

Il
been marching and counter-marching
and having a good time generally
On the 14th of August about $50 O
the Sd Iowa, with the artillery of tn
10th Illinois, took up their line o
march for kirksville, the county sea
of Adair county, and thirty-one miles
from the Iowa line. % lo 1noa sa' 9
Nothing Of Importance occurred un
til we arrived at La Plata, where thu
advance guard captured two flags
one with the seven stars and three
stripes, and ono Missouri State Right.
flag. ! felt proud wen | saw the old
starry flag of Liberty take the place
Of the rag Of rebellion---the Molocli ol
the South 1 iFaiIauA - rail2ag}zab aa
As we marched into town the band
struck up The Girl left behind me, ,
the very few Union people checred US,
and we were all in the best of spirits
when we encampcd for the night. i,
had been reported that Green was at
Kirksyille with large force. and said
if We ever got into town we would
have to fight our way in. We enter
ed, however, without any opposition,
when it was found that Green was
ten miles from town, cncamped in a
piece Of woods. Soon the Stars and
Stripes were waving from tho highest
point in the city. The sccesh soon
began to make tracks out of The place.
A number were arrested and placed
in the guard house among them was
a young man who was to have been
married the next day, (it being Sun
day. I" and verify he was troubled in
spirit, and much cast down.; yet
such was the fortune of war. ....
Kirksvillc is prettily situated
town, and in the days of its prosperity
contained from three to four thousand
inhabitants But nowit will scarcely
muster four hundred, men, women and
children. Never was there a more
vivid picture of Goldsmith's " Desert
ed Village y; the vacant houses, the
dilapidated walks, the grass-grown
streets, all give most striking and
horrid view of the desolation which
Missouri, by her own acts, is bringing
upon herself! 1t is stran sc she will
not drop the scales from her eyes and
look more to her own interests.
Every day we were told the enemy
were upon us. One night the Home
Guards reported that one Of the roads
leading into town was crowded with
the rascals T; Immediately the cannon
opened with grape and poured in two
or three good vollcys before they
found that the guard were scared, and
that there were no secesh in sight.
One day a company of men went out
as scouts and were surprised and fired
into, and corporal by the name of
Dix was shot dead I; yet his murderer
shared a worse fate, for he fell pierced
with eleven balls Shortly after, we
were Joined by Gen. Hurlbut, with his
command, and started on the track OF
the rebels. We chased them for three
days through Adair, Knox, and Shel.
by counties We reached Shelbina in
a most dreadful storm and spent the
night there, and in the morning start.
ed for camp at Brookfield, where we
landed safely after an absence of nine
teen days, having lost, during the ex
pedition, two men killed, one wound
ed and one missing. One man was
waylaid as he was on ahead Of his
company and shot through the head
with load of buckshot. During oul
abeence Col. Williams with the rem
nant of his command and some Kan
sas boys-who were on their way
home from Springfield. and volunteer
ed their services-made a forced
march upon Paris, coniscatcd a large
sum Of money, and fell back on Shell
bina, where he was surrounded by
Green with three thousand mon ant
three pieces Of artillery. The Colonel.
force was eight hundred men, aud M
cannon. They had q smart skirmish
when COL Williams rctrcated to Brook
field, where we Joined him we ther
turned and went forward as fast al
we could build bridges and lay tracl
on the railroad, which they had de
stroyed A party went forward, how
ever, and drove the rebels before them
captured large quantity Of corn
some horses, and took thirty prisoners
In the fight at Shelbina, one Of th'
Kansas boys observing one Of tn
colonels Of the enemy holding stan
dard, and trying to induce his men t
charge the "fUnion boys" he brough
his Sharpe's rifle to bear and tumble,
him from his horse tn
What a guerrilla warfare this is
We are beset by enemies who will no,
| dare not, face us, yet embrace ever
: opportunity to waylay our men a
they go for wood, or water enemie
who burn railroad bridges, aud, by S
|, doing, murder women and children
Iwho fire into passenger trains an