St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-08-29
A Thrilling Sketch.

Wiikic, the correspondent of tho
Dubuque Herald, thus describes the
great battle in Missouri, at Wilson's
Creek, near Springfield:
Everybody who was in Springfield
was up long before daylight ant
awaiting with fevcrish anxiety tn.
event of the day. Daylight came
slow y-minutcs seemed hours, ant
yet nothing was heard from the direc
ton of the enemy. About ten minutes
past five the heavy boom of artillery
rolled through the town like the NUT
tering of a thunder storm upon the
horizon, and sent thrill through CIV,
cry heart, like shock of electricity
l instantly mounted my horse and set
out Tor the scene of action, which was
fully twelve miles distant, and as
neared it, the explosions of Il artil
lery became one continuous roar that
onl y now and then was broken enough
to distinguish the sound of single
guns. AT times for ten minutes the
whole earth was shook with one con,
tinuous tremendous peal that seemed
the prolonged howl Of a hundred thun
der storms mingled in onc--thCn il
would slacken for a moment, and per
haps a single gun would be heard,
| then half a dozen in succession sc
quick that each succeeding sound
Tapped on the preceding one and
then the tapping on would become in.
distinGuishablC, and the whole would
be merged again in one terrific vol
umc.
1t was like an old-fashioned fugue'
tune where the parts were the trcmcn
dous voices Of heavy ordnance-a sin
gle voice would lead off a note or SO
then another would join and another
in quick succession till all the sulphur
Gus voices in one sublime chorus were
reverbcrating over the hills and across
the prairicS with volume that shook
the earth like Niagara. Nearing the
ground, the regular vollcys of muskct
ry were heard mingling their sharper
tones in the grand concert, while al
times there was an incessant crashing
of guns that was never silent for q
moment, but sounded like a continuous
discharge of huge fire crackers. Still
nearer and the words of command
were heard, with now and then the
crash of heavy bodies of cavalry tear
ing over the ground-the dull thud O.
bullets as they buried themselves in
trees, or their fierce whistle as they
tore high in the air-thc savage mu.
sic of round shot, and the peculiar liz
zing whirr Of shells, and the SHARP
crack of their bursting made up G
scene, the like of which must be secr
to be appreciated, to the extent of one
half of its terrible awful character
As approached the battlefield, and
when at distance Of two miles
squads of men could be seen gallop
ing madly hithcr and thithcr, while
out on the prairie were scores of sad
died horses grazing peacefully, whose
riders had left them in many cases
forever. ! met also men getting away
from the fatal timber, over which hung
thick smoke, as if hell itself were
flaming wthin-some Of them limpcC
painfully along, others were supported
upon the arms Of comrades-somC
were hatlcss, and with locks clottc(
and countenances CHASTITY with blood
while a few had helped themselves t.
horses, and all were making their wa,
as fast as they could towards town
Going still further, one came to
spring, situated few hundred yard
from the line Of tue fight, in ravinc
and here the wounded were conveyed
and here the doctors were busy il
their humane but unwelcomc duty.