The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-07-17
Col. sigeEs Battle with the Reb-
aIs la m sSs mn ~

| els III M kSSOuf1s
! Full Particulars Rebel Force 6, 600 Hard
fqh,iaq- Prisoners Taken They report
Loss Of $50 Men Col. Wolf not Ruled
=. Sigecs Loss Eight Killed, and Forty
Wounded Later and More Intelligen,
4ccount of the fght--Narratipe Of Lieut.
7usk, cfthe Artitiery.
| From the ST. Louis Democrat.
| Last evening we had an interview with
Lieut.. Tusk, bearer OF dispatcher from Col
Sigel, who gives us highly interesting &C.
count Of the battle near Carthage.
| 1t would be in vain for us TO attempt to
portray the many movements of the conten-
ding parties, and the incidents of the day as
they were SO graphically and intelligently
related and explained by Lieut.. Tusk. He
is a Hungarian, was in the Crimean war, and
later fought ia the Italian war. He seems
to be an experienced and very intelligent
officer
He says that the command under Col. ST.
gel, amounting to about LOO men, at Car
thage, heard on the evening Of the 4th, of the
presence of the enemy at point about seven
miles eastward OH the prairie. The force OF
the enemy was not known, but the troops
were so impatient to have brush, that Col.
Sigel decided to give them battle. At three
o'clock on the morning Of the 9Th, the march
was begun. The command came upon the
rebel forces under General Rsines and Par.
sons, at about 81 o'clock in the forenoon
They were strongly stationed on ridge or
hill in the prairie having FIVE pieces of ar
tillery, one twelve FOUNDER posted in front,
and two six Founders on the right and left,
| the cavalry on each flank and the infantry
in the rear of the artillery. The position
was formidable one.
| Col. Sigel approached to within distance
of about 800 yards with four pieces Of artil-
| lery in his centre, supported on his left by a
command of infantry under Lieut. Col. Has
| sendeuble, and six pound cannon-on his
right by the command of Col Solomon and
another six FOUNDER In the rear Of the GEN.
tire pieces of artillery was the command Of
Major Bishop. Before opening the fire Col
| Sigel briefly and eloquently addressed the
troops, reminding them of their battles in
the old country, and asking them to stand
| by him in the present hour. He then open
ed fire with shrapnels from the piece Of al :
tillery on his extreme left and soon the en-
gagement became general The rebels though
strongly posted, had no grape, nothing but
| ball, proved themselves to be bad artillerists,
the most of their balls flying high and plow-
| ing the prairie beyond the Federal troops
They had Confederate flags flying on their
extreme right and left divisions, and the
Missouri State flag in their centre Sigel's
men twice shot down the traitors flags, their
first shots being especially directed at these
objects, saying that they had no desire to
| fire upon the State flag. In :hrec quarters
of an hour the twelve FOUNDER in the rebels
front was dismountcd, and their centre COL
umn completely broken. In two hours more
their artillery was entirely silenced They
resumed fire after short. interval, but were
second and last time sifenced
| BY this time Col Sigel observing that a
flank movement was being made by both
wings of the rebel cavalry, became concern
ed for his baggage wagons, which were sta.
toned three miles in his rear, and accord
ingly sent back one field piece and column
of infantry to protect them and the ferry
| across small creek between him and them.
The cavalry still pressing him on the right
and left. he ordered retrograde movement
Of his whole command, which was admirably
performed, the artillery continuing to do ad.
mrable service, and fighting slowly every
inch Of ground The baggage wagons hav
ing been reached, they Immediately formed
in solid columns and the infantry and artil
lery were posted on all sides, presenting an
| impregnable array
| In this condition, and perfect order, his
command continued the retrograde move
ment towards Carthage, fighting brayely
| against the superior odds until o'clock in
the afternoon. At last they came to place
| where the road passed directly througha
high bluff. on each side Of which theencmy' S
cavalry were posted in large numbers. BY a
| feint, as if intending to pass around the bluff,
Col. Sigel drew the cavalry in solid body
in the road between the bluffs at n distance
of $50 yards from his position. when. by a
skilful aud rapid maneuyre Of bis artillery,
be poured into their ranks most destruc-
tive cross fire of canister shot, which did not
| last 0 minutes before the enemy fed in great
disorder Lieut.. Tusk says the prairie was
| full of flying and rlderless horses of which
they captured IS and picked from the
ground 65 double barrelled shot guns. Two
officers whose names Lieutenant Tusk could
not recall were also captured 1T this point,
and they stated that up to that time they
had lost about $50 men.
| TWAS still three miles to Carthage Co..
| Sigel was anxious to reach that point, and
take a position in the woods on the north of
| that place, on the Sarcoxie road, so that he
would no: be any further annoyed by the
rebel cavalry. This movement occupied
from g. o'clock to about ST in the evening,
and here was the hottest fighting ofthe day,
the enemy evidently approaching Col Sigels
desire to get into cover of the woods, and
| disputing the ground most stubornly with
him. Finally, against the tremendous odds
he gained the timber, when the enemy re-
tired to Carthage.
| As soon as he asccrtaned that the enemy
had given up the day, he took up the line
of maj CHI, and pressed on twelve or fourteen
miles to Sarcoxie, where they arrived with.
out any further trouble at o'clock in the
morning. Here they took hearty break
fast, dinner and a good rest. On the same
passed the night in that place, where they
were most joyfully received and Hospitality
entertained. The ladies, many Of them the
wives of leading citizens, baking bread and
supplying them with refreshments during
the greater part of the night During the
night large numbers of the Union Home
Guards came into the town in detachments
to assist Col. Sigel.
Lieut.. Tusk left Col. Sigel at Mt. Vernon
on the evening of the 18th with dispatches
travelled from that place to Rolla. a distance
of 1s5 miles, in the almost incredible space
of 20 hours. The Lieutenant has bullet
through his hat, and saws he had one horse
shot from under him. Major Hischoff. Capt
Essig and DR.. Roeder also had their horses
shot from under them. Col Sigel though
much exposed during the whole of the bat