Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-07-26


est ground in the village, and containing n
good supply of water. Horsemen seemed to
start up on all sides as if by magic, and re
made up our minds that we must stand an
attack that night. All the afternoon the
horsemen were in movement, but they did
no further harm than to shoot poor ped
dler who was quietly following his vocation
They shot him four or five times, but when
we left Monroe lac was doing WELL having
been taken into the hospital That evening
trenches were dug, fences double boarded,
and active preparation to sustain an attack
made. We all laid down behind our works
and slept, each man in his place, with his
gun by his hand, ready to leap for the fight
at a moments warning, but all the night
long no enemy appeared. .u. .. =.
AS we arose from our trenches in the
morning VIC cast our eyes to the top of the
building ard found the stars and stripes
proudly waving over all. The heart of each
soldier leaped at the sight, and could see
the muscles Of the soldiers harden as a new
determination sprang up in the bosom to de.
fend the good old flag to the last. Never
were the words of the Star-Spangled Banner
more forcibly felt by men, than at that mo-
ment when we were called from our Stun.
bers.
Upon the morning Of the tenth our rcck-
oning can be made up in few words Sur
rounded by upwards Of 5000 cavalry, with
one or two field pieces. all communication
with our friends cut off. provision nearly
Company X that morning secured one
bag of -four, and that with pork, was all the
provision that we had-some Of the compa-
Wit Ntn f,,a rtr Il
one feld-piece, six-pounder, but with little
ammunition. Thus were VIC situated, hoping
almost without hope that our friends would
send us relief, as the eastward and westward
trains had been driven back, and by that it
was knowna at both Hannibal and ST. Joseph
that there was trouble of some kind at Mon
roe. . .
At two o'clock, p. NJ. the enemy opened
upon us with nine FOUNDER, and in the
course of the afternoon fired twenty -tw.1
shots, three of which struck the building
and did no further damage One ball passed
through the embankment and took off the hat
Of soldier, picking it up and brushn the
dirt from his tile he exclaimed, Holy Nth
er, that is irnpudentlnt son Of a b--h to
scatter the dirt all over fcler." We kept
behind the buildings, laughing as the balls
went whining by us doing no harm. Occa-
sionally we sent back shot from our gun,
and the last one is said to have disabled their
nine FOUNDER, at most they did not fire again.
just as we fired, the cars from the east came
in sight, bearing in front the flag of the Un-
ion. We knew that enforcement was nigh.
Think you not that we breathcd little free
err; many brave boy exclaimed, that they
tever saw the flag look so well before. Our
friends were ut hand, two companies came in
the train, bringing with them ammunition,
provision, and another field piece. They had
been all day coming, laying track, building
bridges, &c, and once drove off the enemy,
who made an advance upon them. The cars
run off the track just as they were going to
stop and bruised up two or three men, ov-
crturned the field-piece, &C., but We had all
things to rights in few moments, and com.
panies were sent off in different directions to
engage the enemy, but in less than an hour
from the time the train arrived, not even one
OF James solitary horsemcn was to be seen.
They had beat a hasty retreat-though they
far outnumbered us. Some twenty were
stopping at certain house, and when they
took to their heels, one proposed to stop and
take drink, when another exclaimed. NO
by Cd, shan't stop for drink till am
twenty miles from this place." They told
one Of their scouts, whom we took, not to
go very near for we could shoot half mile
with our guns. And thus ended the fight
at Monroe Station. Upon our side no one
was wounded, one soldier named West of
Company II, Sd Iowa Regiment, shot himself
by the accidental discharge of his own gun.
1t is said that we used up several of the
rebels, but how many we know nothing about.
That night we again slept in the trenches,
hoping that the enemy would sec fit to give
us try sometime in the night An alarm
was given that troops were advancing upon
us, each man fell into his place ready for ac-
ton, but the troops proved to be the remain
der OF our own regiment, together with some
OF the Illinois troops, who, hearing Of our
danger, hurried on to our assistance, making
the last sixteen miles by foot march. So
our surprise that night was surprise from
our friends. On the morning of the 10Th no
enemy appeared in sight; scouts were sent
out, but the coast was pronounced clear: by
and by the smoke and flames came pouring
up from house in the distance owned by
Owen, the leader Of the rebel forces. have
since learned that some twenty horses were
also taken.
About noon a body of cavalry were seen
advancing, which proved to be two compa-
mics of cavalry, under the command of Gov.
Wood, with park of artillery.
Everything being clear we started for home
or rather this place, where four companies of
our regiment have gone into camp. Were
this letter not already too long, would say
something Of our sleeping in crowded cars,
of flour for bread, and nothing to cook it in,
of going twenty-four hours without eating,
and many such things that happened to us,
but forbcar. \ -.
We came to one bridge guarded by sixteen
soldier; sixty rebels had made an attempt
to fire the bridge by breaking tar pots on the
timbers and setting fire to the same, they
were discovered before they had fairly sue
ceeded and repulsed. They left one man to
be buried by the boys, and several went off
limping; they also lost two-horsc team
with which they had brought their material
for burning the bridge. At length we ar
rived at Chllicothc, six miles east of our for.
mer encampment. after an absence of one
week, week, as it proved of pretty rough
work, and which we were not wholly pre-
pared to meet, as when we left we expected
to be back to our camp in forty eight hours.