, 1861-08-20
eketal Repsrt sf Csl. Merritt Of the First Iowa
- Regiment.

commenced and kept up fot thirty minutes.
rhe enemy responded promptly with battery
@ one hundred feet over cur heads. Detail
d Company b, First Lieutenant Heller com.
handing, and Company e, First Lieutenant
Abe1crombie eonmand1eS, 10 act - skir-
uishers in advance Of my line. Ordered to
elieye lie First Regiment Of Kansas Volun-
eers. In advancing to engage the enemy,
net the First Kansas retreatdng In confusion.
They broke through our line on the right,
operating Companies 4 and F from the bal.
nce sf Ike command While In this confus-
ID stale We received musderous fire from the
rack and reform the line. The din Of fire.
.1ms and the loud talking OF the troops
drowned my voice, 80 that the command
could not be heard on the left Led the two
a and F over the bill, halted them
and ordered them to absut face and fire on a
quad Of the cnem5's cavalry, advancing to
charge on section OF Totten's battery.
The fire was executed with promptness
AID effect, and after receiving the
discharge rom the battery, the enemy retired
dead and wounded on the fleld Ordered
companies a and to hold their position uu-
til further orders, aud then retu1nsd to COM
panies I, G, Il, z, G sud B, who had been left
facing the enemy's line; found our troops ad-
7anaing under CALLING fire from the euemy's
l0Iau{T9s 6lLtE EIC 6GElQt .4tf kEn
back il good order. Ordered Major A. B.
Porter to proceed to the rear::and taEe com.
mand Of four companies, +, F, D, aud |
E, there stationed. Held cur position In t
front for five hours, alternately advancing and
retiring as the approa h and repnlle ol the |
charge the enemy made, We rePulsed them |
and drove them into the 1ayine below About |
L o'clock NJ, the order was given to retire |
from the field, which Was done in good order. |
As We retired over the hill, We passed SEC |
tien Of Totten's battery, occupying CON.
right BY companies 4, :, 2 and E, Of the Iowa
troops, under command of Major Porter, and |
Oh the left by one company Of regular
infantry under command OF Captain
Lathrop. This command sustained onr
retreat with great coolness and determine.
the enamy's infantry. After the wounded
Were gathered up, our column formed in Or
der Of march, and, the enemy repulsed, the
battery and infantry retired IN good order,
Thus closed one Of the nost kotly contested
engagements known to the country, COM
mencing twenty minutes afteE O'Clock 4 n.
and concluding twenty minntes alter II
O'Clock NJ, in which the enemy brought TO the
field Il 600 well armed and well disciplined
troops, 10000 irregular troops, and our oWn
amounted to about 5000 troops, in the early
p.rt Of the engagement, and considerably
less than four Thousand troops for the con.
Guiding four hours Of it.
1t is with great pleasure that acknowledge
valuable uid aid assistance from Major 4.
Porter, Asjutant Geo. ". WaldroD, vino was
Campton; and to express my unhounded sd
Mi7asion Of the heroic cona auct displayed sE
both officers and ne1. No troops, regular or
volunteer, ever sustained their country's flag
with more determined Va10r and forhtude;
they have crowned themselves with lmperlsh-
oh er1 Tnr2f a fnnSriCUNnR
place iu the history Of their country.
4 let Of the killed. missing and wounded
vii be found attached to this report, together
| with such notices Of individual proWess IS
| were observed On the field.
| Before concluding this report, I must bear
/ testimony to the gallant and meritorious con
| duct Of Captain 4. L. Mason, of Company q,
| who fell in charge, at the head OF his COM
Paay.
/ WILLIAM e. MERRrTr,
Leutenant.C Colonel Commanding.
| OFFICIAL REPORT Of LIEUT. DAv1s, FIRST Reg
| IAENT IOWA TROOPS.
left ~ camp near sprirgheld, Missouri, under
command OF Capt Aiex. l. Mason, uadel
| marching orders, numbering two commis
stoned offeers, four sergeauts, and seventy
FIVE men, making total Of seyenty-nine, rank
and file. During the engagement OF the lotl
| 1&Ef.@ 0tl EtIuE%&l15 UC!HE3 EAV %14V4 SVa9-EAAs
ef the regiment, WIS exposed to a CALLING fire
1t an early stage Of the engagement, Capt Ma
| son, while leading his company, tell MORTAL.
wounded. The command now aeyol7ed upo1
First Lieut. VIM Purcell, who soon after tel
seriously wounded, whose place was inmedl
ately and promptly filled b. private VILLAS
Grant, an experienced and tried soldier. VIII
succeeded in rally ing our now scattered force
and leading them through the enlargement
finally retired in good order. Upon callis
our roll We found our company accounted to
, es follows;
Captain 4. L. Mason
!. | Sergeant Alexander Il. Buchanan.
| Private Charles Mlchanet.
Il Seriously Wounded.
First Lieut.. Km. Purcell, Private EabeEt Patton,
: Corporal 4 n. Snyder, do B. R. Madden,
f1aa'eS ao K +. Je%e, eselS'0' Do Sottlstb Measer
do Robt. Armstrong, DO Joseph Lane,
: do Albert Nawes, do B: F: Forbes.
g }S61 SsSSs Ss Ss SR.x,sf &ssss aSsEton bsz
do Jacob Ricketts,, Total. u.
Slightly Nounded.
jerome Morton. Wnl. N. Stewart.
. Total, g.
Aggregate-Killed, 3; wounded, 27.
1 Ut tke WuQnQeQ, EQerG RCTE 43iG III II6 HUsp1
At Springfield, six. VI: Corporal Snyder, Print
Underwood, Jewel, Bennett. Armstrong, Eogd
The remainder Of wounded, numbering 1wen
!. = one, are No" with the command: mrs.
!. Second Lieut. Commanding CO. C.
It REPORT or CAPT. HkRRos, OF COMPANY
= FIRST I0WA-
Is August II, 1861
se x To LIEUT.. Coz. ". Fl. MEHRIrr-SR:
. have the honor to enclose herewith the O
~ cial report Of the part taken BY my compa
q in the Late engagement between the Fade
+ ard Confederate forces at Wilson's Cret
:" - below spr1nRdeld, Mo. Ny command, vi
= Company A. B, z and q, were posted abo
~ ~ the center OF me 1ine Of battle, and were 81
Il. ported by Capt. Totten's battery On the 7!g
M r the enemy several times, IS they advanced
a the battery, and finally driving then Fl
~ ~ their position. An effort being made at t
,1v time, BY i've or SIX regiments, to o9thank
Z / on the right, our nne wae changed, and
ed we're for four hours under CALLING fire. 7
~ men behxved With great courage, and adv
Wy cd on the enemy under heavy fire like !
e, eran soadiers> ! am g.sa to mention thena
An Of Corporal 2. ]. Williams, who beha1
he thE9ughont she sn.Te eagsSe%snt s T1tn
~ mention. Priyxte Geo. 8. Pearce also dis
~ putshed himself, and set an example wh
IN had grand effect npon the company.
SsI Enciosed find the list OF killed and woun6
,en lam, very trnly ,Gsrs,
@ .as. Capt. Company I. FiEst Reg. l.
CoxPASE A~-1zRtd.
en- eneuy Norman' so..;~n
cry Madison stone'
eral Aad1son D. es"ae:
inF Geo. Greenhow, Hugh J; Campbell, Lo,
Ing {uoEtaIy> tJesse Lucas, n n Hso"ns Alex
Ing Ter, l. ID. hsatoa" co.rR
,n's 9SesFs'
cid, | flIs Lieutenant H. G1Aa~us os0 IL '1e eA
gns gps Third Sergeant B. shesrx; hall in the ii
our Second Corporal j. 4. Robinson.
'ost, Corporal j. n. kinney; q slight wound II
'ody s tosse.sl ri L L. Merherson slight wonr
s: B. Austin; 3 slight wound In the leg; L
not =; .; Hgmphtey; wound IL the neck; Il
thsy V: =: Rtcamp = wound In the thigh;
m, y Il. Goodrill; flesh wound in the arm
IL d. Brown; hall IN the knee serious
Geo. Walters; ahst in the caR Of the leg
ticle serious s..,., -, =, ..a Inv
sent .eriou1. ~ 49, "A'> wa
rims Chss. 4. Thompson; ball IN the shoulda'
r1ora.
Sy3ns s9sghs,s; 0e9sg[as,s; ball ia the groin; nj
ads I yas = Edi5eta., \ ball IN tie s<sa.t ~
.!ied aed + esaaRlI@ wound in Tho ,se; mt "a
. be y 5.s: Wsssea; ! wssa4 y ~ v4.st; ~ -
FezA- Chas. Hutoa; MOUND IN IL led AiGa; =