Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-08-20
The Battle OF Springfield
Full and Interesting Account by an Of
hcer.-Gen. seigel's Progress Toward
kolla---The Enemy Badly Cut Up.

ST. Louis. AUG. l4-2p


st. Louis, Aug. l4-2P.
The following is an account of he bat
tie near Springfield by Capt. Fairchild, of
1st Kansas Regiment. who has arrived at
Rulla;
We had been skirmishing in view to
find the enemy, when on Thursday night,
it was reported by party Of our cavalry
that his uutposts were four miles south-
west of Springfield The LIST and I'd Kan,
SIS Regiments, two companies of cavalry,
and two or three companies of Regulars,
were ordered out to engage him ii possible
When they came within attacking distance
they formed in line of battle, but the en-
emv withdrew.
Next day nj 5 p NJ, we received orders
to take one days ra:ions and prepare for
march About Z O'clock in the same even
ing a greater part of us, under Gen. LYON.
left Springfield. willie Seigel remained be-
hind Ms Il reserve. Seigel had ] 500 men
nnder him We marched seven miles in
the direction Of The enemy, and then rested
( for seq ral hours. At six clock Saturday
morning, we resumed Iur march, and af-
| ter having proceeded three miles further
/ came upon the euemv, who were encamped
upon piece of ground admirably adapted
! to their species of war are, covered at n
| tervals with hru<hwnud and cnrnfeid and
covering many rnvines for cnnrealmrnt-
As soon a. Gen Lyon came within sight
| of the Confeterates he opened canuOn-
abe on. 1t was promptly aud ally an.
answered, and the battle now fairly com
mence1, and in Il short time became gene
raj along the whole line. At little be
! fore eight o'clo k, Gen Lyon was wounded
! by shot in the foot. and his horse killed.
and he retired to the rear for surgical
treatment 1t so happened that our troops
were hard pressed by the Confederate Just
at this time. Things began to assume Il
thres tenlng aspect, and Gen. Lyon seeing
the danger, at once dismissed all thoughts
of his wound, mounted his horse and rode
in front of his men, and waving his hat
and handkerchief, called out to the boys
to rally and follow him. A ball struck
him in the back and killed him instantly.
fhe effect of Lyons death upon our troops
was terrible.
A feeling of CONSERVATION spread thro'
our ranks and depicted itself in every coun-
tenan:e. AT that moment had the enemy
made a charge, our troops would have
| hardly resisted it with success, and their
defeat might have been easy; but soon
every other feeling gave way to feeling
of revenge and deadly determination -
Maj. Sturgis promptly assumed the COM
mand, and from that time till fouT o'clock
! in the afternoon the battle lasted almost
uninterrupedly, and WIS conducted with a
ferceneSs ON both sides rarely equaled in
the an, ais Of war. Our troops would have
achieyed a splendid victory, had i: not
been for the fearful odds they had to con-
| tend against. On the side of the Confed-
| crates, 10000 to % ,00G were in the fight,
and to these, up to TWO O'Clock P. NJ, q
| body of only 5000 was opposed. An un4
! fortunate circumstance for our troops was
/ that, during the greater part of the battle
! they came So near the Confederates that
! the old shot guns anu other Indifferent
! weapons OF the latter could be used with
| the same deadly effect as Mimic muskets
/ The ground, too, was the enemy's own
! choice. and our troops went into the battle
not knowing how far the line of the ene>
! my extended. nor where his forces were
AT about two O'Clock p. N, Gen. Seigel
] having heard cannonading, came up with
| the reserve from Springfield. He imme>
! d!ately attacked the enemy on his right
| flank, and did terrible execution. The
rest II our troops, seeing that Seigel brat
them succor. rallied and made one more
| determined onset on he enemy but such
was the oveI whelming odds against which
/ they fought, that thr encounter amounted
t. nothing more than mutual cutting up !;
| and by 4 o'clock all parties seemed to be
anxious to Withdraw fir m the field
The United States troops retired to
Springfield in good order, and there the
call OF the roll by regiments was respond
Ell t. as usual
Our informant counted ITO wounded in
the hospital at Springfield. all belonging
tie the first Kansas Regiment. He did not
| ascertain the number of killed, nor the
number killed and wounded in other regis
ments; but the number may be pretty
nearly in erred when it is considered that
the First Kansas Regiment was in the
thickest of the fight
AT o'clock on Sunday morning Gen.
Selgel, having concluded tina it W uld not
he prudent to resume the fight, the whole
column of troops followed by large mum.
hers t citizens. with all they could gath
er up in the shape Of movable 60 d.. com
menced retreat from Springfield in the
direction Of Rolla