The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-11-06

Savage Warfare iM the Noun.
uaiMs..UMiOn Men Reta aliating
Slaughter of ZOllicOffer's Men.
The retreat of Gen. Zollicofer has proved
to be most disasterous and bloody. letter
from Camp Wild Cat, dated 25th, says he
had left his dead and dying strewn along the
road from that point to Barboursville. 1t is
estimated that 900 men perished in the
retreat alone, and that his loss in the battle
and the retreat will amount to / 500 men,
The retreat began early OH Tuesday morning.
The dead were left on the field to be buried
by the Union troops. The field was literally
strewn with them. They must have fought
like fends. The execution was terrible and
the wounded were few. The effects of the
long balls-the Minie-are represented to
have been most terrible. Bodies were per-
forated and skulls were broken into half a
dozen pieces. Many feat Tres t was impos-
sible to reco gnize. The grape and canister
Of the artillery had also found many victims.
They were found lying on the hill sides in
groups. 1t appeared as if the bodies on fall
ins had rolled down The steep hil-sideS, and
thus piled up on one another. The road was
blocked with tn IN, and the Tennessee regi-
mcnt in pursuit rushed over the bodies of
their former friends and dacquaintances. Two
pieces Of artillery and all the camp equip
page, With many arms, knapsacks, and other
materials, were left by the rebels in their
precipitate fight.
But the retreat was the most trying ordeal
which the rebels had to un lcrg,. The farm
ers, whom for weeks past they had oppress
ed, aroused by the report OF the victory, gath
cred along the road to give parting blow,
and from Wild Cat to Bar5ourville, the rebel
army ran the gauntlet From every tree
and rock upon the roadside the sharp crack
of the farmers rifle greeted them and sealed
a rebels fate. It is said that the retreat was
one continued fight, in which the poor dew
lis had no cilsaaees- ctilaees whatever. Ambnscades
opened their fires upon them from every
side and quarter, and they felt what It was
to retreat throu n hostile country. Like
the English who came to subjugate at Lex
ington, Mass, they pushed on in haste, fly
ing from the storm of bullets that beat in
upon them at every step. They needed not
who fell. They pushed on, each man for
hinsel seeking safety in the hills of the
Gap. The bullet of the famous rifle sped
on its mission. The doomed man sank with
out murmur, as if exhausted. His follow
ing fellows stepped over his body and hnrri-
ed on, nor stopped pluck the weapon from
his dying grasp They lightly sprang over
the fallen body Of the steed that but mo
ment before with dilated nostnls snuffed
danger to its master. and then fell, unheeded
by him who had ridden him. The retribu-
ton for our retreat Of three months ago had
come. On the 2lst of the month, three
months before, our men had retreated to
Washington on the 2lst Of the month they
also retreated But this retreat WIS far
more terrible The shame of our arms in
Virginia has been wiped out in Kentucky.
1t is not improbable that Gen. Zollicoffer
has fallen, though there is no information to
that effect He was well known in the noun
tains. His features and form are not likely
to be forgotten by those who have seen him,
even when they have less incentive to re-
member hi m than have the mountaineers oi
Kentucky.
There are other mountaineers that Gen.
Zollicofer and his band have need to fear
There is no doubt that the people of Eas,
Tennessee are agai n armed. A lady from
Knoxville reports that since the departure
of Zollicoffsr for Kentucky, the Union men
have organized and in measure armed
themselves. When the garrisons with which
Zollicoffer had occupied East Tennessee and
with which he had hoped to quiet the strong
Union feeling there, were withdrawn for the
purpose of involving Kentucky, these union
lists again put on their former boldness. De.
prived Of arms, they made rough weapons
for themselves. 1t looks like eyaggeratior
to say of what the weapons were made and
of what they mainly consisted. 1t has beer
so common to talk of our fathers turning
their plowshares into swords that it appears
ridiculous in this age to assert that thest
men have made knives and swords out o
the sythe blades. But my lady informant
"a fair rebel lherself-states positively tha
such is the case. Every blacksmith shop il
the country is engaged in shaping these ag
r:cultural implements into huge knives tha
appear horrible in her eyes, and not only ina,
these men made prepa rations, but embold
ened, they had made demonstrations rathe
terrifying in their nature. In Sewer county
two weeks since, the Union men had seized
tried, condemned and publicly hung fou
men charged with prosecuting Union cti-
.zens. Many Of the more prominent rebel
haye fed from Knoxville No rebel suspect
Brownlow ofhonesty Of purpose in support
ing the candidates for the rebel Congress
and the silence of Nelson, Badger. and others
they think exceedingly momentous.
New PErrlcoAr.-A A novelty in petticoat
has recently been adopted among fashiona
bles. For all but dress, the white pettcoa
has been discarded for one of alpaca an,
these have great advantage over the line