Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-11-12

t., leg cut off and prisoners major 31st H..
killed; adj. general, H., prisoner; lieut.
colonel, ILL.,, prisoner; besides any quantity
Of captgins and iicutenants killed and pris-
/ oners
The BattIe at Columbus-Another
Description.
LAGRANGE. November s, 1861.
EDITORS APPEAL: I find, Messrs. Editors, in
your Issue of this morning. telegraphic dis
| patch, copied from Yesterdays extra of the
I Avalanche, which does injustice alike to Gen
erals Polk aud Pillow. TO Gen. Polk, be-
cause. although the superior officer in com
mand, he Is made to play the. part of sub
| ordinate; and Gen Pillow, because brave
man is ever wounded by that which would
] place on his brow the laurels of a COM
/ rade. rs
No man ever fought more CALAMITY than
| Gen. Pillow in the sphere appointed him.
while Gen. Polk was very Napoleon on ey-
| cry part of the field--directing every move
ment, crushing the foe, and driving him.
| with resIstless energy, under powerful com
| binations, from the field.
| Allow me, then, in sheer justice, to review
the movements of the day, qsorasn pars Jta,
| and il I cannot .sreader battle in music. .
| will at least give You the truth.
At an early hour in the morning, General
Polk threwover the river two regiments under
command of Gen. Pillow, where another was
already encamped, giving him about 1000
men and Watson's battery. While this move
| ment progressed, Gen. Polk with his staff
was passing from battery to battery on the
hills, advising bis gallant officers in command
and pouring tremendous fire on the enemy's
gunboats, which threatened to make point
from which they coulddestrey Gen. Pillows
enemy of the Yankees at this juneture, and
| excited the admiration, not only of General
| Polk, but of the whole army, by the skillful
| use of his batteries. The bow of gunboat
which had nearly attained the desired point,
was shivered, and away she went limping
back to the transports. Another was raked
| dreadully on the side and soon followed
| Gen. Polk now returns to the landing and
sees the gallant Pillow ascend the western
| bank--his line is formed and soon disappear
| Gen. Polk, with a Washington's precau-
| ton. COW forwards additional ammunition
| TO Gen. Pillows rear, and commands five
| regiments and battery to hold themselves
| in readiness for transportation. Pillows
| brave boys are moving. The enemy, 5000
| strong, are meeting him. The hustle and tu-
mutt on the wharf subside and thousands on
| the eastern bank of the river are breathless
| to catch the first sound OF the conflict. At
this pause Gen. Polk espied your humble
correspondent and placed him pro TEN. on his
| staff. Bang bang bang! Another, and
| another volley Our pickets are driven in.
! Horses with empty saddles, are dashing in
! wild disorder along the western bank of the
river. Gen. Polk orders another regiment
to cross, and ere they land one of the most
| deperate battles ever fought on the continent
| is raging.
Pillow in an open corn-feld challenges the
| foe to an equal contest-challenges with his
| pealing musketry and WatsOn's battery
they answer spitefuIly, but stick to the woods
| and an unseen foe, doubling us in number
! pours his deadly volleys on our brave boys
| can they stand before a superior force, and
| that force covered by the woods? Our chief
| hope is now in the battle-ground after round
| thunders on the foe, but the air is vocal with
messages of death, and we fall ON every side
| A regiment to reinforce is ascending the bank
of the river in double quick time, and shout
| Ing as they advance. A merciless, horrible
and incessant fire is making havoc with their
comrades. They rush to the thinning ranks
as you have seen them on gala day. But
courage is not omnipotent-the must perish
or retire. Now they waver, fall back--what
flying! Yes must tell the "truth," flying in
fearful disorder
But Gen. Pillow rallies q sufficient force
to pour upon their left wing terrific 7olley.
Our camp is on fire--our battery taken, and
turned against us-they have planted their
guns on the very bank OF the river, and play
on cur reiniorcements just about to embark
from the opposite shore--pigeon after pigeon
comes wbirling over the boats, and all about
Gen. Folks staff, blowing the sand and
splakhing the water at their feet; but our
ieadbr was equal to the occasion. He order
ed Gen. McCown's heavy guns on the hill 10
open on their battery. See! the hopeful en-
envy are advancing their gunboats from
| above, and open on these thunderbolts, which
our eagle hurls down with remorseless ven
geance from above. Now he strikes the
gunboat--now the foeman's battery-thre
cheers for McCown!-they are silenced.
Gen Polk now orders Gen. Cheatham for
ward to flank and, if possible, cut off the
foe, to land higher up, and thus gain mile
or two on. him. Cat whose suggestion? Gen.
PilloW's?) ''Like Mcdonald remarked to
Gen. Cheatham, "you bear the empire on
your shoulders" His reply was short and
laconlc, and in a moment his boats were
throwing their spray behind them. General
Polk follows in another boat, with one regi-
ment and determines TO rally the thousand
men who had been exposed in the cornfield
aud forced to retire. He directs his aids to
gallop from rank to rank, and reassure them.
1--WE have fresh troops, and General Polk to
lead us; will you rally under his banner?'
was shouted by stentorian voices. Nobly did
these brave fellows respond.
Cheatham has dashed on. Bang bang!
bangl What rattling and roaring; what
charging and shouting! Gen. Polk defles
further to the right, but still supporting him,
captured Adj Gen. Boiler, and stand of
colors. The enemy is in fall retreat-the
ground is strewn with blankets, arms, KNAPP
sacks even boots are thrown away to facili-
tate their fight: and onr three generals,
Polk, Chatham and Pillow, press them to
their very boats ARISTIDES.
Latet from NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.