The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-08-24


two companies OF iniaatfy.s SseiAg ~ s1oyetgg
meit Capt Tottsa peuPed .. .feySoapAs sof sAas,.
mister into thsir arankR Just in time h ssye 6lRa
sick men from ,baipg tra1pled to- death. diapaRe
ing the rebels "a completAlI thUt thipe sA0gN
vas seen of than during tkes dsy, Sra vxlno, p .
Gen. Lyon nov dssissds shs {asafbayss vhea.i
be had found 20 bssves,te .peepare 10 mees -
next onset Of the enemy With the hayonst5Amts
dasely after firing. They csaids .Giys ~ alssdse,
myin overwhelming numbers, confident Of vie '
tory over such meagre fosees-No sims could
be lost 70 select b lesdSr. wiiSsDua0 1od,&
excaIms Lyon v'Coms e0by brave lu9Be ana
plaeing himself IN the van, received slafl bel.
let just at the pit df she ssoaachi vhi14 klyed'
him instantly. The lOsAus delivered etbsir -Afe
and the enemy retired, 90 there wsS sao,sssd Sf
charging bayonets. Gen. LyooS body yawa6 6casossl
fully picked up and convey ed olielessI towards
h H. :%ss'.sisi :..ss z Il b sss II Ss
patriotic soldier, resardinG hhl otn LIE mof no
vslte, il be could but resepe bic eosptsy iAia
body has been brought ifither and etnbarhied, for
conTeyuncs 10 his friends in nzOonheeksuGo Thefoj'
Vas no feeling of depression on the part ,Qf the
troops at the unexpected calamity, bdt Father .
feeling Of quiet deselniRstionnlo ssetepga hiai1
death On the Tuesday night previous hs had
arranged for night attack upon the enemy, but
sihsularly found hiu,seifI fIdeiayed1 two hous bsss
skirmish on the pfaifie vest 81 soSn, Ind ,hs
attack wasi poetponed.- WeAnssday b .piaqNeC
me "Well, begin 70 believe our term, Of sol-
diefing is about completed. 's1 have trie6 earn
estly to discharge nyoshole, duty toBhsy Cor,
ernmeDt and appealed to them for reinforce
ments and supplies: But, sias, they Do ndtecme, v
and the enemy 10 gessisg .ths sdyantsgs Of VA
He then called q council Of war, at which there
was nearly unanimous voice for evacuating
Springfield. y Gen. Sweeny; splesd eloqusntly,
ruin of the Union cause in that quarter of the
State, and urged q battle as soon as the enemy 4
were within striking distance He also pointed
out the loss of reputation both to the General
and his officers which would follow such astep.
This counsel decided the course to be pursued,
and Thursday when the Brigade Quartermsster
inquired when We we're 70 leave. Springfield
Gen. Lyon replied: Not before We are whip
ped |" This was the proper course TO pursue.
IF be retreated without a battle; he wonld Ger.
tainly have been pursued BY, boastful and un-
punished enemy, and very likely have his rstreat
entirely cut of. After being wounded be ex.
claimed to MAJOR Schoield, The day is lost,
but the Major eaii, mo, General, letus try once
more" So they tried, and the General tell. II
was now little after nine o'clock, and the bat
tie had ragged with ferceness seldom If ever
equaled, for over three hours TIE smoke hung
like a storm cloud over the valley, at embls N
Of mourning for the departed hero, gl.1!;a7Eq
HE sleeps his last sleep, he has fought bis last
battle, . .a.. ~. a., .,:..,,
No sound shall awake him to glory again" .''s.
The battle ragged for two hours more, the
command devolving upon Major !Stufgis.-
The enemy made repeated attempts to Iretahe
the heights from which they had been driven,
but were gallantly repulsed each time. The
Kansas regiments behaved with bravery sell
dom or never equaled, forming ambuscsdes for
the benefit Of the rebels by lying fiat on the
ground until the enemy came near enough foe
them to see their eyebrows, when they would
pour deadly volley into their opponents land
again remain in possession Of the field. The
last repulse of the enemy was the most glorious
cry regiment on the field. The enemy came
fresh and deceived our men by bearing Union
flag, causing them to believe Sigel was about ma
king junction with our forces. Disc0v.
ering the ruse just in time, our gallant boys
rushed upon the enemy, who, with four cannon
belchiug fourth loud-mouthed thunder, were on
the point of having their efforts crowned with
success, and again drove them with great loss
down the slope on the south side Of the hill. sa7
Capt. Totten's ammunition Was now nearly ex.
hausted, and placing Dubois's battery upon the
hill at the north end of the valley, Maj Sturgis
ordered the ambulances to move towards town.
The infantry and Totten's full battery followed
in good order, and we're not pursued by the enc
my, who were evidently glad to be .'let alone
Among the prisoners taken was q surgeon liv.
ing in st Charles county,. He waa. imme-
diately released, and Dr.. Melcher accompanied
him to the rebel Generals. arranging for the re.
turn Of our wagons to bring in our wounded and
dead. - .HG ,fEs@afd 80 BLOC 20 ,aH.aEga
Lieut.. Col Horace b. Brand, of the First Reg
iment, sixth division, who commanded the rebel
forces at Bonneville and who said he was now
acting as Aid to Gen. Price, was taken prisoner.
When Gen. SigeI, who commanded the east
ern DIVISION heard the roar of Totten's artillery,
he at once attacked the enemy in hrs quarter,
driving him half mile and taking possession Of
his camp, extending westward 70 the Eayette-
vile road. Here terrible Gre was poured into
his ranks by regiment which he had permit
ted to advance within 4 few PAGES of him, sup
posing It TO be the Iowa First. His men scat.
tered considerably and Col Salomon's could not
be rallied. Consequently Sissl lost Eve of his
guns, the other being brought away BY Capt
Flagg, who compslled his prisoners, some sixty
in number, to drag il of the field. I,;-. ...,,.c
Our troops took some 400 horses and about
10 prisoners, and compelled the enemy TO burn
nearly all Of his baggage to keep it from falling
into our hands y.- e-s-s, g .os ,,yst,v-.t % +.
Inc enemy snao a pieces OF cannon, anu ~
the last, 26, including those taken from Sigel.-
There were none Of them worked with preci-
sion, every shot for nearly an hour going whiz
twenty feet over our heads. s'1fs7
With two more regiments we should have
driven the enemy entirely from the valley, and
with q proper olvalry force, could have followed
up such q victory with decisive results.
Our loss is about 200 killed and from go to
100 wounded, while the loss of the enemy must
have been double our own. DR.. Schenck, who
was in the rebel camp at u late hour last even
ing, bringing away our wounded, reports our
men comparatively few with those Of the enemy,
| whose dead were lying thick under the trees.
<,.s ps,., t4,v sfEfH