The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-11-14

Battle 20 Pisssb&rg LaaAAng.
| Wa clip tie following account Of The
begiuning Of the battle Of Pittsba,l
Landing from the spar.a wis Easss
being part Of Lieut.. Wilson's dairy
The heroic conduct Of Col. Moore and
bis command On thut memorable day needs
40 other panegyrio than a simple nara
ton Of facts.
Long before the sun appeared above the
eastern horizon, the occasional sound oil
musketry was n,ard in front of the right
wing of the center Division and at the
distance Of nearly mile. indicating an
attack upon our. pickets.
Colonel Moore, of the 2lst Missouri,
Immediately alarmed his camp, and taking
four companies of his regiment, went in
person to the scene of conflict ~
The advance guard Of the rebel force
was pressing hard upon the pickets and
were already forcing them back; but Col.
Moore Immediately attacked them and a
desperate struggle ensued, resulting in a
heavy loss upon both sides. AS the main
body of the rebel army had not, as yet,
exposed themselves to view, Colonel
Moore sent his dead and wounded back to
his camp with an order for the balance of
his regimentto be sent Immediately to his
support, expressing the belief that with
his whole regiment he could destroy or
capture the entire force he was then Gu
gaging.
General Pren,iss immediately ordered
his regiment to the front, to their Colonel'a
support. The almost incessant roar of
musketry which was soon heard short
distance to the front, told the desperate
character of the contest being waged be-
tween the rebels and the 2lst Missouri.
In the meantime the entire division had
been aroused, aud all were making prep
arations to meet any emergency which
might be presented. The conviction was
now fast forcing itself upon the minds Of
all, that the rebels we're advancing in full
force. This conviction seeH became a
certainty, when it was discovered that
Colonel Moore was, with his remaining
force being driven back towards his camp,
although he was stubbornly contesting
every inch of the ground over which be
was retreating.
Field, staff, and line officers were every
whore busy rallying their men throughout
the entire length of the center Division,
and our regiment had planted lis colors
and was wheeled into line of battle a few
rods in advance of their tents. The Mis-
souri, regiment had beon driven back to
their camp, and scores OF her brave men
were sleeping in death, including the
brave Major King. Colonel Moore was
so badly wounded in the leg as to make its
immediate amputation necessary.
The startling and appalling truth was
now present to every mind that upon that
day, with scarcely an hours preparation,
the raw and undisoiplned army of the
West-many Of whom had never been
under ire from An enemy-were to meet
and struggle fdr the victory with the
chosen, arlful and desperate leader of the
rebel army, who was in command of a
force at least double that of our own
This reflection was well calculated to dis.
hearten and discourage our troops. But
little time was afforded us for reflections
of any kind, or for spcculations upon the
probabilities of a defeat or the chance of
a succsss, for shortly after sunrise and d.
rectly in front of the center Division, and
far enough to the right to cover that of
Gen. Sherman. was presented to our view
= scene az sublime as it was appalling-as
grand as it was terrific. The entire army
of General Beauregard. in three perfec.
lines Of battle, each line at the distance OF
about twelve rods from the other, were de-
scending slight declisity and emerging
from the corner of the woods into an
open space--which space alone divided
the rebel from the federal army.